MARCH 2016 - AudioFile
If rich-people porn is your thing, you may be entertained by this fantasy. Truman Capote’s “swans” were real-life people, much photographed but otherwise private, who befriended the writer and were in turn exploited by him for material when his creative capital ran out. It’s an ugly story, made uglier here by the vapid and catty personalities the author imagines for these women. It also creates a minefield for the narrators playing Benjamin’s characters. Capote especially is a challenge, since his high-pitched voice with its famous lisp is so present all over YouTube and the like. Paul Boehmer doesn’t nail it, but he comes close. Cassandra Campbell’s impersonations of Truman and his friends are heartfelt if not of the period, but she can’t overcome the material. B.G. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
Exceptional storytelling . . . teeming with scandal, gossip and excitement.”—Harper’s Bazaar
“This moving fictionalization brings the whole cast of characters back to vivid life. Gossipy and fun, it’s also a nuanced look at the beauty and cruelty of a rarefied, bygone world.”—People
“The era and the sordid details come back to life in this jewel of a novel.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
“Shamelessly gossipy . . . a catty, juicy read that’s like a three-martini lunch.”—USA Today
“[Captures] the mesmerizing sparkle and scandal of New York high society in the 1950s.”—Chicago Tribune
“Tantalizing . . . Readers will fall into a world of glitz, glamour and the exciting life of the rich and famous. The details and conversations are so rich, you may forget you're reading a novel.”—Associated Press
“Highly entertaining.”—The Washington Post
“Take Gossip Girl and move it to the 50s.”—theSkimm
“[Melanie] Benjamin has given us a compelling look at an American icon, a talented yet vulnerable man, and the complex woman he loved in his own distinctive way.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer
“The strange and fascinating relationship between Truman Capote and his ‘swans’ is wonderfully reimagined in this engrossing novel. It’s a credit to Benjamin that we end up caring so much for these women of power, grace, and beauty—and for Capote, too.”—Sara Gruen, New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants
“A delicious tale . . . Melanie Benjamin has turned Truman Capote’s greatest scandal into your next must-read book-club selection.”—Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
“Reading The Swans of Fifth Avenue is like being ushered into a party where you’re offered champagne and fed the sumptuous secrets of New York’s elite—without having to pay the price afterward. The swans are outmatched only by the elegance of Melanie Benjamin’s prose—captivatingly earnest and sophisticated.”—Vanessa Diffenbaugh, New York Times bestselling author of The Language of Flowers
“Benjamin convincingly portrays a large cast of colorful historical figures while crafting a compelling, gossipy narrative with rich emotional depth.”—Library Journal
“The beautiful people of the fifties and sixties glitter in this riveting tale of betrayal and greed. . . . Irresistible, astonishing, and told with verve . . . not to be missed.”—Lynn Cullen, bestselling author of Mrs. Poe
Library Journal
★ 09/01/2015
The dazzling world of the elite in 1950s and 1960s New York is the setting for this fourth novel by best-selling historical fiction author Benjamin (The Aviator's Wife). Riding high on his early literary successes, Truman Capote delights in the company of his "swans," a circle of wealthy married women attracted to both his impish charisma and his love of good gossip. Chief among these women is Barbara "Babe" Paley, the always immaculately dressed and groomed wife of CBS president William S. Paley, who allows herself to be vulnerable around Capote in a way she can never be with her powerful husband. When a desperate Capote betrays his swans by publishing their darkest secrets, friendships crumble and hearts break. VERDICT Fans of vintage New York glamour who loved books such as Amor Towles's Rules of Civility will relish this chance to experience vicariously the lives (and fashion choices!) of the city's rich and famous. Benjamin convincingly portrays a large cast of colorful historical figures while crafting a compelling, gossipy narrative with rich emotional depth. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 7/6/15.]—Mara Bandy, Champaign P.L., IL
MARCH 2016 - AudioFile
If rich-people porn is your thing, you may be entertained by this fantasy. Truman Capote’s “swans” were real-life people, much photographed but otherwise private, who befriended the writer and were in turn exploited by him for material when his creative capital ran out. It’s an ugly story, made uglier here by the vapid and catty personalities the author imagines for these women. It also creates a minefield for the narrators playing Benjamin’s characters. Capote especially is a challenge, since his high-pitched voice with its famous lisp is so present all over YouTube and the like. Paul Boehmer doesn’t nail it, but he comes close. Cassandra Campbell’s impersonations of Truman and his friends are heartfelt if not of the period, but she can’t overcome the material. B.G. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
