Breakfast at Tiffany's | Review

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

3.36/5.00

Published: 1958
Genre: Classic

Goodreads

“'Never love a wild thing, Mr. Bell,' Holly advised him. 'That was Doc's mistake. He was always lugging home wild things. A hawk with a hurt wing. One time it was a full-grown bobcat with a broken leg. 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. Then 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.'"

The fashionable, untamable Holly Golightly is one of those literary characters that people know even without having read the story. We’ve heard of her. We form an impression of the mysterious woman.

Before reading this, I heard very little about Breakfast at Tiffany’s. What I had heard did not prepare me for where this story went. It’s one of those things you hear impressions and praise more than any specifics about the story. This is a story less about Holly and more about one man’s near infatuation with Holly, and like the man, we never truly understand Holly. We gain some insight that fools us into thinking we’ve dug deeper than anyone else around her. I haven’t seen the movie either, so I can’t compare it.

Of course, there are other, smaller stories, none as long or as well-known but still worth mentioning. In order of interest, they are House of Flowers, A Christmas Memory, and A Diamond Guitar.

A Christmas Memory ended on a surprisingly sad note. I’m not quite sure why I didn’t expect it. House of Flowers gained momentum near the end. A Diamond Guitar, though, bored me.

If you have never read Capote, I recommend you read In Cold Blood first. It’s the better of his works, at least compared to these stories. Once you have finished it, if you like Capote’s style, you should read Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the other stories. They aren’t bad. They just pale in comparison.

Truman Capote was an American, Louisiana-born author, playwright, and actor. He is well-known for Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood.

"Life is a moderately good play with a badly written third act." - Truman Capote