Loading...
158th out of 280 books
—
90 voters
My rating:
add to my books
Breakfast at Tiffany's: A Short Novel and Three Stories
Contains:
Breakfast at Tiffany's
House of Flowers
A Diamond Guitar
A Christmas Memory
Breakfast at Tiffany's
House of Flowers
A Diamond Guitar
A Christmas Memory
Hardcover, 162 pages
Published
January 13th 1994
by Modern Library
(first published 1958)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
52,351)
Holiday Golightly. She’s quirky, comical, and glamorous. She’s fashionable, in-the-know, and in-the-now. She’s lonely, lost, and waiting to be rescued. You couldn’t resist her charm if you tried, and you can’t help but fall in love with her.
Well, at least in the Hollywood film version. Capote’s original novella paints a darker portrait of Miss Golightly. Unlike Audrey Hepburn’s adorable Holly, who needs a knight in slightly-rusted armor to save her, Capote’s girl is a “wild thing” w...more
Well, at least in the Hollywood film version. Capote’s original novella paints a darker portrait of Miss Golightly. Unlike Audrey Hepburn’s adorable Holly, who needs a knight in slightly-rusted armor to save her, Capote’s girl is a “wild thing” w...more
view all 6 comments
I wanted to read 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' to understand how the man who wrote 'In Cold Blood' could have authored the basis for the Audrey Hepburn movie.
Here's the short answer: the novella is nothing like the film. There are certain plot points in common, and the character of Holly Golightly, and even a few strands of dialogue. But the relationship between 'Breakfast at Tiffany's', the story, and 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,' the movie is roughly that between 'The Little Mermaid,' the H...more
Here's the short answer: the novella is nothing like the film. There are certain plot points in common, and the character of Holly Golightly, and even a few strands of dialogue. But the relationship between 'Breakfast at Tiffany's', the story, and 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,' the movie is roughly that between 'The Little Mermaid,' the H...more
I'll admit the truth that this is the first "classic" I have read, and right now the only. I'm truly not a person that can read anything, so the fact that I finished this novella proves it is something worth reading. The actual story of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" I read from beginning to end in one sitting, sipping on my bottomless cup of coffee. This is not an amazing feat due to it's skimpy 103 page-span, but the way the story captured me amazes me still since as i mention...more
I liked this book quite a bit better the second time around. Holly Golightly got on my nerves before because of her easy existence, the way she depended on others, particularly unattractive older men, for money, etc. But, this time, I think I understood her more. She reminds me, in personality, not actions, of a friend of mine and I finally get it, get her. I guess I'm also bothered by men being attracted to this type of flighty, possibly bright but wholly uneducated woman. If you're smart,...more
Signorina Holiday Golightly, in transito. Questa è la definizione che la protagonista di “Colazione da Tiffany” usa per i suoi bigliettini da visita e che riassume chiaramente le sue vicissitudini. Nulla le appartiene, neanche il gatto che divide con lei l’appartamento e al quale non dà neanche un nome:
“Ci siamo incontrati un giorno per caso vicino al fiume. Indipendenti l’una e l’altro. Non ci siamo mai scambiati promesse”.
Holly, in apparenza spensierata e allegra, passa attraverso la vita se...more
In questo romanzo la cosa che più mi ha colpito è stata la poca somiglianza della protagonista del libro con la Holly del film, quella a cui io ho sempre fatto riferimento quando pensavo a Holly Golightly.
Nella versione cinematografica Holly è una ragazza svampita, pazzerellona, costantemente in fuga da legami e responsabilità, presa in una girandola di feste, serate e tentativi di accalappiarsi il riccone di turno. Una creatura apparentemente fragile, che affascina gli uomini e li usa per...more
Nella versione cinematografica Holly è una ragazza svampita, pazzerellona, costantemente in fuga da legami e responsabilità, presa in una girandola di feste, serate e tentativi di accalappiarsi il riccone di turno. Una creatura apparentemente fragile, che affascina gli uomini e li usa per...more
Jason
rated it
Recommends it for:
Men who like women who act French
Recommended to Jason by:
The Classics Book Club
SUMMARIES to follow: PARAGRAPH, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, HAIKU, MORSE CODE.
THE PARAGRAPH SUMMARY.
I didn't like Holly Golightly. A 1940s woman that comported the way she did and was magnanimized by a sizzling contemporary author must have hit 'brass tacks' in early 1950's literature. From that perspective Breakfast at Tiffany's was something special. But, I didn't like Holly Golightly. She was mercurial, condescending, phony, a prick-tease; she was a vagabond that leached on ...more
THE PARAGRAPH SUMMARY.
