Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

Publisher: Vintage (May 2012)

194 pages, eBook (Purchased Myself for $9.99)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

This is a kind of depressing story of a wild and mysterious young lady that captures everyone’s attention, but always seems a few steps behind the happiness that she is seeking, throwing away her chances before she knows she should have held on to that one.

My Thoughts:

This novella is told from the point-of-view of one of her neighbors, and has a very modern feel to it (reminded me of The Great Gatsby). Holly is a wild party girl, that always seems to be up to some sort of antic. Everyone seems in awe of her and the air of mystery around her seems to make her all that much more fascinating. But, the more you get to know about her, the less ideal her life seems. I’m definitely interested to watch the movie now.

Edition Notes:

This collection also includes three short stories: House of Flowers, A Diamond Guitar and A Christmas Memory.

Quotes:

“Even so, my spirits heightened whenever I felt in my pocket the key to this apartment; with all its gloom, it still was a place of my own—” -Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s

“You can love somebody without it being like that. You keep them a stranger, a stranger who’s a friend.” -Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s

“—you got to want it to be good and I don’t want it—“-Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s

“I don’t mean I’d mind being rich and famous. That’s very much on my schedule, and someday I’ll try to get around to it; but if it happens, I’d like to have my ego tagging along. I want to still be me when I wake up one fine morning and have breakfast at Tiffany’s.” -Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s

“I don’t want to own anything until I know I’ve found the place where me and things belong together.” -Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s

“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.” -Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s

“—the average personality reshapes frequently, every few years even our bodies undergo a complete overhaul—desirable or not, it is a natural thing that we should change.” -Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s

“They would never change because they’d been given their character too soon; which, like sudden riches, leads to a lack of proportion—“-Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s

“But 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. The the sky. That’s how you’ll end up, Mr. Bell. If you let yourself love a wild thing. You’ll end up looking at the sky.” -Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s

“—it’s better to look at the sky than live there. Such an empty place; so vague. Just a country where the thunder goes and things disappear.” -Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s

“I’m very scared, Buster. Yes, at last. Because it could go on forever. Not knowing what’s yours until you’ve thrown it away.” -Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Movie Adaptations:

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal