Cry to Heaven by Anne Rice Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Cry to Heaven
Book Review: My favorite book ever
Summary: 5 Stars
I have read this 3 times now. And each time, I discover things I had not noticed before and I also discover that I love it more with each reading. This novel is at times darkly depressing but I loooove novels like that. Because if somthing can make me feel depressed after reading it, then it has accomplished somthing. I beleive it is pretty difficult to write somting dramatic, gut wrenching. And Anne succeeds. This is writing at its finest and most beautiful.
To some the subject matter of eunichs may not seem interesting, but it takes you into a whole other world that really did exist although you find it difficult to comprehend. I think one main reason I love this book is how she portrays the main characters. You cant help falling in love with their flaws and imperfections. Truly a great read.
Book Review: My review
Summary: 5 Stars
Very intense book filled with love, passion, and violence. The life of the 1700's castrati was intense and the book kept me captivated as to the goings on of two main characters in this book. It is worth reading but I'd suggest the reader be an adult as it has very adult themes.Book Review: Not a bad book...
Summary: 4 Stars
This book was a little on-going, bla-bla-bla-ish, but overall it was ok..the sex scenes were a little graphic for such a touchy subject.Book Review: Not a vampire in sight: One of the Very Best Novels Ever
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a musician, a writer, teacher and psychological astrologer. and very hard to please. I found this book by accident. I've recommended it to everybody I think could reach it. It's wonderful... truly wonderful.
It's the searingly moving and intricately informed story of the no-longer-tolerated 'production'(sic), practice and humanly demanding life of a castrato singer. Buy it and read on.
Other books which have attempted to enter such culturally particular spheres have won the Big Prizes. But I have never come across one which doesn't just skip the true and hard reality of such a life in favour of just the bits of love interest, conventional stories and bizarre happenings that inevitably attach to it. (Not by any means that such stories do not also attach to the hero of 'Cry to Heaven'.) This book skips nothing. It tells of a real life. It's a genuine masterpiece.
And it's been driving me mad, because everything else I've been able to find by Anne Rice has to do with a load of vampires! I listened to a long interview with her and was drawn to her sincerely felt and informed talk of music, philosophy, religion and the spirit; all subjects of the utmost interest and importance to me; all subjects manifested and expressed most movingly in 'Cry to Heaven'.
I bought 'Violin' as a result. Surely the vampire element wasn't serious? But - if vampires themselves seemed to be a bit toned down (if the ghost was indeed one of them, that is) apart from the Beethoven, I found the music content trite and the obligatory blood factor (a mass of glistening ants on a sanitary pad!!!) gratuitous and tedious in the extreme. Obviously other people lap it up. So to speak. I don't understand them and I'm devastated that one of the greatest novels I've ever read (I don't use that term lightly) finds itself in such incongruous company.
Book Review: Not yet Istanbul
Summary: 3 Stars
It is curious that despite her claim in an afterword to have done much research into the castrato period of the 18th century, Rice refers to Istanbul on 11 pages. Of course she meant Constantinople. But nowhere in the novel does the name Constantinople appear. One wonders why in all her research she did not discover that the name of the city was changed to Istanbul only in 1930, long after the period of the novel. It also makes one wonder about other historical "facts." Still, it's a fun read.