In contrast to the iconic Audrey Hepburn film, the 99-page gem of a book, on which it was based, is far more wide-reaching and all encompassing. In today's literary environment, where epic tomes such as the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and The Luminaries, are all celebrated for their length, it is refreshing to read Capote's 1958 Breakfast at Tiffany's and Three Short Stories. In less than one hundred pages the author manages to say all that needs to be said, leaving extraneous detail for the reader to conjure in their imagination.
Similarly at odds with the glamour of the later film, the novella is set in sparse 1943 New York, not the sixties. The tale is a reminiscence on a brief encounter with Holiday Golightly, a glamorous but complex call girl. This fact, as well as her apparent mental illness - depression described as the 'mean reds' - is brushed over rather. For anyone wavering over whether to give it a chance, be brave! This one has a lot to give.
Carpe Diem xx
