Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Three Stories in Retro Chapter Chicks

Jul 27, 2021 Candi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics-shelf, favorites, novella

“If I could find a real-life place that made me feel like Tiffany’s, then I’d buy some furniture and give the cat a name.”

Only Truman Capote could make me feel so nostalgic for a place and time I’ve never inhabited. He’s done this remarkably well with all of the pieces I’ve read thus far. This particular collection includes the iconic Breakfast at Tiffany’s as well as three shorter pieces, one of which I’ve reviewed elsewhere – A Christmas Memory (loved it!). I’ve never seen the film. So imagine “If I could find a real-life place that made me feel like Tiffany’s, then I’d buy some furniture and give the cat a name.”

Only Truman Capote could make me feel so nostalgic for a place and time I’ve never inhabited. He’s done this remarkably well with all of the pieces I’ve read thus far. This particular collection includes the iconic Breakfast at Tiffany’s as well as three shorter pieces, one of which I’ve reviewed elsewhere – A Christmas Memory (loved it!). I’ve never seen the film. So imagine my surprise when I discovered that Holly Golightly was not at all like the angel I imagined Audrey Hepburn to have portrayed! That’s not a complaint by any means. I was entirely beguiled by the original version of Holly that Capote dreamed up before Hollywood stepped in. Capote’s Holly is charming, for sure, but also much more enigmatic than I would have envisioned. She’s deliciously darker. There’s something about Holly that I could relate to – a restlessness of spirit, perhaps. Unlike yours truly, however, Holly is a bit of a fleeting vision. One gets the sense that she’ll be here one second and the next… poof!. Even the name slot affixed to her mailbox gives us a clue straightaway.

“Printed, rather Cartier-formal, it read: Miss Holiday Golightly; and, underneath, in the corner, Traveling. It nagged me like a tune: Miss Holiday Golightly, Traveling.”

Just who is this woman? That’s what our narrator, an aspiring writer, intends to find out. I was fascinated by the dynamics and the dialogue between Holly and those with whom she interacted. I’m always perplexed by the fact that some people seem so closed off from one another these days. Yet these charming creatures in literature suddenly materialize on the fire escapes of neighbors they know nary a lick! I fell a little in love with Holly Golightly along with the rest of the crowd from that moment on. What more can I say? Bravo, Mr. Capote!

“… you can’t give your heart to a wild thing: the more you do, the stronger they get. Until they’re strong enough to run into the woods. Or fly into a tree. Then a taller tree. Then the sky.”
...more

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Jul 07, 2016 Brina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, short-stories

Fred, our story's narrator, has been called by Joe Bell the proprietor of Hamburg Heaven because he has heard about Holly. So begins Truman Capote's classic Breakfast at Tiffany's, the tale of New York society girl Holly Golightly. As soon as Fred hears about Holly, the story flashes back to 1943 and we begin our story of Holly.

Growing up I knew Aubrey Hepburn as Eliza Dolittle and Tiffany's as a diamond store, so I envisioned Breakfast at Tiffany's to be a tale of the upper crust of New York s Fred, our story's narrator, has been called by Joe Bell the proprietor of Hamburg Heaven because he has heard about Holly. So begins Truman Capote's classic Breakfast at Tiffany's, the tale of New York society girl Holly Golightly. As soon as Fred hears about Holly, the story flashes back to 1943 and we begin our story of Holly.

Growing up I knew Aubrey Hepburn as Eliza Dolittle and Tiffany's as a diamond store, so I envisioned Breakfast at Tiffany's to be a tale of the upper crust of New York society dining at the Plaza Hotel. How wrong was in these thoughts. Our protagonists live in a brownstone apartment, not the Plaza. "Fred" named in honor of Holly's brother is a festering writer who seems to be Capote himself and his upstairs neighbor is a mysterious girl named Holly Golightly who adds traveling to her business cards. Until the two have any interactions, Holly remains an enigma, adding to her mystique.

Throughout the book, Holly still remains an enigma even after she and "Fred" build on their friendly, platonic relationship. Who is Holly? Is she a Hollywood starlet or Arkansas hillbilly? A New York society girl or prostitute or a member of the mafia? Because the novella is only 100 pages in length, Capote tackles all of these ideas while really building up Holly's character. Even though I prefer epic novels, I also enjoy a shorter story that flushes out a character's personality and has me captivated from the first pages. Capote's novella does this and then some, allowing me to quickly read to the conclusion.

Tiffany's does make an appearance in the novella although not the way I had thought it would. Holly in spite of all the glitz in her life, wants to be remembered the same when she has the money to eat breakfast at Tiffany's. Does this mean she will be down to earth or a multi-layered character? Will she keep the same company or dine with movie stars? Capote hints that Holly would prefer the former but never tells us, allowing for the reader to draw their own conclusions. Again, this device enabled me to read the novella in one sitting so I could find out whether or not Holly ever ate breakfast at Tiffany's.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the three other stories included in this novella. All of them bring out Capote's prose and show us why he is highly regarded as a classic American writer. The collection ends on a high note with A Christmas Memory, allowing is some insight into Capote's family life growing up. I look forward to seeing Breakfast at Tiffany's on screen to compare the movie to the book and also reading his masterpiece In Cold Blood. A 5-star classic. ...more

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Aug 07, 2021 Celia rated it liked it

Shelves: short-stories, 1001-challenge, 2021-kindle-counted, kindle-library, ten-year-challenge, classics, 2021-read

Not exactly what I expected. I neither saw the movie nor read the book before now... BUT... I really thought Holly Golightly was a cute ingenue. Hardly.

3 stars

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Nov 04, 2008 Book Concierge rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club, new-york, concierge, library, short-stories

A gem. A masterpiece. Capote's spot-on dialogue tells the story, rather than rely on description. The date I've recorded is when our book club discussed it, but I had read this novella a couple of times before, probably as far back as the late 1960s.

The particular edition I read was a collection of stories which also included "House of FLowers" "Diamond Guitar" and "A Christmas Memory." The last is one of my favorite works by Capote. ...more

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Jul 16, 2014 Kris (My Novelesque Life) rated it liked it

3 STARS

"Holly Golightly is generally up all night drinking cocktails and breaking hearts. She hasn't got a past. She doesn't want to belong to anything or anyone, not even to her one-eyed rag-bag pirate of a cat. One day Holly might find somewhere she belongs." (From Amazon)

A very different version than the movie...mainly that Paul is GAY! The relationship is not one of romance and lust but of love and acceptance. I really like both versions for what they are. ...more

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