Entrevista com o vampiro

It’s probably been almost 20 years since I last read Interview with the Vampire (ca. early high school), but it was pretty fun delving back into this series after so long. One thing hasn’t changed though: I still can’t stand how whiny Louis is! His character is an interesting exploration of the vampire narrative, though, since unlike most vampires who revel in their supernatural life Louis is conflicted about having to hurt people (he doesn’t seem to quite understand not killing to feed), is unable to reconcile not being human anymore (even though he wasn’t a particularly happy human), and has challenges forming lasting relationships with people. Some of this is directly related to the human condition, of which Louis seems to think he has none but which is readily apparent to everyone else that he has in abundance, and it is simply the length of his existence which makes these themes come to the forefront. What made me most intrigued throughout the story this time around was the historicity of the narrative; we cover Louis’ story for almost 200 years, bringing him from the 1700s to the relatively modern era, and we see the world change around him. Unlike Lestat, who is revealed to be a lot less adaptive in some of the final passages in the book, Louis has been able to accept modern technology, and while he may not revel in it he has still sought out a journalist to tell his story to in a sort of psych-appointment interview. We’re left with a rather strange ending, with Louis ending his story abruptly and without a lot of insight into his own character (except what the reader takes away), but as the journalist rewinds the tape to recall the run-down New Orleans house where Lestat is hiding out from the modern world we know that the story of these vampires has not reached a real conclusion. ( )

Book good. Brad Pitt as a vampire...mmmmm. ( )

Anne Rice has stated she wants book reviewers to be required to post with their full, real name. In response, I am removing all my reviews of her novels as I am unable and unwilling to do this. I am no longer comfortable reading or reviewing her work. Thank you.

Interesting, sad, filled with an aching that complements the beautiful rise and fall of Louie. I had only seen the movie before, and while there is obviously some similarity, the book had significant differences. Including a more fleshed out Lestat, which should be interesting going into book 2. ( )

Interesting if semi-exploitative meditation on vampiric immortality. Hard to disentangle the narrator from the author, certainly the narrator is euro centric and elitist which limits and hampers the discussions on morality. Still interesting perspective on the emotional elements of vampires. ( )