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Summary: A True Crime Story
Review: This book has all the components of a great book: Suspense, drama, twists and turns and a little comedy. From the start this story has you captivated. Truman Capote toys with the readers mind throughout the novel by making the reader feel sorry for the disturbed criminals. A great crime novel that is excellent from start to finish
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Summary: Highly reccomend-In Cold Blood
Review: In cold blood is a captivating book about the murders of the Clutter family. The family is a well liked family from a small town in Kansas, and after the murder the people of the town are terrified, wondering who would kill such nice people. Capote helps you to relate to the victims before their brutal murder and eventually helps you to have sympathy for the two men who savagely murdered them. Capote is able to help you look deep into the minds of two men who are like many other murders in the world today, and help you to understand the question raised in enveryone's mind, why? I found the book extremly interesting. Most murder stories are about the murder case and finding out who did it. I found it interesting to look more into the minds who did it, not just the crime itself. I highly recommend In Cold Blood to those who are interested by murder stories and in depth looks into the live and emotions of the killers.
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Summary: Capote's creative techniques
Review: Truman Capote saturates his work with details and employs a cinematic approach with two-dimensional characterizations in order to artistically recreate the infamous crime and punishment of two cold blooded killers. Capote uses in depth details when describing persons of the Clutter family to create a strong contrast emphasizing the horrifying murders. Due to Capote's details the reader is taken on an excursion through the criminal's minds and comes upon many realizations of how a heartless criminal thinks and feels. Capote's structure is also very important because it gives a cinematic feel. The whole first part switches back and forth from the Clutter family and the killers to set up suspense until finally the two stories collide in a twisted way. Capote presents a story that everyone in that time period probably already knew most of the details but he invents a new way of looking at it that no journalism article could do. Throughout his book Capote makes some of his opinions apparent such as his opposition to the death penalty and he produces many themes. One theme encompassed in his novel is that of the American dream. Herb Clutter has made a perfect life that all Americans desire and like the majority, the dream gets shattered by two ridiculous criminals. This shows exactly how fragile the American Dream is. Overall this book meets all of my personal requirements. It has great suspense, which made it a book I didn't want to put down because I wanted to see what was going to happen.
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Summary: Analysis of In Cold Blood
Review: In Cold Blood, written by Truman Capote, depicts a thrilling murder mystery with the utilization of reoccurring motifs and extensive characterization. With the constant use of various motifs throughout the story, Capote gives the novel a gothic touch and horrific mood. One such motif found in the novel is knives. Knives constantly appear in the novel, linking them to the Clutter family murder in which a knife is used to kill one of the victims. By repeating this motif over and over, the importance of the object as a tool in the murder becomes evident. Dreams also represent a motif present in the book. After the murder takes place, Perry, one of the killers, has dreams concerning one of his victims. Perry is described throughout the story as being a daydreamer. By giving a major character this certain characteristic, a mysterious atmosphere is created. Family discord among the two killers signifies the abnormal behavior of the men. Both Perry and Richard are portrayed as having rough family situations. Richard has been married twice and his accomplice Perry had an abusive childhood. Capote's use of characterization further enhances his purpose of establishing a chilling tone. Unhealthy childhood memories surface as the novel progresses about one of the killers. This enables the reader to understand the sanity expressed by the murderer. It also serves as a means to further intensify character development. He describes the Clutter family in great detail at the beginning of the novel. The reader becomes familiar with each one of the family members, resulting in a sympathetic attitude from the reader. This emotional response from the reader allows a personal connection to be made with the story. By utilizing each one of these rhetorical strategies effectively, Capote gives his novel the essential qualities of a murder mystery. The book is very captivating and the thrilling plot keeps the reader interested and involved.
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Summary: Novel Killers make Killer Novels
Review: In Capote's "true" account of a multiple murder, the definitive example of a genre that wasn't, (Journalistic Fiction) the author masterfully grasps tone and diction to consistently set a complex scene in "a few perfect details." Whether describing the 1959 murder scene or a quirky hitchhiker, a vocabulary rivaled by few in addition to a deep empathy for his "characters" (one hesitates to label real people "characters") pervade the otherwise objective, journalistic style. The six years that Capote spent collecting information by interviewing countless witnesses and friends of the murdered Clutter family (relying only on his photographic memory, never taking notes or making recordings) paid off by unearthing some long-buried secrets. Confessions such as, "not only had he known the murdered family, he knew very well who had murdered them," fill the text as the mystery, not a whodunit, but a whydunit, is slowly and tantalizingly revealed. Layer by layer, Capote digs toward a motive by fishing red herrings and half-truths from the minds of the accused. His incredible understanding of both killings and killers exemplifies itself throughout the novel, "Perry's expression, his look of unflawed fulfillment, of beatitude, as though at last, and as in one of his dreams, a tall yellow bird had hauled him to heaven." The technique of the author doubtless turns off fans of Holmes and the Hardys because there is never a standard mystery encompassing the plot of what often seems like a 348 page newspaper article. However, Capote rewards those who stick with the book and wade through his verbose, sing-songy style by presenting an engrossing character study; a better subtitle for the book may be "Glimpses into the lives and minds of cold-blooded killers." The text also serves the purpose of serving as a seemingly quiet and innocuous examination of the corruption that false hope in the American Dream festers in the hearts of both the haves and the have-nots. This commentary, however subtle, sticks in the mind of the reader and forces one to examine how much faith one puts on archaic promises and expectations. Always critical of traditional values, Capote weaves and intriguing web of prose which will ensnare the reader's imagination and never allow his book to be put down.
