Violin

Rating:
Summary: Too depressing for me!
Review: After reading all of the Vampire Chronicles, I was excited and anxious to pick up a new Anne Rice book. During the first few chapters, I thought it was very depressing and had a lot of trouble understanding why anyone would lay in bed with a dead spouse. At first I was intrigued by Stefan, who kept appearing and disappearing like the ring around my toilet. However, Anne Rice lost my interest when Triana went back in time to visit Stefan's old stomping grounds. I thought that part of the book was too contrived. After she kidnapped the Violin and started playing for millions of people around the world, I had to force myself to finish the rest of the novel. I would much rather follow Lestat and his vampire companions around the world than this group of strange siblings and friends. I think Anne Rice should stick to what she does best--creating colorful characters and interesting plot lines. Perhaps she should re-read a copy of the Vampire Lestat to sharpen her writing skills. I am hopeful that her next book "Armand," due out next fall, will be 100% better than this depressing novel.

Rating:
Summary: A sensuous book that replaces guilt with self forgiveness.
Review: How daring of Anne Rice to use a fiftyish
slightly plump person as the heroine of
Violin. The heroine (Trianna) feels guilt
regarding all of her losses - her daughter
like Annes own child dies of leukemia at the
age of six, her mother an alcoholic swallows
her tongue and dies (she didn't kiss her
goodbye), Trianna's father dies while she is
in CA and most recently her husband has just
died of aids.

Typical of Anne Rice, she weaves some history
into her story. Her husband was writing a
book about St. Sebastian. She shares his
story. She points out many tidbits about the
great composers - Beethoven, Tchaikowsky and
Bach. Her descriptions make you feel the
music as her ghost Stefan plays the violin
in her mourning. She takes you back in
time with vivid architectural descriptions.
For the new age reader, she connects the
spirituality of the rain forests to her
grand finale.

Love and forgiveness play a vital part in this
tale of sorrow and sadness.

Rating:
Summary: Rice is playing to a different tune.
Review: I'm not a big Anne Rice fan. I don't dislike her, but the mention of her name kinda invokes an indifference in me. I was however pretty impressed with this book. I wasn't blown away by my enthusiasm, but I felt this book was much better than the pulp I've read that she has produced in the past. I don't want to insult the readers of Rice's "regular" novels with the name pulp, but let's be honest that is what it is and believe me there is nothing wrong with it. Literary elitist tend to pick on writers with mainstream appeal and the writers in response spend alot of time finding respect that most of them deserve. I think this was Rice's attempt at doing so. The work reads almost dreamlike, but than quickly fades into a story and neither of which is bad and actually pretty good at times. The beginning of the novel isn't as surreal as it is portrayed by many other reviewers and central part is entertaining. It ends nicely and actually as quickly as it should. This is a nice piece I recommend it, but not to readers wanting the same ole' Anne Rice.

Rating:
Summary: DARKLY CONFUSING
Review: I've enjoyed some of Anne Rice's previous books while I found others too confusing and ill-plotted with too many extraneous characters thrown in just to keep the story boiling. While Violin is as dark and lush as her previous work (the prose itself is gorgeous), I think it's probably Rice's worst. It begins hauntingly enough: the heroine cannot force herself to stop sleeping with her dead husband's rotting corpse, lest she lose the memory of him altogether. From this intriguing beginning, the waters grow ever muddier. The plot begins to meander and the characters' motivations become less and less clear. It finally became a chore just to turn the pages. What promised to be a dark, lush mood piece evolved into nothing more than a jumbled stream-of-consciousness with a very unsatisfying ending. Of course, the similarities between the main character and Rice, herself, cannot be overlooked. Anne Rice is usually too "dark" for my taste, but she IS an immensely talented writer when she sticks to her plot thread. If Stephen King is the Master of Horror (and he is), and Mary Higgins Clark the Master of Suspense, then Anne Rice has certainly earned the title Master of Darkness. Please, Ms. Rice, sit down and plot a new vampire tale, then let your imagination go to work. I'm sure you'll find yourself back on top of the bestseller list again!

Rating:
Summary: Don't read it...
Review: This is the first Anne Rice book I've ever read, and I was so disappointed. I couldn't even manage to finish the whole book, but I skimmed and scanned some pages in the middle and in the end of the book. The beginning was good in the first few chapters, then out of the blue a million characters popped out, and as a reader I got so confused. There were more exclaimations than needed, which made the story/ persona sounded unrealistic and airy. Perhaps it was too abstract for me, or I didn't get to see the beauty of it, but honestly I won't recommend it.