#23 Swan Song

After realising how ridiculously long my last book took me to read, I made a special effort to get to the end of this one in good time.

I found this book in a feminist book shop in the backstreets of Shoreditch and later asked for it as my birthday was approaching.

This book is based around the live of Truman Capote and his 'swans'. Some may be familiar with this name and phrase, unlike me who had no clue. As it turns out, this book is classified as a work of fiction but all of the characters were as real as anything, with the majority having detailed Wikipedia pages. Capote was an American author and socialite, active from the late 1940s. The "swans" that steal the show however, are the beautiful and wealthy; Barbara Paley, Slim Keith, C.Z. Guest, Maria Agnelli and Gloria Guinness

The story is told in a collective narrative from the Swans point of view. Each chapter describes key moment's in their lives recounting their glorious times with Capote or highlights from their lavish lifestyles. It is not told in Chronological order, but rather in moments relating to each lady or distance memories of Truman.

It is not a typical fiction novel with an action storyline or twists in the plot every so often: but an invitation into the lives of these glamorous women and each of their peculiar friendships with the author.

Although the most of the time their friendship was filled with trips to Verbier, journeys on private jets, exquisite balls and yacht trips around the Amalfi Cost... things can come to an end...

It is when Truman publishes a chapter from a future novel that things go downhill extremely quickly. It is not just any chapter but one which is based on all of the Swans' scandalous secrets.

My favourite aspect of this book is the fact that every thing is real! I found myself looking up the women on Wikipedia and finding out if their husbands were real too and how many of them there were.

Gosh their lives were so cool

Hx