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kerrence30's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Surprising how dislikable a character can be, which I was disappointed by. I can appreciate the story itself, and the way a character is developed enough to promote such a negative reaction, which is what the star rating is given for. The story and succinct telling is captivating, however I cannot move past my innate dislike for Holly Golightly, her strange fascination with masculine gay women, her flagrant disregard for the feelings of the other characters, mocking disloyalty.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Infidelity
caribbeangirlreading's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Full disclosure - I have never watched the movie adaptation with Audrey Hepburn. However, I did go into reading Breakfast at Tiffany's with pre-conceived notions. I expected this to be a lighthearted novella. It was not. For starters, Truman Capote sure does love him some racial slurs. And Holly Golightly was just a sad train wreck of a character. But also, boy was this campy and very, very gay.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, and Miscarriage
henrygravesprince's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Truman was an incredible writer, and I think overall the prose here is as masterful as his tends to be, but it’s worth noting that this book has a lot of depictions of people having deeply entrenched biases and using very derogatory language. Personally, I find the “historical accuracy”/“it’s of its times” argument complicated at best when it is employed: to be clear, I’m willing to approach a work where it’s at, but if I think the bigoted sentiments being depicted are being endorsed within the narrative or by the author, the time and place in which it was written doesn’t make a difference in my judgment of something. Ultimately, I don’t think Capote was agreeing with the characters in this work (or in much any of his work, really), so much as showing us a lense into the world he saw around him. That being said, I still wouldn’t be able to in good conscience recommend this to people as an “entertainment” read, especially without huge caveats for period-typical language and depictions of various kinds of bigotry.
Something I find interesting about Holly Golightly in the book, as opposed to the film, is that she is far more overtly flawed and ergo more human—I know a lot of people say she’s the manic pixie dream girl prototype, but to me, the film embodies that much more than the book. The book contains fragments of that, for sure, but it feels more like a story about people perceiving someone in that way than a story pushing the concept; Holly’s presence is ephemeral, fleeting, but also incredibly sharp and sometimes callous, and in her, I can’t help but see Nina Capote (or Lillie Mae Faulk), Truman’s mother. I think that in itself is a big part of why she’s seen in such a glittering way despite being a relatively bad friend and person, not to mention the animosity broiling beneath the narrator’s surface towards her just as much as his affection for her. Glamorous, hell-bent on becoming part of a particular upper echelon of society, and ultimately, as cruel beneath the surface as they are enthralling: these words describe Holly, Truman, and Nina each in their own right.
At its core, this is a story of home, of belonging, of identity, and of the search for that: but central to that, too, is both hopefulness and uncertainty. The characters are play, obviously save for the cat, are generally not very likeable. The facts about Holly Golightly are on unstable ground, and how accurate the narrator’s interpretation of her is, as well; as for the narrator, his identity in the story is built up entirely around his connection to Holly, and despite us knowing his life extends beyond her, he does not share it with us. Their characters are reflected in the cat, who ultimately may have found a name of his own, but as he doesn’t belong to Holly or to the narrator in the end, we never learn it; he is ultimately both a symbol of freedom and of belonging, and in the end, it seems he may be the only one who has settled into a home. Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a dreamlike snapshot of New York café society from its fringes, transient and grimy, longing for home and leaving us wondering if the narrator or the central heroine ever found it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Antisemitism, Ableism, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Miscarriage, Fatphobia, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, and Drug use
andersonstovall's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Lesbophobia, Racism, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Slavery
Minor: Animal death, Xenophobia, and Miscarriage
rachel_here's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Miscarriage
melodyseestrees's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Miscarriage
sharonus's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I really had a hard time with two of the stories in this book: Breakfast at Tiffany's and House of Flowers. Admittedly, I'm looking at these through the lens of modern day, but Holly Golightly is not a strong woman living life on her own terms as was my impression of the character. She's simply a plaything for rich men.
Holly was a child bride and she alludes to sexual abuse even before then. She supports herself by essentially serving as an unofficial escort for wealthy men who periodically hand her wads of cash. Even when she finally "falls in love," her lover abandons her when it becomes clear that her naïve actions earlier in the story make jailtime a very real possibility.
In the House of Flowers the main character leaves a house of prostitution to go live with a man she "loves" who ends up tying her to a tree all day as punishment. Apparently, he didn't want to do it, but the ghost of his grandmother would "otherwise never leave her in peace." When friends from the brothel come to save Ottilie, she insists they retie her to the tree so she'll be in the same place when her beloved returns. Even looking at this story through the lens of a bygone era, it's still extremely disturbing.
In the House of Flowers the main character leaves a house of prostitution to go live with a man she "loves" who ends up tying her to a tree all day as punishment. Apparently, he didn't want to do it, but the ghost of his grandmother would "otherwise never leave her in peace." When friends from the brothel come to save Ottilie, she insists they retie her to the tree so she'll be in the same place when her beloved returns. Even looking at this story through the lens of a bygone era, it's still extremely disturbing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Miscarriage
rosiekorzie's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Ableism, Lesbophobia, Racism, and Racial slurs
lilaceous's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
characters - .5⭐️
plot - .5⭐️
engaging to read - ⭐️
would recommend -
would read again -
super quick read. left me feeling icky. i wanted holly to shine and she just doesn’t.
that being said, the final story of this collection was quite sweet and moving.
super quick read. left me feeling icky. i wanted holly to shine and she just doesn’t.
that being said, the final story of this collection was quite sweet and moving.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Lesbophobia
toffishay's review against another edition
Just not for me. It's fine to have unlikable characters, but at some point it was hard to care about this world where nothing happens and everyone is terrible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship