As many of my friends will tell you, I am an Audrey Hepburn nut. I just love her: her movies, her clothes, her quotes, everything. This Christmas, my mom wanted to get me a new winter coat, and the only help I would give to what I wanted was "the coat Audrey Hepburn wore in Charade". My obsession often confuses my friends because my generation is so ignorant of classic cinema (most of them, anyway). Like many, my first meeting with Ms. Hepburn was the ever delightful Breakfast at Tiffany's. I was unaware that it was a novel, however, until further research (and the fabulous and extremely captivating Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson). I've been wanting to read this for two or three years, but I just never got the chance until I was browsing through my friend Grace's books and found it.

Most of what I've read says that Truman Capote despised the movie because of Audrey Hepburn's portrayal of Holly Golightly. I guess physically what he was aiming for was more Marilyn Monroe (short blonde hair), but the essence of Holly is exactly the same in the movie as in the novel. I was surprised by how true to the novel the film actually was. A lot of the dialogue in the film was directly taken from the original text. To be true, there were subtle differences. The narrator never gets a name (though Holly does still call him Fred), and there are references that he is gay. Breakfast at Tiffany's was toned down for the screen. There is no lesbian references by Holly, and the pregnancy bit is completely thrown out. The most tragic part of the novel to film adaptation was the loss of Joe Bell, the bartender.

If Holly Golightly is that slightly whimsical damaged mystery you admire from afar, Joe Bell is who you are. If I was to do a character study of someone other than Holly in this novel, I'd chose Joe Bell. We get so little about Joe Bell, and yet it is he, not the narrator, who is the one who truly cares about Holly. If only Joe Bell was the narrator... What a different story this would be. Sadly, Joe Bell has no place in a love story between Fred and Holly in the film adaption.

This was a very fast read for me. Holly was just as charming on page, and between her and Joe Bell, I was scarcely bored. I was not in love with the narration (again, Joe Bell people!), but it did give a different perspective to the story. My favorite part was the beginning and the ending, oddly enough. I'd definitely recommend! (And go watch the movie!)