On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.
As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment... (show more)
On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.
As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence. (show less)
Photo Gallery
You might like these
eople who know my tastes in reading know that i don't read true crime or even fictional crime books. Perhaps this will change now that I've read Tr... (show more)
eople who know my tastes in reading know that i don't read true crime or even fictional crime books. Perhaps this will change now that I've read Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood."
Here's a trend: I see a movie that makes me read the book. Some people do it the other way around. "Capote," starring Philip Seymore Hoffman treats the story of Capote as he wrote "In Cold Blood."" Hence, when I picked up the book I was at first surprised that it didn't follow the movie. My mistake.
Much has been written about the book, all of it more insightful than I could hope to offer. Amazing was how Capote dwelt within the principal characters of the book. From those he was able to interview, to the murder victims who he never met, he gathered so many facts, feelings, filler and mental photographs that his spare but moving narratives allows the reader to feel the affect of the crimes on everyone. You gain insight into the criminals and why they did what they did. You feel the mixed emotions of the Christian people of Kansas wrestling with the pros and cons of capital punishment. Best of all, even though everyone who's heard of this book knows how it ends and the murders that propelled the story, Capote unfolds the story in an impressionistic flow, that is teases the reader along expectantly.
My wife, Debbie, tells me that Ann Rule is the master of true crime offering similar depths of insight. Were this true, I'll be trying one of her books one of these days soon. According to the movie, "Capote," Mr. Capote never wrote another book after this one. It took all he could muster to finish it and after that he was never able to tackle a project of similar scope. (show less)
I was really expecting more out of this book. Mildly considered a classic piece of literature, I put it on a bit of a pedestal before even opening... (show more)
I was really expecting more out of this book. Mildly considered a classic piece of literature, I put it on a bit of a pedestal before even opening it to page one. My mistake. I should know by now never to judge a book by its cover -- or its back cover summary. It sounded interesting and, being popular enough for a movie, I imagined something I could not put down. I was wrong. Most of the plot happens in the first few chapters, leaving the rest of the book to drag its feet until its final conclusion. There were some very interesting chapters but, for the most part, I was left wondering where Capote was trying to go with his plot -- which, apparently, was almost nowhere. Sorry, Mr. Capote. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" was by far much better. (show less)
I regret that I am too young to have experienced the 'real time' Truman Capote. My introduction to this unique personality was in the 1976 movie 'Murder by Death', as an actor only, and toward the end of his eccentric existence. I would have liked to have seen what sensations he created first hand, and from the start of his career in the mid '40s. I do like colourful personalities and Mr. Capote was indeed a spectacle. When I discovered this book a few years ago (2004) Truman Capote had ... (show more)
I regret that I am too young to have experienced the 'real time' Truman Capote. My introduction to this unique personality was in the 1976 movie 'Murder by Death', as an actor only, and toward the end of his eccentric existence. I would have liked to have seen what sensations he created first hand, and from the start of his career in the mid '40s. I do like colourful personalities and Mr. Capote was indeed a spectacle. When I discovered this book a few years ago (2004) Truman Capote had already been dead for twenty years, but I've been an avid fan ever since. If I'd known he grew up with Harper Lee, and was in fact the inspiration for 'Dill', I'd have looked for him sooner. His writing is never too flowery; all words in place and proximity for a lyrically perfect effect. I know precisely when I was won over by his style - on pg 10 - "Autumns reward western Kansas for the evils that the remaining seasons impose: winter's rough Colorado winds and hip-high, sheep-slaughtering snows; the slushes and the strange land fogs of spring; and summer, when even crows seek the puny shade, and the tawny infinitude of wheatstalks bristle, blaze. At last, after September, another weather arrives, an Indian summer that occasionally endures until Christmas." I've never been to Kansas, and neither had Capote until this book was researched and written over a four year span, but I feel like I know it, or better yet, I know I feel it. Just like I stayed awake with Perry's poor sister the night she learned of her murderous brother's latest antics when the ... " garden was white with sea-fog; it might have been an assembly of spirits: Mama and Jimmy and Fern. When Mrs. Johnson bolted the door, she had in mind the dead as well as the living." A smooth-sailing, seamless story based on a true event. Masterfully written - I recall that breaks from reading (don'tcha hate it when life interupts a good book !) were taken begrudgingly. (show less)
Already read
Two aspects of writing make this a great book. Not in any specific order, but 1. It is dubbed the first in a new genre (although, not completely true). Truman Capote broadened the expereinces everyone could have by writing a non-fiction novel. If examined, the non-fiction novel can give us a persepctive of socialism and how experiences shape lives. Perhaps, leading us to examine how we treat others. 2., and perhaps why he is acclaimed as creating this genre, his writing style brought th... (show more)
Two aspects of writing make this a great book. Not in any specific order, but 1. It is dubbed the first in a new genre (although, not completely true). Truman Capote broadened the expereinces everyone could have by writing a non-fiction novel. If examined, the non-fiction novel can give us a persepctive of socialism and how experiences shape lives. Perhaps, leading us to examine how we treat others. 2., and perhaps why he is acclaimed as creating this genre, his writing style brought this horrific event to the home of middle America. He pulled me in and kept me there. His descriptions of the landscape were visions, the personalities of the victims, the killers, and the townspeople gave them life, and the tension he built crossed the pages and kept me on edge. I was at home with the soon to be victims, on the road with the killers, and cowering behind my door. A Must. (show less)
Already read
Please log in to join the conversation
What an intense look at a murder, the victims, perpetrators, investigators, the town, and society itself. Not only is this a masterfully woven tale of the murder and it's aftermath, it is truly a piece of art. Capote captures his characters through their histories and the manner in which they speak and dream. While reading, you feel for all the people involved. He doesn't hold back any punches and artfully presents the plot. Great book. It should be read at least once. The only slight downer is the middle, where the investigation stalls, so does the story. It drags some, it delves into history of the perpetrators, which at the time, I said, "who cares?" Then, by the end, you understand why, the pieces come together, and without those details, the story doesn't unfold.
Jesse Franzen about 1 month agoPerry, I really feel for him. A masterful piece of literary journalism.
Facebook-gebruiker about 1 month agoCapote & Perry
I'm interested to know everyone else's thoughts on how Capote portrayed Perry in comparison to that of Dick.
Róisín Frances Whittington about 1 year agoThis book has been added to these lists:
LivingSocial.com is a social discovery and cataloging network that allows people to review and share their favorite movies, books, games, music, restaurants and beer
Add Bookmark
