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Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era Kindle Edition

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 3,758 ratings

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DON’T MISS FX’s FEUD: CAPOTE VS. THE SWANS—THE ORIGINAL SERIES BASED ON THE BESTSELLING BOOK—NOW AVAILABLE TO STREAM ON HULU!

New York Times bestselling author Laurence Leamer reveals the complex web of relationships and scandalous true stories behind Truman Capote's never-published final novel, Answered Prayers—the dark secrets, tragic glamour, and Capote's ultimate betrayal of the group of female friends he called his "swans."

“There are certain women,” Truman Capote wrote, “who, though perhaps not born rich, are born to be rich.” Barbara “Babe” Paley, Gloria Guinness, Marella Agnelli, Slim Hayward, Pamela Churchill, C. Z. Guest, Lee Radziwill (Jackie Kennedy’s sister)—they were the toast of midcentury New York, each beautiful and distinguished in her own way. Capote befriended them, received their deepest confidences, and ingratiated himself into their lives. Then, in one fell swoop, he betrayed them in the most surprising and startling way possible.

Bestselling biographer Laurence Leamer delves into the years following the acclaimed publication of
Breakfast at Tiffany’s in 1958 and In Cold Blood in 1966, when Capote struggled with a crippling case of writer’s block. While en­joying all the fruits of his success, he was struck with an idea for what he was sure would be his most celebrated novel…one based on the re­markable, racy lives of his very, very rich friends.

For years, Capote attempted to write
An­swered Prayers, what he believed would have been his magnum opus. But when he eventually published a few chapters in Esquire, the thinly fictionalized lives (and scandals) of his closest fe­male confidantes were laid bare for all to see, and he was banished from their high-society world forever. Laurence Leamer re-creates the lives of these fascinating swans, their friendships with Capote and one another, and the doomed quest to write what could have been one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

One of NY Post’s 35 Best Book Gifts for Everyone on Your 2021 Holiday List
One of
NY Post’s Must-Have Books for Fall 2021
One of
Town & Country’s Must-Read Books of Fall
One of
Wall Street Journal’s 12 Books to Read for October 2021
One of
Garden & Gun's Favorite Books of 2021
One of
PopSugar’s October Must-Reads

“A gossipy, trenchant study of the novelist Truman Capote and the society women he befriended and later betrayed.” –
The New York Times

“Babe Paley, Slim Keith, C.Z. Guest...they were the stars of '50s and '60s society. They were also the women Truman Capote loved, flattered—and betrayed. A fascinating look at their world.” —
People

"Laurence Leamer deftly tells the stories of the stylish, glamorous women whose trust Capote cultivated and then betrayed. Mr. Leamer has delivered a fast-paced, sensitive tale of the swans, their tumultuous lives and their dismay at Capote’s treachery.” —
Wall Street Journal

“In this delicious dissection of the writer and the women he befriended, Laurence Leamer uncovers what it meant to let Capote into your inner circle, how each of these women found friendship and frustration with him, and what happened when he committed the ultimate betrayal.” —
Town & Country

"Leamer gives a fascinating look at friendship and betrayal, and the great novel that never was." —
New York Post

“In describing the background not only of Truman Capote himself, but also of the socialites he called swans, the author writes some very substantive social history of the mid-20th century....What we have here is far more—far better—than a gossipy beach read for the summer. The ‘dish’ is there, but so is the thoughtful analysis.” —
The East Hampton Star

Capote's Women by Laurence Leamer is a fascinating nonfiction book about the greatest American novel that was never published.” —PopSugar

"What
Capote’s Women captures is how these myriad and multilayered friendships came about and nourished him for so long, until his inner demons proved too damning for all but a few of his faithful." —BookReporter

"As Leamer explains in his barreling and well-researched book, hell hath no fury like a socialite scorned." —
The Daily Mail

“Highly engaging…What Leamer did in his best-selling
The Kennedy Women he has now done for the (mostly) high-born women Capote cultivated, worshipped, and envied.” —Air Mail
 
"Leamer can be critical when he wants, but he’s always subtle and conscientious of the complexity of these women’s circumstances. His subjects are treated with a delicacy and care that reveal a great sympathy and even occasional admiration.” —
Deep South Magazine  

“This is the story of an Icarus. You know how it’s going to end, but you know that for a while the protagonist is going to soar.
Capote’s Women is about the flight.” —AL.com

