Those jokers over at The Classics Club sure have a sense of humor.
They want us to “Pick a classic someone else in the club has read from our big review list. Link to their review and offer a quote from their post describing their reaction to the book. What about their post makes you excited to read that classic in particular?”
Not asking for much are they?  Hold on a sec while I go read the 375 posted reviews as of writing this (I’m sure there will be more by time I post this.)  But all kidding aside, I think this is a great idea! I think the moderators made an astute decision to further build a community around this challenge.  I’ve already been tagged in two post, thanks Missy at Honeybee’s Attic and Athena at aquatique, and this meme pushes me to reach out and read new reviewers.
I enjoy reading the plethora of The Classics Club reviews out there, I mean my RSS feed has increased by at least 50% since the challenge started, but I settled on Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s (my response 5/13). I chose this for two reasons: my next book is Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote and I will eventually read Breakfast at Tiffany’s as part of The Classics Club.
I only read the first part of the reviews as I don’t want to spoil the book. (Shocker – me going into a book only having a vague idea of what’s going on.) But what I did discover is that I have to watch the movie when I’ve finished the book. Both Lyndsay at Tolstoy is my Cat and Patty at A Tale of Three Cities had strong views about the book and film.
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s, as I’d hoped, is a gorgeous story, with jubilantly lively writing, the irrepressible Holly Golightly and New York city, full of glamour, potential and portent…The main thing that’s stayed with me from it is that reading this story feels eerily like watching the film. The majority of it is the same, which never happens with adaptations. I don’t mean it as a criticism, as it was actually a delight; much of the dialogue seems to have been lifted verbatim and the settings and scenes seem stunningly imagined/re-imagined in large part, down to the very last detail…” – Lyndsay, Tolstoy is my Cat
“It was time, however, for me to read the novel itself and see to what extent it had inspired the film. I had high hopes for this novel and wanted to be swept away just as I was by the film.  Alas, it was not meant to be.  The novel has nothing of the fairy tale that the movie has, and, without this, all that is left is a bitter, cynic, sarcastic tale of two less than perfect people struggling between the need for a stable, homely environment on the one hand and the desire for independence on the other.” – Patty, A Tale of Three Cities
I love that they had distinct, and differing, opinions on the book versus the film and I’m definitely looking forward to reading it.  The only Capote I have read to date is In Cold Blood and I really enjoyed it (and the film for that matter).
We’re just keeping you on your toes! 😉 – jillian
You really are – especially as I swear the meme was something else when the site first went live! (But it could just be me.)
No, it was different before. The idea was a late bloomer. 😉
Oh good – I’m usually pretty good at remembering and I seriously thought I must’ve misread it or read something else when this was posted.
Hey Geoff, thanks for your comment and for quoting me! How funny that Patty and I felt so differently. I felt like the book was getting to the gritty bones beneath the film’s smooth skin, rather than being cynical or sarcastic, but I suppose that’s the beauty of book blogging and its many, many opinions 🙂
You are very welcome! It’s always great to find new blogs to follow, especially book ones. And I agree they’re even better because of the diverse opinions. I’m really looking forward to reading it and may have to bump it up my lists after this post.
Good, be nice to know what you think of the book itself, and the book vs. the film, after this! And then you can read the end of my review 🙂
I have a third opinion on the relationship between the book and the movie! I found that reading the book made the movie seem very sanitized.
I could definitely believe that of most any book and movie combination. It’s amazing what producers, writers and directors strip out of a book to make it fit into their vision!
My review of this novella echoes something of Lyndsay’s feelings about it. I too loved the novella as much as I did the movie and found that the main character was well portrayed by Audrey Hepburn. The character of Holly is what really carries this story — both in the book and the movie. Hope you love it! 🙂
Thanks for the comment! I’m definitely excited about reading it as there is such a following of the film that it’ll be interesting to read he book and then watch the film and see if it lives up to my expectations from all the cultural hype and references.
That’s really interesting how opposite their impression of the book was. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on A Tree Grows in Brooklyn on Missy’s blog, also.
Thanks for stopping by, and for the comment! I was quite surprised that there was such a differing view on the book, but I guess with there being such a classic film adaptation I wasn’t too surprised.
You’re welcome! 🙂