"The swan, like the soul of the poet, By the dull world is ill understood": Review of SWANS OF FIFTH AVENUE by Melanie Benjamin

(Title quote by Heinrich Heine)

The Swans of Fifth Avenue

by Melanie Benjamin

Drenched in whiskey and jewel-toned silks, the famous socialites of 1960s New York come alive in Melanie Benjamin’s latest tour de force. If you’re like me, nothing is as delicious as reading about the sumptuous lives and dramas of the “rich and famous”—and Benjamin certainly delivers on this front.

Truman Capote is launched into the social scene thanks to his indelible and incisive works, including In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Babe Paley, Slim Keith, C.Z. Guest, Gloria Guinness, and Pamela Churchill all are Capote’s “swans,” or beautiful circle of friends—but Capote’s true love is Babe. Married to a cheating and demanding husband, Babe Paley, instead of getting angry, turns her own body into a work of art, becoming one of the most famous socialites of the era. Babe and Truman share a special bond; he is her “True Heart,” and she is his “Bobolink.” That is, until Truman attempts to fictionalize Babe’s secret shames in a short story La Cote Basque 1965. Truman’s swans turn their backs to him and he begins a downward spiral into alcoholism.

A fascinating book is one that completely immerses me within the scene, one that propels me to research different people and artifacts mentioned with the book. Swans of Fifth Avenue is such a book; highly recommended!

One of my favorite parts:

            “…and all she could look forward to was losing her teeth, more face-lifts, orthopedic shoes instead of Ferragamos, the constant battle of the dye bottle…and all the money in the world couldn’t stop any of that, couldn’t stop the ravage of time and great.
            And that was the secret, the wonder of Truman, she realized suddenly. Truman made them forget all that. He had amused them. Their husbands didn’t want to talk to them. They grew bored talking to one another, these glorious creatures, for they were all the same. Blond, brunette, tall, short, European or Californian, they were still the same; only the exteriors were different. And they devoted their lives to maintaining this difference, striving to shine, be the one jewel who stood out. Yet at night, they took off the diamonds and gowns and went to empty beds resigned to the fact that they were just women, after all. Women with a shelf life.
            And then Truman leapt into their midst, and suddenly the gossip was more delicious, the amusements more diverse” (Benjamin 244).