Ever since reading In Cold Blood, one of my most favorite books of all time, I was very excited to read Breakfast at Tiffany's. I haven't seen the movie, and since everyone raves about that, I figured the book would be even better. Well, I will acknowledge that the writing is incredible. But, I was so disappointed with the very irritating and self-absorbed main character, Holly Golightly. As is so often the case (I feel) in "older" stories, I can never quite grasp why men fall head over heels in love/infactuation with these women who seem to have no redeeming qualities. I suppose casting Audrey Hepburn in the role helps make the mystery a little more understandable - though Capote apparently didn't agree with the choice, or the other changes that were made to make the film more palatable. I think Capote wanted to create a morally ambiguous woman. Someone who made her own choices and was sexually "liberated," but still remained trapped by her society, no matter how often she attempted to escape and redefine herself. Breakfast at Tiffany's is interesting as a character study, but in terms of reading pleasure, I think I'd take a pass.
(* - listed in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die)
1 comment:
Have you really not seen the movie? Have you been actively avoiding it?
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