The Swans of Fifth Avenue

The Swans of Fifth Avenue is the story of the rise and tragic fall of Truman Capote. It centers on the befriending of Truman by the beautiful and privileged elite of New York, especially William S Paley, the founder of CBS, and his iconic wife, Babe. Truman was taken into the group as a novelty and he called them his swans. I don't imagine these people had met many openly and proudly gay people up to that point, though the were whispers about some. And he was a story teller and entertainer. They befriended him, trotted him out like a favorite toy and told him all their secrets. Babe Paley is the tragic figure in this story. She truly loved Truman and cherished his friendship. She was also the one most betrayed when he published a short story in Esquire, laying out the dirty little secrets of so many, including a very embarrassing story about Babe's cheating husband. The names were changed but it was obvious who was who. After the story, Truman was ostracized. He never finished published another book.
I enjoyed this book very much, though it mad me sad. In Cold Blood is one of my all time favorite books and though I never believed that Capote was a great person, I didn't know he was such a sad person. He longed to be loved, but couldn't stop himself from being mean. And Babe, she was a good friend, a true friend, but even that couldn't stop him from making his tragic mistake. And sadly, the short stories he published about his swans weren't even that good. That seems the most tragic part to me.
The book is a work of historical fiction. The characters are all real and the author stayed as close to the known facts as possible. But as she says in the Author's Note, so many of the characters were such liars, it was easy to take some liberties. It is a very good book. I highly recommend it, even though it is a bit sad.

“If he told the best stories, dished the most delicious gossip, dropped the grandest of names. Then, perhaps. Then. Would he truly belong?”

Benjamin's latest novel gives readers a peek into the glamorous life of the high society Manhattan “Swans” - socialites like Gloria Guinness, Slim Keith, C.Z. Guest, and Pamela Churchill - as well as detailing the relationship between rising author Truman Capote and darling of the social scene Babe Paley.

I was struck by how simultaneously over-confident and approval-seeking Capote was. Here he was - a talented writer, adored by the best of Manhattan society, and yet he was almost crippled with a fear that he didn't really fit in with the people with whom he socialized. Though, to be fair, with the exception of Babe, the Swans did often seem to treat him almost as a pet - something to be trotted out as party entertainment or to prove their literary and intellectual weight. Why, though, would he betray Babe the way he did? Theirs seemed like a genuine relationship - as much in love with each other (maybe more?) as they were with their partners. They led emotionally isolated lives and found solace in each other's company. Did he think people wouldn't know to whom he referred in his writing? Did he expect she'd forgive him as she'd forgiven his other missteps in their relationship? Was the whole relationship a way for him to gain entry into their lives just for writing fodder? I wonder if Capote even knew the answers to these questions, since he was so far under the influence of alcohol and drugs at that point in his life. Capote's emotional crash at the end of the book is almost physically painful to read.

As usual, regardless of whether I loved or hated the characters, Benjamin absolutely brought these women (and their men) to life in a big way. Their habits, their personality tics, the things you loved and hated about these women were entirely believable. Notable was how these wealthy women, removed from the reader by more than 50 years, are worried about the same things women today worry about - their marriages, their careers (or lack of), how good of a parent they have been, and how to age gracefully. Benjamin writes:

“Yet at night, they took off their diamonds and went to empty beds resigned to the fact that they were just women, after all. Women with a shelf life.”

Unsurprisingly, Benjamin has crafted another amazing book, bringing another vibrant woman from history to life as a fully fleshed-out, complex character. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction or Truman Capote's writing.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.)