Reviews

The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin

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alerasaul0's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I read it because I watched the TV show capote vs the swans. I didn't like it as much.

sarahliz061's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

gfs0619's review against another edition

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4.0

The Swans of Fifth Avenue is the story of the rise and tragic fall of Truman Capote. It centers on the befriending of Truman by the beautiful and privileged elite of New York, especially William S Paley, the founder of CBS, and his iconic wife, Babe. Truman was taken into the group as a novelty and he called them his swans. I don't imagine these people had met many openly and proudly gay people up to that point, though the were whispers about some. And he was a story teller and entertainer. They befriended him, trotted him out like a favorite toy and told him all their secrets. Babe Paley is the tragic figure in this story. She truly loved Truman and cherished his friendship. She was also the one most betrayed when he published a short story in Esquire, laying out the dirty little secrets of so many, including a very embarrassing story about Babe's cheating husband. The names were changed but it was obvious who was who. After the story, Truman was ostracized. He never finished published another book.
I enjoyed this book very much, though it mad me sad. In Cold Blood is one of my all time favorite books and though I never believed that Capote was a great person, I didn't know he was such a sad person. He longed to be loved, but couldn't stop himself from being mean. And Babe, she was a good friend, a true friend, but even that couldn't stop him from making his tragic mistake. And sadly, the short stories he published about his swans weren't even that good. That seems the most tragic part to me.
The book is a work of historical fiction. The characters are all real and the author stayed as close to the known facts as possible. But as she says in the Author's Note, so many of the characters were such liars, it was easy to take some liberties. It is a very good book. I highly recommend it, even though it is a bit sad.

jrmarr's review against another edition

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3.0

A good and readable book, but not something that grips you when you've got a small baby at home. Took longer than it should have to finish, but an enjoyable tale of New York high society and the pitfalls of fame.