Capote’s Women is a fascinating read, of a time gone by.” —Montecito Journal

“Capote’s Women should be like catnip to celeb-watchers of a certain age but even if you’re not, find it. If you’re a Hollywood fan, you’ll want to get a lock on it.” —
Macro News

“It seems we never tire of reading about Truman Capote and his fabulous Swans, and in
Capote’s Women, Laurence Leamer brilliantly shows us why. By weaving the details of Capote’s life in and out of the fascinating origin stories of the most admired women of the 1950s and 1960s, Leamer reminds us that beauty, wealth and privilege—not to mention talent—aren’t enough to guarantee a happy ending. But oh, what fun can be had along the way!”  —Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue

“Biographer Leamer (
The Kennedy Women) showcases his knack for telling a rattling good tale in this vivid look at Truman Capote’s failed attempt to write ‘the greatest novel of the age.’ . . . This juicy story delivers.” – Publishers Weekly

“Engagingly gossipy, Leamer provides extensive behind-the-scenes peaks into Capote’s tangled social life.” –
Kirkus Reviews

“Never has such terrific gossip been so well-packaged as in Laurence Leamer's beautifully written and superbly researched
Capote's Women….Leamer bests Capote by telling the full juicy stories of these swans…Capote's Women not only spills all the page-turning scandals of his swans but also the compelling rise and fall of the diminutive gay author. This is celebrity gossip of the highest quality. This scintillating look behind the curtain at some of the richest and most powerful women in the world is fabulously entertaining.” –Shelf Awareness (starred review)

“Leamer’s portrait of New York’s bold and beautiful is not a gushing ode to glamour but an unflinching character study...Lucky for us, Leamer’s well-researched book is not focused on offering a cautionary tale, but peeling back the disguises we all use to camouflage our true selves from the public.” —
LitHub

“Chock full of dazzling details,
Capote's Women is a dishy, delicious dive into the diminutive author’s female friendships. From Gloria Guinness to Slim Keith, and Babe Paley to CZ Guest, Capote’s “swans,” as he dubbed them, were beautiful, elegant, rich, and complicated. Larry Leamer expertly weaves the lives of these fascinating women together with Capote’s struggles to finish Answered Prayers, his self-described masterpiece. In reality, Capote’s final work was a messy jumble of thinly veiled secrets that these women had told him in confidence, and a base attempt at naked career advancement. Was Capote driven to this treachery by his growing alcoholism, or was it his betrayal that drove him to drink? That is the question that propels the narrative—and compels the reader to turn each gossip-laden page, anticipation building to its ultimate, gratifying conclusion.” —Julie Satow, author of The Plaza: The Secret Life of America’s Most Famous Hotel

“This deep dive into the lives of the extraordinary women who were Truman Capote’s ‘swans’ is an entertaining study of femininity, privilege, and heartbreak. The story of the meteoric rise—and tragic fall—of the infamous writer and his beautiful muses offers a captivating combination of first-rate gossip and solid social history. Fascinating!” —Deborah Davis, author of
Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball and Gilded: How Newport Became America’s Richest Resort

“In a swirl of money and yearning, Laurence Leamer stitches the story of Truman Capote’s life and final book-that-never-was through the glamorous lives of the women who inspired it. The rich texture and lavish detail recall a time of beauty and longing, ambition and heartbreak, and its possibilities and limitations for New York’s “swans.” An engrossing evocation of an era.” —Julia Cooke, author of
Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan-Am

About the Author

Laurence Leamer is the New York Times bestselling author of Madness Under the Royal Palms and The Kennedy Women, among many other books. He lives in Washington, DC, and Palm Beach, Florida.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08VS559S9
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ G.P. Putnam's Sons (October 12, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 12, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 18346 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 3,758 ratings

