Dee Worden

Decided to get the book as a result of the tv series and the fact that I read In Cold Blood when it came out in the mid sixties and felt it was one of the most stunning books ever. There are three pieces in Answered Prayers. The first two “Unspoiled Monsters” and “Kate McCloud” detail the adventures of Capote’s alter ego, P.B. Jones, while a third section “La Cote Basque” is the focus of the TV series—a scandalous recreation of New York society women having lunch and gossiping. Reading the article one is struck at just how tame the gossip seems to be, and also how tedious the prose is, with long recitations of famous people walking by. “La Cote Basque” is just plain dull. Not so the first two chapters which are chaotic and practically pornographic. I’m not prudish—I just had a difficult time making sense of the story and/or comprehending Capote’s intent. The book did help me understand the chaos of his later years, but it was not an enjoyable read for me.

Our family had a place on Oak Island for over twenty years. I was very interested in a novel with that setting during the eighties. The book had an interesting start and it introduced a number of relevant themes. There was some elaborate character development but the actual story seemed to stall. And it became worrisome when I began to notice that I was getting closer to the end of the book. Everything just wound up as if the author just got tired of writing. It’s supposed to be a mystery and a bit of a thriller but everything was incredibly anticlimactic. It aggravated me so much I tossed the book away with a real sense of frustration. I may try another story of Cash’s but I’m not sure. This novel was a bit of a waste.