Breakfast at Tiffany's

Rating:
Summary: Great writer misses the mark
Review: Breakfast at Tiffany's relates the story of Holly Golightly. If the name Golightly sounds somewhat contrived to your ear as it does to mine then you might not be shocked to learn that the character seems just as contrived and unrealistic. Holly is meant to be one of those exceptional people who breeze through life on sheer force of personality, oozing charisma and eccentric charm. Unfortunately, she never quite rings true. Her dialog is just a bit too breezy and her manner a touch too above-it-all. She's such a stereotype of this type of person that she comes across as more of parody than a real person.

Breakfast at Tiffany's is not awful by any means. Capote is a master wordsmith and at times his prose is compelling enough to draw you into the story. Unfortunately, there are too many moments that don't quite ring true to make this a must read. If you want to try Capote for the first time I would recommend In Cold Blood. It is a far better book with much more substantial characters.

Rating:
Summary: My all-time favorite American classic!
Review: I re-read this book and was pleased to find that I wasn't wrong about it the other million times I read it. Truman Capote is one of my favorite authors and Breakfast at Tiffany's is my all-time favorite American classic. I don't read about Holly Golightly, I absorb this unique, eccentric character. The message Mr. Capote conveys in this novel is one of poignancy and charm. Holly, like her nameless cat, is a free spirit, a young woman whose quirks and unconventional lifestyle endear everyone, including the ambiguous narrator. This book overwhelms me with sadness every time I read it. Ms. Golightly's elusiveness touches me every time. I also love the film version of this novel. But the story gets lost somewhere amid the chemistry between Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard. Peppard plays the narrator, and his character loses the mystery and ambiguity that is evident in the book. And even though I love the film's ending, the novel's conclusion is unforgettable. There are various differences between the book and the film, but they're both classics in their unique way. If you've seen the movie but haven't read the book, I strongly suggest you pick it up. Truman Capote is a brilliant writer, and he outdid himself with this timeless gem.

Rating:
Summary: It is what it is
Review: So many people didn't understand Capote. He was truly an odd duck, and his books must be taken in context of his life or lack thereof.

Like other authors who try their hand at different genres (think Gore Vidal or John Grisham) their "faithful" readers may be disappointed. Such is the case with Capote. He never repeated himself as far as the types of books he wrote and we should be praising him, not putting him down.

"Other Voice, Other Rooms" was his first book and it is a gentle pastoral elegy to a by-gone time and culture. Gothic? Yes. Unlike any other thing he wrote? Yes.

Then there's "In Cold Blood." A new style--a new type of "faction" book. And "Breakfast at Tiffay's" is yet another genre. Capote was constantly moving about, wrestless not only in living, but writing as well. Read this book for what it is--memory, living in NY, youth, and ultimately, hope. The movie isn't bad either.

Also recommended: Gerald Clarke's bio on Capote, McCrae's "Bark of the Dogwood," and Capote's first book, "Other Voices, Other Rooms."

Rating:
Summary: Delightful and quick novella
Review: Next to Truman Capote's masterpiece, In Cold Blood, is his wildly famous and absolutely delightful novella, Breakfast at Tiffany's. The book's fame has been catapulted by the classic film with Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard. While the movie follows the novella fairly closely, there are some significant differences between the two works. I will not reveal them here.

In Holly Golightly, Tiffany's central character, Truman Capote has created his self-stated favorite character, a charming yet flighty high-class call girl. The book follows Holly's nights of debauchery with days of conversations and activities with a writer (narrator as well). Some plot elements involving mobsters, a person from Holly's past, a Latin playboy and a few other minor characters tie the story together into an entertaining tale. But the true joy with this book is the time the reader will spend with Holly. Despite her different station in life, readers will identify with her fears, hopes and desires for comfort (the source of the book's title). Furthermore, Capote's leisurely style of writing makes the work far more engaging.

If you have some brief free time, this brilliant work will be a lovely way to spend a quiet afternoon.

Rating:
Summary: Breakfast at Tiffany's
Review: I picked up Breakfast at Tiffany's not expecting to enjoy, but not get very into it. After the first page, though, I couldn't put it down. Holly, the main character, is the type of person that you really want to be friends with, yet at the same time you just want to jump inside the book and yell at her. You can't help but fall in love with her even if you don't like her! I absolutely LOVED this book. If you've seen the movie, do no think because you liked or didn't like the movie you'll feel the same way about the book because they are completely different stories. Breakfast at Tiffany's is awesome! I think it might be my favorite book!

Rating:
Summary: Breakfast anywhere
Review: I can't tell you that this is a good book, but I can tell you that has a strong message: you can do whatever you want to do without hurting anybody and you will have an easier life, but if you hurt yourself while living this way, you will lost everything you have, because you will not like anything that you have until you lose it.
The story of Holly is like many real stories that I know, so the only person who really know if she were happy or not is Holly.
The book is easy to read but not as good as I thought.