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Laurence Leamer
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Laurence Leamer is the New York Times bestseller author of twenty books. As a young man, he worked in a French factory, a West Virginia coal mine and a school in the mountains of Nepal. The subjects Leamer has written about are as varied as his life, from the costs of power in Washington to the travails of celebrity in Hollywood, and from the legal struggles of two Pittsburgh lawyers against a coal mogul to the games played in the elegant salons of Palm Beach. The award-winning author’s books focusing on women have been particularly well regarded starting with The Kennedy Women, a number two New York Times bestseller. His recent book, Capote’s Women, one of his six New York Times bestsellers, was made into an Emmy and Golden Globe nominated series starring Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Calista Flockhart, Molly Ringwald, and Tom Hollander. Leamer’s newest book, Warhol's Muses, is the third part of a trilogy about intriguing women involved with creative geniuses. The author's wife, Vesna Obradovic Leamer, takes care of everything else in their complicated lives. He is fortunate as well in having a terrific daughter, Daniela Mantilla, a great son in law, Antonio Mantilla, and two dynamite grandkids, Alejandro and Emilia and good friends. If one has good health, a close family and loyal friends one has everything. The author lives in Palm Beach, Florida and Washington, D.C.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
3,758 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and enjoyable to read. They praise the storytelling as interesting and well-crafted, with a realistic portrayal of real people. Readers appreciate the character development and insightful biography. The book provides valuable background information on Capote and his swans, providing an accurate portrayal of a glamorous era and lifestyle. The book flows smoothly and keeps readers hooked until the end.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

86 customers mention "Readability"86 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fascinating and enlightening. They appreciate the well-researched and detailed account of the lives of women born into privilege and wealth. The book provides personal details that were either fictionalized or skipped in Feud.

"Good book and arrived in excellent condition." Read more

"...This book was well researched and provided personal material about some of the Swans I was not aware of...." Read more

"...It's easy to read, chalked full of amazing imagery and down right fun. I typically love historical fiction. But this BOOK..OMG you have to read it!..." Read more

"...Leamer's work is well-written and painstakingly researched but it was difficult for me, as a reader, to become invested in the lives of these tedious..." Read more

41 customers mention "Storytelling"35 positive6 negative

Customers enjoy the storytelling. They find the stories interesting and lively, with many details about the women's lives and relationships. The book is described as a well-told story about real people.

"...Some of it was recycled stories from decades ago, but with a new twist...." Read more

"...A true American tragedy from many perspectives." Read more

"...But it's an interesting story worth telling, and an enjoyable read." Read more

"...His public self. I remember his black and white ball. The women s lives are interesting. Their husbands too...." Read more

13 customers mention "Character development"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's character development fascinating. They describe it as a fascinating portrayal of a glamorous world and an impressive biographical account that gives insight into Capote's personality and relationships. The book also mentions real-life individuals who appear in Capote's works.

"...It is, as I say in my title, a primer and introduction to a fascinating man and writer." Read more

"Truman Capote was a fascinating character who betrayed his “swans” and then was surprised when they unfriended him...." Read more

"...with me because I simultaneously loved getting to know these iconic characters and was thankful to live my quiet life never having gotten mixed up..." Read more

"Leamer is a skilled writer. Gives insight into Capote’s personality." Read more

13 customers mention "Information value"13 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's information about Capote and his swans. They find it fascinating and well-written, providing more background on the characters and their relationships. The book provides useful biographical details of Capote's close female friends.

"...The book flows well and is a window into the elite social circles. Good read (so far)" Read more

"I enjoyed reading about Capote and the socialites he spent time with. Very well written!" Read more

"...Well written and great insight into a specific closed society and a famous writer’s role in it." Read more

"Wonderful background info on the swans - including some not included as characters in the TV series...." Read more

12 customers mention "Beauty"12 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's beauty. They find it provides an accurate portrayal of a glamorous era and glittering lifestyle. The book is easy to read, packed with amazing imagery, and fun.

"...The writing is incredible. It's easy to read, chalked full of amazing imagery and down right fun. I typically love historical fiction...." Read more

"...He was enchanted with these striking beauties who led the most glamorous lives in a world he aspired to be a part of but then, he turned on them in..." Read more

"...These women were beautiful and rich and seemingly had it all but all of them were emotionally vulnerable and he preyed on them...." Read more

"...But he has a spiteful side that can hurt the ones he “loves”. Glamour galore!" Read more

6 customers mention "Pace"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pace. They find it a fast read that keeps the pace moving and flows smoothly. The book is described as an engaging look into elite social circles.

"...The book flows well and is a window into the elite social circles. Good read (so far)" Read more

"...both captures the complexity of Capote and the swans and keeps the pace moving to the point where I had to know what outrage the writer would..." Read more

"...I learned a lot and it was a fairly fast read." Read more

"...So well written and a fast read. That said, I think I am through with Capote. I have learned all I need to know about him (and then some)...." Read more

44 customers mention "Writing quality"28 positive16 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality. Some find it well-written and engaging, while others mention choppy writing, grammar errors, poor editing, and poor editing. The book is described as a collection of biographies that reads like an essay.

