#42: Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

I’ve seen the movie version of this story several times and I have never figured out why people like it so much. I understand the attraction to iconic Audrey Hepburn but the movie just isn’t that great. The story in print form, however, made a lot more sense. It doesn’t hold back any flamboyance, which I was surprised to find, and Holly Golightly isn’t nearly as annoying. I mean, that scene at the end when she can’t make up her mind about Buster and throws out her cat? I hate that part of the movie! But now that I’ve read this book, I feel as though I need to read it again. Capote knows decadence and he understands the mystery of New York. The writing invites the reader to join in the drama even if you feel you’ve had enough of it. That’s how I know that even if I wasn’t wearing a little black dress and looking through a window of jewelry, I’d still feel rather glamorous.

This edition of the book included 3 different short stories as well. Each of them very different, they are worth looking into because they have the kind of story telling I don’t see much anymore. They are simple, straight-forward, and seem to have a wistful feeling that Truman Capote continued to have in his own life. The kind gentleman working alone at Alabaster Bookshop recommended this book to me and I have half a mind to go back and thank him. After all, the best question in a place like that is always, “What’s the best thing you’ve read lately?”

Side Note: In an incredibly fun turn of events, I finished Breakfast at Tiffany’s on the the train this morning then walked to work only to see Phillip Seymor Hoffman looking aloof outside a coffee shop. It’s kind of weird to see someone who played an author on film right after you’re finished reading one of his books.