Such Good Friends: A Novel of Truman Capote & Lee Radziwill was a great read by Stephen Greco. Lee Radziwill is the wife of London-based Prince Stanislaw Radziwill. She is al the little sister of First Lady Jackie Kennedy. Marlene is a housekeeper and becomes a trusted person in the Radziwill house. In her position she observes many famous figures coming in and out of the home including author Truman Capote. He has granted Lee a place of honor in his flock of socialite "swans". Truman uses his influence and talent to try and make Lee a star. Marlene is an aspiring writer who Truman takes under his wing. She can see his darker side especially using his friend’s private lives for material. I enjoyed reading this book and cant wait to read more by the author.

I’ll start by saying that this book is way, way too long for what is essentially a fictionalized celebrity biography that is largely dialogue driven.

I guess if you don’t know anything about Radzwill and Capote this might be a good primer, though it is fictional, and the imagined elements (largely dialogue) don’t really make it much more exciting than a nonfiction book on the same subject would have been.

It mostly feels like celebrity gossip and a lot of sniping amongst the wealthy and connected, minus any sort of fictionalized plot elements that allow those sorts of things to translate into a good story.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge audio for the early listen!
What a great historical fiction story. Character development was spot on.
Highly recommend!
Narrator did a fab job with telling the story!

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

Such Good Friends tells the story of the turbulent friendship of Truman Capote and Lee Radziwill. I loved reading about all the glitz and glamour of the New York high society of the 1960s and 70’s. The story is recounted through the eyes of Marlena, the long time assistant of Lee Radziwill. Lee Radziwill or Princess Radziwill is the smart and talented wife of Prince Stanislaw Radziwill but she is most commonly known as the little sister of First Lady Jackie Kennedy. Marlena becomes a fixture in the Radziwill household and is given access to their inner circle which includes Gloria Vanderbilt, Jackie and the President, Ari Onassis, Andy Warhol and many other famous names of the time.

The story chronicles many interesting events ad famous names of the 60’s and 70’s. I enjoyed the descriptions of the fashion, scandals, lavish parties and jet-setting lifestyles of the rich and famous during this time period. I did feel like the story dragged quite a bit in the middle but the ending was satisfying and had some interesting surprises.

I really enjoyed the narration by Erin Bennett. She did a great job of bringing the story to life.

This book is good for fans of Marie Benedict or Jacqueline in Paris.

Name dropping frenzy throughout this book! This book felt more like the who's who than following Marlene through the plot.

I'm not sure if it was the writing style or just the slower plot that had me occasionally losing interest, especially during a lot of the dialog.

I was intrigued by the overall concept and it was different that what I normally read, but it ended up being just OK. I listened to the audiobook and was hoping that would help, but I'm not sure it did.

Thank you to RB Media and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this Audiobook for my honest review.

Sorry, I just couldn't get into this... although I repeatedly tried, ultimately it was a DNF for me. Truly a rarity. I was super excited to get the book - it's completely my "type" of story. I love historical fiction, I love Truman Capote and stories about his glam circle of friends, and I love hearing a different voice sharing their version of a story many think they already know.

However, right from the beginning this didn't work - the narrator is relaying, via dialogue, personal conversations between people, but wasn't present for the discussions. So, how does she know what they said, verbatim? I felt a bit like I was listening to a gossip columnist for a neighborhood newsletter. There was a strange satisfaction taken in tossing around celebrity names with a forced intimacy, and what felt like an outsider trying too hard to fit in.

It was also overly descriptive and wordy, I kept waiting for her to divulge useless details about minutia like the serial number on a mattress she bought.

I saw in other reviews that there is a big "reveal" towards the end, but I wasn't even interested enough to stick around and see what that was.

Had the author just told the story, and not used the gimmick of an "insider" narrator, I probably would have really enjoyed the story.

Sorry...
Thank you to Highbridge Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest opinions.

I loved this telling of Lee, Truman and those around them during and after their friendship. Although our storyteller, Marlene, is fictional, I couldn’t help but get caught up in her perspective of their world and, of course, jumping into this glitzy social scene alongside her.

All of the teasing of possible gossip and woes and drama and scandal of the time made me want to grab all the bios I can dig up on Truman, who was heartbreaking in the end, and Lee who seemed to stand tall for years but with the weight of many secrets she’d take with her.

I found even Marlene’s own fictional story to be intriguing along the way and not without a surprise of its own.

Enjoy the glamour of the times and be prepared to dive deep into researching some of the names and stories told!

This Audiobook provided a fascinating insight into the unique friendship of Truman Capote and Lee Radziwill (the sister of Jacqueline Kennedy/Onassis) and their privileged life of money and fame in the 1950s and 60s. Narrated by Lee’s fictional housekeeper of 44 years, Marlene.

