Customer Reviews

Portraits and Observations: The Essays of Truman Capote (Modern Library Paperbacks)

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I was very excited to buy this book and begin reading it during the holidays. I skipped around in it rather than reading from start to finish. One of the best items in it isn't actually an essay at all - its a murder mystery story that is captivating, but is fictional ("Handcarved Coffins.") (Midway through reading it I searched via Google for info on the murders and quickly found it was not an actual non-fiction account.) I enjoyed the essay about the history of the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood where Capote lived for several years. An essay about a theatre group going to the USSR to perform Porgy and Bess was interesting and humorous.

The essay on Marlon Brando, "The Duke in His Doman" seemed like a waste of pages. The gist of it is that when Capote met with Brando in Japan during the filming of Sayonara, Brando was self-absorbed and arrogantly believed himself to be a great philospher. I think that essay could have been left out.

There are a number of very short essays that are probably better described as "vignettes." I found these less satisfying - Capote seems better at capturing a place or person with more words, with the exception of the Brando essay.

This book might have been better if it had been a combination of essays and letters and some of the weaker essays had been left out, or supplemented by relevant letters.

If you have not read Truman Capote, recommend this book as an excellent read. What a gifted writer he was. Fast delivery.

This was the same book that I checked out from my local library prior to ordering from Amazon.
The contents are typical Capote-clever masterpieces in essay form that weave their spell, written over a span of several decades.
As Mr. Capote related to me in 1978, his was a genuine love for the written word. He used to spend long periods of time as a child practicing sentence construction and paragraph formation.
An excellent read all the way around.

Steve Harris

Capote is known for his novel-like depiction in the true account of "In Cold Blood" This collection of non fiction essays shows that he is a master of observation in all his work even prior to that book. He sees things with an artist's eye that makes his writing read like a suspense story.

Capote was one of the best writers ever even when his lifestyle was in the pits. This collection of essays prove it.