Customer Reviews

CRY TO HEAVEN

5 star:		(110)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

In my opinion, Cry to Heaven is definitely Anne Rice's finest book. Beautifully written in the lush, gorgeous prose for which Rice is famous, Cry to Heaven is rich in detail and presents a fascinating look at the lives of Italy's 18th century castrati. The protagonist, Tonio is extremely well-drawn and memorable. His struggles to come to terms with both his life as a whole and his sexuality in particular are nothing less then soul-wrenching. I found the erotic scenes, criticized by some reviewers, to be beautifully written and central to the book's premise. I did think, though, that the character of Christina, a central figure in Tonio's struggles, could have been more fully drawn and introduced earlier. It seemed to me as though Rice, herself, was not completely acquainted with Christina and I think the book suffers slightly because of this. Cry to Heaven, which contains no witches, vampires or other preternatural beings, is well-plotted and well-paced, something which cannot be said for all of Rice's books. She controls this story masterfully and resists the urge to people the novel with extraneous characters, ultimately ending the story on a haunting but richly rewarding note. With Cry to Heaven, I can pay Anne Rice the highest compliment--this is the novel I wish I had written and I can say that about no other book.

And Guido perceived that when the woman is taken out of an entire realm of life that must need to imitate the world itself, then some substitute for that woman is inevitable. Something must rise to take the place of what is feminine. Something must rise to be feminine. And the castrati were not mere singers, players, anomalies; they had become woman herself. -Anne Rice

Set in Venice, Naples, Rome, and Florence during the time of Vivaldi, this exquisitely written work is the story of Marc Antonio Treschi, a castrato. A Venetian nobleman, Tonio was blessed with many things -- a beautiful mother, a fine family, a gentlemanly upbringing, and not least of all, a beautiful singing voice. Tonio led a very sheltered early life, and as he begins the journey to manhood, he starts to discover some dark secrets of the House of Treschi. A word to the wise: This author does not shy away from taboo subjects.

Music was the passion and preoccupation of many people in Europe during this time. In the name of producing great music, mutilations were routinely done during these times to little boys from poor families -- boys with voices that showed promise. How Tonio came to his experience with the knife will best be discovered by reading this wonderful book, and spoiling the experience by detailing the plot is something which will not be done in this review.

This book is a compelling adventure, and it is written by a masterful writer. Anne Rice excels in transporting her reader to magical times & places, and introducing them to interesting people, who then spring to life. She takes her readers on a mystical journey, always choosing the perfect word. Simply, magically, elegantly, she weaves a tapestry of wonder, and through it all, holds one spellbound. She can describe a walk through a grand old square in Italy, and everything she has outlined can be envisioned, right down to the smells and sounds. Rice's characters are larger than life, they are compelling, and they are detailed down to their fingernails and the texture of their hair. Their thoughts are perfectly articulated, and they are set forth in extremely beautiful prose. If one contemplates a "Cry to Heaven," one could think of many things that could conjure up such a cry: Religion, Remorse, Regret, Angst, Guilt, Pain, Sorrow, Love, Rapture, Longing, Ecstasy, and of course, Great Music! All of these are found in this work. Highly, Highly Recommended!!!

I never cared much for Anne Rice's vampire novels, and only recently discovered her witches books. So when someone recommended this book to me, I didn't think I would get it. Then I found it again on a listmania list, and decided to check it out, and then ordered it.

Castrati have long held my fascination, and I have often wondered what they sounded like, how their lives were. This book feels so natural, so well researched, that I feel like I have been allowed a step back in time, and a visit to one of the great Castrati.

And yes, the main character is bisexual, and yes, there is sexuality in this book, but if you let that keep you from reading this book, you miss out on so much more. It is so well written, and the main character grabs hold of your heart and does not let it go at the end of the book.

So, for any other non-Anne Rice lovers like me: go read this book. It is so wonderful, and I am veryhappy I gave it a chance.

This is a great book. Probably the best thing Ann Rice has ever written. I used to collect her books-- the vampire chronicles, and all the books of the Mayfair witches, even her pornographic rendition of Sleeping Beauty (the whole series--yuck!) I liked her use of language and imagery. I still do, but I grew up. I picked up this book to read on a long road trip and once I started, I couldn't stop. This book moved me. It is beautifully written. Just absolutely stunning. You won't find any witches or blood suckers in here, just a very, very, good story.

Anne Rice is best known for her "The Vampire Chronicles" and "The Lives of the Mayfair Witches" series, but she has written several stand-alone novels in which supernatural components are completely absent. "Cry to Heaven" is one of these, which explores the fascinating sub-world of the Castrati, though it keeps many of Rice's other trademark features; her attention to opulent detail, her rather graphic sex scenes and her dark themes of revenge, lust, ambition and dark human relations.

Marc Antonio Treschi ("Tonio" for short) is the heir of the ancient Treschi house, the son of the elderly Andrea and the youthful, beautiful, drunken Marianne. As the last surviving son of Andrea, his safety and well-being are paramount to the continuation of the family, and though he has every available luxury at his fingertips he feels constrained and trapped by his limitations. As his mother's only companion, Tonio spends his days caring for her - trying to ignore the permeating feeling of an unspoken threat that fills the household.

Finally the truth emerges; Tonio has another brother who was exiled to Istanbul before he was born. Despised by his father Andrea, Carlos Treschi has been wiped from the household and the records, and Tonio is made the sole heir of the estate. But on his father's death, Carlos returns from exile to reveal the terrible truth of Tonio's existence, and to reclaim what he believes is rightfully his. Concocting a plan that will rid himself of Tonio, Carlos has him kidnapped and castrated, and taken to Naples to resume training as a castrati. Robbed of any chance of having children of his own, and feeling himself less that what he once was, Tonio rebels against any training even when put into the care of Guido Maffeo. Guido was castrated at a young age but nonetheless experienced a voice-change during puberty, which caused him to attempt suicide. Now he acts as teacher to those new recruits and sees enormous potential in young Tonio.

