Review – In Cold Blood
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
From the back cover -
On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts froma shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues. As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.
My thoughts -
It is actually difficult for me to put into words how I felt about this one. Capote takes what could have been a simple, easy reading smut type true-crime story and turns it into what reads like a literary masterpiece of a novel. The characterization of the killers is impeccable, and the novel’s description is right – the novel generated true empathy from me for the murderers. So yes, this book was very well written, with just the right amount of suspense, shock/horror, and empathy all at once. For some reason, however, it took me a very long time to get into the book. I just was not drawn in from the beginning like I had expected I would be. In addition, the only reason I really finished it is because it was one that I had been meaning to read forever after hearing so many good things about it. Nothing really stuck with me from the first 100 pages; I could have just as easily put it down at that point and never went back. The final third was what kept me going, once I got to the capture of the killers I couldn’t wait to find out what their fate actually was going to be. The thing is, this novel truly is an excellent book, and I’m glad I did read the whole thing. But do I think it’s amazing and everyone will love it? Unfortunately, no. I’d still recommend it, as long as you’re patient. But again, that’s just me.
Rating - 7 out of 10
Read Eva’s review here.
I had a very difficult time trying to read this book and quit before reaching 100 pages. Your review really makes me want to give it a second try, though. Maybe I just didn’t get far enough to get into it.
I totally felt the same way! Great book, really hard to dive in to.
I’ve been meaning to read this one for years.I absolutely love Capote, and this is one of the few of his books I’ve yet to read. I think that the writing alone will probably make it worthwhile for me. Your review makes me want to make sure I’ll read it this year at last.
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I would give In Cold Blood a 10 out of 10. It is one of the greatest novels ever written. It took 9 years and over 12,000 pages of typed notes for him to complete it. It was his greatest work, but it was also his demise. He did not ever recover from it.
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