NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of The Aviator’s Wife returns with a triumphant new novel about New York’s “Swans” of the 1950s—and the scandalous, headline-making, and enthralling friendship between literary legend Truman Capote and peerless socialite Babe Paley.People’s Book of the Week • USA Today’s #1 “New and Noteworthy” Book • Entertainment Weekly’s Must List • LibraryReads Top Ten … Entertainment Weekly’s Must List • LibraryReads Top Ten Pick
Of all the glamorous stars of New York high society, none blazes brighter than Babe Paley. Her flawless face regularly graces the pages of Vogue, and she is celebrated and adored for her ineffable style and exquisite taste, especially among her friends—the alluring socialite Swans Slim Keith, C. Z. Guest, Gloria Guinness, and Pamela Churchill. By all appearances, Babe has it all: money, beauty, glamour, jewels, influential friends, a prestigious husband, and gorgeous homes. But beneath this elegantly composed exterior dwells a passionate woman—a woman desperately longing for true love and connection.
Enter Truman Capote. This diminutive golden-haired genius with a larger-than-life personality explodes onto the scene, setting Babe and her circle of Swans aflutter. Through Babe, Truman gains an unlikely entrée into the enviable lives of Manhattan’s elite, along with unparalleled access to the scandal and gossip of Babe’s powerful circle. Sure of the loyalty of the man she calls “True Heart,” Babe never imagines the destruction Truman will leave in his wake. But once a storyteller, always a storyteller—even when the stories aren’t his to tell.
Truman’s fame is at its peak when such notable celebrities as Frank and Mia Sinatra, Lauren Bacall, and Rose Kennedy converge on his glittering Black and White Ball. But all too soon, he’ll ignite a literary scandal whose repercussions echo through the years. The Swans of Fifth Avenue will seduce and startle readers as it opens the door onto one of America’s most sumptuous eras.
Praise for The Swans of Fifth Avenue
“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
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I will read almost any historical fiction about high society during the Gilded Age of New York, and this book absolutely stands out as one of the best in the sub-genre. It describes the relationship of fashion icon Babe Paley and writer Truman Capote (best known for Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood). I knew nothing about either figure before starting this, and their story was strange and electric and seeped in a sort of ethereal bond that made it hard to put this down.
I loved this book. I got caught up in the glamorous world of Fifth Avenue and really cared about the characters. This reminded me of a 1960’s version of “The Women” which is one of my favorite movies. After finishing the book I researched the real history of Truman Capote and his swans.
I wanted to know more about Truman Capote and this book was a start. He was a sad man, this is a sad book.
I have developed a great interest in Historical Fiction and this book really made me want to do some more research. The people involved in this book are the wealthy, elite of New York society and an author that is adopted into their society. So much history and such an interesting end. Truman Capote’s Swans are real people with real lives and real personalities. It is so much fun to get involved in a different time in our countries history.
This was a great book . Lots of characters from the recent past in entertainment history. Very sad and made me happy I am just an ordinary person!!
I lived in NYC when the protagonists of this wonderfully written book also lived there, making it especially relevant. Well written and easy to read.
This is an easy read about wealth, friendship real and phony during the 1950’s in NYC. White women with privileged lives, shopping, doing charity work and gossiping.
Very interesting…lives of the rich and famous!
The book reads like a whirlwind. It leaves you breathless. Not much action but plenty of talk and gossip about the rich and famous as seen through Truman Capote’s eyes. He seemed to love society girls (his swans) but then told their secrets. I enjoyed the book very much and would highly recommend it.
I thought it was sad that people with so much talent, beauty, and money were
so unhappy.
The world the Swans occupied should have been wonderful with anything their hearts desired, and yet there was so much sadness and tragedy.Makes me grateful for my simple little world.
I liked the mixture of true events and the author’s imagination. I found myself googling the swans and learning more about them as I read the book.
Well done, different angle and held my interest as a Capote fan.
A sad and poignant story that explores popularity and the nature of true friendship. I found the world Benjamin portrays in New York in the era of Babe Paley and Truman Capote deeply engrossing.
I enjoyed this book very much. All the events surrounding Truman Capote brought back memories of watching his goofiness on the Tonight show and his very tragic ending.
Light reading. A good picture of life among the rich and famous: Truman Capote and his collection of New York socalites in the 40’s and 50’s. Gossip delight!
Although I’m not into the society pages in the paper, I was awash in the way this protrade.
I found these posturing women a bit sad. It is nice to grow up with all the money in the world but I couldn’t get into it. Sorry, perhap I was expecting too much.
Not revelatory reading for any Capote aficionado. An interesting period piece I think more than tell-all. Money, after all, does not negate vapidity.
I became tired of reading about rich spoiled people, especially Truman Capote!