4+. All the stories were not great, some were uncomfortably creepy, but the great ones were truly great. The closer he stayed to his roots, the better they were, I think. The ones where he was remaking himself in NYC were more surface and shine, a bit like a foreshadowing of his becoming one of the people more famous for being famous in his later years than for producing great work.

En este recopilatorio de 20 historias cortas, se demuestra el poder narrativo y construcción de espacios de Truman Capote, historias góticas, chismes bien contados, relatos que yo considero autobiográficos (No he buscado la historia de Capote para confirmar).
Los personajes pasan por diversas aventuras o desventuras, algunas historias parten desde el inicio otras desde el final. Todo esto con una narración hermosa.

De meester-stilist...

A fascinating look at an author over his entire career - and a marvelous reintroduction to a storyteller I'd rather forgotten about.

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No se puede esperar menos de alguien cuyo nombre contiene la palabra "capo"

Overall, I was really impressed and surprised by this collection. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I did and want to now check out more of Truman’s more well-known novels. Truman is a great writer who can write about a variety of topics.

The Walls are Cold (3 stars?):

I’m not sure how to feel about this story, it was shorter than I expected it to be, so I didn’t feel as if I got to know the characters well or that there was sufficient time for a strong plot to develop. I was left wanting more, but I did like this story somewhat and enjoyed reading it, though it wasn’t something that was really interesting. The writing was simple, but effective in its descriptions and easy to get into.

A Mink of One’s Own (4 stars?):

I enjoyed this one and how Truman built up suspense and a mystery in a short amount of time. The specific details that created a sense of things being not quite right kept me reading. I think that this story felt complete, even though I would’v e liked to read more.

The Shape of Things (More than 3 stars, not quite 4?):

The writing in this one was highly detailed and I liked Truman’s focus. I could picture what was happening through the characters’ eyes. It felt like a short story, but the problem is that I wanted more and still have questions after reading it. I enjoyed reading it, because of the mystery, but that seemed unsolved.

Jug of Silver (4 stars):

Nostalgic. This felt like a good use of the short story form, it built upon this narrative and ended in a way that I was not expecting or wanting more from it. It felt final. I like how Truman can be so simple with his writing and say what needs to be said, but also write beautifully and evoking certain feelings like the tension during the counting scene.. I enjoyed reading this for the plot and the simple mystery and wanted to keep reading it, it held my attention.

Miriam (4 stars):

I still get chills from just thinking about this story. Truman did an excellent job of building the atmosphere and building up the suspense. It held my attention and made me want to keep reading it, because of the mystery that drove the story. I needed to know, I had so many questions. I had to admit that the plot was simple and had been done before, but I still enjoyed reading it. Truman's writing is so beautiful at some points of the story and I really like that detail. Good use of the short story form and a nerve-wracking ending.

My Side of the Matter (3 stars):

The voice in this story was so different from the others, it was more humorous in tone and passionate and strong towards his side. I found this story funny, even though it was dark and serious. The circumstances that Truman puts his character in are dramatic, but funny and a little bit too petty. It had a lot of dated humor and themes that I wouldn’t be okay with if this story was written today. Some of the stuff in this story rubbed me the wrong way, especially the racism and sexism, but it also was accurate for the time that this story was written. The ending could’ve been better. It felt final, but still off. This was still an enjoyable read.

Preacher’s Legend (3 stars):

Truman’s writing in this story is so pretty and vivid, I felt as if it was written by a completely different writer, because of how different this story was from the others. It was well-written, I could picture everything and I admire the attention to detail. I wasn’t too much into the story and am not sure if it was racist or not. I felt confused, but still think that Truman wrote a story that worked well with the short story format, with an ending that felt final.

A Tree of Night (More than 3 stars, around 4):

What an ending! It ended in a way that felt final, but left me with questions. Truman did a good job at building characters and a plot within a short amount of time. It was short and simple, but enjoyable and interesting as well as had some vivid and picturesque writing. It also built tension and the feeling of something being wrong that unnerved me.

The Headless Hawk (4 stars):

My heart is still pounding and wow, something about this story was so nerve-wracking and intense. Truman’s writing was great, very vivid and heavy on the detail, putting me right with the characters, but also the plot and how the story unfolded kept me wanting to know what’s going on. I found myself confused in the best way possible. I’m still left with questions, though I enjoyed this story.

Shut a Final Door (4 stars):

Another anxiety-inducing story that had me on edge. I have to admit that it was a bit cliché and could’ve been better as a longer story and with more questions being answered. Being in Walter’s head and some of his thoughts reminded me of things I’ve thought before and I guess I could relate to that. The writing was decent. It wasn’t a story that strongly held my attention at first, but I still enjoyed it.

Children on Their Birthdays (high 3 stars):

What an ending! Truman has built up a narrative and created a story in which he began with something shocking, creating the story by going to where it all started and having me forget what happened until I read the ending. I thought that it was well-planned out and executed. I enjoyed it, I got to know the mystery behind the characters. The writing was simple and often beautiful. Good story and worked for the format, I wasn’t left with wanting more. It kind of reminded me of The Virgin Suicides.

Master Misery (4 stars):

I thought that the concept of this story was interesting (the mystery to it). I enjoyed reading it. The writing was good, often beautiful, often too deep. I thought that it was a good use of the short story form, even though I felt like I wanted more. Truman did a good job at building the characters and plot and creating a story that felt final. I love the beauty of the ending. There was a sense of an intensity again that Truman seems good at, it didn’t really go anywhere.