Although Tonio is surrounded by fellow eunuchs (who he regards as freaks), and carries the heavy burden of his hate toward Carlos, he gradually comes to embrace the life of the castrati and the gift of his soprano voice. Finding love, fame, skill and friendship in his new life, he finds himself balancing his happiness with his desire for revenge. As his success grows, he faces the choice of his lifetime as he chases fame and success; on whether or not he should return to Venice and take vengeance.

The story itself is a little predictable; especially in the case of some of the family dynamics that Tonio is faced with (I guessed Carlos's connection to Tonio long before it was made explicit). However, this hardly matters as the strength of the novel is in characters and their relationships, particularly in the conceit of Tonio's inner conflict. Rice describes his pain as twins that exist within Tonio; one which adores life and happiness, and the other which is bent on revenge, both of whom are warring for supremacy of Tonio's mind. Throughout the novel he is a likeable, engaging, interesting character, though Guido is a little less appealing and much more enigmatic, and a third character - Christina - comes into play a little too late to make any real impact. However, Tonio is enough to sustain the book, and his scenario an interesting one: as he builds up a family of friends and lovers, the cost of vengeance becomes greater and greater, till he's nearly split in two.

An amazing amount of research must have gone into recreating the world of the castrati, as Rice spends pages on the way in which members of the castrati live out their lives; including physical abnormalities, learning techniques and the pressures of the opera and social life. Historical events and figures are mentioned, and the cities of Venice, Florence, Naples and Rome are vividly described to create a backdrop that is quintessential Anne Rice; elegant, opulent and decadent. At the centre of all this is the paradox of the castrati: adored and idolised for their soprano voices, and yet shunned and mocked for their loss of manhood.

The concept of a eunuch is a taboo subject, but which as such holds a somewhat grotesque fascination. Rice takes the idea of the "half-man" and explores the consequences of castration, the realisation of knowing you'll never have children, and what it means to be a man; (perhaps a rather odd subject for a female, but one she handles surprisingly well). All in all though "Cry to Heaven" is certainly not Rice's most famous novel, but it is an intriguing, poignant and ultimately satisfying exploration into a little known sub-culture.

It reminded me a little of Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha", so if you are not usually a fan of Rice's vampires or other supernatural creations, you may enjoy this as an historical novel.

Set against the poetically, lushly described background of 18th century Italy, this is the tale of the castrati, men who were castrated before puberty so that they would not lose their angelic singing voices with the breaking (deepening) of the male voice which occurs at puberty. I knew nothing about this subject before reading this novel but felt that I had totally submersed myself in their world by book's end. Tonio, the protagonist, takes us there and we fully experience both his pain as a half man and his joy as an otherworldly, privileged singer. One must remember though how cruel life in general was to the majority of people in this era and country. Thus, although a terrible wrong has been done to Tonio and fellow castrati, they also experience the highs of life that would have never been open to them being among the masses of unprivileged people. They also have sex lives and rather robust ones at that, which caught me somewhat by surprise given that they've been castrated. I did see a movie which reminds me of this novel, called "Farinelli." It is the story of such a singer who really existed back then. The movie was very good but this novel is outstanding. Personally, I liked Rice better as an author in these earlier works of hers, when she took her time to really craft exceptional work. In more recent times, she produces her novels at warp speed. There's been a real loss of craftsmanship in that mass production mode that did not occur in this earlier work.

This is definitely her best book. Dark and heartbreaking, but totally beautiful. Great historical references, amazing storyline, unforgettable characters. This story has it all. Prepare for an emotional rollercoaster though - this book might just make you cry.

I do consider myself a Rice afficiando and of course, I had been wanting to read this for some time. This novel was utterly beautiful. Words can not even describe the beauty that I had found in this novel. Tonio is one of the most intriguing characters that I have ever read about. The confusion of being a eunuch is captured in every paragraph of this novel. A wonderful read full of breathtaking descriptions. One of Rice's best.

I am glad that I read this book because it reminded me that Anne Rice is not just a great writer of the supernatural and gothic, she is simply a great writer, period. There is nothing of the supernatural here, yet it is perhaps the most horrifying, at least for a male, of any of her books. As a measure of the effect of this book upon me, I kept reading it even after I realised what the main theme was (I had no idea when I started reading.) Not only that, but music is probably the biggest gap in my education- and yet, she not only made me appreciate it, but I actually felt like an insider in that world.

For the first time in ages, I actually felt myself totally caught up in the atmosphere of a book. Yet, it is by no means "pure atmosphere", for there are deep and eternal lessons to be learned here about betrayal, death, worse than death, and.... rebirth and transcendance.

If I ever find myself in Venice one day, it will be because of the lasting effect that this novel had on me....

I have just finished reading Cry To Heaven and I love it! This is my favorite book! As soon as I read the first page I was immediately enthralled and couldn't put it down. The research that was done for this was absolutely amazing. Anne Rice was so detailed and descriptive I truly felt as if I was really there. I felt such a connection with the main character, I felt all the emotions he felt while reading the book. There were parts in the book that made me weep uncontrolably, and other times I was so tense with anticipation it felt as if I had stuck my finger in an electirc socket. I cannot even begin to describe the beauty of this book. I read this book as if in a trance and could not think of anything else. Even now as I write this I sigh and smile with fondness. There are images that have been imprinted in my mind that will last me a lifetime. I encourage anyone who wants to feel any sense of passion from a story, to get this book and treasure it always as I certainly will.