The Swans of Fifth Avenue

Posted on 18 December 2017 by Melanie Benjamin

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator s Wife comes an enthralling new novel about Truman Capote s scandalous, headline making, and heart wrenching friendship with Babe Paley and New York s society swans of the 1950s.Centered on two dynamic, complicated, and compelling protagonists Truman Capote and Babe Paley this book is steeped in the glamour and perfumed and smoky atmosphere of New York s high society Babe Paley known for her high profile marriage to CBS founder William Paley and her ranking in the International Best Dressed Hall of Fame was one of the reigning monarchs of New York s high society in the 1950s Replete with gossip, scandal, betrayal, and a vibrant cast of real life supporting characters, readers will be seduced by this startling new look at the infamous society swans. New Download The Swans of Fifth Avenue [ By ] Melanie Benjamin [ Kindle ePUB or eBook ] – kino-fada.fr 2.5 stars There are times when I read a book and then the reviews, I wonder if I read the book This is one of those books I found this book so saccharine, so gushing, so star struck that it was barely readable to me I almost made an appointment for the dentist as my teeth ached from so much sweetness I can not tell you how much this book left me cold and it was only seventy five pages near the end that saved it as an one star for me Let me be clear I have read this author before and like h 2.5 stars There are times when I read a book and then the reviews, I wonder if I read the book This is one of those books I found this book so saccharine, so gushing, so star struck that it was barely readable to me I almost made an appointment for the dentist as my teeth ached from so much sweetness I can not tell you how much this book left me cold and it was only seventy five pages near the end that saved it as an one star for me Let me be clear I have read this author before and like her I am truly disappointed The story centers around Truman Capote and Babe Paley s friendship in the late 1950 s early 1960 s It is full of stories of the famous rich and famous of that time period like C.Z Guest, Pam Churchill, Diana Vreeland and even appearances from Betty Bacall and Jackie Kennedy They were Truman s swans who found him so amusing He gossiped with them, flattered them and ... Tell me What is your greatest fear There was a long silence No sounds but the low hum of the pool filter, the faraway grazing of a lawn mower, and the determined clip clip of a gardener on the other side of some tall azalea bushes, trimming away That someone will see, Babe whispered, while at the same time, Truman murmured, That someone will find me out That no one will love me, Truman added after another moment While at the same time, Babe admitted, And that I ll never be loved, t Tell me What is your greatest fear There was a long silence No sounds but the low hum of the pool filter, the faraway grazing of a lawn mower, and the determined clip clip of a gardener on the other side of some tall azalea bushes, trimming away That someone will see, Babe whispered, while at the same time, Truman murmured, That someone will find me out That no one will love me, Truman added a...Find all of my reviews atHow can we be friends if we don t gossip together Just a littleTo quote the immortal words of one Clairee Belcher And if you really don t have anything nice to say, you should probably go sit by Truman Capote If you take a peek at my bookshelves you probably would be a little shocked to see this being added to my to read stack, let alone getting a 4 Star rating You wouldn t be wrong necessarily I do need to give cred Find all of my reviews atHow can we be friends if we don t gossip together Just a littleTo quote the immortal words of one Clairee Belcher And if you really don t have anything nice to say, you should probably go sit by Truman Capote If you take a peek at my bookshelves you probably would be a little shocked to see this being added to my to read stack, let alone getting a 4 Star rating You wouldn t be wrong necessarily I do need to give credit where credit is due and admit I read The Swans of Fifth Avenue because a co worker asked me to Buuuuuuuuut, here s a little confession I m kind of obsessed with stuff like this Not so much that I m willing to weed through the trash in order to find the treasures without a firm shove from an outsider, but this era and those who were famous during it Keep on dropping those names, yo I ve also decided that presented the opportunity I d like to come back as one of these marvelous rich bitches in my next life I ve done the poor thing, so now it s time to see how the other...I loved this book so much I have always been fascinated with this era New York in the 60s the fashion, the art, and the people.and the story of Babe and Truman I love stories about complicated relationships Years ago I had read parts of La C te Basque, 1965, so I was somewhat familiar with the background of the story While reading this book, I spent hours reading about the lives of the other women in Truman Capote s life, some that were just barely mentioned in this book , the Paleys I loved this book so much I have always been fascinated with this era New York in the 60s the fashion, the art, and the people.and the story of Babe and Truman I love stories about complicated relationships Years ago I had read parts of La C te Basque, 1...I was in the mood for something light and fun and gossipy and this book was certainly those things The cast of characters include William and Babe Paley, Truman Capote, Diana Vreeland, CZ Guest, Gloria Guiness, Pamela Churchill and tons of other heirs and heiresses and celebreties But the writing was almost childish and full of vapid psychological musings OK, maybe a bit harsh.I did enoy the re creation of high society New York in the 50 s and 60 s and the lifestyles of the rich and famo I was in the mood for something light and fun and gossipy and this book was certainly those things The cast of characters include William and Babe