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A review by b_arose
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Breakfast at Tiffany's is a book littered with sadness, flawed and unlikeable characters told from the perspective of an anonymous narrator, who falls for the charms of Holly Golightly, a wayward twenty year old who masks her pain and sufferings in life with men and alcohol.
The plot revolves around the disjointed tales of his encounters with Holly and the men in her life in New York. Capote's writing has fast pacing, flair and naunce to paint vidid pictures of the scenes he depicts of the characters. What happens narratively in the story is not hugely memorable and everyone is pretty annoying in some way but the way they are written draws you in to want to hear more.
House of Flowers is a sad story of a young child sex worker who at 17 falls for a man in the mountains who treats her poorly but is too afraid to leave him as she thinks she's in love. It's not the easiest format to read as none of the dialogue has any speech marks and flows as one solid passage. This was my least favourite story of the book as it didn't offer any hope to toxic situations or anecdotes that felt anything outside of cruel.
A Diamond Guitar is the best of the three shorter stories, it's patched with light and dark, sadness and happiness in a way that feels realistic to the human memory and views of the world. An unlikely friendship that is used for different reasons with warming moments. If you liked The Shawshank Redemption film, this story has a similar vibe.
A Christmas Memory is an odd tale of a seven year old (I still cannot tell if they are meant to be a boy or girl) and 60 year old woman who are distant cousins and best friends in a house of family members who outcast them. The story is very well written with incredible vocabulary and metaphors that doesn't relate to the way a seven year old would speak at all, so the fact it's from a child's perspective makes it odd and 'weird' to read very eloquent adult language. It's a simple story of their journey to making fruit cakes at Christmas with very little money and their dreams and pasttimes. There's an abrupt sad ending which feels slightly disjointed and overall sours the playful innocence we have previously become accustomed to.
All the writings in this book are fast paced with slow language to describe the mundane in a romantic essay from a slow living perspective.
The plot revolves around the disjointed tales of his encounters with Holly and the men in her life in New York. Capote's writing has fast pacing, flair and naunce to paint vidid pictures of the scenes he depicts of the characters. What happens narratively in the story is not hugely memorable and everyone is pretty annoying in some way but the way they are written draws you in to want to hear more.
House of Flowers is a sad story of a young child sex worker who at 17 falls for a man in the mountains who treats her poorly but is too afraid to leave him as she thinks she's in love. It's not the easiest format to read as none of the dialogue has any speech marks and flows as one solid passage. This was my least favourite story of the book as it didn't offer any hope to toxic situations or anecdotes that felt anything outside of cruel.
A Diamond Guitar is the best of the three shorter stories, it's patched with light and dark, sadness and happiness in a way that feels realistic to the human memory and views of the world. An unlikely friendship that is used for different reasons with warming moments. If you liked The Shawshank Redemption film, this story has a similar vibe.
A Christmas Memory is an odd tale of a seven year old (I still cannot tell if they are meant to be a boy or girl) and 60 year old woman who are distant cousins and best friends in a house of family members who outcast them. The story is very well written with incredible vocabulary and metaphors that doesn't relate to the way a seven year old would speak at all, so the fact it's from a child's perspective makes it odd and 'weird' to read very eloquent adult language. It's a simple story of their journey to making fruit cakes at Christmas with very little money and their dreams and pasttimes. There's an abrupt sad ending which feels slightly disjointed and overall sours the playful innocence we have previously become accustomed to.
All the writings in this book are fast paced with slow language to describe the mundane in a romantic essay from a slow living perspective.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs, Sexism, and Alcohol