I didn't like Holly Golightly. A 1940s woman that comported the way she did and was magnanimized by a sizzling contemporary author must have hit 'brass tacks' in early 1950's literature. From that perspective Breakfast at Tiffany's was something special. But, I didn't like Holly Golightly. She was mercurial, condescending, phony, a prick-tease; she was a vagabond that leached on ...more
This is getting shelved under "The Movie is Better" but honestly, I can't decide which version I prefer. Because I am indecisive, let's make lists.
Reasons The Movie Is Better:
-Audrey Hepburn plays a considerably less racist and foul-mouthed Holly, which is nice. But let's be honest: Holly could spend the entire movie snorting crack off a sidewalk and Audrey Hepburn would make it the most elegant and classy crack-snorting anyone had ever seen.
-Holly actually set...more
Reasons The Movie Is Better:
-Audrey Hepburn plays a considerably less racist and foul-mouthed Holly, which is nice. But let's be honest: Holly could spend the entire movie snorting crack off a sidewalk and Audrey Hepburn would make it the most elegant and classy crack-snorting anyone had ever seen.
-Holly actually set...more
Mariel
rated it
Recommends it for:
Holly Going Lightly
Recommended to Mariel by:
submarines in the ocean
I loved Breakfast at Tiffany's because it's about feeling you don't belong anywhere, feeling messed up about obligations and being owned by anything. Holly Golightly thinks if she doesn't make a commitment to anything, she won't get stuck where she doesn't belong. If she uses men to make her life, then she gets to decide how she's used (sex, mostly, and some ego stroking). That way no one gets to decide who or what she is. The thing is, it's not about how you think everybody else sees you. How t...more
I've seen the film (which is excellent, if you ask me) quite many times so I wasn't exactly blown by the book. But I loved it anyway.
***
The instant she saw the letter she squinted her eyes and bent her lips in a tough tiny smile that advanced her age immeasurably. "Darling," she instructed me, "would you reach in the drawer there and give me my purse. A girl doesn't read this sort of thing without her lipstick."
***
The instant she saw the letter she squinted her eyes and bent her lips in a tough tiny smile that advanced her age immeasurably. "Darling," she instructed me, "would you reach in the drawer there and give me my purse. A girl doesn't read this sort of thing without her lipstick."
As much as I was enamored with Capote's words and style of writing, I was put off by Breakfast at Tiffany's a bit. I really just couldn't stand the Holly Golightly character--she's just the sort of New York wannabe I try to avoid in this city. And yeah, I know she's lost, she's a searcher, she's afraid despite her facade of wit and charm, but I just didn't find her appealing. Now, I don't think you have to find her appealing to like the book--she's supposed to be flawed--but it was just a bit gr...more
Aw, I loved this book. Of course I've seen the movie and it's one of my favorites, but the book is so much more layered and darker. This is really Capote at his endearingly detailed and socially sardonic best. He excels at creating fully-fleshed and idiosynchratic characters-- he's a portrait artist, really. The narration of Holly Golightly's story through the lens Paul (or "Fred" as Holly calls him), a struggling writer perhaps less like a Capote than a John Cheever, sets Holly's char...more
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a natural partner text for The Great Gatsby; it is full of wealthy, careless people, and at least one character is a country bumpkin transplanted into the bright lights of New York City.
Really, the novella is a character sketch. It’s a character sketch the same way One Hour Photo, the film with Robin Williams, is a character sketch. There are slippery little mysteries that unfold in both, but the mysteries are just excuses to talk about the central charact...more
Really, the novella is a character sketch. It’s a character sketch the same way One Hour Photo, the film with Robin Williams, is a character sketch. There are slippery little mysteries that unfold in both, but the mysteries are just excuses to talk about the central charact...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I am an avid (obsessive?) devotee of Breakfast at Tiffany's, the movie. I love Audrey, I love Mancini, I love orange cats and New York and parties and little black dresses. So I was a little apprehensive about reading the book, as I knew it was considerably different than the film, and I was afraid it might retroactively taint it somehow. But then someone gave me a copy, and I just couldn't resist. Before going in, though, I resolved to treat the book and film as two different but related entiti...more
Review of Breakfast at Tiffany's, not the 'three stories'.
Two stars, rather than one, because I think Capote occasionally reached up to strike at something more - interesting - than the pretension of worldliness and world-weariness he explores here. And pretension is the main theme: I don't believe a single character for a moment. If only the 'phonies' weren't so damn dull.
And, oh! the misogyny! the casual racism! Capote created a story that can't exist out of its time frame,...more
Two stars, rather than one, because I think Capote occasionally reached up to strike at something more - interesting - than the pretension of worldliness and world-weariness he explores here. And pretension is the main theme: I don't believe a single character for a moment. If only the 'phonies' weren't so damn dull.
And, oh! the misogyny! the casual racism! Capote created a story that can't exist out of its time frame,...more
Oh, everyone has seen the movie or read this book, so why do I have to bother myself to write a review?