"...It is PHENOMENAL. The writing is incredible. It's easy to read, chalked full of amazing imagery and down right fun...." Read more

"...I wish the editors had done a better job… the writing is choppy, and at times the grammatical errors are annoying and make it difficult to read...." Read more

"...Leamer's work is well-written and painstakingly researched but it was difficult for me, as a reader, to become invested in the lives of these tedious..." Read more

"This book is a very well written account of the lives of the most well known socialites, the "swans" as Truman Capote called them, of the..." Read more

20 customers mention "Interest"13 positive7 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book. Some find it engaging and lively, with juicy tidbits. Others feel it's not particularly interesting and not worth reading.

"...sometimes reads like a Sidney Sheldon novel from the 1970's, it is rarely boring, and fleshes out the upbringings and adult lives of the Swans, as..." Read more

"...The book is much more interesting than the mini-series (which I enjoyed), and I am glad I read it...." Read more

"...Not really worth your reading time. I'd recommend instead looking into individual biographies if you're interested in these women and their lives...." Read more

"...Nearly every chapter is jaw dropping. By the end you’ll know much more about Truman as well as his trusted childhood friend Harper Lee...." Read more

A unfortunate mess!
5 out of 5 stars
A unfortunate mess!
What can one say about this book? I can say I really enjoyed the hard work Mr. Leamer has achieved. This was a pleasurable read. I really enjoyed the book better than the television series. The television series is a bit too much to handle. Great read!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2025
    A captivating book.Holds one’s interest from start to finish.
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2021
    Don't misinterpret my title as dismissive. It isn't. What I mean to say is if you are new to Truman Capote and his work, or you don't know about his history, this is the book for you. It will answer all the questions you may have about who he was, how he got where he did as a writer, how he lived, whom he knew, and how he survived until he self-destructed.

    As a Savannah Belle, I became a Capote fan early in my teens. After his death, I lamented there wouldn't be another Truman until Dominick Dunne came along. But he was not as biting and amusing.

    It is sad to realize that all of the men and women Mr. Leamer writes about are gone. What a list!

    This is about Truman warts and all. No doubt he could be charming, sweet and attentive, but he could be just the opposite if he didn't value you. Living in Manhattan (NYC) as long as I have I have met men (famous writers) who felt the sting of the Scorpion if they shaded him in any way in public. Sadly, I never got the chance to meet him but certainly wanted to.

    My now-grown daughter learned to read at an early age because we were livning on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands and had no television to amuse us. We returned to the States when she entered first grade. Two weeks after she started I received a call from the principal of her school asking how on earth this first grader was reading at an 11th Grade level? She was stunned. She told me about how the class had been introduced to the school library that day and the children were to choose a children's book of their choice. Those kids who could not read were asked to give it to mom or dad to read to them.

    She said my daughter wandered around the library totally bored. She said her teacher brought her a book and asked if she would like to read it. My daughter replied, "No, that's OK. I have one at home I'm reading." Curious, the teacher asked her what it was and she said matter-of-factly, "Oh, it's Truman's latest." Truman? President Truman? What Truman? Jessica looked at her and said, "Capote. His new book." That was when she went to the prinicpal to ask that she call me to verify if this was true. Yes, it was. She never went back to the Children's Library again. She was allowed in the senior high section for her reading material.

    This book was well researched and provided personal material about some of the Swans I was not aware of. Some of it was recycled stories from decades ago, but with a new twist. That is why I say if you don't have a real familiarity with Truman Capote, this is your book.

    One very glaring error came on Page 280. Mr. Leamer writes: "Jackie had divorced Ari, returning to New York a rich divorcee with a fortune..." OMG! How on earth did that pass the scrutiny of the editors?! She returned to New York City a widow, once again. They never divorced. Maybe this will be removed when the paperback edition comes out. This mistake cost the book a Star. Without this faux paux it would have rated Five.

    All the usual suspects are here: Harper Lee, Jack, C. Z., Babe, Slim, Pamela, Stas, Marella, Gianni, Peter Beard, Joanne Carson, Capote's Mom and step-dad, Gore Vidal et al. All gone, but immortalized in all Capote's biographies.

    None of his antics and bad moves can erase the brilliant writer he was and the books he left us to savor and treasure for decades to come. The only question is: How will future generations see him as a first-rate writer and want to read his works? Only time will tell.

