Customer Reviews

Interview With The Vampire (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Vampire Chronicles (PB))

5 star:		(416)
4 star:		(110)
3 star:		(39)
2 star:		(29)
1 star:		(40)

 

 

With Interview With the Vampire, Anne Rice completely rejuvenated the genre which I feel to be horror's most important, primal, and soul-stirring, the legend of the vampire. I have described Richard Matheson's classic I Am Legend as the second greatest vampire novel, but I must retract that statement now. Only with a second reading have I recognized the unparalleled power, beauty, eroticism, and grace of Anne Rice's contribution to the subject. Unlike Matheson, Rice luxuriates in the Victorian appeal of Stoker's masterpiece, while taking the subject to planes far beyond those Stoker could have envisioned for his Count Dracula. The modern writer does not have to hide the vampire's erotic appeal behind convention, nor does she need to classify her subject as an evil in and of itself. The vampire nature of Rice's creation is a complex, unfathomable subject that transcends good and evil.

This first novel in The Vampire Chronicles centers around four very different yet almost equally fascinating vampires. The story is that of Louis, a wealthy eighteenth century Louisiana plantation owner who became a vampire in the depths of his despair over his brother's suicide. Lestat, the inscrutable force that hovers above every page of the tale, made Louis a vampire for basically economic reasons; he wanted the wealth that Louis possessed, but he also wanted a companion. Narcissistic and vain, the dapper Lestat does not teach his creation what it means to be a vampire, does not share the secrets he claims to know, does not even help Louis through the soul-shattering change that comes about when the body dies so that it may live eternally. Louis stays with Lestat only because, so far as he knows, there are no other vampires to whom he can turn for help and instruction. His distaste for Lestat grows over the years, however, and in order to keep Louis by his side, Lestat takes a young girl whom Louis had fed upon during a period of emotional turbulence and makes of her a vampire, knowing that Louis could never abandon the child. It is the story of Claudia, doomed to a most tragic life of immortality trapped inside the body of a little girl, that makes this book so powerful in my eyes. Lestat is of course fascinating, Louis is the epitome of tragedy and a fountain of knowledge by way of his questioning, eternally sad nature, but Claudia's story is an unbearably exquisite one. She accepts her vampire nature with some ease, being too young to really ever remember her human childhood, but the growth of Claudia the vampire woman inside the body of Claudia the child is a beautifully painful thing to watch. When she manages to separate Louis and herself from Lestat to go searching for other vampires in Central Europe and eventually Paris, giving dramatic voice to both her love for and hatred of Louis, the door to the dungeons of utter tragedy are thrown asunder. The introduction of the four hundred year old vampire Armand in the second half of the book gives us yet another unique vampire soul to ponder, but Armand at his most vivid pales in comparison to Claudia at her most unprepossessing.

In the end, we are left with Louis and his story, which is full of unanswerable questions. Even the meaning and lesson he tries to express about his miserable existence utterly fail in their influence it has upon the boy chosen to hear his extraordinary story. Literature really provides no better character study of the emotional meaning of vampirism than Louis, however. He became a creature of the night only out of despair, and his development as a new creature on earth proceeded without any instruction whatsoever from the cold Lestat. Thus, he questions everything about his new nature, desperately longing for a mentor. He does not relish the taking of human life, and the thought of creating another creature like himself is anathema to him. He sees vampirism as a curse, eternally wondering if he is indeed a child of Satan doomed to an immortal yet cursed life. The source of his moral suffering is his inability to really give up his human nature, and this causes him a long, long life of torment and pain. Never before had the moral, spiritual, and philosophical nature of the vampire been explored in such depth as that found in this exquisitely beautiful novel, and that is one of the primary reasons why it rivals Stoker in terms of its beauty and resonates with an emotionally hypnotic power that is unmatched in the long tradition of vampire literature.

