Selected Book
Answered Prayers: The Unfinished Novel
- Paperback
- Author: Truman Capote
- Publisher: Vintage
- Release Date: March 1994
- ISBN-10: 0679751823
- ISBN-13: 9780679751823
- List Price: $13.00
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Summaries and Customer Reviews provided by Amazon
SummaryPerhaps already the most famous unpublished novel in contemporary American fiction, Answered Prayers is the work Capote was still completing at the time of his death and is joined here with a revealing introduction by his biographer, Gerald C. |
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Don't insult Proust!!
Rating:
I enjoyed reading Capotes last work but I find it difficult to comprehend this book a contemporary equivalent of Proust's masterpiece, In Rememberance of Things Past.
Truth+fiction+acid
Rating:
"Answered Prayers" is the infamous unfinished novel by Truman Capote that only exists in three finished chapters. It is the tale of a hustler/masseur/drifter/writer named P.B. Jones. I bought "Answered Prayers" to see what Capote's take was on the infamous Woodward murder scandal of the 1955. Although he fictionalized the events and changed the names, the chapter titled "Le Cote Basque, 1965" was a not-so-thinly veiled account of Ann Woodward killing her husband. The real shooting was an accident; Capote turned it into calculated murder. The resurfacing of this tale 20 years after the original event supposedly drove the real Ann Woodward to suicide and caused Capote to be ostracized by the very people he garnished his acidic anecdotes from.
"Answered Prayers" had me hooked immediately; Capote's main character, P.B. Jones could have become a literary classic. Of course, the operative word is "could." This unfinished novel only survives in 3 finished chapters; rumors have flown about chapters that are hidden, however as time continues to pass, the likelihood of them ever resurfacing get slimmer. Although the three chapters are rich in characterization and storytelling, they are ultimately unsatisfying as there are so many threads left unwoven. One wonders that happened with P.B. and Kate McCloud.
In the end, instead of having a fascinating narrative, the book in its unfinished state is a jumble of acid-tattling. Capote seemed to have many grudges and did his best to vomit them in just these three chapters. The overblown promises made by Capote before he died about what the book would be will never be fulfilled and it is too bad; in some ways, the publicity and myth that surrounds the book is probably greater than what the result would have been.
Unanswered Anticipation
Rating:
I am usually an enraptured fan of Capote's work. Unfortunately, I have to agree with most of his critics and former friends on this one. He plays around with a work that can be either a confessional or a gossip column or an introspection of fringe society. I was disappointed that his beautiful and haunting words were affected by his alcoholic and drug-induced ramblings. His talent for invoking tragic images without being crass was lost here.
Unanswered gems
Rating:
Although "Answered Prayers" can be read as dated since most of it's "characters" live in the 1960's and 1970's, there is still marvelous prose and stories that pique the interest. Capote had promised to complete several short stories for this tome, but this collection contains only three. All of them are marvels to read, but the last, "La Cote Basque", is a stinging expose of the New York Socialite clique. Not only does Capote mention real celebrities, but he also exposes the deepest and darkest secrets of high society with a thin veil. It's no wonder he was ostracized from this egregious group. Some of the events he describes are beyond scandalous, yet witty and viciously funny. He somehow manages to bring the `so-called' social deviants to the same level as the most respected socialites, making it clear that money is the only difference.
The Editor's Note is the most intriguing part of the book, as it describes how Capote managed to promise to produce these stories for years without delivering and obtained millions from the publishers, enabling him to live with a high level of social activity. He was a celebrity as well as an author and a clever, if not conniving man. The biggest tragedy is that so many stories will never be read due to his early alcoholic induced death. Still, these three stories are inspired gems.
answered prayers
Rating:
Oh My GOD! This is by far one of the most disturbing, amazingly tragic books that I have ever read. Buy this book and feel the pain and suffering that only Truman Capote can emote in the written word. Damn him for not finishing it, and pity us for being denied the finished work.
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