Reading 1001 discussion

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When I first read this (in a German translation, probably more than 20 years ago), a vampire as narrator, and a vampire tortured by his own humanity, conscience, and scruples at that, was such an original and fascinating idea. And it was full of suspense, I couldn't put it down and read several of the following volumes with the same gusto. I would have given it at least four stars. I've read a lot of vampire stories since then. And I've just read a whole lot of good books. Even great ones. Rereading this one these days really made me wonder how it made this list. I still like a lot about it and it has certainly shaped the vampires we encounter today -- at least Rice's vampires don't sparkle...-- but great literature it is not. Great literature you can read as often as you want. This book on the other hand didn't take my reading it again (and having seen the film) well.

I read this a while ago too and liked it then. I wonder if I would have the same reaction reading it again today. I'd have to take a look at what the book says about why it made the list but I suspect it made the list due to it's influence on the genre.

Read: October 31, 2012
Rating: 3 stars (I liked it more than that)
Review: Anne Rice has taken the ancient legends and brought them to life with her eroticism and violence. The story is told by Louis in an interview one night to a person referred to as ‘the boy’. Louis has been a vampire for 200 years and has immortal life. Louis’s story introduces us to Lestat, where it begins for Louis and then Claudia. Through Louis’s story, the reader learns the price of immortality. Louis is unlike other vampires. He has doubts, he believes that what he does is evil and he has a conscience. I for one, unlike others in the book, know that life as a vampire is not anything to be desired. I would not want to be deprived of the light of day and to endure the loneliness of a solitary isolated life. The characters were interesting. You could have some sympathy even if only for short periods of time for the various vampires but overall, it was pretty difficult to have any attachment to these unattached beings. The author has great skill in making a subject so horrible feel erotic. There were themes of love between men, love between a man and child but of course, Vampires don’t have sex except as they kill. Their love is different. Some would complain that the sentences were too filled with details but the author achieves the creation of an image of this dark world. I thought the book was easy and fast to read. It’s not my kind of book. It’s a first in a series but I won’t be reading the rest. I did like this quote from 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die by David Punter, “…we find ourselves immersed in a nighttime world that sometimes seems to be the negative image of the world we perceive through our limited human senses.”

I enjoy reading supernatural books, especially vampire ones. This book was so influential on the genre and I wish I loved it more.

Anne Rice straddles the divide between the negative portrayals of earlier generations (Dracula, for example) and the often more positive ones of later writers. In part this is because the story is told by the vampire himself, telling his story to a reporter.

The story of Claudia, who is trapped in the body of a five year old girl, is particularly disturbing. Her fate is tied into the failed relationship of Louis and Armand which is itself tied into the journeys of Claudia and Louis as they tried to find others like them.

While the book does get more involving as it proceeds, there is something about the writing style that does not grab me.

Like others have noted, I first read this as a teenager and was completely taken. The fact that Louis narrated the story and his telling of his personal journey from human caring and morals to that of a cold deathless killer was unique. Plus at the time, the images of back alley old time New Orleans and underground Paris, with the lust/love sensual overlay was riveting to me.
I was glad to have reread it however because I didn't actually remember much of the action, only the moods. It was striking how much it stood out as not as well written as most 1001 books.
I had also totally forgotten about the particular horror of Claudia, the child vampire.
The homoerotic and pedophilia parallels were well woven and the themes around the how the glory of life is made more striking with the knowledge of how fleeting it is, came across. I guess it was a very influential book in the gothic mode but it was not as chilling as I remember it to be, rather just sad.

I'm not much of a fan of horror and fantasy novels, so I was reluctant to start reading this novel. It has good reviews though, and it's not too long, and it's a "core" list book, and I sort of liked the movie, so I tried it out. I liked it more than I expected to. Rice really got into her characters' heads and had me thinking, "what would that be like to experience?". The tale has a lot going on that kept me well-entertained most of the time.

Rice really played a crucial role in how vampire stories have evolved from earlier ones like Carmilla and Dracula.

I'll echo the ideas of everyone else in that Claudia's story has always struck me as especially sad and horrifying. We see this echoed with child vampires in later stories, such as the Chosen One in Buffy. But beyond that, she does very well examining the human psyche and motivations and how that affects a character's choices after they become a vampire. She continues that in different ways in each book of the series, as well as bringing in different pieces of history.

I actually read this some time ago before a trip to New Orleans, and the atmosphere felt right to me as I walked the French Quarter. There's a bordello-turned-bar that I could almost picture the characters sitting in, having a drink in the corner and gathering others around their mystery.

Not a book I would recommend to everyone, but definitely worth a read for lovers of classic-style horror.

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
4/5 stars

I listened to the audio version narrated by Simon Vance which I enjoyed especially the Vampire’s voice. This is my first Anne Rice and this series was a little before my time. I enjoyed part one the best as I enjoyed the back and forth with the interviewer. This was a thriller of a story with good (Louis) and bad (Lestat) vampires. It included memorable locations such as New Orleans and Paris. I thought the story had a good arch and the ending appropriate. If I did not have so many other books to read I might continue with the series. It was entertaining to read.