Swan Song

By: Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott

Narrated by: Debora Weston

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
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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.’
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'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

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)

Oh, Darling...

Every year or so I find myself discovering a book that is so good that if I discovered it on Audible I have to rush out to buy it in hard copy or vice versa, and I end up owning both the audiobook and hard copy. As I wrote in my Goodreads review, I’m pretty confident that I doubt very much if there will be a book that comes along to knock this one off its pedestal. I’m pretty confident that 2019 will be historically known as “the year of Swan Song”.
Truman Capote has always held a certain fascination for me and I wasn’t sure that I would appreciate a dramatization that filled in parts of his life that weren’t known. This book is so good that I suddenly find myself scrambling to remember what I remember as fact from reading biographical material because Swan Song is so believable, credible and possible. I can just hear him talking to limousine drivers and neighbours just the way that he does in this novel.
The narrator is nothing short of gifted! She perfectly switches from telling the story, the collective voice of the lamentation of Swans, the individual and Truman himself. Her portrayal of Truman is eerily perfect. This is one of those books that makes the perfect audiobook thanks to Deborah Weston’s dramatic background. Reading the hard copy I thought that it would make a great film adaption. Now that I have heard it told, I can certainly say it was made for audio!

A drag, couldn’t get through it

The start of the first chapter was very promising and then it quickly went downhill. Repetitive, whining, without any story line. I wish I could return the book and get my credit back. Struggled through 7 chapters in hopes it will get better, no luck there.