Breakfast at Tiffany's

I went to a car boot sale yesterday and got three books, two watches, a Friends DVD, a set of plane-shaped pin badges, a cup of tea and two cakes for a fiver. What a day.



18. Breakfast at Tiffany's - Truman Capote
As I am the only person in the western hemisphere who has never seen Breakfast at Tiffany's, I can't compare this novella with the movie. This is probably a good thing, because Audrey Hepburn is obviously so iconic and if I had seen it there's no way I'd be able to form my own image of Holly. She's such a great character, simple in some ways and yet totally enigmatic, so lively and likeable - she suits the length and pace of the story, short and fast. Capote's dialogue reminded me of Oscar Wilde a little bit, in the way that it really feels like you're hearing their speech rather than reading it, especially with Holly and O. J. Berman - it's as if the sounds are pre-formed, like your mind has no control over them. I loved all the stuff about gender and sexuality, too, for example: "Of course people couldn't help but think I must be a bit of a dyke myself. And of course I am. Everyone is: a bit." That must have been so radical in the 50s. Hell, that's still quite radical now... Great little book.