THE SWANS OF FIFTH AVENUE

If rich-people porn is your thing, you may be entertained by this fantasy. Truman Capote's "swans" were real-life people, much photographed but otherwise private, who befriended the writer and were in turn exploited by him for material when his creative capital ran out. It's an ugly story, made uglier here by the vapid and catty personalities the author imagines for these women. It also creates a minefield for the narrators playing Benjamin's characters. Capote especially is a challenge, since his high-pitched voice with its famous lisp is so present all over YouTube and the like. Paul Boehmer doesn't nail it, but he comes close. Cassandra Campbell's impersonations of Truman and his friends are heartfelt if not of the period, but she can't overcome the material. B.G. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2016]