One of my favorite movies is Breakfast at Tiffany's. I didn't actually see it until my junior year of high school when I received the DVD from my parents for Valentine's Day. From that point on, I found myself obsessed with the story – the concept, the ideas, and most importantly, Audrey Hepburn. (What girl isn't obsessed with her beauty and style?) So … I got my hands on Truman Capote's short story and read it cover to cover. I watched other old movies and spent a great bit of time immersing myself in TV Land, the channel. You know what I found? … That nothing was quite the same. This one particular movie had something special that very little else could be compared to.
I'm not sure when I discovered the book Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. I'm fairly certain I saw it originally on the blog Everything Turquoise, but a google search reveals no such entry. Perhaps it has since been deleted… Either way, it took a few years before I placed the book in my Amazon shopping cart and even longer before I actually purchased it, thanks to my personal goal of reading 2 books a month during 2015.
When I began reading Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M., I had only a vague idea of what it was about – Breakfast at Tiffany's, the movie, clearly. Upon further investigation, I soon realized that the story of the making of the movie was far more complex than I could ever have imagined! The author, Sam Wasson, wrote about events dating as far back as the birth and upbringing of Truman Capote, continuing on into the life of Audrey Hepburn, as well as explaining what exactly was going on during the time period shortly before and after the film's release to make it as much of a success as it was.
Even though it took me 3-ish months to get through, I thought Sam Wasson did a fairly decent job making Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. easy to read while still conveying the majority of the elements needed to compile his tale of feminist growth in the movies during the 1960s. The chapters were mixed: including both real-life accounts as well as assumptions of what (for example) Audrey was thinking and feeling her first day on set for the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. In my opinion, the intertwining of fact and fiction kept the story moving in a somewhat light-hearted way, perfect if you don't want to get too bogged down with facts. This made the book an enjoyable read and one I would definitely recommend if you liked Breakfast at Tiffany's or are interested in finding out more about the making of it.
As if reading Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. wasn't enough for me, I decided to take in the Jennifer Love Hewitt made for television movie The Audrey Hepburn Story. The movie was very pretty, but it had many of the problems most made for tv movies have – the acting was terrible and the story lacked a well-written script. In fact, the story was difficult to follow as characters seemed to make unexplainable decisions that were never followed through. Oh - and the bad accents! Why didn't they choose an actress from Belgium or Holland to play the role of Audrey Hepburn?
Anyway, the point being, if you love the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's, I recommend sticking with what you know. Audrey Hepburn was an amazing actress – one whose life cannot be easily recreated by books or made for television movies. Truman Capote's short story was never written to be what the movie became – what Audrey Hepburn and the producers and directors made it into. Breakfast at Tiffany's, the story, whether in book or movie form, is what the audience wants it to be and nothing more.
Learn more about Sam Wasson or read an excerpt from Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.
Click these links to buy Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. or watch The Audrey Hepburn Story.
And, if you haven't seen the movie or read the book, be sure to check out Breakfast at Tiffany's the movie here or the book here. (I recommend the movie!)
Are you a fan of Audrey Hepburn or Breakfast at Tiffany's? Had you heard of Sam Wasson's book Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. or The Audrey Hepburn story before now? Will you be checking them out in the future?
