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Answered Prayers: the mysterious manuscript that devastated Truman Capote

Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott

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

Brilliantly captures Capote’s acid wit and his dramatic downfall.

As deliciously gossipy as it is wretched, and Greenberg-Jephcott's unique rendering of Capote's squealing drawl of a voice is unforgettable.

Gorgeous... That glittering world - all Dom Perignon, Sobranies, Quaalude and Chanel - is recreated with a lovely eye for detail

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.

A sparkling debut vividly captures the high society women who punished Capote for his indiscreet reporting

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

A completely fascinating novel and a marvellously skillful re-imagining of real people, times and places. Outstanding.

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

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

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.

Swan Song is magnificent. For all the swagger and swish and intrigue, it is consistently well supported with perfect, juicy sentences. Utter corker

Perfect holiday novel, Swan Song by Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott. Truman Capote’s struggle with art and society reimagined

[A] seductive spellbinding debut... Greenberg-Jephcott beautifully captures the pain and poignancy alongside the privilege

Impressive and clever reimagining of Truman Capote’s fall from grace.

A moving account of Capote's own giddy, talent-fuelled ascent and the self-destructive plummet that follows

Brilliantly written, deeply researched, funny, sharp and moving, this wonderful book marks the debut of a major talent.

Kate Williams, bestselling author of Josephine

Swan Song is a whirlwind tour of private jets to Mexico resorts, playboys’ yachts in the Mediterranean, Manhattan martini lunches and so much scandal ... [A] riveting novel

Scandalous, frenetic, amusing and tragic, this throws open the doors to a privileged world driven by money, sex, power and influence, where stakes are high and, when trust is broken, there’s much to lose.

A fascinating look at American high society in the Sixties and Seventies, and a portrait of a talented writer who couldn’t resist gossip, even if meant ruining his life

Greenberg-Jephcott's debut is a devastating read that blurs the lines between vulnerability and narcissism; sex and power. And, ultimately, it is Capote's self-destruction that will have you racing breathlessly towards the end

Simultaneously fabulous and tragic, Swan Song is an incredibly accomplished debut

Our generation’s The Secret History

A vivid debut … based on ten years of research, this is a dazzling read that’s been worth the wait

Stunning... It’s probably one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever owned

The book is dripping with atmosphere and character and is such a pleasure to read.

She deftly gives us an insight into their inner lives... while creating defined personalities that resonate and intrigue. Lyrical and fascinating, the fact that this is Greenberg-Jephcott's debut is astounding.

A stunning debut novel that seamlessly blends history, fact and fiction in this imaginative re-telling of the life of novelist Truman Capote

A slick debut pulled off with brio, Swan Song is glamorous, vivid and sometimes even daring in its intelligence

Greenberg-Jephcott’s debut is fizzing with energy and ideas…The novel has style and substance in spades.

With a grounding in history, it is a fascinating read about the deepest secrets of an iconic author.

Swan Song is utterly divine.It swept me up and I just couldn't put it down ... it is the writing in this debut novel that astounds most of all. It is vivid, addictive and whips up a terrific portrait of a deeply contradictory and complex man, contrasting scenes from his unorthodox childhood with those from the gilded bubble he ended up in that he lanced through his own actions.

A sumptuous look at the icons of Manhattan's high society scene in the mid-20th century ... An immersive readthat will have you questioning real histories versus the ones we create for ourselves.

Longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019

WINNER OF THE McKITTERICK PRIZE 
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2019 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 
SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOLDSBORO BOOKS GLASS BELL AWARD 
 
AS SEEN ON RYAN MURPHY'S FEUD SEASON 2 
 
'Sparkling' GUARDIAN 
'Fascinating' RED 
'Remarkable' WOMAN AND HOME 
'Astounding' EMERALD STREET 
'Glamorous' IRISH TIMES 
'Scandalous' DAILY MAIL 
'Spellbinding' SUNDAY EXPRESS 
___________________________ 
 
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.' 
______________________________ 
 
'The new Donna Tartt' VOGUE 
 
'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 
 
'A completely fascinating novel and a marvellously skilful re-imagining of real people, times and places. Outstanding.' WILLIAM BOYD 
 
'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

Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott

Praise for Swan Song

A rich, sharp, sting of a book. It made me laugh and grimace and pity monsters. I'm still smiling about it

Brilliantly captures Capote’s acid wit and his dramatic downfall.

As deliciously gossipy as it is wretched, and Greenberg-Jephcott's unique rendering of Capote's squealing drawl of a voice is unforgettable.

A rich, sharp, sting of a book. It made me laugh and grimace and pity monsters. I'm still smiling about it

Brilliantly captures Capote’s acid wit and his dramatic downfall.

As deliciously gossipy as it is wretched, and Greenberg-Jephcott's unique rendering of Capote's squealing drawl of a voice is unforgettable.

A rich, sharp, sting of a book. It made me laugh and grimace and pity monsters. I'm still smiling about it

Brilliantly captures Capote’s acid wit and his dramatic downfall.

As deliciously gossipy as it is wretched, and Greenberg-Jephcott's unique rendering of Capote's squealing drawl of a voice is unforgettable.

Articles featuring Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott

Answered Prayers: the mysterious manuscript that devastated Truman Capote

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