In Cold Blood â€� Reader Q&A

Questions About In Cold Blood

by Truman Capote

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about In Cold Blood, please sign up.

Answered Questions (28)

This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)

Casey 'In Cold Blood' was groundbreaking in melding journalism with storytelling, the first "nonfiction novel. It is not farfetched to think prejudice and sâ€¦m´Ç°ù±ð'In Cold Blood' was groundbreaking in melding journalism with storytelling, the first "nonfiction novel. It is not farfetched to think prejudice and stereotypes about homosexual men of that era, and even now, would lead to accusations he couldn't stop himself from engaging in sex with a murderer upon whom he is reporting. There is proof some of what Capote claimed to be fact was exaggerated and in some instances total fabrication, but these actions are everywhere in journalism, as well as memoirs of course. Regardless of what happened, whatever writing this book did to Capote, it ruined him, which is a loss to anyone who thought he might have more to contribute...(less)

flag

I read this a long time ago and really liked it too. I believe there is a movie too?

Bruce Rusk "In Cold Blood" made in 1967 is a excellent film, highly recommended.

There was a remake for TV 1996 that is inferior, I don't recommend it.

"Capote" aâ€¦m´Ç°ù±ð"In Cold Blood" made in 1967 is a excellent film, highly recommended.

There was a remake for TV 1996 that is inferior, I don't recommend it.

"Capote" and "Infamous" are both really about Capote although both films center around the authors time spent with the killers, particularly Smith, and his research writing the book.(less)

flag

I read Truman Capote's 'In Cold Blood' two months back. It is only recently I have made a shift to non-fiction books. But for all practical purposes this book reads very much like fiction. I later googled and found that Bobby Rupp had never met Truman Capote. There is also a lot of criticism saying many facts have been misrepresented. So how much credence can be placed on the facts described in this book?

Bruce Rusk Capote definitely took artistic liberties with things like conversations and personalities, but the meat of the story is factual and most of it can beâ€¦m´Ç°ù±ðCapote definitely took artistic liberties with things like conversations and personalities, but the meat of the story is factual and most of it can be easily corroborated as true. If you are a purist, then you have to accept that he did embellish certain things, but understand that none of them alter the critical points of the events. In any case, it makes a cracking good read. I personally don't care if some minor things were invented since the core story is based on police and court records and many, many hours of interviews by Capote with the people involved.(less)

flag

This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)

Sheree | Keeping Up With The Penguins In my mind, this question captures one of the most essential elements of In Cold Blood as a classic book: it can be read as both supporting and disavoâ€¦m´Ç°ù±ðIn my mind, this question captures one of the most essential elements of In Cold Blood as a classic book: it can be read as both supporting and disavowing the death penalty. I would imagine that people who believe in capital punishment would read it and find ample evidence to justify their view, as would people who advocate against it. It's a very clever approach from Capote, and I'm not sure even he could answer your question. "You don't read the book, the book reads you", after all. As to whether I personally think Perry deserved a death sentence: I'm lucky enough to live in a part of the world where capital punishment has been outlawed for longer than I've been alive, so of course my opinion is going to be coloured by that, and it's not really possible for me to be truly objective. :) Great question, though, thanks for asking!!(less)

flag

How does Capone build suspense in the book? What is the effect of the use of montage? At what point does Capote depict the murder scene? How does he work Perry's and Dick's background into the narrative? Analyze why you think Capote structures the events as he does.

Betty Confetti The most critical way is holding back exactly WHO committed the murders (i.e., role of Perry v. Dick) and how it was done. We learn about the crime scâ€¦m´Ç°ù±ðThe most critical way is holding back exactly WHO committed the murders (i.e., role of Perry v. Dick) and how it was done. We learn about the crime scene and we read speculation by the detectives as to what the crime scene reveals before it is actually revealed at the end. But the book is also interesting in that, for example, we learn that both men were executed before actually reading a step-by-step description of each's final hours. Overall, this book taps into a natural interest, as well, in understanding WHY a murder was committed. In our day, we have so many crime shows and we see so many stories profiled about murder mysteries. But often, WHY a murder was committed is never answered. A perfect example of this is the Adam Lanza mass murder in Connecticut. Or, cases where the killer has lawyered up and never answers questions. Capote answers the question of WHY and he does it through the voice of Perry and Dick. We learn much of the pathology in a way that is uniquely graphic for the year 2015. We just don't get that level of detail about these sorts of sensational cases. The public has an intense interest in murder mysteries much as they do related to airplane crashes. If it could happen to so and so, then it could happen to me. We feel that way also about murders of people like the Clutters. A convergence of events that lead to opportunity, evil, and motive. What is also fascinating for a current day reader is how much issues of the day (deterrence, psychiatric abnormalities) were relevant when the Clutter murders occurred. Capote caps all of this off with wonderfully descriptive and clever writing. He is able to truly capture the personalities of the people profiled--the caretaker living on the Clutter property. We UNDERSTAND why he didn't hear the gunshots....his baby was crying. We can visualize these 2 psychopaths stopping to eat at a diner and ordering what they stuff in their mouths. The writing is riveting, and to me, it is a combination of all of these things that tap into the commodity known as suspense to propel the reader forward(less)

flag

Load 5 more questions