Absolutely loved this book. Fascinating, beautifully written and so informative. I learned alot of history and Truman Capote who was such an interesting man and such a shame that era of movie stars and writers is now over. Learned some really interesting things about the real life people featured in the book or the gossip about them. I will be recommending this book to my friends.

The premise of the book really appealed to me both because it offered a chance to find out more about the high society women who Truman Capote frequently surrounded himself with and because it reframes the narrative he told about them through their own voices. Unfortunately I didn't get along with the writing style. Although there is some beautiful prose here, I found the style to be quite heavy - almost leaden at times. Whilst I appreciate lush writing, I found myself wanting the plot to move along on more than one occasion and didn't have that urge to pick the book back up once I'd put it down. Although I made several attempts with Swan Song, this ended up being a DNF for me for that reason.

I'm struggling with my reading choices this month. I don't know what's happening but nothing seems to have truly grabbed me. I say this as a reflection on myself & in no way does it reflect on the authors.

As a whole, I enjoyed #SwanSong by Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott. The theme was definitely one of interest to me. It's always astonishing to be reminded how semi incestuous these luminary groups can be. I was also intrigued to learn more about Capote. He's one of those men who you almost want to meet but not really.

I did feel Swan Song started to get a bit long at the 70% mark but there's nothing you can really cut that doesn't effect the rest of the story. I can't help but wonder if this feeling of slowness comes from tje non-linear timeline. I don't mind stories that move around but I feel it didn't work here.

Would I recommend this to others? Maybe. You would need to be to give it your whole attention. You also need to be fresh & clear in your mind. Stray thoughts will break the rhythm. Some knolwdge of Capote and the period would also be an advantage. If this doesn't sound like you, #breakfastattiffanys is always a good choice.

Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcotts sets out to retell Truman Capote’s final years from the perspectives of his ‘Swans’, high society ladies he first befriended and then betrayed. Told in the plural voice, it is at times powerful and elegant but is overly long and a little indulgent. The characterisation of Capote is shrill and narrow and the book would have benefitted from humanising him more, while still focusing on the women he hurt. Here is is nothing more than a cartoon character.
The idea of reframing a male narrative through female voices is a strong one and parts of this are very well done, but I had issue with some of the choices.

I am in charge of the senior library and work with a group of Reading Ambassadors from 16-18 to ensure that our boarding school library is modernised and meets the need of both our senior students and staff. It has been great to have the chance to talk about these books with our seniors and discuss what they want and need on their shelves. I was drawn to his book because I thought it would be something different from the usual school library fare and draw the students in with a tempting storyline and lots to discuss.
This book was a really enjoyable read with strong characters and a real sense of time and place. I enjoyed the ways that it maintained a cracking pace that kept me turning its pages and ensured that I had much to discuss with them after finishing. It was not only a lively and enjoyable novel but had lots of contemporary themes for our book group to pick up and spend hours discussing too.
I think it's important to choose books that interest as well as challenge our students and I can see this book being very popular with students and staff alike; this will be an excellent purchase as it has everything that we look for in a great read - a tempting premise, fantastic characters and a plot that keeps you gripped until you close its final page.

I really thought I would love this book. The idea of learning all about the women surrounding TC really appealed to me. I didn’t get along with the writing style

This sounded so promising and failed to deliver at all. I just could not get into this book. Very disappointing.

I adored getting swept up in this incredible book. The most glamorous and incredible cast of characters, I just wanted to be in the club!! Absolutely beautiful and one that will stay with me for a while I think!

“You should have known, Truman, that it was beneath you. Flinging fine-boned skeletons from our walk-in closets… Airing our thousand-count, bloodstained linens for all to see! Leaving us reeling that our trust could be so utterly betrayed by our closest confidant…”

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this, but to be brutally honest, it’s a read I’d probably never have read if it weren’t for the fact I was given the incentive of a galley and had access to the audiobook too.

Swan Song centres on Truman Capote - the author of works such as Breakfast At Tiffany’s and In Cold Bold. The story unfolds through an alternating timeline of Truman’s “swans” explaining how he screwed them over, how they met him in the first place and what the tumultuous events were that inspired his tell-all betrayal and so on. The other timeline is of Truman’s childhood, which serves to illustrate just how Truman ended up to be the person who’d so callously betray those who considered him their friend.

