Nonfiction
Prompt
Name
of Annotator: Dana McDowell
Book
Summary:
A
nonfiction book that I previously read was 5th
Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the Dawn of the
Modern Woman. A New York Time’s Bestseller, author Sam Wasson explains why
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is so iconic, and how it drastically changed the way
moviegoers viewed Hollywood.
The
1950s was all about being conservative, especially on television. Bad people
met bad endings. Heroes saved the day. That line was blurred when conservative
Audrey Hepburn agreed to play the role of Holly Golightly. The name of her
character alone implies that she was up to no good. This film challenged what
it meant to be a woman, and Audrey made the idea of being a Hollywood actress
relatable to the masses. Hepburn revolutionized the opinion that it was okay to
be single and independent, not having to rely on marriage to gain freedom. She
was not glamorous, nor was she frumpy. She was in-between, something that was
attainable to women who saw her in the movies. Women could copy her look, which
was later known as “the gamine.” Readers learn about Hepburn’s tragic childhood
during the second World War, and her rise to fame, as well as the making of the
Little Black Dress, in which Breakfast at Tiffany’s was incredibly symbolic in
many ways. Surprisingly, deep philosophy was embedded in the making of the
movie, and historical context greatly shaped how the moviegoers would react to
it.
Author:
Sam Wasson
Title:
Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the Dawn of
the Modern Woman
Publication Date:
2010
Number of Pages:
231
Geographic Setting:
New York
Time Period: Late
1950s- Early 1960s
Subject Headings:
Breakfast at Tiffany’s; (Motion Picture); Hepburn, Audrey
Type:
Nonfiction
Series Notes: NA
Reading Elements:
Narrative Continuum:
The narrative contains sections that makes the book easier to digest for the
reader, and that allows the writer to jumps around in the narrative as he sees
fit. The text is also broken up by black-and-white photographs of Audrey
Hepburn and the people who contributed to Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Subject:
The subject is the movie Breakfast at
Tiffany’s.
Type:
The book could be considered a memoir with crossover elements of a historical
narrative.
Story Line:
The book illustrates Audrey Hepburn’s career before and after Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It also provides
historical context of the 1950s and why the movie was so revolutionary.
Pacing:
The pacing is slow.
Characterization:
The book focuses on the main actors and actresses of the movie, as well as the
producers, screen writers, the author Truman Capote, and all that were involved
in the making of Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Storyline: The
storyline has a very clear beginning and end and provides a lot of details and
historical information for the reader about the making of the movie.
Intent of author:
The intent of the author was to both entertain and educate the reader about the
making of Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Subject focused:
The subject focused on the making of the movie, historical context of the 1950s
and 1960s, and the various people who participated in the making of the movie.
Detail:
The readers were well-informed about each role that Audrey Hepburn starred in
before and after the making of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and the book also touches
on Audrey’s personal life.
Learning/Experiencing: The
book is a great companion to the movie, especially if the reader could not
understand why the movie was so popular. It provides a lot of detailed
information and movie trivia that really sheds light on some of the confusing
parts of the movie.
Language:
Harsh swearwords are sprinkled throughout the book.
Setting:
The book takes place on the set of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which was in various
places around New York City, and at Paramount studios.
Tone:
The tone is very neutral, despite there being intense drama in the story about the
problems that were addressed during the making of the movie.
1-3 Annotation: Starring
the reluctant Audrey Hepburn, Hepburn redefines the definition of femininity
and creates a new Hollywood image that the masses could relate to in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Historical
context is detailed in this book, Fifth
Avenue, 5 A.M., and author Sam Wasson provides deep philosophical reasoning
behind many aspects of the movie, including the creation of the Little Black
Dress.
Similar Works According to Goodreads.com:
Enchantment: The Life of
Audrey Hepburn by Donald Spoto
Audrey Hepburn: An
Elegant Spirit by Sean Hepburn Ferrer
Audrey Hepburn
by Barry Paris
Works
Cited
Goodreads.
(2018). Books Similar to Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at
Tiffany's and the Dawn of the Modern Woman. Image retrieved from
http://www.google.com.
Wasson,
S. (2010). Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn,
Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the Dawn of the Modern Woman. HarperCollins: New
York.
Hi!
ReplyDeleteDid you enjoy the book? You mention that the pacing was slow. Do you think that the slow pacing would make it so the reader could get drawn further into the story and history being told or was the slow pacing a hinderance to the reader? Great post! This sounds interesting.
Hi Holly!
DeleteI think the pacing was slow because Wasson presented his facts so dryly at times, but I think you summed it up nicely with the fact that it was slow because history was being told and it allowed the reader to digest the facts in a more leisurely speed. I was one of those who watched Breakfast at Tiffany's, and I was confused because I didn't know why the movie was so popular. The actors/actresses spoke so quickly in the movie that the first time was tricky to listen to them, and I think there was a big generation gap. I understand the movie ten times better after reading this book. I was not too cracked up about the language in the book, but I filtered it out and ended up liking it. Thank you so much for the compliment! Are you an Audrey Hepburn fan, too!?!
Excellent job! Full points!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Professor Cataldi! This was one instance where the movie needed the book, instead of the book being better than the movie lol.
Delete