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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Not much substance
Very gossipy!
Sad to see such a talented person’s self destruction. Shallow people, beautiful clothes, ridiculous wealth.
I read it but was disappointed. I thought it was hard to follow at times and for me it just wasn’t that interesting.
Very interesting, sneak peak at the rich and famous, thankful I am not one of them
Very interesting , gossipy book about the rich and famous.
I did learn some information about Truman Capote that I did not know, but I didn’t think it was a good read. I didn’t come away feeling like I have all of the facts; just a lot of hearsay from people who wanted to be in the in-crowd.
Well written. Although I had heard of these characters, good insights The Swans of Fifth Avenue is probably a very realistic view at some chosen New Yorkers
I learned so much about the women involved in a “friendship” with Truman Capote and how he used them to his advantage..and then casually destroyed them with his pen.
Between the late 1940’s and the mid 1960’s, there were the women of glamour. They were the ones in the Society section of the papers, wintering in Paris, the Islands, summering on Long Island or the Cape. Rich, high couture, jewels.
Young writer Truman Capote ingratiated himself into this world and befriended a handful of these women. He became their friend, traded secrets, and then wrote about them.
It’s a true story. This is written as semi-fiction, creating scenes and discussions among the characters, their internal thoughts and emotions (which are fiction), but the overall actions are real and documented in newspapers and photos.
So, the story includes the thoughts and emotions of the main characters. I enjoyed it for that – this story of the glamours swans and Capote was never a topic of interest for me, but the way this was written made me look up the characters, to see photos of them, at the balls, with their husbands, with Capote, Capote on talk shows later in life. I knew how the story ends, but it was still a page turner because I wanted to know how Babe felt, why Truman did this, what really happened with Ann.
I found this to be a fun, easy romp of a book. There are certainly tragedies here – but I already knew what (in general) was coming, so I didn’t find it depressing, just a bit sad at times. I don’t know that I’ll ever read this book again — maybe if I’m on a beach with a big tropical drink and an afternoon to laze around.
Saddening look at the cost of human beauty as played out in the mid 20th century.
As a teenager, I grew up reading about The Swans in the society columns. Never understood the sometimes painful things they did to marry rich men. Of course, I was in the working class looking in at a world I couldn’t possibly envision.
The Swans brought back a lot of enjoyable and funny reading about designers, the so-called best shoppes for their wardrobes, and the best restaurants in which to be “seen.” I didn’t miss anything by not wanting to be like them.
An excellent read.
It was interesting to read about what might have been happening with the jet setter types in the NYC when I was a little girl. Unfortunately, there was not much to like about any of the characters except maybe Babe.
Kind of booring
boring.
I didn’t like this book. Cumbersome and a challenge to like any of the characters
True to its time. The novel is a Roman de clef, a not-untruthful picture of 1950’s life on Fifth Avenue and it’s nearby environs.
A lively look back at a very different time for women
Great snapshot of New York society & Truman Capote’s rise & fall within that society. Very entertaining.
View inside the life of NY elite circa 1960-1970s revolving around Truman Copote