the end

10. Give opinions about the story.

What I did not like about the story

- The only minus was the complexity of narrator's language. Of course the eloquence and elegance of the author's style is a great advantage, but my English is not so good to enjoy the sophisticated metaphors. So that minus is adressed rather to me than the author


What I liked about the story

- Realism. Capote's story is chilling mostly because it is true. You could just smell and feel the warmth of the Clutter home, the fresh farm air, the coziness of the farm home and afterward scent of gun powder and blood as you just stand there.

- Novelty of style. This book is neither who-did-it nor what-for, it's not like any other detectives, I didnt expect nothing of that kind. Capote has hade an absolutely new genre (later it was labled new journalism)

-  It has many different angles and ideas. So your opinion and point of view diametrically change throughout the story from falling in love with this family living the аmerican dream and thirst for revenge their killers to absolute confusion and pity for murderer

- It's also interesing to see how the tragedy effected on the town, how they found themselves distrusting their own neighbors. It is an honest and eye-opening account how tragedy and fear displays people's worst qualities. 

6. read a review

"...you have written a dull unreadable book which could have been written by any staff writer on the New Yorker — (an undercover reactionary periodical dedicated to the interests of vested American wealth). You have placed your services at the disposal of interests who are turning America into a police state by the simple device of deliberately fostering the conditions that give rise to criminality and then demanding increased police powers and the retention of capital punishment to deal with the situation they have created. You have betrayed and sold out the talent that was granted you by this department. That talent is now officially withdrawn. Enjoy your dirty money. You will never have anything else. You will never write another sentence above the level of In Cold Blood. As a writer you are finished. Over and out. Are you tracking me? Know who I am? You know me, Truman. You have known me for a long time. This is my last visit."

July 23, 1970
William Burroughs



This letter-review written by one of the major American writers of the postmodernist's era to Capote. Probably the most personal and devastating review ever.  I won't judge the judgment of one of the great writer to another great writer my knowledge in literature is not enough, but I do not share this opinion, I think this book neither dull nor unreadable.
By the way it's curious the critics say ''in the cold blood'' is a culmination of Truman's creative life and he had never excelled himself anymore, so those proved to be Burroughs' words oracular

5. speculate about information gaps

- no information about the the food Сlutter's might consumed before the death
Might be porrige
- no information about Dick's infacy
He might has had a happy infacy
- no information about what Mrs. Hickock (the detective) favourite music band was
He might didn't like music at all
- no information about Bobby Rupp's previous girlfriends (before he has met Nancy Clutter)
Maybe it was Julia Green
- no information about Cookie, what's happend when Perry droped her
Maybe she forgot him

imho there are no gaps in the novel, like in the painting, an artist never leaves a bare canvas. it's complete work

9. provide your own ending.

okay, you asked for it!

Perry and Dick go to Mexico (as in the novel).
But soon the pangs of conscience does not allow them to live normally, and they repent and decide to devote their body and soul to the service of God and humanity by helping the elderly, the homeless and the orphans.
At the same time, British scientists invent a vaccine that revitalizes the Clutter's family.
Than Clutter's family go to Mexico to get revenge for the unpleasant night when they were killed.
When all the party gather together at the Mexico beach they understand how stupid they were, apologize, hug and kiss and start to live like hippies in the commune
"Shed their clothes, put on a relaxed grin, and live like a Rajah" (as Perry wanted and dreamt of)

8. filming the story

"Capote" is a 2005 film obviously about Capote,
following the events during the writing of Capote's
non-fiction book in the cold blood. 

When I first found out about its existance
I indeed was anxios to see it,
and hoped that this movie would live up to the expectations
and I wouldn't need to read a book, but watch only the film. But unfortunately this film is far from the plot of the book

In the film Truman Capote learns of the murder of a Kansas family
and decides to write a book about the case.
While researching for his novel,
Capote forms a relationship with one of the killers, Perry Smith, who is on death row.

 Richard Brook's film is nice and atmospheric.
The movie moves slowly but never loses its audience.
Philip Seymour Hoffman does not so much play Capote as become him.
Good fiilm. Highly recommend. 

I haven't told you about Perry Smith. 

This book is neither about Clutter's murder nor about Holocomb. It's about Perry. 

Poor dear Perry, mocked Perry, downtrodden be life, dreamy, sensitive, talented, poetic, romantic, lonely, misunderstood Perry, whose alcoholic mother died in his childhood and whose father and two siblings committed suicide. Why the life was such severe to you? 

Perry, living with a constant pain in the legs, lost in the darkness. Kind Perry, who underlaid corpses with cushions, bitchy monster Perry, why why did you kill 'em?

I had one vague thought, but it wasn't formed. My mind struggled. I thought impossible to justify these bastards, these beasts who killed so cruelly innocent family. But it's not as easy as it seems

Perry is not the executioner, but the victim. The victim of the society, the victim of his parents, of the people's indifference and hatred. All are guilty. Little by little, every Perry's torturer was killing Clutters.
Moreover, we all are still killing Clutters by our indifference to each other