    The last chapter talks about how, even after his death, Truman was not allowed to rest in peace. His ashes were divided by Joanne Carson (he was at her home when he died) and half given to his long-time lover, Jack, and she kept the other. Shocking information is given about the remains of British actor, Peter Lawford, who was married to one of the Kennedy sisters. It appears his family did not keep up the payments on his crypt and his ashes were dumped (excuse me) scattered into the Pacific Ocean and Truman's remains were ensconsed there. How the former mighty have fallen. Lawford was a member of Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack back in the 60s and a household name.

    This is a timely book and should be read by readers in their younger years from 20 to 50. It is, as I say in my title, a primer and introduction to a fascinating man and writer.
    287 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2024
    Good book and arrived in excellent condition.
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2024
    I bought author Laurence Leamer's 2021 non-fiction potboiler as a sort of companion piece to the FX's Feud: Capote vs. the Swans. Since the series is partially based on Leamer's book, I figured the book would better acquaint me with these people who apparently ran NYC's social scene from the 1940's-70's, and how Truman Capote came to be involved with them. The book certainly succeeded in that respect. Where the series gives the highfalutin' city folk some sense of humanity, of vulnerability, the book wastes no time with such sentiment. Leamer's work is well-written and painstakingly researched but it was difficult for me, as a reader, to become invested in the lives of these tedious, self-absorbed narcissists. And Capote, possibly one of the ten best writers of the 20th century, doesn't come off looking much better. A social-climbing, gossipy wag whose long obsession with these women ultimately led to his downfall, Capote developed a burgeoning reliance on alcohol, pills and rough trade that only precipitated the crash-and-burn spectacle he became after submitting his short story, La Cote Basque: 1965, to Esquire Magazine in 1975. But the burn was a long time coming, and didn't happen overnight. Leamer details Capote's unlikely relationships with his Swans, giving each woman her due (though not necessarily the due they may have appreciated), before the self-destructive author's ultimate betrayal and his subsequent ostracization.

    Although Capote's Women sometimes reads like a Sidney Sheldon novel from the 1970's, it is rarely boring, and fleshes out the upbringings and adult lives of the Swans, as well as the life and loves of Capote. With the possible exception of Joanne Carson, there is not a single one of these people I'd care to spend time with: the Swans seem like precursors to the Kardashians and Real Housewives, only with more taste and restraint, while poor Truman's loquacious wit and miles-long mean streak prove to be his undoing. Given that a couple of the Swans and their spouses had ties to Nazi's and Nazi sympathizers apparently did little to dampen Capote's zeal for their companionship, I found him to be every bit as repugnant as anyone else in this sad, sordid tale.

    It was a chore for me to finish this book but I managed to do it. Leamer is a skilled writer who doesn't seem to pull any punches so I have to give him credit for that with the three-star rating. Alas, it was not the book for me.
    18 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Patricia Virmond Manfredini
    5.0 out of 5 stars Muito bom
    Reviewed in Brazil on May 6, 2024
    Gostei dessa biografia
  • Elinor
    5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Engaging Read
    Reviewed in Canada on March 18, 2022
    I've always been fascinated with women on the International Best-Dressed List - particularly Truman Capote's "Swans" - and this looked like a fabulous read. I wasn't disappointed. Though I already knew a fair amount of information about Babe Paley, Pamela Harriman and C.Z. Guest, I knew virtually nothing about Lee Radziwill, Marella Agnelli or Slim Keith. Once I started reading this, I couldn't put it down, and I finished it in 3 days. I thought it provided a treasure trove of information about high society, Hollywood, fashion, travel, and a world that doesn't exist as such anymore. Very much recommend if you're interested in life among the rich/beautiful back in the '30s-'60s. Totally cemented my opinion of Truman Capote - not someone I would have befriended, but definitely a very talented writer.
  • Maria Joao Barahona Ramires
    5.0 out of 5 stars Un trabajo de investigacion muy serio
    Reviewed in Spain on March 16, 2024
    História de personagens de uma época dourada, muito interessante, pena que a série não tenha conseguido acompanhar
  • Grace Kelly
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 7, 2024
    Such a character,they don't get written so much anymore👍
  • B. Catherine
    5.0 out of 5 stars excellent
    Reviewed in France on February 8, 2024
    promotion kindle suite à diffusion série Feud

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