Paley, Truman Capote, Diana Vreeland, CZ Guest...So if even half of what the author reveals about Truman Capote s inability to keep a secret his seemingly psychological need for gossip is true, then Truman would absolutely love this book Filled with tales about Truman himself and his beloved swans, the society women who were his best friends, this book is a delicious, delectable foray into their dirty little secrets The women tell Truman things they don t even tell each other or their husbands, because their trust in Truman is implicit So if even half of what the author reveals about Truman Capote s inability to keep a secret his seemingly psychological need for gossip is true, then Truman would absolutely love this book Filled with tales about Truman himself and his beloved swans, the society women who were his best friends, this book is a delicious, delectable foray into their dirty little secrets The women tell Truman things they don t even tell each other or their husbands, because their trust in Truman is implicit But after the success of In Cold Blood and Truman s Party of the Century, he changed He turned to vodka and drugs and grew lazy,concerned about his image than with his writing He finally wrote about what he knew bes... You re considered superficial and silly if you are interested in fashion, but I think you can be substantial and still be interested in frivolity Sophia CoppolaI found this book utterly fascinating, every time I picked it up I found myself completely submerged in this ephemeral world Even though I knew of the Swans individually, I d never heard of them referred to en masse, unaware they were part of the same circle and missed the Capote angle I d certainly never heard about the literary scand You re considered superficial and silly if you are interested in fashion, but I think you can be substantial and still be interested in frivolity Sophia CoppolaI found this book utterly fascinating, every time I picked it up I found myself completely submerged in this ephemeral world Even though I knew of the Swans individually, I d never heard of them referred to en masse, unaware they were part of the same circle and missed the Capote angle I d certainly never heard about the literary scandal Like the author, my vague memory of Truman Capote growing up was of a ...I listened to the audiobook narration by Cassandra Campbell and Paul Boehmer Both did an excellent job at mimicking Truman Capote s drawl, lisp and voice I listened to Capote on YouTube to confirm if the intonations were correct renderings or perhaps exaggerations I am satisfied that they both captured the lilt of the characters true voices The chapters are split between the different narrators rather than having Campbell read the females and Boehmer the males The speed was easy to follow I listened to the audiobook narration by Cassandra Campbell and Paul Boehmer Both did an excellent job at mimicking Truman Capote s drawl, lisp and voice I listened to Capote on YouTube to confirm if the intonations were correct renderings or perhaps exaggerations I am satisfied that they both captured the lilt of the characters true voices The chapters are split between the different narrators rather than having Campbell read the females and Boehmer the males The speed was easy to follow and the voices felt utterly genuine I feel the narration deserves five stars The book I give four I separate the two ratings While I listened I had a nagging doubt, Is all that I am being told really true After checking internet I became co...I was really looking forward to this book since I thoroughly enjoyed Ms Benjamin s books, The Aviator s Wife and Mrs Tom Thumb I was looking for a book that would be entertaining and not too difficult for my vacation read, well mostly airplane read I made a great choice.Of course I had read Truman Capote s books In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany s and saw the movie of that book many times Neither my mom nor I ever really followed any of the rich and fabulous but that was all th I was really looking forward to this book since I thoroughly enjoyed Ms Benjamin s books, The Aviator s Wife and Mrs Tom Thumb I was looking for a book that would be entertaining and not too difficult for my vacation read, well mostly airplane read I made a great choice.Of course I had read Truman Capote s books In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany s and saw the movie of that book many times Neither my mom nor I ever really followed any of the rich and fabulous but that was all thereason why I really enjoyed this novel.The story begins at the end and is told backwards in time I had never heard of the swans of this era but enjoyed their stories and their relationships As with most Hollywood stars we seldom hear of their real lives and how sad and sordid those lives could be We like to believe in the fantasy world that they portray and forget that they are just human beings like everyone else...Melanie Benjamin masterfully brings to life Truman Capote, his exquisite friend, Babe Paley, and the circle of 1950 60 s era New York socialites Truman affectionately or derisively calls the Swans Ultimately I didn t love, or even like, a lot of the characters and that is a testimony to Melanie Benjamin s talent in breathing life into exquisitely rounded and flawed characters.At the heart of this gossipy fictionalized journal about real people is the obsessive adoration, between Babe and her de Melanie Benjamin masterfully brings to life Truman Capote, his exquisite friend, Babe Paley, and the circle of 1950 60 s era New York socialites Truman affectionately or derisively calls the Swans Ultimately I didn t love, or even like, a lot of the characters and that is a testimony to Melanie Benjamin s talent in breathing life into exquisitely rounded and flawed characters.At the heart of this gossipy fictionalized journal about real people is the obsessive adoration, between Babe and her dearly loved and openly gay Truman, and the question of whether he misuses his access into her wor...

English
18 December 2017

Melanie Benjamin