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Summary: Capote's Uses of Literary Strategies
Review: Truman Capote, a controversial author at the time, writes an incredible story in the novel, In Cold Blood. Capote creates a chilling, exciting and astonishing true account novel of the murders of the Clutter family in 1959. He uses deep tone, language and real accounts from witnesses of the family to create these gruesome details. Deep tone, language and real account passages create a disturbing mood throughout the novel. These strategies are used frequently in the story. Truman's language throughout the novel leaves a haunting and lasting impression in one's mind. Capote's use of strong tone, "There's too much blood. There's blood on the walls.", is one example of the unsettling attributes of his writings. "He'd been shot, all right, the same as Kenyon-with the gun held right in front of his face."; this passage paints an appalling picture in the mind, which is another example of the gruesomeness of his writings. Real account passages and first person interviews give the book a more personal aspect. Capote once told that the killers asked him, to be present at the time when the hangings were done. This method of being a live witness helped create the authentic tone and mood set for the book. Capote uses conversations that took place during the investigation as another example of real accounts. One example is the conversation between Mrs. Hickock, a mother of one of the killers, and a private investigator. "That's his gun. Dick's. Him and David go out once in a while. After rabbits mostly. It was a .12-gauge Savage shotgun, Model 300; a delicately etched scene of pheasants in flight ornamented the handle." This example is a good one because it first points out the murder weapon and the one break that the police needed to catch the killers. These strategies are extremely useful because they give the book it's true mood and tone. Capote's use of deep tone, ghastly language and real accounts from witnesses of the family help create these gruesome details. In Cold Blood is one of the greatest and one of the first true account novels ever written.
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Summary: Too long but interesting
Review: "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote is in fact a good book, but it was also way too long for the content that it contained. Capote seemed to explore each character to their core, not letting you miss a beat of their life. This either made me want to fall asleep or throw the book out the window because it was so boring at parts. Exposing the character's life is a necessity to a book, but Capote took the description way too far. On a positive note, the book was very interesting at times. You got to know the characters well and you began to feel sorry or hateful toward them. The book covered the Clutter case very well and it was very detailed. I gave this book 3 stars because even though it was a good book, the length and too developed characters made it a boring read at times.
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Summary: Very well written
Review: In Cold Blood: A True Account of Multiple Murder and its consequences. Is Truman Capote's riveting true story about a family of four whose lives were savagely taken on the night of November 15,1959. This book takes a look at not only the investigation but of the killers Dick and Perry before and after the crime they committed. The book gives the reader a brief overview of each of the members of the Clutter family. Herbert Clutter was a Kansas State Graduate majoring in agriculture and was a member of the Federal Farm Credit Board during the Eisenhower administration. Bonnie Clutter suffered from "spells". Their children Nancy and Kenyon Clutter were both honor roll and straight-A students. The writing style of Truman Capote is coherent, convincing and very detailed "The Cider-tart odor of spoiling apples. Apple trees and pear trees, peach and cheery trees he had planted." He made such a tragedy into a great piece of work. I thought the book was very well written about such a tragedy. The way that he went from the killers to the investigation was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book.
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Summary: A Masterpiece for a Tragic Happening
Review: In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, tells the epic yet historically nonfiction tragic murder occurring on November 15, 1959. Four members of the Clutter family were brutally killed by shotguns that were considerably shot at close range in a small town in Holcomb County, a few miles from Kansas City. The novel commences on a few days before Thanksgiving. When Herbert Clutter, the head of the Clutter family, inspects his ranch while on the other side of Kansas, the two culprits of the crime, Richard (Dick) Hickock and Perry Smith. All members of the Clutter family proceed doing their everyday activities such as running errands or teaching the neighbor's youngest daughter how to bake a pie. And as the Clutter family retires to their home and sees the sun setting in the west on November 14, 1959, nobody knew it would have been their last picturesque view. At dawn that morning, strange noises woke up the whole town. Nobody knew what it was until one of Herbert's daughter's friend saw the four bodies lying on the kitchen floor motionless. The investigation begins led by Alvin Dewwey, the primary agents for the KBI (Kansas Bureau of Investigation). After a few short hours, the whole nation finds out about this. It turns out that Dick Hickock and Perry Smith were both put in jail for previous crimes. It was brought to the attention of one of the criminals cellmate that it was obvious that either one of those two had committed the crime. Hickock and Smith know that they're being chased and flee to Mexico. While attempting to steal a car, they are caught by the police and through numerous lines of questioning both of them finally confessed and are charged with 1st degree murder. Many people who have read this book find it a fictional work of art. In reality this tragic murder did occur and it grasped the attention of Truman Capote. Capote's style of writing has somewhat of a journalistic gist to it, and like a good journalist he never mentions his name in the entire novel. The title of the novel says it all. It'll keep you clued to wherever you may be reading this book. An interesting quote that truly explains what the novel is all about says, "Perry was gonna go out and rob the place, and they was gonna kill all witnesses - the Clutters, and anybody else that happened to be around" (page 162) Though obviously this wasn't Capote speaking as the narrator yet it is very noticeable to see how he was able to capture what was going on in the mind of the old cellmate that told the KBI who killed the Clutters. - Paulo Farqui, Greenwich, Connecticut
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Summary: REAL True Crime
Review: This is the mother of all true crime books. Throw away everything you know about Capote when you pick this book up- it's not like any of the other books and stories he is known for. This is the gut-wrenching true story of mrder in America's heartland, told to us by an almost invisible narrator, who passes no judgement. Capote doesn't hang anyone: he simply reports, and the result is brilliant. Easily one of the greatest books of the 20th century.
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