I enjoyed reading the scenes of Truman meeting the ladies, and seeing how he clearly manipulated them into trusting him and how he orchestrated his successful infiltration of the elite circle by his enigmatic character. Truly, the Truman Capote found in Swan Song - and brought further to life by Julia Whelan - is probably one of the most beguiling character’s I’ve ever initially read. Every remark made, every dramatic pause... it was hypnotic in some ways.

However, as the book goes on, we hear from Babe Paley, Slim Keith, Marella to name some, and as we hear more from the swans, the book began to go downhill for me. It really began to read as a kind of revenge fiction with a furious undercurrent determined to show just how nasty and conceited Truman Capote was, especially toward his “friends”. To be as blunt as possible, the hate-on-Truman actually went so far as to what would feel like trolling someone, which became increasingly uncomfortable to read about.

I also had problems with the prose and the story’s progression. Whilst there was some beautiful prose here and there, it was nonetheless predominantly podgy. The writing was long-winded and leaden - making the book unreadable for me - so the audiobook was the only way I got to the story’s end. Moreover, the story’s progression was rather chaotic; jumping between decades and narrator in a whiplash capacity; one minute we’re with Truman as a one boy and then the next we’re getting an in-depth analysis of one of the swans two decades later. This back and forth continues throughout. Both of these irritations combined made the bulk of the book exhausting, which was worsened considering the unnecessary length of the book too.

I do feel, however, the author certainly achieved the aim of exploring motives for Truman’s actions. The motives are cleverly established with the exploration of Truman’s past and his elite persona, to make it clear Truman not only punished people for childhood trauma but punished those who he felt slighted him, and he ultimately was so self assured in his high elite character that all would (or should be) brushed under the rug and forgiven.

Swan Song is a combination of a particular story written in a particular style that, in my opinion, caters to a select readership - those with an appetite for such prose and gossip-style-stories. If you didn’t know who Truman Capote was, would you really be interested in reading a story of how he made it into high class circles and then screwed it all up? If it was a movie or short TV series, sure, but I don’t blame anyone if a 400+ page book gives you pause. I wouldn’t be surprised if many people tried to pick this up and ended up DNFing... it’s just the nature of books with a strew of weak points. Full disclosure, I myself wouldn’t have stuck with the story if it weren’t for the audiobook. Julia Whelan did an incredible job, especially of making Truman stand out. The truth of the matter is, the long haul experience of reading this book doesn’t have a worthy payoff by the end up and the overall length is the deciding nail in that declarative coffin.

I didn’t hate it (especially the audiobook) but I honestly can’t say I recommend it either, because all in all, it feels as inconsequential as so many pieces in rag mags about the problems of celebrities who everyday people in the everyday world could care less about – that’s the biggest issue the author failed to satisfy.
Thank you very kindly to the publishers for offering me an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the worse book I have ever attempted to read. I gave up after 20 pages as I had no idea what I was reading - absolute waffle. I have never abandoned a book before - this is a first for me.

This is a hugely atmospheric book and the sense of place is really strong. You'll be transported to Manhattan immediately!

It's well written and mimics Capote's style elegantly but I felt it was a little too long so lacked pace at times.

Overall, it was a very interesting and engaging book.

I so wanted to love this book. I had heard many great reviews, the description sounded fascinating and the cover is amazing! But............I didn't love it. I couldn't get on with the writing style, it seemed to flip here and there and made it hard work. I didn't get involved in the characters he speaks of as they all sounded much the same. Looking at other reviews It does seem to have split readers into two camps. I will add I didn't finish the book so it may have interested me more further in. But unfortunately not one for me. Please do read other reviews as there are many many good ones.

I did struggle to get through this as it is not my normal genre. I am glad I did as it was a very fascinating story as he was a very iconic figure and I did not know much about him.

I DNF'd this about 25% through. Perhaps it's because I know little to nothing about Truman Capote in the first place, but I couldn't push through this. Everything was a jumbled mess, jumping back and forth through different time periods. Some of Capote's 'swans' stood out, but most of them blended together until I couldn't tell the difference. The book was just a lot of gossip and bitchiness which I hate naturally. So, unfortunately, I couldn't power through this.

This fictionalised account of Truman Capote and his Sawns crept up on me. It was a slow burner, mainly because I struggled to keep a track of who everyone was, but once I was on top of that I got sucked in to their decadent world. I especially loved the chapters where Jackie Kennedy and her Sister made an appearance. It was all so glamorous and I loved living vicariously through these bitchy, backstabbing socialites.

