Vintage Truman Capote MUSIC FOR CHAMELEONS

Description: Vintage Truman Capote MUSIC FOR CHAMELEONS In these gems of reportage Truman Capote takes true stories and real people and renders them with the stylistic brio we expect from great fiction. Here we encounter an exquisitely preserved Creole aristocrat sipping absinthe in her Martinique salon; an enigmatic killer who sends his victims announcements of their forthcoming demise; and a proper Connecticut householder with a ruinous obsession for a twelve-year-old he has never met. And we meet Capote himself, who, whether he is smoking with his cleaning lady or trading sexual gossip with Marilyn Monroe, remains one of the most elegant, malicious, yet compassionate writers to train his eye on the social fauna of his time. — Reader Reviews: 5.0 out of 5 stars Oh, Tru, Don't Let Me Commence When my Red Queen died recently, I grabbed your 'Music for Chameleons' and hopped a plane to Paris. It was not the first time I had chosen to take this book of yours along as a traveling companion so to speak. Your journalistic novel of short stories and anecdotes had crossed the Atlantic with me over twenty-five years ago for a family reunion in London, and it got me through a few bumpy days. To tell you the truth, I thought your stories then were fascinating and sometimes hilarious, but this time around, and now that I am older than you today, I read what you wrote more slowly and carefully. I didn't realize what a compassionate man you really were, and how non-judgmental when it comes to those who are having a rough struggle of it all. Whether it was Marilyn Monroe (A Beautiful Child), or your old classmate who self-destructed in his middle years, as you held on to him for dear life after his true confessions (Hello Stranger). But, first I have to tell you that when I opened your novel again, it fell on 'Handcarved Coffins' (A Non Fiction Account of An American Crime). This title made me pause because the first task I had to do on arrival in Paris was to throw my bag into a hotel room, and dash across town to choose an elegant casket that would suit a beautiful woman, known for her exquisite eye, who had requested long before her time came, a small noble funeral in the capital city where she had lived for the majority of her life. All to say, I was paying much more attention to you now, not only as a great American author (your early short stories are among my favorites), but as an individual who is writing towards the end of his life. I will tell you here that although you knew you were ill and failing at the time, your skills were sharper, innovative and brilliant as ever. So this time around, I didn't laugh out loud at your humorous recollections although some of your close calls were pretty funny in retrospect, especially when your friend the great star, Pearl Bailey, comes to your rescue at the airport in Los Angeles (Derring-Do), or you find yourself at night stranded in the middle of nowhere, knocking on the door of a kind woman with permanent cats-on-nap (A Lamp in The Window). Walking with your friend, the professional cleaning woman in New York, on her daily beat was priceless, and at the end when the two of you find yourselves in church after a wild day - Mary: 'Are you praying?' You: 'I'm praying for you, Mary, I want you to live forever' - Mary: 'Don't pray for me. I am already saved. Pray for all those lost souls out there'. And, your quiet and chilling interview with Robert Beausoleil of the Manson Clan (Then It All Came Down). Usually, I am unable to read such material as the latter, but if ever there was a portrayal of a man who is simply a killing machine and whose remaining link with humanity is hanging on the string of a guitar, you were able to write about it. These are just a few of your stories that come to mind here, not least and finally your bout of insomnia when you are tossing and turning, and in the end your memories of childhood come back and your faith in God as well. If I had to sum it up, I would like to think of you today with your wise elderly cousin, Sook, two beautiful paper kites high up in the bluest of crystal skies, long forgiven for having killed a mocking-bird, and enjoying your grandmother's cold banana pudding from Alabama. Hats off to you, Mr. Capote. — 5.0 out of 5 stars This makes me curious but scared This book alludes to higher powers amd is very friendly to those aware of authority rather than rebelling against it although it could serve as a lesson in quietude — 5.0 out of 5 stars The best of Capote The stories were both entertaining and informative. I learned a lot more about the genius of Capote. I highly recommend this book to Capote fans. If you’re too young to remember him, look him up! — 5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read I didn't realize what a great writer Truman Capote was until I read "In Cold Blood". I thought I had already read it, but no, I had only seen maybe the movie. I was so impressed with that novel, I want to collect everything he's written and "Music for Chameleons" was one of them. True to his style, every word is in its place to its best fit, such an artist. I remember seeing him on one of the late night talk shows; he was quite a character in his own right and very witty. I'm really sorry he died at a rather young age, but then, he started writing very young. By the time he was 17, he was an accomplished writer. He said he made the discovery of the difference in very good writing and true art. He had much to learn to perfect his craft, but even after becoming very proficient, he studied even more. Just reading the preface, I came to appreciate how much arduous work goes into becoming a top author. I had no idea. Using a modified version of compiling all the techniques he learned, into one, he wrote a short novel, " Handcarved Coffins", which also appears in "Music for Chameleons". I think this was my favorite... a good crime novel. There are six short stories in the first section, including "Music for Chameleons"; second section "Handcarved Coffins" is a nonfiction account of an American crime, which I truly enjoyed, and the third, "Conversational Portraits" contains seven more short stories. To tell the truth, although I love reading all Capote's stories, I didn't "get" the ending of a couple of them and I will reread these for better understanding. He sometimes was way above my head.

Price: 22 USD

Location: North Hollywood, California

End Time: 2024-09-22T21:44:22.000Z

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