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Deliberate Cruelty

Truman Capote, the Millionaire's Wife, and the Murder of the Century

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Deliberate Cruelty

By: Roseanne Montillo
Narrated by: Mia Barron
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About this listen

 This glittering, “wild romp of a story, boldly and beautifully told” (Neal Thompson, author of The First Kennedys) explores the intertwined fates of literary icon Truman Capote and infamous socialite Ann Woodward—featured in the hit TV series Feud: Truman Capote vs. The Swans—sweeping us to the upper echelons of Manhattan’s high society, where falls from grace are all the more shocking.

When Ann Woodward shot her husband, banking heir Billy Woodward, in the middle of the night in 1955, her life changed forever. Though she claimed she thought he was a prowler, few believed the woman who had risen from charismatic showgirl to popular socialite. Everyone had something to say about the scorching scandal afflicting one of the most rich and famous families of New York City, but no one was more obsessed with the tale than Truman Capote.

Acclaimed for his bestselling nonfiction book In Cold Blood, Capote was looking for new material and followed the scandal from beginning to end. Like Ann, he too had ascended from nobody to toast of the town, but he always felt like an outsider, even among the exclusive coterie of high society women who adored him. He decided the story of Ann’s turbulent marriage would be the basis of his masterpiece—a novel about the dysfunction and sordid secrets revealed to him by his high society “swans”—never thinking that it would eventually lead to Ann’s suicide and his own scandalous downfall.

“A 20th-century morality tale of enduring fascination” (Laura Thompson, author of The Heiresses), Deliberate Cruelty is a haunting cross between true crime and literary history that is perfect for fans of Furious Hours, Empty Mansions, and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Americas Art & Literature Authors Murder True Crime United States Crime Marriage New York
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The story of the murder and the family was interesting, nothing new about Capote if you have read previous books, a reasonable airport book.

Mostly the same.

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Capote is a fascinating, complex character with hidden agendas and motivations. The details of the crime were so intriguing I couldn’t put this book down. A great insight into 1950s hypocrisies of the rich socialites. Thoroughly enjoyable.

A great read and narration!

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