"It was the transparent identities in [the final chapter] that did Capote in. Even to this day it is fashionable in fashionable circles to take the line that poor Truman lost his marbles ... it is clear that Capote had the raw material for a best-selling nonfiction book and should have written it as just that."

"The trouble with 'Answered Prayers' is that Capote at this stage was not amenable to the demands of nonfiction. He was out of control in his life and in his art. ... Nonetheless, out of this conflict Capote could occasionally create art. Between the cloudbursts of malice there are flashes of prose in 'Answered Prayers' that bring the aching reminder of a more whole writer, prose that makes the heart sing and the narrative fly."