Product Description

Controversial and compelling, "In Cold Blood" reconstructs the murder in 1959 of a Kansas farmer, his wife and both their children. Truman Capote's comprehensive study of the killings and subsequent investigation explores the circumstances surrounding this terrible crime and the effect it had on those involved. At the centre of his study are the amoral young killers Perry Smith and Dick Hickcock, who, vividly drawn by Capote, are shown to be reprehensible yet entirely and frighteningly human. The book that made Capote's name, In Cold Blood is a seminal work of modern prose, a remarkable synthesis of journalistic skill and powerfully evocative narrative.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4359 in Books
• Published on: 2000-02-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

About the Author
Truman Capote was born in New Orleans in 1925 and was raised in various parts of the south, his family spending winters in New Orleans and summers in Alabama and New Georgia. By the age of fourteen he had already started writing short stories, some of which were published. He left school when he was fifteen and subsequently worked for the New Yorker which provided his first - and last - regular job. Following his spell with the New Yorker, Capote spent two years on a Louisiana farm where he wrote Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948). He lived, at one time or another, in Greece, Italy, Africa and the West Indies, and travelled in Russia and the Orient. He is the author of many highly praised books, including A Tree of Night and Other Stories (1949), The Grass Harp (1951), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958), In Cold Blood (1965), which immediately became the centre of a storm of controversy on its publication, Music for Chameleons (1980) and Answered Prayers (1986), all of which are published by Penguin. Truman Capote died in August 1984.

Customer Reviews

In Cold Type...
Truman Capote's 'In Cold Blood' is enjoying a resurgence of popularity thanks to the Oscar-winning film depicting the author's life and work during the writing of this phenomenal piece. At one point in the film, the character Capote makes the statement that when he thinks about how good this book will be, he can hardly breathe. Perhaps it is because it is part of our history now, I don't consider the book to be that good, but it was a work fairly close to groundbreaking in its impact - it was a new genre, the narrative telling of a non-fiction event as if it were a fictional novel.

The narrative centres upon the murder of a Kansas family by two men, Perry Smith and Dick Hicock, who are in many ways far from typical killers, much less cold blooded killers. The family, the Clutters of Holcombe, Kansas, are far from typical victims, nor is this the kind of place such a murder would be expected. Capote does a remarkable job at an even-handed analysis and narrative treatment of all the characters, from the family itself to the townspeople and investigators, as well as the murderers themselves. Perhaps it is because he found an area of identification?

This is a psychological thriller of a sort - at least it would be, were it not a true life tale. Getting into the minds of the criminals and the investigators was no easy task for Capote, but what comes forth on the page is very crisp and insightful reporting, without the kinds of embellishments one might expect from a figure such as Capote when dealing with middle-America folk.

The question of why for the killing is still never fully resolved, despite Capote's attempt to set out all the story and psychological detail. Perhaps this is as strange as the interest Capote took in the subject in the first place, as well as the effect it had on him, and those around him, ultimately - while Capote himself never again finished a major project after this, that is also true of his assistant, Nell Harper Lee, whose book 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (done about the same time as 'In Cold Blood') was also her last major writing.

A worthwhile book in many ways.

Book is more interesting if you know something about Capote
I owned this book for years, but donated it to my library. After seeing the brilliant movie "Capote", however, I bought it again and read it. First of all,I'm puzzled why people call this "non-fiction" or journalistic reporting. Don't expect to get "just the facts" here since in many parts - to put it politely - CAPOTE MAKES CRAP UP!! Whole conversations, scenes, incidents involving secondary or tertiary characters, where Capote is not present, was not told about it, but is just spinning yarns. If reporters made up as much of their story as Capote did, they'd be fired. When you realize how manipulative Capote was, you realize how massive his ego must have been to do so.

Second, Capote is imaginative but I wouldn't consider him a brilliant writer. (I can see why Harper Lee won the Pulitzer and he never did.) This book falls off the narration track in numerous places because Capote engages in an extended flashback or narrative - often about secondary or irrelevant characters who are never mentioned again. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was a 5th grader who'd been told to write a 10,000 page essay and he was bound-and-determined to cram every word in.

Finally, it is clear in his writing that he is fascinated with Perry Smith. He spends 50% of the book relaying Perry's background, thoughts, motivations, etc almost to the point where the Clutter murders seem an afterthought.

I'll keep the book just to say I read it but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless you are interested in the author himself. In that case, I'd suggest you read up on him or watch "Capote" (and "Infamous") first and then read the book. Read and analyzed in that light, Capote's motives in choosing his words are fascinating and in reality, HE'S the story. Ultimately, that's what makes it interesting.

A good read and a good movie as well
I highly recommened the book,"In Cold Blood". At the same time I rented the movie about Truman Capote, starring Seymor Huffman which prompted me to want to research more. I was not disappointed.