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After hearing buzz about the show Feud: Capote vs. the Swans, I first heard about Capote’s Women. As a longtime fan of Truman Capote, I was immediately intrigued.
Since college, I’ve admired his writing—In Cold Blood remains one of my favorite books—and his unapologetic sense of self, especially during a time when much of who he was wasn’t widely accepted.
His journey from the South to becoming a fixture in the elite circles of New York always fascinated me, but this book offered a look at a side of Capote’s life I hadn’t fully explored.
In Capote’s Women, Laurence Leamer delves into Capote’s relationships with the “swans,” a group of wealthy, glamorous women who were fixtures of midcentury high society: Babe Paley, Gloria Guinness, Slim Hayward, and others.
Capote didn’t just observe these women; he befriended them, ingratiating himself into their lives and earning their deepest confidence. But in a stunning twist, he later betrayed them in one of the most public and shocking ways possible.
The book primarily focuses on the period after the publication of Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood—arguably the height of Capote’s fame—when he was grappling with crippling writer’s block. Searching for his next big project, he began work on Answered Prayers, a thinly fictionalized tell-all based on the scandalous lives of the very women who had embraced him.
When excerpts were published in Esquire, the swans realized the stories weren’t fictionalized enough, and Capote was exiled from their world.
Reading Capote’s Women left me with deeply mixed feelings. On one hand, I understand Capote’s motivations. Writing was how he earned his place in these exclusive social circles, and perhaps he underestimated how easily readers would connect the dots between fiction and reality. His stories weren’t just his livelihood—they were his currency.
On the other hand, it’s hard to justify betraying people who trusted you. I can see why the swans felt blindsided. To them, he wasn’t just a writer—he was a close friend. Using their lives as fodder for fame and money was a breach of trust, and it’s no wonder they cut ties with him so quickly.
One of the hardest parts of the book to read was the depiction of Capote’s toxic, abusive relationship, which spanned years. It broke my heart to see how much he endured, and it’s also been difficult to watch on the show. I haven’t been able to bring myself to finish the series yet, knowing how tragic the end of his life was.
Despite the sadness, I found Capote’s Women absolutely engrossing. It offered a fascinating glimpse into the wild behavior and lavish lifestyles of America’s elite during that era. I was entertained and shocked in equal measure, and I walked away with a new perspective on Capote and the world he inhabited.
If you’re a fan of Capote or intrigued by the glittering (and sometimes messy) world of high society, I highly recommend this book. It’s a compelling, bittersweet look at a man whose life and work were as complex as the friendships he cultivated—and ultimately destroyed.
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