Customer Reviews

Prism of the Night: A Biography of Anne Rice

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A common adage for writers is "to write about what you know." Given that, Ramsland doesn't so much as give us a run-down on Anne Rice's life as give us an explanation of how her life has affected her stories. Not only does Rice consciously write about the things she has studied, but she subconsciously tells us about her life.

Ending just after "The Witching Hour" was published, this book is a little outdated. The final words from the author discuss some of the projects that Anne Rice was working on. From what is said here, Rice was not thinking about spending as much time with the vampires as she eventually did. She also was thinking of returning to the mummy; however, I have yet to see this happen.

The text gives an account of Anne Rice's childhood and influences, her relationship and marriage to Stan Rice, her daughter who died of leukemia, and her son. It also discusses some of the work she has done once she began to create a name for herself. As mentioned, this isn't the meat of the text.

The meat of the text is in showing how she is resolving personal and subconscious issues in her writing. She is also sharing her memories of New Orleans and San Francisco. Many of her characters reflect herself and people in her life.

Although this is fascinating, it leads to a "bogging down." To ensure that the readers remember the characters, Ramsland provides long summaries of the key texts from this time, including the Anne Rampling and A.N. Roquelaure novels. This disrupts the narrative and keeps the readers from truly connecting with the flow of Rice's life.

Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to young writers and fans of Anne Rice.

This is a very good. IF you are a Rice fan and you dont have this, you will be sorry. The author writes with the cooperation with the family and Anne Rice. A very in-depth look at Rice's life and major events. A very in-depth look at the motivations of Rice what devices she uses for her books. A MUST FOR RICE FANS

This book is a wonderful examination of Anne Rice's life and works. I only wish this book were updated to her more recent books. Every Anne Rice fan should read this book.

Prism of the Night: A Biography of Anne Rice

by Katherine Ramsland is an interesting look at the well known writer, about where she grew up, went to school, and the influences of her upbringing and surroundings.

For fans of the Vampire books etc. you will probably find something of interest here.

While Ramsland often glosses over important biographical information, she propels her reader through a dark and labyrinthine examination of Anne Rice's psyche. The bulk of the book is her psychological analysis and review of Rice's books themselves. While she cunningly refuses to explore Rice's humor and intellect, she lays bare Rice's poor record on social issues, particularly women's rights. The portrait she paints is a disturbed one - a broken soul living her life through her characters. Personal growth only occurs through the development of her characters. Research into Rice's life and relationships might have shown more of a progression of her life - how she overcame obstacles, how she grew as a woman, wife, mother, and friend and how she, in turn, used these to inform her characters, but, clearly her biographer is showing that Rice has chosen the life of spectator not participator, removing herself from the pulse of life and attempting to pay others to teach her about their life experiences. Ramsland has chosen to focus on the novels, following stock biographical details, with quotes peppered here and there from friends and family, to illustrate her analysis. If you're looking for a solid biography, you will be disappointed, but, if you want to pierce into the psyche and motivations of a contemporary writer, this is the book for you. It is a dark profile of a disturbed woman obsessed with her fears and demons.

was disappointed...thought would be more on anne rice not rehash of her books.