"Swan Song" is all about Truman Capote and his six "swans" - other ladies make appearances in the book, but most of the story is about the Swans.
Each girl is given her own back story and special relation to Capote making it quite a large book.
The women got carried away with his implied promise of discretion when they gifted him with their own secrets, and, in some case, the secrets of others which was never going to end well, as in 1975 they were exposed and he lost the swans.

The book is a biography of Truman Capote as seen through the eyes and actions of people close to him but I think its a book you really need to have an interest in the subject to enjoy.

I loved this book-it takes you to the world of the group of wealthy socialite women who surrounded the writer Truman Capote until he decided to use the secrets they had confided to him in one of his novels,and allowed an extract to be published.They took their revenge by completely cutting him from their lives,all apart from one.The story is told by a collective 'we' ,as if from all their perspectives rather than just one ,which emphases the influence of the group.
It was fascinating,as it also tells the story of his life and each of theirs.I knew very little about any of these characters;their stories were so incredible it was hard to believe they weren't the product of the author's imagination but having read more about them once I finished the novel,it was all based on truth!
A great read-definitely recommended.

Chronicling the rise and crushing downfall of Truman Capote, this book channels the nonfiction novel style that Capote himself made famous. The story focuses on the fallout following Capote's decision to publish, as thinly veiled fiction, the secrets his high society friends have trusted him with. To me, it's a story about horrible people doing horrible things to one another, though that is coloured by my bias against rich people problems. Far from taking away from my enjoyment, the fact I disliked most of the characters - including Capote and his harem of society "swans" - actually made this book even more of a page turner. Last year I read both Capote's In Cold Blood and Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann, giving me insight into his work and the world in which he lived. But apart from recognising a few names, I knew nothing of the high-profile people who inhabited Capote's universe, and was still able to enjoy the cattiness and bitchy gossip which forms the backbone of their existence. Underneath the bad behaviour and betrayals, though - not only Truman's but the myriad affairs, deceptions and using of others - runs something deeper. There are genuine friendships based on love, high emotions fueling misplaced actions, and true hurt feelings. Greenberg-Jephcott's strength lies in creating characters who can be bitchy and vapid while at the same time complex and vulnerable in their way. That combined with the depth of detail in this book shows this to be a real labour of love. I finished that last page with a tear in my eye not only for the whole sorry way things played out for Capote and his friendships, but also because there were no more pages left.

An intriguing book about the life of an iconic figure I knew very little about. The writing is brilliant and the fascinating story is definitely a hook. Not quite my genre but worth reading.

In brief ★★★

Another one down on the Women's Prize longlist. Swan Song unravels the social dramas of New York's elite as their confidante, Truman Capote, betrays their most intimate secrets in print. I learned so much about Capote and New York society, and mostly found it an enjoyable read. Readers should note triggers for suicide and drug and alcohol abuse.

Swan Song starts with Capote almost losing a manuscript, and steadily unravels his childhood, literary ascent and then, most interestingly, his platonic relationships with each of the dazzling society women in his circle. We know from the beginning it's all going to end badly - the almost-lost manuscript barely fictionalising the women's darkest secrets - but the interesting part is in the way Greenberg-Jephcott makes this a tragedy, revealing the degrees of intimacy that continually deepen his betrayal. She draws us into the women's world, to help us understand.

Betrayal isn't the only theme, though. Love, motherhood and the idea of genius and what it entails (both the liberties and responsibilities) feature throughout, as do questions of fidelity.

Greenburg-Jephcott writes the novel from the women's perspective as a Greek chorus - a literary device that's effective in its ability to shift amorphously and accumulate details. An insider omniscience, if you will. Their disdain for Capote, sharpened by their prior devotion to him, is present in every aspect of the telling - in the way they call him 'the boy', in the way they trivialise his grief relative to the harm he's inflicted on them, and in the way they blur his tale as subservient to their own.

We learn so much about each of these women - their lives are meticulously researched and vividly imagined. But, even still, each also feels just out of reach, the narrative shifting to keep moving forward - just as we get to know one, our attention is redirected to another, reminding us that they're actually each part of a whole.

I do think the tale could have been more powerful in a slightly shorter format. At times the level of detail for each woman's experience or memory goes too far, the significant amount of research showing through. On the other hand, it is an immersive read you can easily sink into, and not want to surface from until you've witnessed the entire saga.

Recommended if you liked: The Mothers

I received a copy of Swan Song from Random House UK via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.