A review by sharonus
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I really had a hard time with two of the stories in this book: Breakfast at Tiffany's and House of Flowers. Admittedly, I'm looking at these through the lens of modern day, but Holly Golightly is not a strong woman living life on her own terms as was my impression of the character.  She's simply a plaything for rich men.

Holly was a child bride and she alludes to sexual abuse even before then.  She supports herself by essentially serving as an unofficial escort for wealthy men who periodically hand her wads of cash.  Even when she finally "falls in love," her lover abandons her when it becomes clear that her naïve actions earlier in the story make jailtime a very real possibility.

In the House of Flowers the main character leaves a house of prostitution to go live with a man she "loves" who ends up tying her to a tree all day as punishment.  Apparently, he didn't want to do it, but the ghost of his grandmother would "otherwise never leave her in peace."  When friends from the brothel come to save Ottilie, she insists they retie her to the tree so she'll be in the same place when her beloved returns.  Even looking at this story through the lens of a bygone era, it's still extremely disturbing.
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