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A review by literarychronicles
Summer Crossing: A Novel by Truman Capote
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
The first book I read of Truman Capote was Breakfast At Tiffany’s and I was instantly in love with his writing. When I came across this book, I knew that I had to read it. This manuscript was discovered posthumously and was published two decades after his death. It is believed that this is his first novel. (The story felt incomplete, and it is possible that Capote never finished it. However, the story works even in that incomplete state.)
This is the story of Grady, who is left alone by parents for the first time. We see how the high-class teenager misuses her freedom and turns up the heat of her inappropriate affair with a parking attendant. We see how the carefree behaviour of a wild teenager leads to consequences that will alter her life forever. This is the story of Grady crossing from girlhood to womanhood.
In addition to that, this also shows the deep love Capote has for New York.
While I enjoyed reading this book, it was nothing like the later writing of Capote. The way in which Capote uses words is clever, and we see signs of the great author he will later become, but this was nowhere near the quality of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The reason why Capote never published this could be that he knew he could do better. I wish he had thought to come back to this manuscript and polish it. However, I think Summer Crossing is wonderful when thought of as a debut novel. If you are curious to read the first book of a brilliant author, then this is for you.
This is the story of Grady, who is left alone by parents for the first time. We see how the high-class teenager misuses her freedom and turns up the heat of her inappropriate affair with a parking attendant. We see how the carefree behaviour of a wild teenager leads to consequences that will alter her life forever. This is the story of Grady crossing from girlhood to womanhood.
In addition to that, this also shows the deep love Capote has for New York.
While I enjoyed reading this book, it was nothing like the later writing of Capote. The way in which Capote uses words is clever, and we see signs of the great author he will later become, but this was nowhere near the quality of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The reason why Capote never published this could be that he knew he could do better. I wish he had thought to come back to this manuscript and polish it. However, I think Summer Crossing is wonderful when thought of as a debut novel. If you are curious to read the first book of a brilliant author, then this is for you.