Deliberate Cruelty

”[A] sharp sliver of true crime…a vertiginous spiral of social death.” –The New York Times
“It goes without saying that Deliberate Cruelty is awash in salacious material, but Montillo handles it with narrative skill — and deliberate fairness.” –The Washington Post
“Deliberate Cruelty captures a multi-branched narrative of true crime and gossip and scandal, a literary history, noir mystery, and tragic denouement.” –Daily Beast
“Deliberate Cruelty manages to be a hard-hitting true crime story and an interesting piece of cultural history, bringing out new facets of some well-known personalities to create a shocking story.” –CrimeReads Most Anticipated Books of the Fall
“Montillo’s deeply researched exposé of the untimely downfall of glittering icons haunted by fundamental insecurities and entrenched demons is a dishy true-crime, literary critique mash-up.” –Booklist
“This engaging, well-researched book will appeal to true-crime aficionados, Capote fans, and anyone interested in a darkly intriguing story well told. A compelling mix of true crime and literary biography.” –Kirkus Reviews
“The tragic collision of two lives — Truman Capote and socialite-murderess Ann Woodward — makes for riveting reading in Roseanne Montillo’s memorable account of two social-climbing strivers and the lives they touched.” —Meryl Gordon, author of Bunny Mellon and Mrs. Astor Regrets
“When the life of Ann Woodward, self-made socialite from Kansas, collided with that of Truman Capote, genius jester at the court of the beautiful people, the result was a twentieth century morality tale of enduring fascination, rooted in a particular kind of American dream - the one that seeks entry into the sleek, exigent world of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Roseanne Montillo tells the story supremely well, with a cool relentlessness reminiscent of Zola.” —Laura Thompson, author of The Heiresses
“Brash and beautiful, Ann Woodward’s escape from a hardscrabble past and her ambitious rise from model and showgirl to the upper tiers of New York’s high society is a both a rags to riches story and a cautionary tale – just the kind of story literary provocateur Truman Capote adored. In crafting the side-by-side tales of two arriviste strivers born of humble roots, Roseanne Montillo has given us a thrilling, tragic, Gatsby-esque saga. A wild romp of a story, boldly and beautifully told.” —Neal Thompson, author of The First Kennedys and A Curious Man
”[A] sharp sliver of true crime…a vertiginous spiral of social death.” –The New York Times
“It goes without saying that Deliberate Cruelty is awash in salacious material, but Montillo handles it with narrative skill — and deliberate fairness.” –The Washington Post
“Deliberate Cruelty captures a multi-branched narrative of true crime and gossip and scandal, a literary history, noir mystery, and tragic denouement.” –Daily Beast
“Deliberate Cruelty manages to be a hard-hitting true crime story and an interesting piece of cultural history, bringing out new facets of some well-known personalities to create a shocking story.” –CrimeReads Most Anticipated Books of the Fall
“Montillo’s deeply researched exposé of the untimely downfall of glittering icons haunted by fundamental insecurities and entrenched demons is a dishy true-crime, literary critique mash-up.” –Booklist
“This engaging, well-researched book will appeal to true-crime aficionados, Capote fans, and anyone interested in a darkly intriguing story well told. A compelling mix of true crime and literary biography.” –Kirkus Reviews
“The tragic collision of two lives — Truman Capote and socialite-murderess Ann Woodward — makes for riveting reading in Roseanne Montillo’s memorable account of two social-climbing strivers and the lives they touched.” —Meryl Gordon, author of Bunny Mellon and Mrs. Astor Regrets
“When the life of Ann Woodward, self-made socialite from Kansas, collided with that of Truman Capote, genius jester at the court of the beautiful people, the result was a twentieth century morality tale of enduring fascination, rooted in a particular kind of American dream - the one that seeks entry into the sleek, exigent world of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Roseanne Montillo tells the story supremely well, with a cool relentlessness reminiscent of Zola.” —Laura Thompson, author of The Heiresses
“Brash and beautiful, Ann Woodward’s escape from a hardscrabble past and her ambitious rise from model and showgirl to the upper tiers of New York’s high society is a both a rags to riches story and a cautionary tale – just the kind of story literary provocateur Truman Capote adored. In crafting the side-by-side tales of two arriviste strivers born of humble roots, Roseanne Montillo has given us a thrilling, tragic, Gatsby-esque saga. A wild romp of a story, boldly and beautifully told.” —Neal Thompson, author of The First Kennedys and A Curious Man

Roseanne Montillo is an accomplished research librarian who earned her MFA from Emerson College and has taught creative writing at Emerson and the Tufts Extension School. In addition to Deliberate Cruelty, she has published four previous works of narrative nonfiction to critical acclaim—Fire on the Track, The Wilderness of Ruin, Atomic Women, and The Lady and Her Monsters.

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