Interview with the Vampire

No one has ever captured the darkly lush and sensual atmosphere of New Orleans quite like Anne Rice.

I am in awe of this accomplishment, even as I suspect she came to it from a dark place of her own. Born in New Orleans, she moved away for a time, married, and had a daughter. This child died young, a tragedy from which Anne never fully recovered. Returning to the city afterward, she bought a home in the historic Garden District.

There, she wrote this incredible tale with its tortured protagonist, a story imbued with the tragedy of being ever… show more.

This is neither a new book nor a romance, but since I'm writing my vampire and shifter book, I felt compelled to check out a classic that readers love. I am so happy I did because Anne kept me turning the pages like none of the other vampire and shifter books I read. Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler was the only other book that came close.

How does Rice do it? Her characters are full and engaging, and the way she creates her worlds is breathtaking, too. When I'd say, "I really love this character," she has them do something… show more.

Interview with the Vampire is rather dark yet mesmerizing at the same time.

I love stories that take your mind to another world, and this one is at the top of the list. To be perfectly honest, I never really had any interest in learning about the mysterious world of immortal vampires until I read this book. Just remember that this book is intended for mature audiences due to its dark and mature themes.

I recommend this book because it touches upon many exciting subjects, including the desire for immortality and it takes an interesting perspective about humanity through a… show more.

It’s fun and poetic. I don’t think her vampires have the most consistent lore, and I don’t personally take the view that vampires dated any further back than the birth of Christianity, but she’s a better writer than me. By quite a lot, I should think.

Also, Lestat is in it, and Claudia, they’re fun vampires. I’m not sure I agree that vampires are asexual, but then again it was the 80s, and if her vampires weren’t then issues like AIDS might have been a worry.

I do actually like these books, to clarify. I was debating, because I excluded… show more.

The book is well written and I find it refreshing from the Vampire Romance tropes that I usually stick with.

They are my go to when reading paranormal romance, however this book strikes me as the narration is unique and I love the point of view.

The book isn’t light, it’s not fluffy and takes you on a dark journey with an ending that makes you realize that not everyone gets the message when being told a story - which I found very realistic.

I first fell in love with New Orleans by reading Interview with the Vampire in high school.

The city came alive as I read the book and I realized I had to visit. I didn’t step foot into the city until I was twenty-six, but I felt like I already knew the city. Anne Rice’s love for New Orleans came through in her writing.

Her books drew me to New Orleans, but also to become a writer.

Rice delves into the beating heart of the myth, illuminating its inner secrets in Louie’s relentless, lyrical monologue. The lonely Lestat makes Louie as his companion then jealously keeps him from meeting other vampires. Such emotional abuse. Finally free, Louie falls madly in love with Armand in Paris. In one of my favorite scenes Armand says, “I want you. I want you more than anything in the world.” This love and longing beats at the ironic core of Rice’s book—Dead Men Loving. In the lunatic Lestat, and the broody Louie, I see shades of my own boys—Estrada and his… show more.

Finally, a Gothic novel not entirely set in a haunted mansion! Seriously, though – for me, this one broke all the rules in the best possible way. If you’ve made it this far, you realize the others in the list all had the same profile: a claustrophobic, creepy setting; a theme of reality versus paranormal versus insanity; a female heroine. In contrast, Interview with the Vampire spans centuries and continents with a male protagonist and huge cast of characters. It’s Goth on steroids.

Ann Rice, may she RIP, was arguably the modern queen of Gothic literature before her death in… show more.

I know it is an older story, however; It’s a well-written book. I loved how Anne Rice opened her reader up to an old world and the conflicts that a vampire may go through. Heartache, pain, compassion, anger… this book had it all. Believe me, the book is way better than the movie. I went through many emotions when reading this book. Sometimes I was upset, other times I felt sorry for some characters, and at points, I even cried. Guarantee you will too.

Ever seen the movie? The one with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt? If not, read the book first, then watch it. Anne Rice (who, sadly, is no longer with us) is up there with Bram Stoker. Interview begins when a modern-day journalist snaps up the opportunity to interview a ‘real’ vampire—Louis (Brad Pitt)—where he discovers the story, and truth, behind the sensual, immoral, and evil world of vampires. We are then enticed into Louis’ world, where he tells us about Lestat (Tom Cruise) a malicious vampire who ‘created’ the “beautiful Louis” by turning him into a vampire, purely for his… show more.