I’m probably one of the few people on this site who has never seen the film version of this book. I had formed an impression of the film from stills of Audrey Hepburn as she appears in it. My impression turns out to have been largely erroneous, at least as far as the book is concerned. I listened to the audiobook version, superbly narrated by Michael C. Hall.

For those unfamiliar with the story, as I was a week ago, an unnamed narrator relates his fascination with Holly Golightly, his downstairs neighbour in a 1940s NYC brownstone. Apart from Holly, the novel contains several characters with names that are almost Dickensian in their eccentricity. Some of the others include Rusty Trawler, Mag Wildwood and Sally Tomato.

The novel though, is really all about Holly. At the outset of the story she is 18, younger than I expected from seeing the movie stills, and is physically beautiful if somewhat waif-like. She is manipulative, although, in one strand of the plot, is herself manipulated. The only person she genuinely cares for is her brother Fred, who doesn’t directly make an appearance in the story. Despite her rather calculating nature, I can see how her enigmatic personality would reel men in, particularly if they were either a naïve young man or an old fool. The narrator’s own attraction to Holly is primarily non-sexual, since it is strongly implied in the book that he is gay, or predominantly so at least.

This is the first book I’ve read by Truman Capote and I understand why he is so highly regarded as a writer. I shared the narrator’s fascination with Holly and enjoyed how more of her was gradually revealed as the novel progressed. She is a memorable creation.

I suppose I had better watch the film at some point.

“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.”

I enjoyed this novella, although I was kind of distracted while listening.

Have you noticed how much one can get away with when one is young and beautiful? Even the smartest of men seem to get their neurons on ice when in the presence of a delightful young morsel.
Case in point - Holly Golightly (I loved the name). She's nineteen, elusive and allusive - you know her but you don't really know her. She's a New York socialite, who counts on rich men to keep her.
She's a survivor. She's canny and naive; she's focused and disorderly. She's mean and she's sweet. She's one contradictory woman. (I hear you men saying - aren't all women?)

All is not what it seems.Discovering some aspects of Holly's past, added to her complexities and made her more sympathetic.

I was surprised to notice a pro-gay partnership idea in there, considering when it was written.

Now I feel like watching the movie adaptation.

First Capote that I read and have absolutely no regrets about, the author brilliantly paints the complexity of feelings and the quest for freedom of youth. I loved this reading, presenting an impossible passionate love and how Capote offers the New York environment.