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Swan Song

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Swan Song

By: Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott
Narrated by: Debora Weston
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About this listen

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Swan Song by Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott, read by Deborah Weston.

NOMINATED FOR THE 2019 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION

'A dazzlingly assured first novel... This clever book, with the moreish astringency of a negroni, is a perfect summer cocktail.'
SUNDAY TIMES

'A whirlwind of a first novel. There is great pathos in the Swans’ woundings and in their inevitable decline. And the character of Truman himself shimmers through the novel in a wonderful blaze of eccentricity and excess. Outstanding.' ROSE TREMAIN
___________________________

To the outside world, they were the icons of high society — the most glamorous and influential women of their age. To Truman Capote they were his Swans: the ideal heroines, as vulnerable as they were powerful. They trusted him with their most guarded, martini-soaked secrets, each believing she was more special and loved than the next…

Until he betrayed them.

‘Writers write. And one can’t be surprised if they write what they know.’

______________________________

'A completely fascinating novel and a marvellously skilful re-imagining of real people, times and places. Outstanding.' WILLIAM BOYD

'Scandalous, frenetic, amusing and tragic.' DAILY MAIL

'Our generation’s The Secret History' PENDORA

'Brilliantly written, deeply researched, funny, sharp and moving.' – KATE WILLIAMS, bestselling author of Josephine

'Brilliantly captures Capote’s acid wit and his dramatic downfall.' THE TIMES, Books of the Year

'This is a first novel of extraordinary skill, a book of which Capote would have been proud' OBSERVER

'Greenberg-Jephcott's debut is a devastating read that blurs the lines between vulnerability and narcissism; sex and power... will have you racing breathlessly towards the end' THE POOL

©2018 Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott (P)2018 Penguin Random House UK
Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Inspiring
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Critic reviews

A rich, sharp, sting of a book. It made me laugh and grimace and pity monsters. I'm still smiling about it (Stu Turton, bestselling author of THE SEVEN DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE)
As deliciously gossipy as it is wretched, and Greenberg-Jephcott's unique rendering of Capote's squealing drawl of a voice is unforgettable. (Frankie McCoy)
Gorgeous... That glittering world - all Dom Perignon, Sobranies, Quaalude and Chanel - is recreated with a lovely eye for detail (Robbie Millen)
Since reading the totally, totally beautiful Swan Song, I have two new hobbies. Googling photos of Barbara Paley and watching videos of the Camel Walk. (Dolly Alderton)
A completely fascinating novel and a marvellously skillful re-imagining of real people, times and places. Outstanding. (William Boyd)
This is a first novel of extraordinary skill, a book of which Capote would have been proud (Alex Preston)
If a writer is going to craft a novel from well-known events, they might as well do it with brio, which this has in spades... A skilled and sparking debut (Suzi Feay)

What listeners say about Swan Song

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A good entertaining biography

I very much enjoyed this account of someone whose life I didn't know well BUT the last few chapters are redundant and tedious as they are imagined thoughts of Capote as he is dying. Still read it but when it gets to the well weird post death part - don't bother.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fascinating, but long

A beautifully written insight into that world and the narrator is fabulous. It just felt very very long.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Extraordinary accomplishment

Superbly written and beautifully narrated. The author has crafted this so lovingly it really is a work of art. I knew very little about Truman Capote and the people who influenced him and vice versa.
It’s hard to criticise such an accomplishment . . . so I’m not going to. This is so cleverly written, with so much depth and loving detail. Read it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Stunning

Really fascinating. Loved it. Draws you into an incredible world of beautiful people. Absorbing. Feel I know Capote.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Read For A Book Group!

I think I marked this hard as I read it for a book group.
It wasn’t far off something I would have chosen, but the protagonists were all vacuous & I disliked them!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Swan song

This book is amazing! Completely intriguing and beautifully written. It's like nothing else I've read. The research is painstaking. It is written with humour and empathy.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A tour de force

What a simply wonderful book. Totally engrossing. Deborah Weston is to be congratulated for bringing to life all the fascinating characters to be found in the pages, especially Truman Capote himself. Kellogg Greenberg-Jephcott has written a masterpiece.

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20 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Outstanding narration

Enjoyed the book and the performance and delivery was truly brilliant Truman was a book worth listening to.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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I loved it

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. extremely well written and delivered, the narrator really brought the book to life for me. a highly reccomended purchase.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Capote and his Swans live on

I have always loved Truman Capote’s work since my first breakfast with Holly outside Tiffany’s. Kelleigh Greenberg’s-Jephcott brings his written voice and his teal voice to life in her writing while Debora Weston has it brilliantly.
Truman and the Swans are so individual, complete and fascinating in writing and performance I felt I was standing or sitting next to them.
The era is portrayed in all its hedonistic self absorption, contradictions and glamour.
Excellent.

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