The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin

I know several people on our staff who raved about Melanie Benjamin’s The Aviator’s Wife so I was very curious to read her newly released The Swans of Fifth Avenue. It is set primarily in the 1950’s and 1960’s and focuses on Truman Capote’s friendship with Babe Paley and other society figures, the “swans” of the title. 

As such, the book is an interesting, gossipy look at that life and explores the idea that appearance matters most. Once again, Melanie Benjamin has chosen to focus on an unhappy women who is overshadowed by her husband. I did not know very much at all about Babe Paley or other socialites (like Pamela Churchill, C. Z. Guest, and Gloria Guinness) before reading this book and I found myself frequently flipping to Wikipedia or the internet for background and images as I was reading. 

Truman Capote, of course, is more well-known and seems to be experiencing a revival of sorts due to his friendship with Harper Lee. In The Swans of Fifth Avenue he is portrayed as very insecure and Benjamin stresses this again and again (and again), along with Babe’s unhappiness in contrast to their glamorous lifestyle.  With tales of Capote’s famous Black and White Ball, references to contemporary figures like Kenneth, and cameo appearances by stars like Lauren Bacall, this novel will certainly entertain those who remember the era. Overall, though, a fifty year old “scandal” seemed muted and I wished for a somewhat faster pace.  The Swans of Fifth Avenue received a starred review from Library Journal.

New non-fiction

As librarians, we are always reviewing and looking for non-fiction selections which will be of interest to students and teachers so I was thrilled this past week when I was asked about two new books I have been reading. In one case, a teacher spied the pre-publication copy of Truth or Truthiness on my desk. She, like me, was drawn to the subtitle, “Distinguishing Fact from Fiction by Learning to Think Like a Data Scientist,” for this book written by Howard Wainer. Packed with charts, graphs and data tables, this relatively skinny book examines the line between reason/evidence and belief/faith. It is probably too technical statistically for most students, but all could benefit from the basic idea of asking, “What evidence do you have to support it?” whenever a claim is made.     

Secondly, I have several students who are working on Junior Theme and are interested in learning more about Autism.  We talked this week about the newly released In a Different Key by John Donvan and Caren Zucker. At 688 pages, this is a complex and thorough history of autism, with numerous case studies since the 1930’s, a timeline, and extensive notes and bibliography. Several chapters deal with controversies (“refrigerator mothers,” MMR vaccination) often linked with autism as well as inspiring stories of patients, parents, and physicians.

For more on this book, there is a January 25th New Yorker article, “Seeing the Spectrum” and  pbs NewsHour interview with the authors:

In a Different Key received a starred review from Kirkus.

More Mysteries ...

Regular readers know that I often pick up a mystery story for light entertainment and they will not be surprised to see that I have been reading a couple over the past month.  Murder at the Manor is a collection of classic short stories edited by Martin Edwards and published by Poisoned Pen Press.  While I often enjoy their publications (see A Specter of Justice), I was anticipating some delicious Gosford Park atmosphere along with the suspense, but this set of British crime classics did not provide quite enough for me.  Perhaps it was the length of each story or the more stilted language from another era? And for something much lighter than even I normally choose, I also read The Big Brush-Off by Michael Murphy and found it to be an entertaining, quick read.  The main character, Jake Donovan, is a detective turned writer (in the Dashiell Hammett style) whose alter ego, Blackie Doyle, also features in the story. Jake and his movie star wife, Laura Wilson, head to Pennsylvania and become embroiled in an unsolved murder. As part of a series set in the 1930s and available as eBooks, The Big Brush-Off is a fun romp with a simultaneously tough and tender, likeable detective duo.  

If you are looking for a mystery to read, check out the recent "top 10" Library Reads recommendations, several of which have been previously reviewed on this blog: As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches, Murder of Magpies, and How the Light Gets In or other titles by Louise Penny.  Enjoy Sleuthing!