Breakfast at Tiffany's

Who is Holly Golightly? If you answered a character in Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's then you're in the minority (and you're wrong). If you answered Audrey Hepburn, you're right. (Don't give me that look!)

Unfortunately for Truman Capote's novella, Blake Edwards' 1961 rendition of Breakfast at Tiffany's remains the quintessential telling of this story in most people's minds. Hepburn proved to be an attractive, charming, and even mature casting of Golightly. Nearly fifty years later, many movie buffs are still relishing in her spell.

The Holly Golightly of Capote's 1958 novella is none of the things Hepburn was; she was naive, vulgar, and nearly hopeless. With Hepburn's charm gone, Breakfast at Tiffany's loses nearly everything of value. Capote's journalistic writing in this story leaves little to consider and the story is nearly forgettable.

It would be easy to write off Capote as a literary impostor if it weren't for the other stories that are included with most (if not all) editions of the novella. Three tales, “House of Flowers,” “A Diamond Guitar,” and “A Christmas Memory,” showcase Capote's talent to paint a beautiful picture with words. None more so than “A Christmas Memory,” the story of a young boy and his best friend, an elderly woman on the verge of losing her mind.

The theme in all four of these titles is friendship, especially those unique in their nature. Regardless of the similar theme, each story feels unique and has its own valuable qualities; yes, even Breakfast at Tiffany's, although I personally would rather have my breakfast with Audrey.

(From The Literary Snob)