I first encounterd this book when I was 12 and in the library looking for something good to read. The title caught my eye and I checked it out and I'm glad I did! The story, as told from the point of view of the vampire Louis tells of the love/hate "family" relationship between Louis, his maker Lestat and their child Claudia. Louis is having a hard time dealing with the fact that he must kill in order to exsist (some call it whining, but I call it endearing). I read this book for the first time in a couple of days (it's that good) My favorite character in the entire vampire series is Louis. I know most people think that Lestat is the hero of this novel, but Interview is Louis' tale and I understand his point of view completely. He doesn't whine, Louis just wants a better understanding of what he is and how he should feel about that. I wish Ms. Rice would write novels featuring more of him because his character is so human and so beautifully written that I look for him FIRST in each new novel by her. Some have called it too homoerotic, but I happen to like this type of romance. It is obvious that Louis and Lestat both love and hate one another and it is this relationship that is the basis of the novel. If you have never read a book by Ms. Rice, let Interview With the Vampire be your first. But be warned, you'll get hooked!

Readers who are only familiar with Anne Rice's later, more self-indulgent work are likely to be pleasantly surprised by Interview With the Vampire. I certainly was. After a disappointing introduction to the legendary New Orleans author through the weak Violin, I was only interested in reading Interview because of its role in promoting the vampire revival of the 90's. I thought that reading it would be an act of research and contrition. I was wrong.

This is a strong, lush, and original (at the time, though much-imitated today) piece of writing. The blend of the erotic and the horrific is true to the spirit of the original Dracula. The attention to detail that would become so over-the-top in Rice's later books is well-balanced and poetic here. The characters are at once individual and mythic (though admittedly some of them are a little given to navel-gazing.) The dilemma of the child-vampire is an excellent addition. If you are interested in horror, in vampires, or simply in a good read, you should try this book.

I love vampires. Always have, onscreen and on the published page - from Bela Lugosi's Dracula (seen countless times on the old Saturday afternoon Shock Theater) to Stephanie Rothman's hip 1970 VELVET VAMPIRE.

So it was with great enthusiasm that I approached Anne Rice's work several years ago, and it was with slight disappointment that I exited it each time. I don't know why she doesn't appeal to me the way she does to so many others. "Read the first one, read the first one!" my friends all admonished. "It's the best." So I did. I have just finished INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, and I'm no more an Anne Rice enthusiast than when I started. Maybe it's the book's lush overwriting, its constant purple prose, its almost endless striving to be elegant. Maybe it's the violence. Some of it does go "over the top", and I am usually not a prude about such things. I don't know. I'm just left as cold as one of the blood hunters Rice depicts.

Oh Rice has "skills", to coin a popular teenage phrase. She can create a memorable set piece that has the reader turning pages. And there are a number of memorable moments in this book. The initiation of Claudia. The "death" of Lestat. The fabulous Parisian Theater of Vampires. The concluding scene with the young reporter. Each is riveting, even enthralling. But in-between those scenes there is too much chatter, too much introspection, too much - huff and gruff.

I appreciate the book's classic status. And I'm going to continue reading Anne Rice, hoping the magic spell she has cast on millions of readers will soon ensare me.

I read the book with the sad idead that it would be similiar to the film. i was wrong.
The film is a LOT different than the book, which doesnt say that the film is bad - or the book- but it says that they made a good film out of a brilliant book,and changed it a lot.
Having said that, of course the book will resemble the film in parts, but not a hell of a lot. I thought that Louis would start off by narrating, and then we would be in the present timemjust reading the story. But again, i was wrong. He narrates the whole way through, and believe me it's very enjoyable.
The only problem i have, is i seen the film first. Everyone knows a book is better than the film, and a lot of the time you can enjoy the book after the film because it makes little of the film. The thing that bothers me is the characters. When i read this book i saw only Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas etc and its annoying more than anything.
I like the way i can make the character in my own, mind. but after the film, the character is as you know him or her. and i saw the cast of the movie.
Despite that, its a brilliant read, and you wont want to put it down when you get to the last page. A book you can read again and again and enjoy more each time....... ;-)

After refraining from watching the movie for four years, I finally broke down and rented it. And to my pleasant surprise found it to be visually beautiful and tragic. Next, I became extremely curious about the book. I rushed out at midnight to purchase it and found myself totally captivated. The book is Mesmerizing, Passionate, Sensual and Tragic - or in a word - Wonderful. The story unfolds on a profoundly different level than the film. I couldn't put it down. I even read it at work. I must admit that Rice can stray and get winded at times - but she always returns to the souls of the characters - drawing the reader deeper into their experience. Also, the homo-eroticism and child seduction are present but that doesn't take anything away from the story. Instead, it adds more layers and depth to multi-dimensional characters. I will never look at vampires the same again. Next is The Vampire Lestat. I MUST find out how he got that way.

