Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for the copy of Such Good Friends by Stephen Greco. I have read numerous fictional accounts about his exploits and his unfinished novel Unanswered Prayers, so even though this one was also about Lee Radziwill, it couldn’t keep my interest. The writing never engaged me, and it seemed unlikely that Marlene would be so accepted into Radziwill and Capote’s lives. If you haven’t already read about Capote and his ‘swans’, the society women he was friends with, you would probably like this book. It just wasn’t the book for me.

Admitted fan of anything Jackie related ...
Fascinating depictions of the times/events/characters.
Dense with description & felt long.
Told from the POV of Lee’s housekeeper it read more as a memoir than a novel.
Interesting & unexpected twist at the end.

With great thanks to NetGalley & Kensington Books for this e-ARC!

So I finished this book awhile ago and I needed time to digest it - in a good way. I really enjoyed the telling of the story of Lee and Truman and how their lives wove around one another. I will say this book did take me a bit more time to read then I normally would because I kept stopping to look up people and places mentioned in the book to learn more about those "characters" and places. Which IMO made the book even better because it peaked my curiosity and made me crave additional information. Part of the appeal of this book was simply the surrealness of not only the era of the book but a peek behind being a "1%" - the trips, the parties, the lunches. Overall a delicious read.

An interesting fictional anecdotal read by the ex housekeeper Maureen who was friends with both Lee Radziwill and Truman Capote. At times interesting, at times I felt it bogged down, but a clever view of the world of the rich and famous.

I just couldn't get my head into this book......I read 2 chapters but gave it away as it just didn't engage me. I generally do like historical fiction.

Told from a bird's eye view of an outsider you can see the opulent lifestyle of the budding friendship of Truman and Lee. As numerous prominent figures flit in and out of their circle, Greco does well with detailing a complicated friendship of two powerful names ingrained in our culture. But as with most friendships, time has a way of changing them from being inseparable to estranged.

I would like to thank Kensington Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC.Such Good Friends is a novel about the friendship between Truman Capote and Lee Radziwill.It is narrated by a fictitious character, Lee’s cook / housekeeper Marlene. I have read a number of books which refer to Truman Capote’s friendships with the society ladies of New York, his “swans”, While this has a different take, the friendship with Lee, it is still in many ways , a rehash of the other books.The addition of the character,Marlene, really only muddies the story line. I was not sure whose story it was, Marlene’s, Truman’s or Lee’s.It was confusing , unclear which point of view was being told at any given time, and repetitive. The final chapters, which focus on Marlene, were drawn out and unclear. It was an interesting premise, but it did not live up to the promise.

If you like a fly-on-the-wall experience, this book is for you. I loved feeling like I was also having a drink with these two and enjoyed a look at Truman's work process. The amount of travel the jet set managed is fascinating. Enjoyed.

The tumultuous relationship and friendship between Lee Radziwill and Truman Capote are at the heart of this magnificent novel that can also be looked upon as a brilliant fictional biography of a now vanished world.

Elegantly written, full of compelling historical details and blessed with a terrific cast of exquisitely drawn characters, this memorable novel kept me enthralled from start to finish.

An unforgettable voyage through the 60's and 70's that deserves to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!

Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this fabulous ARC!

“Such Good Friends, a Novel of Truman Capote and Lee Radziwill” tells the story of the friendship between Truman Capote and Jackie Kennedy’s sister, Lee Radziwill in the sixties and seventies. The friendship is told through the memories of Marlene, a fictitious cook/housekeeper for Lee who witnessed the friendship and was privy to each of the main character’s reminisces.

The writing is luminous, bringing to life the sixties and seventies as experienced by the rich and influential people of those decades. The conversations between Capote and Lee are scintillating and serve to flesh out the characters. However, despite these literary attributes, the novel felt long and the numerous conversations became somewhat tedious after awhile. Nothing really happened in the novel except the two characters carried on numerous conversations in various locales, which although beautifully described, was not enough to make this reader want to continue reading the book. The ending reveals a surprising secret about Marlene, which was the only dramatic event in the novel.