Because, truly, I just read the book this week, and have never seen the movie completely. Shame for me, because I declare my self as Audrey Hepburn fans. And I didn’t know that the book has different ending until I read it yesterday! Silly me.
Okay, as you may already know, this book is a story about a beauty, carefree girl Holly Golightly. I’d rather call her ‘girl’ beca...more
Because, truly, I just read the book this week, and have never seen the movie completely. Shame for me, because I declare my self as Audrey Hepburn fans. And I didn’t know that the book has different ending until I read it yesterday! Silly me.
Okay, as you may already know, this book is a story about a beauty, carefree girl Holly Golightly. I’d rather call her ‘girl’ beca...more
Biasanya, “peraturan”-ku adalah: baca bukunya dulu baru kemudian menonton filmnya, karena jika sebaliknya, maka imajinasiku jadi terbatas. Aku akan terkungkung oleh ingatan kepada filmnya selama membaca bukunya. Dan itu sebuah situasi yang sangat tidak nikmat dalam membaca buku.
Namun, sayangnya aku tidak selalu bisa mematuhi peraturanku sendiri itu. Banyak faktor yang menyebabkannya. Salah satunya misalnya lantaran buku terjemahannya terbit lama setelah filmnya dibuat. Ya, sebenarny...more
Namun, sayangnya aku tidak selalu bisa mematuhi peraturanku sendiri itu. Banyak faktor yang menyebabkannya. Salah satunya misalnya lantaran buku terjemahannya terbit lama setelah filmnya dibuat. Ya, sebenarny...more
Capote's writing here is descriptive and evocative, and compellingly captures the attributes of his central character. Miss Holiday Golightly, upstart socialite, is not unlike a good many single young dreamers who make their way into the big city to build an exciting life. Holly takes on a whole new identity and utilizes her whimsical charm and ebullience to secure the affections of men all around her. Her story is told by Fred, formerly a neighbor in an Upper East Side brownstone who at firs...more
This book is as lively and colorful as ever. I only pray it doesn't suffer too terribly from the insipid movie version. All the amazing narrative devices--the risque dialogue, the neurotic characters, the unresolvable resolution, and the consummate loser point of view--were sucked right out of the screenplay: mostly by right of Hollywood conventions.
Nevertheless, this book merits serious consideration not only as a romance but as a towering expression of Americaness as well as a ...more
Nevertheless, this book merits serious consideration not only as a romance but as a towering expression of Americaness as well as a ...more
I've always loved the movie with Audrey Hepburn and I've read Capote's In Cold Blood and really like it. So I thought I'd give it a whirl.
I loved it!
Holly Golightly. What a character.
The narrator is a young writer who is recalling the memory of when he lived in the same apartment building as Holly Golightly in the Upper East side of New York City. They meet one early early morning because Holly is locked out (a common occurance). Holly dubs the narrator Fred, ...more
I loved it!
Holly Golightly. What a character.
The narrator is a young writer who is recalling the memory of when he lived in the same apartment building as Holly Golightly in the Upper East side of New York City. They meet one early early morning because Holly is locked out (a common occurance). Holly dubs the narrator Fred, ...more
Truman Capote's novella differs significantly from the great movie that was based on it. I first saw the movie in my late adolescence, and it's the characteristics and insecurities of that stage in life that the book and the movie reflect.
The two main characters are outsiders. They are Holly Golightly ('Traveling' her card says) and the nameless narrator. Unlike the movie, there's no romantic tie between the two. Their connection is an asexual friendship, which facilitates viewing th...more
The two main characters are outsiders. They are Holly Golightly ('Traveling' her card says) and the nameless narrator. Unlike the movie, there's no romantic tie between the two. Their connection is an asexual friendship, which facilitates viewing th...more
Im Klappentext wird die Sprachkunst von Truman Capote angesprochen. Der Übersetzer von "Frühstück bei Tiffany" kennt diese wohl nur vom Hörensagen. Das ist wirklich die schlimmste Übersetzung eines Buches, die ich je lesen musste. Hört sich so an, als ob es einfach durch den Sprachcomputer gejagt wurde. Beispiel: "Wie es sich herausstellte, scheute sie noch zwei Monate vor ihrem neunzehnten Geburtstag zurück." Im Original stand da sicher etwas wie "she was 2 months shy o...more
Breakfast at Tiffany's was a book my father borrowed for me. I wanted to read something that was good and somewhat of a classic. Breakfast at Tiffany's fits this. The book is written in a very simple manner. There is few hard words to comprehend and the style flows nicely. Truman Capote is a good writer and has written books that I have read, including In Cold Blood. I find that the story plot is surprisely simple too.