Perhaps I enjoyed this book for different reasons than some other readers, because I never was much tempted to move on to the sequels. It seemed to me that sequels might be inconsistent with the point of the story, and from what I've heard, they have been.

I like good horror and a read this as such. As fantasy, it is far too disturbing. If anyone finds themselves fantasizing overmuch about gaining wealth, power, sensual pleasure and eternal life, through the regular murder of other human beings, then perhaps they need to find some other way of coping with their fear of death and devouring sense of unfulfilment.

At the end, there will be a fundamental disagreement between two characters about what the point of the story should be. I was firmly on the side of Character A (and assumed this was the author's position). The sequels, however, were apparently written for all those who sympathize with Character B. Once I realized this, I was unable to read further.

This book is wonderful. I am not usually a horror fan, because unless done right, horror can be lame and boring. I used to think only King could do horror, but Anne Rice really brings her vampires to life.

Louis is a depressed vampire. Being over 200, he has had a lot of hardships in life. He tells his life story to a an interviewer, who is only refer to as the boy, who he first planned to be his victim. Throughout the story, you meet many interesting characters. Such as, Lestat, Claudia, and Armand. Lestat is supposed to be mean and hated, but I can't help but love him. He's so evil and charming. You wish you could do half of the things he does.

The way this story unfolded is wonderful. Anne Rice is a wordful writer. The story is sad and yet beautiful. The only problem is at times she can be a bit too descritive. The story is exciting, detailed and never boring.

I rarely give books five stars, but I did for this one. Why? The books was near perfect and had little errors. I was going to give it four, but I decided on five because I know I will most likly never read a vampire book by another author that is better than this.

On a final note, I've also seen the movie. I saw the movie before reading the book. The book and movie are very similar, but there are many differences. The book verison will still surprise. There's a lot of juciey little tid bits the movie left out that are worth reading. The beginning, some of the middle, and the end of the book are different than the movie. In my opinion, the book verison is better. So, even if you've seen the movie give the book a read. The only problem is you may get addicted to Rice books like I am.

The first time I approached _Interview with the vampire_, it was in London, in 1981. I bought it because it was a bargain book and the cover was attractive. But as I began to read this novel, I found it charming and original, expecially because of the language. I cannot forget the description of Louis' smile.
At that time, my English was not adequate and I had to stop the reading. I forgot this book nearly completely. Seme years after, in 1994, I saw rhe movie. I was totally fascinated and a little confused by it. Yes, because my favourite character was Lestat, spite of Brad Pitt's beauty and charming smile.
I read the book again. In the meanwhile, I had improved my English and it was a page turner for me. Fascinating, capturing from the beginning to the end. I am a writer, and I became a little envious of Miss Rice's style!
But there is something in the characters which sounds to me not completely convincing. If you see the movie, you very easily find grief and anguish on Tom Cruise's face. But you can also find the same feelings in the book, if your reading is not superficial.
Lestat loves Louis so deeply that he gets to Paris just for bringing him back to New Orleans. He is very angry with Claudia, but in the final reel he cries for her. That's terrible. Lestat is ill and weak, but Louis refuses to help him.
Louis' misunderstandings are unbearable. So, reading _The Vampire Lestat_ was a strong relief for me.And seeing the two heroes reconciliating was a true joy.
Of course, al of this wuold not have happened to me if Miss Rice's were not a splendid writer, as she definitely is.

I barely ever read. So if I am telling you I loved this book, you know it has to be good! I enjoyed "Queen of the Damned" the movie and, as a result, decided to read the Vampire Chronicles, starting from the beginning. I haven't been disappointed by my decision!