Rating:
Summary: Why Doesn't Audrey Hepburn Ever Climb In My Bedroom Window?
Review: Like many readers, my first encounter with Breakfast At Tiffany's the book came after seeing the movie. The two have so much in common that it's difficult to separate them in my mind; the movie benefits from having Audrey Hepburn on the screen a lot in some nice costumes, but suffers from Blake Edwards' typical racial stereotyping, with its transformation of Mr Yunioshi into a bad joke.

But then, Audrey was in the story when I read it, too, so closely did her portrayal match the written character. It's rather difficult to believe that Capote favoured Marilyn Monroe for the part (as he is reported to have done) -- Hepburn even looks like the character described in the story, while Monroe doesn't.

Despite the similarities, there are some interesting differences too, which I won't list here, as discovering them will be part of the fun of the book for anyone who's seen the movie.

The story is of the narrator's relationship with his neighbour Holly Golightly, proceeding from glimpses on the stairs, to passing acquaintance, to volatile friendship, and finally to unrequited love, and loss. But the real subject of the book is the unfolding of Holly's character and past.

The book comes alive when Holly is in the room; she is one of the great memorable characters of modern fiction, and most readers will probably fall in love with her a little.

Also included in the edition I read (and most editions, so far as I can tell) are three short stories by Capote: 'House of Flowers', about a Haitian prostitute; 'A Diamond Guitar', set in a Southern prison; and 'A Christmas Memory', the narrator's (possibly Capote's own) reminiscences of a childhood friend. I wonder how many readers stop when they finish Breakfast? The other three stories are good enough, but lack the greatness of Breakfast. But then, so do most things.

Rating:
Summary: Breakfast at Tiffany's
Review: The character of Holly Golightly is well known to many from Audrey Hepburn's portrayal of her on film. (I have not seen the movie, but I suspect from what I know of it that its tone and storyline differ markedly from that of the novella.) Holly, a "lopsided romantic" in the author's words, is a charming but self-involved, irresponsible, and sometimes mean-spirited young woman with a murkily unpleasant past. She attracts wealthy men to her easily and, in some vague way, makes her living from them. Among those who fall in love with her is the narrator of the book, a neighbor whom she calls "Fred"--her brother's name. "Fred," prompted by the report that she may be in Africa, writes about Holly years after his acquaintance with her has ended. His story suggests that she has managed to charm a new continent-load of men and to land on her feet again, cat-like.

Rating:
Summary: So much more (and different) than I expected.
Review: I've been a fan of the film for a very long time, and I'm not sure what I expected from the book. It's a very thin book, and the film is rather breezy, so I think the adjective that best describes what I expected is 'slight'.

In the end, I think the word that I would choose to most describe the book would be 'sad'. The film has elements of sad in it, but generally feels good to watch. The book almost hurts to read-- particularly in the ways where the ending is different. I hadn't expected this kind of brilliance from Capote, to be honest. I've never been a huge fan of _In Cold Blood_.

While the three other stories collected with BAT are also very well-written, special notice should go to "A Christmas Memory". The collection would be worth reading for that story alone.

Rating:
Summary: A subtle work of art
Review: The name Holi Golightly stands as a paramount in the XX Century culture. As a character, she define fashion, charm and desired, and she has lived in our imagination since when the movie was released. But before the movie there was the book. Written by Truman Capote, 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' is one of the best novellas ever written in English. The charm, the style, the passion, all is there.

This is more or less the book that defines the glamorous New Your in our mind. The city is virtually a character, as important as Holi's cat, so to speak. Its urbarn landscape is pictured in our minds as a happy place, where one can help but having fun whenever one wants. At least this is what we get from the protagonist's behaviour.

Capote's style is full of charm and passion, and the length of the story makes it precise and almost flawless. Maybe we wouldn't have succeded had he written a long novel about Holi. Things and people pops up in her life and a few pages later they are gone and forgotten. Lucy are the ones who had the luch to meet her.

The other three stories in this book are quite good not, although not as nearly as famous as 'Breakfast'. 'House of Flowers' tells a story about love and how much we sometimes give up in order to be with the one we like. It is a story of a girl who is trying to find her place in the world, but all she finds is not so many good people. Those people are not bad, they just aren't good. 'Diamond guitar' is about two convicts who become friends and how important this friendship is for them in order to survive the difficulties of jair. But, of course, something will came up and may --or may not-- set them appart. The last story 'A Christmas Memory' is a little jew that should be saved for Christmas time. It is about the unexpected friendship about an old woman and a seven-year-old boy.

To sum up, the four stories in this edition deal with misfits, that are trying to survive in a wild society that does not accept too much poetry and sweetness. This book is a high achievment for world wide literature. And later, with 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' an achievment for the cinema.