Such Good Friends
  • Published: 26 September 2023
  • ISBN: 9781496737441
  • Imprint: Kensington
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 480
  • RRP: $32.99

Such Good Friends

A Novel of Truman Capote & Lee Radziwill

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“Fans of Capote and the era of Camelot should be delighted.” —Shana Abé, New York Times bestselling author of The Second Mrs. Astor

A must-read for fans of Truman Capote and Jackie Kennedy, this star-studded, evocative novel revels in the glamor, gossip, and casual betrayal of 1960s and ’70s high society New York and the socialite “swans” that ruled this scandalous world.

On a Thursday morning in May 1961, a well-mannered twenty-one-year-old named Marlene enters the Fifth Avenue apartment of Lee Radziwill to interview for the position of housekeeper and cook. The stylish wife of London-based Prince Stanislaw Radziwill, Princess Lee is intelligent and creative, with ambitions beyond simply jet-setting. But to the public, she is always First Lady Jackie Kennedy’s little sister.

As Marlene becomes a trusted presence in the Radziwill household, she observes the dazzling array of famous figures who flit in and out of Lee’s intimate circle, including Gloria Vanderbilt, Rudolf Nureyev, Jackie and the President, Ari Onassis, Gore Vidal, Andy Warhol, and, most regularly, celebrated author Truman Capote. At the height of his fame following the success of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Truman has granted Lee place of honor in his flock of glamorous socialite “swans.”

Their closeness stems from an unexpected kinship. Both know too well the feeling of being second-best. Seeing his shadow in the woman he refers to as his most unconventional swan, Truman uses his influence and talent to try and make Lee a star.

Their bond deepens through the decade’s extraordinary events, from JFK’s assassination to the era-defining Black and White Ball. But Marlene, who Truman has taken under his wing as an aspiring writer, can see Truman’s darker side—especially his penchant for mining his friends’ private lives for material. And there are betrayals on either side that may signal the end not just of a friendship, but of the shared expectation that wealth and fame can shield against every heartbreak.
  • Published: 26 September 2023
  • ISBN: 9781496737441
  • Imprint: Kensington
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 480
  • RRP: $32.99
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Praise for Such Good Friends

Advance Praise for SUCH GOOD FRIENDS "A deeply immersive and endlessly fascinating novel grounded in a true story I only thought I knew. Greco constantly surprised me with fresh perspectives and new insights as the story unfolded, seamlessly weaving together fact and fiction. An essential read for anyone fascinated by the fabulous life of famed writer Truman Capote and his complicated friendships with some of New York City's most celebrated socialites. I was dazzled by the life of Lee Radziwill, wife of a Polish prince, sister to an American First Lady, and mother-in-law to a Real Housewife. A deeply personal portrait of a friendship between two unique people whose lives encompassed world travel, high society, popular culture, and human frailty.” —Kim Van Alkemade, New York Times bestselling author of Orphan # 8 “A fascinating and effervescent portrayal of 1960s Manhattan high society and the complex friendship at its heart between legendary writer Truman Capote and Lee Radziwill, sister-in-law to President John F. Kennedy and one of Capote’s infamous “swans.” Using a brilliant narrative overlay, author Stephen Greco brings the charismatic author of Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood to life with the type of biting wit, trenchant social commentary, and keen grasp of human nature for which he was celebrated. Insightful, intriguing and endlessly entertaining, Such Good Friends captures a platonic yet deeply passionate friendship that had all the faultlines of a doomed romance, and the seismic influence of Capote and Radziwill on their respective worlds, and each other.” —Natalie Jenner, author of the international bestseller The Jane Austen Society (2020) & the forthcoming Bloomsbury Girls (May 2022) Praise for Stephen Greco’s Now & Yesterday: “With his gift for observation and turns of phrase…Greco offers a book about big ideas…a life-affirming yet melancholy, John O’Hara–like analysis of post-baby-boom-meets-millennial-queer Big Apple society.” —Kirkus Reviews “Through quickly and brightly delineated characters, [Greco] populates his present-day Manhattan, ground zero of the corporate “mediasphere”… the men and women of all ages that Greco depicts are sympathetic, warm and witty, each of them inspired with a generous capacity for love and friendship. Now and Yesterday is an often poignant, and sometimes chilling, romance of the creative class.” —Edmund White, author of City Boy and Jack Holmes and His Friend “Stephen Greco sparks an unlikely friendship.” —Vanity Fair “History meets romance in this compelling novel… Now and Yesterday shows us that, whether we came of age facing the early days of AIDS or watching Will & Grace, love starts as a mystery for us all.” —Metrosource “One of the charms of this book is that the beautiful writing tells the story in a slow, natural way that feels absolutely true. This book deftly explores issues of friendship, success, and feeling attractive as one ages. This one is a set-piece gem.” —OutSmart