It is about a young man who is unable to get a grasp on li...more
It is about a young man who is unable to get a grasp on li...more
This would be one of the rare times when I would suggest that the reader see the movie first in order to fill in some of the back story. The movie (which is a favorite) is light, fun, full of glamour and casts Holly GoLightly in a likeable light. We root for her. Beneath the frivolousness , false bravado and air of indifference, there is a sweet, vulnerability which shines through.
The book is stripped of that. It is written in a spare dark tone. Gone are most of the whimsical ...more
The book is stripped of that. It is written in a spare dark tone. Gone are most of the whimsical ...more
I thought I didn't like Truman Capote because I once tried to read In Cold Blood and hated it.
I'm glad I didn't give up on him, because I loved this little book. There's just something about his spare prose and the way he strings words together that appeals to me. The story of Breakfast at Tiffany's is fun. The last 20 pages or so are not as fun as the rest of the story, but overall it's a great story. I liked reading about what New York City was like in the 1940s.
There are al...more
I'm glad I didn't give up on him, because I loved this little book. There's just something about his spare prose and the way he strings words together that appeals to me. The story of Breakfast at Tiffany's is fun. The last 20 pages or so are not as fun as the rest of the story, but overall it's a great story. I liked reading about what New York City was like in the 1940s.
There are al...more
Very
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
novels,
2011,
borrowed,
city-girls,
contrary-wise,
great-title,
nyc,
xy,
moody-blues,
manic-pixie-dreamgirls,
first-person
Audrey Hepburn’s Holly is so fucking adorable. You want to be her friend. You want to help her. You want to hug her. Truman Capote’s Holly is just awful. I hated her so much. And instantly too. I don’t know what the narrator saw in her. She's a world-class whore in more ways than one. Are we supposed to be charmed by her racism and homophobia? Beguiled by her ridiculous, histrionic bullshit?
I read this book because it is a good friend's favorite. When I started reading it, I was hoping I'd like it too. However, there was nothing about it that was really impressive. Holly Golightly was kind of odd, and I really didn't like her character. Her neighbor was strange too. I really didn't like any of the characters. I haven't seen the movie, but I'd be willing to give it a try because Audrey Hepburn seems to make the role of Holly very classy. I didn't read the short stories becaus...more
This book is almost as strange as the film adaptation.Truman Capote's characters are crafted really well and so fun to read that the story almost plays itself out before your eyes. Despite her obvious foibles, I loved Holly Golightly right along with the narrator. I was simultaneously charmed by her innocence while I was appalled by her predation of men and unabashedly depthless, sketchy lifestyle.
I gasped audibly every time I came across the abundant racial or sexist epithets. If y...more
I gasped audibly every time I came across the abundant racial or sexist epithets. If y...more
So this ended up being my first "read" of 2008. Actually, I started it in 2007, had 12 people to my house for Christmas, and finished it in 2008 :)
So. I have to say that I've known of this book forever. And I think, in some back corner of my mind, I always knew it was by Truman Capote. What I couldn't reconcile in my head was Audrey Hepburn, the previously-read In Cold Blood, the Robin's Egg blue of Tiffany, and the title of this book. Not to mention Deep Blue Somethin...more
So. I have to say that I've known of this book forever. And I think, in some back corner of my mind, I always knew it was by Truman Capote. What I couldn't reconcile in my head was Audrey Hepburn, the previously-read In Cold Blood, the Robin's Egg blue of Tiffany, and the title of this book. Not to mention Deep Blue Somethin...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classics for Begi...: Breakfast at Tiffany's | 8 | 20 | Jan 09, 2012 05:15am | |
| Holly + narrator's relationship: Why CAN'T it be sexual/romantic? | 5 | 71 | Sep 24, 2011 06:14am | |
| Was she a prostitute? | 7 | 93 | Jul 01, 2011 09:41pm |
Truman Capote was an American writer whose non-fiction, stories, novels and plays are recognised literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and In Cold Blood (1965), which he labeled a "non-fiction novel." At least 20 films and TV dramas have been produced from Capote novels, stories and screenplays.
He was born as Truman Streckfus Persons to a sale...more
More about Truman Capote...
He was born as Truman Streckfus Persons to a sale...more
Share This Book
15 trivia questions
2 quizzes
More quizzes & trivia...
2 quizzes
“Never love a wild thing, Mr. Bell,' Holly advised him. 'That was Doc's mistake. He was always lugging home wild things. A hawk with a hurt wing. One time it was a full-grown bobcat with a broken leg. But you can't give your heart to a wild thing: the more you do, the stronger they get. Until they're strong enough to run into the woods. Or fly into a tree. Then a taller tree. Then the sky. That's how you'll end up, Mr. Bell. If you let yourself love a wild thing. You'll end up looking at the sky.”
—
337 people liked it
“It may be normal, darling; but I'd rather be natural.”
—
159 people liked it
More quotes…
