Book Review: Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and The Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson

I love Audrey Hepburn and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, so I wanted to read more about her. This seemed like the perfect book for me since I love learning behind the scenes tidbits in movies. This book explores all the people involved in the making of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Even more, it gives you their history and how they ended up involved in this classic film. It’s very cool reading about Truman Capote, how he was raised, and the women who became his inspiration for Holly Golightly. Apparently, even though he liked Audrey Hepburn on a personal level, he thought she was horribly miscast as Holly. Truman wanted Marilyn Monroe. The producers, however, went in their own direction, and pursued Audrey for the iconic role. I’m glad they did!

Learning more about Audrey Hepburn in this book made her seem more relatable to me. Here is this gorgeous and talented actress, however, I was surprised to learn that she was riddled with self-doubt about her talent. According to her, in her past roles, she had to rely on her charm. In her Oscar nominated role, The Nun’s Story, she said her performance was due to the editing and not her talent. “That wasn’t acting, it was a magic trick.” She believed the part of Holly was out of her range.

It is awesome that even though she had all these doubts and thought it was a part she wasn’t talented enough for, she still took it on. That’s strength. Makes me feel better about having my own insecurities. It’s human. Yes, we all have many great attributes, but we also all have insecurities and that’s okay. It makes us who we are and more complex human beings. We have to accept all parts of ourselves. Find the strength within us no matter the obstacles. And be kind. Audrey Hepburn was very well-known for her kindness to everyone. Next I plan on reading more about all her humanitarian work. She’s definitely someone to look up to!

Although I started this blog as a “dating” blog, I also wrote some book reviews since I love chick lit books and thought that would tie in nicely. Reading this book gave me the idea to take myself out on a “date” in NYC. I visited Breakfast at Tiffany’s filming sites and other places I felt like going, but all inspired by this book and the movie.

Why not take myself out right? I know what I like! I think? Here’s a sneak peak of my “Date in the City” with myself:

Check out my “date” in the city here!