I enjoyed reading about the glitz and glamour of the era, the dazzling parties, holidays on private yachts, movie sets and dinners at fashionable restaurants.

The platonic friendship of Capote and Radziwill appeared to be genuine and long-standing, until Capote’s wealth and fame went to his head, and his addiction issues caused him to spin out of control, and ultimately betray her trust.

I don’t know much about the background of the book as the ARC didn’t include acknowledgments - but it appeared to be thoroughly researched.

This may not be for everyone, but if you like historical fiction, especially America’s literary artists and glamorous socialites in the 1960s based loosely on the truth, you might enjoy it.

Thank you #stephengreco #NetGalley and #kensingtonbooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I knew nothing about Truman Capote other than he was the author of In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany's. I learned so much about him from this story, and also was introduced to Lee Radziwill. I liked learning about their friendship through the eyes of an outsider. Truman Capote was a fascinating person, and I'm intrigued to read more about Truman and his swans.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

The story of Truman Capote - and the “swans” that he surrounded himself by as friends. Most are powerful or influential women and the strongest may have been with Lee Radziwill. This helped to surround Mr Capote with the elite who may have otherwise turned their back on him. Ironically, he ends up doing the very thing to all of his friends. His vices become his downfall. I loved the glimpses of the different moments in history especially as it relates to the Kennedy’s. Thanks to NetGalley for the read.

Such Good Friends focuses on the friendship between esteemed writer Truman Capote and Jackie Kennedy's sister, Lee Radziwill. The story is told through twenty-one-year-old Marlene, who becomes a housekeeper and reliable presence in the Radziwill household. The book isn't plot-heavy but instead shows the evolution of these characters over the decades. Through their ups and downs, Truman and Lee had each others' backs. I also enjoyed reading about the glitzier aspects of the 1960s and 1970s, and the name-dropping was perfectly embedded into the story and never felt out of place. While I wish the plot had more of a focal point, I still found this to be a fun, glamorous tale.

Okay, I did like this audiobook, but it was just too drawn out for me. It could’ve been a lot shorter and still gotten the story across.

In "Such Good Friends," Stephen Greco presents a captivating story that explores the complexities of human relationships with depth and finesse. The well-crafted plot, compelling characters, and thought-provoking themes make it a literary work that resonates long after the final page. This novel is a must-read for those seeking a compelling and introspective exploration of the intricacies of friendship, self-discovery, and the human experience.

In one of his interviews, Truman Capote said, "I like cities, and New York is the only real city-city." Fittingly, the setting of "Such Good Friends," the story of friendship between him and Lee Radziwill, a wealthy socialite and Jackie Kennedy's sister, is mostly New York. Lee and Truman traveled to Europe and even accompanied Rolling Stones on their 1972 American tour, but New York was the place to be. Andy Warhol, Diana Vreeland, Rudolph Nureyew, Gore Vidal, and influential ladies who lunch made the New York elite group. Capote was welcomed there and appreciated for his sharp wit and comments, however inappropriate. Eventually, Princess Lee Radziwill increasingly enjoyed his company and considered him her close friend. Flattered by the attention, Capote took on the mentor role and offered advice regarding Radziwill's acting career, which proved disastrous.

The novel is contained between two " bookends": one when Marlena, the Radziwill's former housekeeper, comes to New York for Lee's funeral and the other one at the end when Marlena's secret is revealed. Between them, the narrative style varies – often, Marlena, herself an aspiring writer, tells the story, interspersing it with details of her own life. Occasionally, it's a fragment of a gossip column, but mostly, it's "a fly on the wall" approach when we observe Capote and Radziwill's conversations. 

"Such Good Friends" is an excellent escapist novel, but I hoped to learn more about Capote and Radziwill - and I've read other books about Capote and his "swans." After reading this one, the two main characters remained somehow enigmatic to me, especially Lee Radziwill, who I found lacking lasting motivation, moving from project to project, and mainly driven by rivalry with her famous older sister. But perhaps this is the most truthful description of Princess's character.

Reading this book, I felt that Truman and Lee's friendship was genuine, and although they fell apart (and the reasons for it were very much justified), they truly missed the bond they had in earlier years. The phrase in the novel's excellent title, "such good friends," carries a sad note. Despite their wit, wealth, and connections with the rich and famous, they seemed lonely at the end of their lives.

This book was amazing! I loved getting to know the characters. It was very well researched and written.

A fictionalized version of the friendship between Lee Radziwell, sister of Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Truman Capote, one of America's greatest authors. This novel spans the 25 years that Lee and Truman spent together, as told by Marlena, Lee's housekeeper and Truman's protege. A very interesting take on Capote and one of his favorite "swans." Read by Erin Bennett, this audio version will give you all the best of NYC in the 60s and 70s. Fascinating read!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for this audio e-arc.*

I received an ARC copy of this book and loved it. I knew almost nothing about Capote and couldn’t put this down.