Truman Capote's 1958 Breakfast at Tiffany's(26,433 words) is often thought of as longer, probably because of the well-known 1961 film version with George Peppard and Audrey Hepburn: The masses tend to believe that if it's a movie, it must've been a novel. While the film does follow the basic plot of Capote's original, there are significant differences, especially in terms of the endings; the original is much darker, much more realistic than George and Audrey (a.k.a. "Fred" and Holly) kissing in the rain. It is among Capote's best prose work, and more characters are developed than is possible in a typical short story. Teachers who expose their students to Capote often use his 1966 nonfiction novel In Cold Blood. If an American literature teacher would like to include Capote in the repertoire but there isn't enough time for In Cold Blood, Breakfast at Tiffany's is a great alternative.
