Deliberate Cruelty

Truman Capote, the Millionaire's Wife, and the Murder of the Century

By: Roseanne Montillo

Narrated by: Mia Barron

This glittering, “wild romp of a story, boldly and beautifully told” (Neal Thompson, author of The First Kennedys) explores the intertwined fates of literary icon Truman Capote and infamous socialite Ann Woodward—featured in the hit TV series Feud: Truman Capote vs. The Swans—sweeping us to the upper echelons of Manhattan’s high society, where falls from grace are all the more shocking.

When Ann Woodward shot her husband, banking heir Billy Woodward, in the middle of the night in 1955, her life changed forever. Though she claimed she thought he was a prowler, few believed the woman who had risen from charismatic showgirl to popular socialite. Everyone had something to say about the scorching scandal afflicting one of the most rich and famous families of New York City, but no one was more obsessed with the tale than Truman Capote.

Acclaimed for his bestselling nonfiction book In Cold Blood, Capote was looking for new material and followed the scandal from beginning to end. Like Ann, he too had ascended from nobody to toast of the town, but he always felt like an outsider, even among the exclusive coterie of high society women who adored him. He decided the story of Ann’s turbulent marriage would be the basis of his masterpiece—a novel about the dysfunction and sordid secrets revealed to him by his high society “swans”—never thinking that it would eventually lead to Ann’s suicide and his own scandalous downfall.

“A 20th-century morality tale of enduring fascination” (Laura Thompson, author of The Heiresses), Deliberate Cruelty is a haunting cross between true crime and literary history that is perfect for fans of Furious Hours, Empty Mansions, and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

©2022 Roseanne Montillo. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Great book except…

Why do so many narrators feel compelled to change their voice when characters speak? Granted, she captured Capote’s cloying tone but she is not Capote so it becomes off putting and annoying, not to mention unnecessary due to the writing style.
She’s an excellent reader otherwise but it was difficult to not just go order the print version.

Very entertaining

Good read, enjoyed every chapter. Still a mistery: manuscript of “Answered Prayers” … Thank you for the good work!

Very interesting

I liked the way the narrator was true to Mr Capote in direct quotes by giving a sense of how he talked. I thought the story was quite good, the parallel between Capote and Ms. Woodward showed a different perspective from other accounts. The author clearly illustrates how members of high society could take or leave the ordinary person quite easily.

Confusing Collection of Stories

Interesting stories but confused how they belonged together. Enjoyed listening but as others have pointed out, they never tied themselves to each other.

A good telling of a complex story

This is a story that has long intrigued me without the Capote component so I was interested in this added dimension. It’s a well written and researched book and I enjoyed the narration although I found the almost attempt at impersonating Capote a little off putting but you can’t please everyone!
Overall I would recommend this book. I was thoroughly gripped from beginning to end. If you like true crime then this is for you. Like Capote you will be interested. Fan of well written depictions of American cultural landscapes this is also for you. Basically read/listen to this book!

Great story

It was a great story but the only thing I didn’t love was when the narrator put on a voice for Truman Capote. Otherwise the narrator was great.

Didn’t want it to end

Excellent! It is beautifully written and the narration is exquisite. I highly recommend this book.

A huge con artist

Enjoyed this so much, very well written and narrator was perfect. The story its self was so interesting to hear how the rich and famous were no better than the rest of us when it came to deceit. We all have a bit of it in us.
Highly recommend reading .

Loved the stories of Capote and Woodward’s childhoods

Interesting back story. Eye-opener to how the super rich in society lived. A great read.

I liked this book, too bad its only 8 hours

Intelligently presented, well written - I like Truman Capote's style - and a most interesting story that held my attention. Good narration - something that I always look for. Truman is simply a good writer of stories... it's about a crime, about the human condition and about not being able to forgive oneself.