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(as of Aug 10, 2024 15:15:19 UTC – Details)
By: Roseanne Montillo (Author)
Deliberate Cruelty: Truman Capote, the Millionaire’s Wife, and the Murder of the Century
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Price: $0.00
(as of Aug 10, 2024 15:15:19 UTC – Details)
By: Roseanne Montillo (Author)
melvelvit –
It’s deja vu all over again
If you’re as fascinated by the “Woodward Saga” and its larger implications as I’ve always been, you’ll like this latest addition to the collection. Nit-picking aside (alright already, Sarah C’s a granddaughter, not a daughter, something that affects neither Ann nor Truman’s tragic trajectory), this particular re-hash is reminiscent of Thorton Wilder’s “The Bridge of San Luis Rey” with its star-crossed protagonists destined to meet in fate’s whirlpool. It’s happened many times before, no doubt -but asking “why, after all those years?” is, like quibbling over minor points, beside the point. Things are never “put to bed” until everyone’s dead -and not even then.I first fell under this story’s hypnotic sway (and it’s got it all!) after reading Dominick Dunne’s “The Two Mrs. Grenvilles” (and thrilling to the TV miniseries) decades ago and I’ve since come to see how it’s affected American pop culture ever since it happened. Ann Woodward weathered any number of storms at the time, being confronted with herself everywhere, in everything from “Confidential”-style scandal rags to thinly-veiled films like Diana Dors’ “The Unholy Wife” (original title “The Lady And The Prowler”) and Arlene Dahl’s “Wicked As They Come” -so why (because it’s human nature to ask) did it take so long for everything to come full circle?Like Truman Capote, the French author Gustave Flaubert got his inspiration for “Madame Bovary” after reading a newspaper article detailing the sordid “domino effect” tragedy of one Delphine Delamare. Many years after Flaubert’s book was published, the real-life “Rudolphe”, a “veritable Cain, emigrated to America, then came back and killed himself on a Parisian boulevard, possibly from remorse. This cannot have been part of Flaubert’s intention.” Nor Capote’s, but turning trash into art can come at a price for those involved, even decades after the fact. It’s deja vu all over again no matter how long the passage of time.Ms. Montillo’s account of the time leading up to Ann Woodward’s fatal overdose is fairly sympathetic, all things considered, but Truman Capote’s “Answered Prayers” does leave an unanswered question that’s certainly in the realm of the possible:Unlike attempts, actual suicides are rarely spur-of-the-moment and Ann had most likely been contemplating her exit for quite some time but, that said, could she, after learning an excerpt of Capote’s roman-a-clef was soon to be published in “Esquire” magazine, have decided to take him to the grave with her, metaphorically speaking -a revenge she’d never live to see? “Vengeance from beyond” is fairly common, in fact. For instance, before actress Lupe Velez killed herself and their unborn child, she left a suicide note laying the blame at her lover’s feet and, like Gene Tierney’s end in “Leave Her To Heaven”, if Ann Woodward had already killed once…This book is highly recommended for those who, like me, were (and still are) smitten by it all and can’t seem to get enough, “nit-pickers’ and “purists” be damned. A “breezy” read, too, and yes, a “page-turner”, to boot -when’s the next one coming out?
Mrs. Anderson –
Interesting but not great.
Having read other books regarding the subject, it pretty much tells the same tale. Capote’s obsession of Ann Woodward and his betrayal of the secrets his Swans told him was the cause of his downward spiral. There is one thing I came across that bothers me. There is a line in the book regarding Sarah Churchill whom the authors wrote was the daughter of Consuelo Vanderbilt when she was married to the Duke of Marlborough. That is not true. Consuelo Vanderbilt only have two children…both sons. She never had a daughter. However, she did have a granddaughter by the name of Sarah from her oldest son who went on to inherit the dukedom. This was something to very easy to check and should have been.
Paul –
Would have made a great article
The prose of this book flows effortlessly. That’s the good part. The first two-thirds gives background on the various characters that for most readers will be common knowledge. The last slightly-less-than a third gets to the deliberate cruelty, which it must be said is also familiar to many readers, especially those who have read Answered Prayers and its editorial introduction. The perhaps most valuable portion is the source notes and bibliography which complete the padding on the list third. On the other hand, if one is a novice in matters Capote or is looking for bibliographic clues for a term paper, this is easily the book to read.
Kat Clayton –
Absolutely Winderful
Such a good book that gives an excellent look into the past and at the lives of some of the most famous people in history. This book had me hooked from page one.
Patty –
Great read
Did not want to stop reading it because it would be over
AnnieB –
Interesting true crime history
Deliberate Cruelty is an immersive and well written true-crime biographic retelling of Capote’s fascination with the Ann & Billy Woodward murder of 1955 written and retold by Roseanne Montillo. Released 1st Nov 2022 by Simon & Schuster on their Atria imprint, it’s 328 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out in 2nd quarter 2023 from the same publisher. It’s worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I’ve really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.Truman Capote had a fraught relationship with many of his friends (and most of his family, apparently). After the publication of In Cold Blood, he became sought as a social companion and he had a talent for ferreting out gossip and innuendo. The author, Ms Montillo, does a dispassionate and somewhat clinical job of researching, reconstructing, and reporting Capote’s seemingly endless disdain for the members of the beau monde with whom he associated.Although it’s written in a lurid “true crime” style, the author does an impressively rigorous job of annotation and the chapter notes and bibliography are well done and informative (although other reviewers have found factual errors).Four stars. Recommended for fans of true crime and historical novels as well as Capote fans.Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
BornToShop –
Great informative read.
Jon Simon –
While I was anticipating reading this book, doing so on both the Kindle and Kindle App for Android proved too much of a challenge.There are too many times where there is a defect.Whether reading one of the person’s name with a double l such as “Billy” displays as “Bil y” while a word with double f, such as “effort” is displayed s “e ort”.This flaw should have been repaired. It has to be easier to correct an electronic version over a printed book.Come on Amazon/Kindle, you can do better !
lisa5750 –
Contains spoilers…I fell into this book … currently fascinated by American society and the way it’s reflected by writers. I’ve read a fair bit of Capote , including In Cold Blood which I taught at A Level. During my reading of Deliberate Cruelty I often stopped to search online about characters and incidents that sparked my interest, including watching interviews with Capote . I’d never read the Esquire article La Cote Basque but found that online too . I’m not sure which I think Is the grubbier of the two ; Capote himself or the society he exposes. Indeed, in writing La Cote Basque, Capote exposes himself as a bitchy queen, delighting in the betrayal of the women he claimed to like, if not love. The piece itself Is tawdry and spiteful , exposing him as little more than a cheap hack. The timing of its publication , when BP was on her death bed ( a woman he claimed to ‘love’ ) was particularly chilling and the cheap swipe at AW ( resulting in her suicide) was grim.Deliberate Cruelty is a fascinating read , well written and informative . I will definitely read more by this author. My only gripe was that I found the first few chapters slow going . I understand the need for the background , in this case it’s essential in comparing the motivations of Capote and Woodward and their subsequent life choices and aspirations , but I struggled to maintain my focus ; hence the 4 stars ( probably 4.5* to be fair.