Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball

So interesting! Fun & easy read!

This book is filled with loads of information about Truman Capote and his B&W Ball. I truly enjoyed the information given. As another reviewer stated, there may have been some minor errors in this book,(just a very few), such as Kitty Carlisle's husband's actual profession. However, to me, those minor errors did not take away from the other exciting bits of info scattered throughout.In my opinion, I thought that this book was well written because whenever the author would mention a certain person or place, the author would also give some background on the individual or place. I am not old enough to have know all the players introduced in this book, so for me, even the information scattered throughout was juicy enough. I could not put this book down!There is plenty of "gossip" in this book, and even if most of the characters in this book have long passed away, I still felt a sense of having been there for a few minutes.The only reason I've given this book 4 stars and not five is because , as others have stated, I wish there had been more photos. I'm not sure if many of the photos were possibly difficult for the author to find or not, but either way, I wish I could have seen more photos of the celebrities. It was frustrating to get a play-by-play by the author, but no photos to go along with the wonderful descriptions. Since many of the celebrities' outfits were recreated by sketch artists and also printed in Esquire and Vogue and Harper's, it would have been nice to , at the minimum, have seen those sketches in this book.

In terms of the present day, it's amazing to think that someone would expend so much energy and expense for a party - or that New York's and DC's finest would spend so much time thinking about it. Just goes to show that it was a very different world in the 60's. What Truman's people found important in that day and age made for deep sighs of wonder. Of course, the elite rich always found a way to celebrate themselves down through history.This account of "much ado about nothing" made for an enjoyable read - but it was difficult to like the characters much - and it was sometimes revolting to think that these were real people.If you like to read about how the other half lives and how far they'll go to impress each other, this is the read for you. The account was well-written - and it must have been fun to write.

I've been a huge Capote fan since college but just now got around to reading Deborah Davis's Part of the Century primarily because I was doing some research and found the internet is very lacking on details of Truman's infamous Black and White Ball. I wanted to know who the guests are, what they did at the ball, how Truman prepared for it. And all of my questions were satisfied by this book.However, after a while, reading it is kind of like having to listen to a friend tell you how great their experience was at Mardi Gras or at New Year's Eve in Times Square when you weren't there, and they have no pictures to show you. You've pretty much got an idea of how the event went and you find yourself losing interest really fast.On one page, Davis gives you grand gossipy details like how the invitations were wrong and Truman personally scratched through the mistakes and wrote the correct information on each one. But then you have to twaddle through chapters devoted to the lives of each of Truman's swans. I read the first few and then skimmed through the rest. And by the time I was halfway through the book, I found myself skimming more and more.Capote fans and lit historians will certainly enjoy the book. I don't regret reading it at all, and like I said, all my questions were answered. But you do have to dig deep for the good stuff. Thankfully there is a very details notes section which includes a copy of the guest list. There are some photos in the book, but the internet will provide you with a much better assortment.

Hey, I was still a lowly art school student when Truman Capote hosted his famous Black and White Ball. But I was fascinated then.....and I'm still fascinated. Lucky for me, this book gives me "the whole nine yards" and a bit more.Facts, fiction, rumors, trivia, first-hand accounts, media reports, etc. If, like me, this topic piques your curiosity, get ready for every granular detail. What was the flashpoint for the whole idea? Who was invited? -- and who was left out? Where did guests get their gowns, their masks, their escorts, ??? What was the menu (yes, there is a recipe for chicken hash......glad you asked) and what brand of champagne was poured? Who left early, or stayed late? Inquiring minds want to know -- and this book has ALL the answers.

Loved the book! Such a fun insider’s look at that fabulous party! Ahhh…the way we were.

Rather than keeping a tight focus on the Ball itself, about half to two-thirds of this book is context and backstory leading up to the Ball, including information about Capote's social circles, the time period, Capote's work as a writer, etc.While I do feel guilty saying it, you can skip the backstory by fast-forwarding straight to page 122-ish and get closer to the party. You should only be slightly disoriented and will pick up anything you missed quickly. The party narrative gets into full swing on page 176 (about 2/3rds of the way in) with the delivery of the invitations to potential guests, and runs through to about page 234, when the Ball ends. The descriptions of the party itself are well done and rich with details/asides.I completely respect the historical context this work lays out before and after the party. Yes, it does help to understand the time period, the social circles, etc. However, the amount of time spent on laying all of that out felt hollow--I do not need to know all the ins and outs of Capote's circles to "really appreciate" the Ball. It felt as thought the author did not have enough material to illustrate the Ball itself so other areas of the book were expanded, instead.Heck, make it shorter. I would've bought this book if it were 120 pages with photos. :)

The book arrived very quickly before the estimated delivery date, in good condition. It did not disappoint.

英文は、固有名詞（特に人名）が多く読みやすいです。パーティ前後の裏話や、トルーマンお気に入りの「白鳥たち」の章も楽しめます。購入直後は、☆ひとつでしたが、じっくり読んでみて、☆三つにします。やっぱり、舞踏会の写真が欲しいです。-------------------------------------------------------Ｔ・カポーティが1966年に開いた「黒と白の舞踏会」についての本。カポーティが「白鳥」と呼んだ美女たちに興味があり、たくさん写真が載っていることを期待して注文。表紙は高級感あふれていたのですが、現物開いてがっかり。文章がやたら多いのと、数少ない写真はすべて白黒で紙質がとても悪いので（コピー用紙みたいな）、せっかくの女性たちのドレスも不鮮明。ゲストリストは興味深かった。けっこう安価だったのでとびついて注文してしまい、やや後悔。本棚に飾っています。

A good book if you wish for every detail of the organization of the party. Not so much if you want to know what happened there.

I bought this as a Christmas present for my wife; however as is that way with literary presents, I ended up reading it as well. Sort of "double your money" type of thing. One of the better reasons for giving books as presents I feel. Anyway, I found this a pretty good descriptive biography of Capote with an obvious focus on his black and white party of 1966. The author's well argued thesis that this five hour shindig represented the zenith of Capote's careers is compelling and presented in detail.The author doesn't really draw any deeper conclusions from this and is content to describe the events leading up to the party, Capote's life and career where it impinges on the development of the party and a brief nod to his rapid decline afterwards.There have been better and deeper biographies of Capote but this one brought the atmosphere of the party to life for me and even managed to put over the slight melancholy and disappointment that even the most stunningly successful party of recent times has for both organiser and guests at its close. The final descriptive threads of the party, which conveyed to me a sense of Capote's "where do I go from here?" angst, were succinctly drawn with the minimum of wasted narrative. A thoroughly enjoyable, if ultimately unenlightening read.

I was already familiar with Truman Capote's life and work, however I still learned a lot about events surrounding the Black and White Ball and how it became such a pivotal time in his life. Certainly, for a certain segment of society in the mid-60s, Capote's ball was the Place to Be. And many of Them were There.The book is well written and well constructed; easy to read and very enjoyable. Looking back on the events and times depicted, many seem so remote from today and slightly sad, yet the author well captures the excitement of the moment, a particular Zeitgeist that came and went. A book well worth the reading.