If the reader approaches the novel realizing that it is slow paced and entirely character driven, some might enjoy it for the beautiful writing and brilliant dialog. Moreover, fans of Truman Capote might also find it more compelling than I did.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Press for providing me an ARC copy of the book in exchange for my honest review).

Gloriously written with such rich details you will definitely imagine yourself right beside Lee and Truman for every event. A wonderfully imagined telling of the friendship/relationship of these two people based on much research and actual dialogue. Story is mainly told by, what I expect is a fictional character, Marlene, who is the housekeeper/cook of Lee Radziwell. The book was a very pleasant surprise. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

In 2020 I read Swan Song and discovered the friendships between Truman Capote and his "swans". I have been obsessed with finding out more about them and these relationships ever since. I have even tried to track down a copy of Unanswered Prayers.

Such Good Friends was a fascinating deep dive into friendship between Truman Capote and Lee Radziwill. To be honest, Radziwill is one of the more fascinating "swans" due to her connections to the Kennedy's and royalty. She lived a rich and storied life, no wonder Capote wanted to retell it. Such Good Friends is told through Marlene, the Radziwill housekeeper's perspective. As they say it's hard to know what goes on behind closed doors. I found this book to be well written and very compelling. I found it hard to put down.

It wasn’t a bad read. I felt more like a fly on the wall with all of the dialogue in the story. I didn’t feel like I was transported back into this timeline. At time, it felt a bit gossipy. Despite the fact of the good quality of the writing, it was a book I had to struggle to get through.

Several books have been written recently about Truman Capote, mostly focusing on his relationship with wealthy, beautiful women in mid-century New York. And I think I've read them all. This one is especially good--a fictionalized account of the friendship between Capote and Lee Radziwill (best known to many as Jackie Kennedy's sister) told from the perspective of Marlene, Lee's housekeeper who also befriended Capote. Capote was Lee's confidante and vice versa, but he encouraged her to find a calling other than that of a rich, beautiful woman--with mixed results. She was apparently not the gifted actress he convinced her she was, but she did have more success as a designer. The world Greco brings to life is so foreign to most--incredibly rich people who own multiple houses all over the world, in addition to yachts for cruising. Fascinating, but also slightly depressing. #SuchGoodFriends #NetGalley

Such Good Friends reimagines the friendship between Truman Capote and Lee Radziwill, sister of Jackie Kennedy. It is related through Marlene, who becomes a housekeeper at Radziwill household.

As the story explores this relationship, it reveals the inner circles of the upper crust with their luxurious lives; filled with stars dazzling the parties, fashionable restaurants, and the so called “swans” ruling the high society of New York in the 1960s and 70s. As Marlene becomes a trusted member of the family, she observes the array of famous figures that come in and out of Lee’s private life.

The story is written with sophisticated prose and believable dialogue. It mostly relates the relationship between two friends and how it progressed; at the same time, presenting their privileged lives, what they did and where they did it. There is not much to the plot, and after a while that seems to be the missing part to make it a more engaging story.

Absolutely loved this book. The author obviously did their research on Truman Capote and his "swans". The descriptions in the book, and the dialogue really helped you feel like you were there. I couldn't put it down.

SUCH GOOD FRIENDS bubbles with effervescence. Greco invites the reader along as Marlene becomes a trusted confidant of Truman Capote and Lee Radziwill.

The first person narration puts us in Marlene's shoes so that we witness firsthand the glamorous comings and goings of this wealthy set in New York, Washington, Palm Beach, and international society.

As the novel progresses, a sparkling array of famous (and infamous) people waltz onto the scene, including Jackie and JFK, Babe Paley, Gore Vidal, and Andy Warhol. The author does a good job of bringing these figures to life on the page.

Spanning decades, the action reaches a climax with Capote's Black and White Ball as alliances strengthen and betrayals fester.

By the end of the novel, Marlene discovers a surprising secret about her own past that casts the previous years in a new light..