Now, this is another one of those books that I’ve heard about, people have told me to read it, “it’s an absolute classic!” and all that jazz. Naturally, contrary tart that I can be the more people told me to read something the less inclined I am to actually read it. However, and you can laugh at the ridiculousness of this because I did:

I read this book because of “Riverdale.” I kid thee not. I wanted to understand the crack Veronica makes during episode one of season one, when she calls Riverdale In Cold Blood whereas she was “strictly Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” So. Despite English teachers, English lit majors, random people that I know who also love to read and colleagues in my previous life working in a bookstore…. I eventually picked up my first Capote because one of my new favourite TV shows mentioned it in a pop culture reference and I wanted to know why. And yes, In Cold Blood is currently sitting on my TBR shelf.

Of course, I’m now a little concerned about what Veronica thinks of herself, or rather how she thinks her life may go. Holly, after all, underwent considerable tribulations and trailed broken hearts and scandal behind her. Then again, Holly was quite pleased with her life so good on Veronica, I guess? But also, I am quite satisfied that I now know where the character Holly Golightly originates. That has bothered me off and on for years.

The book itself, I was embarrassed to discover, is actually a volume of short stories. Lo! Breakfast at Tiffany’s is simply the first and most famous of the short stories therein! And honestly, whether that was a decision of the author, the editor, or the publisher, I can understand why that story takes the titular position. It has a certain je ne sais quoi that the other stories don’t ring with, in my opinion at least. That is absolutely not to say that the other stories aren’t impressive, because they are and they certainly strike the intended tone, and they do leave an impression. It just so happens that Holly’s story leaves a deeper one. She’ll be with me for some time, I think.

I had absolutely no idea of what to expect when I pulled this book off my shelf, and I’m actually quite glad for it. Some books, you know exactly what you’re in for before you ever crack the book open, and that’s fine: sometimes, that’s what you want. Blissful, neuron-passive reading time. However, it still is a thrill to read a book having no concept at all of what might be about to happen, and I feel like that is more common with the older literature, compared to what is being released today. That’s not to bag on new literature: I’m writing a novel, and Loki knows I read widely myself. It’s just stylistically different to books written even forty or fifty years ago. Possibly because it was assumed that “command of the English language” a) actually meant “command”, and b) that it was something most native English speakers possessed.

But that could just be me.

Anyway, I would definitely recommend picking this up if you’re looking for something a little unexpected, that also won’t take you all that long to get through.

Enjoy!!

Photo credits: Mine, mine, minemineminemine. Unless otherwise stated, photos are mine.

Categories: 2018 Reading Challenges, Book Reviews, Classic Literature, Fiction Reviews, Goodreads, Reading Challenges

Tags: Australian Book Reviewer, book blog, book blogger, Book bloggers, book review, Book Reviews, books, Bookstagram, bookstagrammer, Bookstagrammers, Breakfast At Tiffany's, classic fiction, Classic Literature, Goodreads, Goodreads Challenge, Goodreads Reading Challenge, novel, Penguin Classics, reading, Reading Challenge, Reading Challenges, Truman Capote