Hello loves! Welcome back to the book club! Today I want to talk to you about a classic novel of the American literature: Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote. I must say that, somehow, I didn’t know the story of the book, nor the movie. This allowed me to immerse myself in the story without any expectations.
This short novel doesn’t really have a plot, it is more a sequence of daily events that guide the reader in meeting the characters. The story is a flashback of the memories of a writer, of whom we won’t know the name, about his neighbor Holly Golightly.
The protagonist Holly is a frivolous, cynical, and unconventional young lady that lives in New York City in the ’60s.
Holly’s world is fabulous and chic, although she doesn’t come from the upper class. She surrounds herself with famous, rich people and is so charismatic that everyone, included the reader, is enchanted by her. Contrasting the very conservative mentality of those times, Holly offers her company to men and criminals in exchange for money and is very emancipated in her intimate life. On the other hand, she is wandering around, desperately trying to find her place and role in the world and even if she appears superficial, in reality she struggles with her restlessness. About her angst she says:
“What I’ve found does the most good is to just get into a taxi and go to Tiffany’s. It calms me down right away, the quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there, not with those kind of men in their nice suits, and that lovely smell of silver and alligator wallets. 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.”
Holly appears afraid to be emotionally bound to people or things. She continuously flees from places and doesn’t give a name to her cat because she affirms that they don’t belong to each other. Her relationship with the writer, that she calls Fred like her brother, is deep, but never seems to cross that line that would make it something more.
Through the pages of the book, I got to know the writer and Holly, and I was curious to see how the events would proceed, with a mixture of feelings of admiration and astonishment for Holly’s behavior. I loved the realistic end of the story, and I am wondering how Audrey Hepburn interpreted such a multifaceted character in the movie.
The writing style is very enjoyable and the reading is smooth and pleasant. I would definitely recommend this book!
Let me know if you enjoyed the book..or the movie!
With love,
