Tag: Fiction

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

~ Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader ~ 35 Comments
Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote
Publisher: Vintage
Publication Date: September 1993 (50th Anniversary Edition) 
Categories: Classics, Literary
Source: My own copy (A Christmas gift!) 
Description:
In this seductive, wistful masterpiece, Truman Capote created a woman whose name has entered the American idiom and whose style is a part of the literary landscape. Holly Golightly knows that nothing bad can ever happen to you at Tiffany’s; her poignancy, wit, and naïveté continue to charm.

My Thoughts:

I came to this a virgin of all things Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I hadn’t read the book, I haven’t seen the movie! I was glad to dive in without any bias. I had no expectations.

Ah ha! It turns out that I did have expectations. I just didn’t know it. 

Maybe it’s her name that did it to me? Holly Golightly. Now, doesn’t that sound like a name that belongs to a very sunshiney girl in a sunshiney story? 

Maybe the pictures and clips of Audrey Hepburn in the film version gave me the impression that this was an easy breezy tale? 

Whatever it was I certainly got more than I bargained for from this novel.


I wouldn’t call Breakfast at Tiffany’s dark but it was deeper and more reflective than I expected. I enjoyed the mood of this book and I adored how complicated the characters were. 

Bravo Mr. Capote. Now? I have to see this film!

The Classics Club

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

~ Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader ~ 34 Comments

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
Publisher: Vintage
Publication Date: 1997 (United States)
Categories: Literary, Historical Fiction
Source: My own copy

Description:

Hailed for its coiled eroticism and the moral claims it makes upon the reader, this mesmerizing novel is a story of love and secrets, horror and compassion, unfolding against the haunted landscape of postwar Germany.

When he falls ill on his way home from school, fifteen-year-old Michael Berg is rescued by Hanna, a woman twice his age. In time she becomes his lover—then she inexplicably disappears. When Michael next sees her, he is a young law student, and she is on trial for a hideous crime. As he watches her refuse to defend her innocence, Michael gradually realizes that Hanna may be guarding a secret she considers more shameful than murder.

My Thoughts:

I watched the movie before I read the book. That is never a smart move but it was especially dimwitted in this case. In my defense I didn’t know the movie was based on a book. How did I not know that?  

The big secret wasn’t so secret. I already knew the big reveal. It didn’t ruin the book for me but I did read it from a different perspective since I knew what was coming.

I don’t know if I’ve ever felt more conflicted about a book. The relationship between Michael and Hanna is wrong in every way and yet there is something beautiful about it. Hanna’s past actions cannot be excused and yet I felt pity for her. 

This slim volume is packed with big messages. There isn’t much more that I can say without laying out a bunch of spoilers. I don’t want to do that. If you haven’t read this you should. Take a bit of advice? Don’t see the movie first.