The Bargain (3.5 stars?):

So, this was a pretty quick story and it was hard to have any strong feelings about it. It went by fast and I liked it, but there needed to be something more and not much happened in the story, but it was still a concise and decent story that left me with not wanting more and with no questions left. I found the interruptions and assumption parts of the conversation were funny. The writing was decent.

A Diamond Guitar (4 stars):

The detail and how this story was written was gorgeous and I really enjoyed how I could picture what was going on and to an extent, how the characters were feeling. I liked his writing in this story. I feel and am worried about Tico Feo’s portrayal and if it was masked by racism or the lack of perspective, because Truman is not of the same ethnicity as Tico and the dialogue came across as stereotypical, but it was still an enjoyable read and I felt satisfied.

House of Flowers (4 stars?):

That ending! I feel like this was a good short story in that it did not leave me wanting more and I felt like it built up the narration of the plot and characters well. It was a simple love story at first, but I like the twists that Truman came up with to make it more than a love story. Some of it did leave me confused or could’ve been better with more of an explanation. Truman’s writing here was just gorgeous and vivid, he did a good job at telling the story.

A Christmas Story (4 stars! One of my favorites):

What was that? Truman, why?!?! This story felt so different and nostalgic and lovely, it wasn’t scary or intense, but a calming and nice read. Truman’s writing throughout the story really was beautiful and focused on the details that made me picture everything. I enjoyed reading it and liked getting to know and hang out with the characters and be with them during a specific point of time in their lives.

Among the Paths to Eden (High 3 stars):

I’m not sure how I feel about this story, but I did like it and enjoyed reading it. It felt uneventful, as if not much really happened and there wasn’t a strong conflict. I thought that Helen Morgan was interesting and felt like this story could’ve been more. The writing was good.

The Thanksgiving Visitor (4 stars):

I really like how this story had a connection to A Christmas Story and I enjoyed reading about these characters again, especially after reading the other story. This story was nostalgic and reminded me of a Ray Bradbury story. The writing was great and even though the plot was simple, I was interested in reading it and it was enjoyable.

Mojave (4 stars):

At first, I wasn’t sure about the plot of the story and if I would be interested in it, but I did enjoy reading this story. The writing was good and all over the place with the plot, but I think that this was a good short story. The characters were imperfect and flawed. I didn’t like the racist language though, but it was realistic for when it was written.

One Christmas (4 stars):

I enjoyed this story a lot, because it focused on a character from other stories that Truman had written that I enjoyed, but it was about a completely different event than the other two. It was a quaint story that was well-written and even though not much happened, it was the type of story that was just an overall nice and nostalgic read. Not much to say, but I like it.

(Sorry about the formatting! I was a bit lazy to figure out how to underline.)

All of Capote's short stories in one book? Yes, please! This man is a masterful story teller. I am not one who usually likes short stories, but Capote wins my vote in the category! I'm a big fan. The end.

Todas las obsesiones, traumas, miedos y frivolidades del autor es posible apreciarlas en estos cuentos que, inevitablemente, van a tener en algunos casos un fuerte tinte autobiográfico. Es, además, una gran radiografía norteamericana, pasando por el EE. UU. profundo, sureño, rústico y pobre de los años posteriores a la Gran Depresión, hasta el glamour (muchas veces impostado y falso) bohemio y frenético, lleno de apariencias del Manhattan de la segunda mitad del siglo XX.
Todo lo anterior descrito con una sutileza lírica, elegante y cuidada, de un narrador experto y minucioso a la hora de observar y recordar.

I loved loved LOVED these short stories. Truman Capote is such a beautiful writer and it's incredible how he could create the most vivid characters and scenes, and elicit strong emotional responses in relatively short stories. I already want to re-read some of these even though I just finished.

Een meesterverhalenverteller§

20 wonderful short story's, a few of them autobiographical of which I found particularly interesting.
A perfect coffee table book as you can just breeze through a story and look forward to the next time.
This is my first reading of any Trueman Capote but not the last,
Definitely worth the purchase

This book contains 20 of Truman Capote’s best short stories that had been previously published, including:

A Christmas Memory - Buddy, his elderly cousin Miss Sook, and Queenie the rat terrier make fruit cakes for friends and strangers alike - one of the sweetest and poignant short stories I have ever read …

Jug of Silver - a pharmacist losing business to a rival drugstore holds a contest to guess how much money is contained in an empty jug of wine, which hypnotizes a desperately poor boy who tells everyone that he can count every coin in the jug

Miriam - a deliciously creepy story about a girl who won’t leave a widowed woman alone - great twist at the end!

A Tree of Night - a college student boards a train after her uncle’s funeral and ends up sitting next to a vaudeville couple who are even creepier than Miriam

The Thanksgiving Visitor - Cousin Sook invites the boy who bullies Buddy at school to spend Thanksgiving with them … poor Buddy learns a very painful lesson …

After each story I would have to set the book down and contemplate the perfection of these character studies and the tightly woven plots of these stories … I love how Capote is able to so perfectly capture the coldness of life in the big city, usually from the point of view of a woman drowning in ennui, and then portray kids and teenagers growing up in the humid depths of the South … his versatility as a writer shines in this collection … highly recommended!