2008 Book 1: Breakfast at Tiffany's

(The one to the left is out-of-stock, but features the cover art on my version; the one to the right is the same three short stories with the novella but with modern art and is in stock, should you want to add to your library!)

Book #:	1
Book Title:	Breakfast at Tiffany's and Three Stories
Author:	Truman Capote
Publisher:	Vintage International (Random House)
Pub. Date:	1993 (my version); 1958 (original)
Pages:	178
Started:	January 1, 2008
Finished:	January 1, 2008
Time to Read:	1 Day!
Back Cover / Inside Flap:	"In this seductive, wistful masterpiece, Truman Capote created a woman whose name entered the American idiom and whose style is a part of the literary landscape. Holy Golightly knows that nothing bad can ever happen to you at Tiffany's; her poignancy, wit and naivete continue to charm. This volume also includes three of Capote's best-known stories, "House of Flowers", "A Diamond Guitar", and "A Christmas Memory," which the Saturday Review called "one of the most moving stories in our language." It is a tale of two innocents - a small boy and the old woman who is his best friend - whose sweetness contains a hard, sharp kernel of truth."
Stars:	*****
Review:	I've long been enchanted with the tale of Breakfast at Tiffany's - mainly because it has my name! I generally have a rule that I do not like movies made out of books, since they are so inoften true to the original story. In the case of this story, however, I saw the movie long, long before ever reading the book. I can distinctly remember being in fifth grade and renting the movie from the little local movie place that was inside Kasa's Pizzeria and being absolutely enchanted with the plot and with Audrey Hepburn afterwards. It wasn't until I was a senior in high school and looking for a story on which to base my Honors English final thesis paper. It's a good thing I waited until I was older to read this story - although the basic story line is the same as the movie that followed, Capote's writing is raw, crude, and almost-shocking considering the time period during which this novella was published. It does, however, have this base appeal and air of genuineness to it that makes it an absolute treasure to read time and time again. Holly Golightly is the wayward neighbor of Paul, the story's narrator, and the two enjoy a relationship that has both close and turbulent moments. Paul is halfway in love with Holly...but Holly only wants to land a big catch - not a struggling writer - and use that as her springboard to a life beyond the mean reds. Until then, it's up to Tiffany's to keep those moods at bay. The short stories that follow the 111-page novella are captivating, heart wrenching at times, and well worth including with the title piece.

If you have read or are planning to read this book, please make sure to stop back by and leave me a comment to let me know your own thoughts!

From my library to yours,

Tiffany