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Summary: A Tapestry of beauty and emotion...
Review: A Wonderul,Lovely story. I didn't want to finish it!! Every vampire book I read of hers just takes me into the story and the characters so deeply, that I don't even feel part of my own time while reading them!! She has such a vivid, lush way of describing the clothing and the castles, I can 'feel' the clothing on myself, I can 'see' the castles and cities.....
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Summary: Strength and beauty wrapped into one.
Review: Change is good. New vampires. And new vampires gives way for change. Rice has outdone herself with the imagery in this novel. A quick read, like PANDORA, but even better than PANDORA. I'm hungry now for the NEW chronicles.
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Summary: another boring book about the church, heaven and hell
Review: every time i read the latest anne rice book, i keep hoping to have in my hands another interview, or mummy, or witching hour. but i'm always disappointed. especially when the book degrades into another attempt by the author to convince us of the existence of heaven and hell, devils and angels. and the ever prevalent catholic church.when will she learn that having her characters debate with angels or devils isn't a brilliant plot twist or a deep view into their souls which makes us look into our own. but instead is a boring discourse better left unwritten. the sensuality is gone from her books and has been replaced with the catholic church. don't even bother reading it.
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Summary: At times recycling is a bad thing...
Review: I have just recentlty completed reading Ms. Rice's latest novel, Vittorio..., and near the end of the book I had this nagging feeling that I'd read this somewhere before... then it hit me... I have! It seems the well is running dry for Rice. All this book does is place the agonized Vampire, here named Vittorio instead of Louis, in yet another European setting. This time 15th-century Florence in lieu of 19th-century Paris. Instead of the Theatre du Vampire, we have the Court of the Ruby Grail. Both meet the same demise. LeStat had his Gabrielle, Louis his Claudia, Vittorio has his Ursula. At best, I found this book to be just average. I know nothing will top Interview... Eh ... just my two cents
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Summary: MISSING THE "FORMER" ANNE RICE
Review: First, let me say that I have been an avid reader of Anne Rice since the early 1980's and a collector of all her books, many of which she has signed. To replace my lost first edition copy of Interview, I spent several hundred dollars to find another. Over the years, I have looked forward with great anticipation to Ms. Rice's latest books and have often wished that she was more prolific. Well, it seems that wish has been granted. This just goes to prove the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for!" Publishing books just for sale purposes does not do justice to the reader nor this incredibly talented author. I would gladly go back to waiting if it would bring the "former" Anne Rice back! Although we are warned in the beginning of Vittorio that he is a lover of words, more often than not, I found myself wishing that he would get on with it! This book, as with Armand, offers very little new or exciting development of character or plot. Ms. Rice should have condensed Vittorio and used it as the first and second chapters of what could have been another Rice masterpiece. At the end of the book, we know very little about Vittorio the vampire and I felt let down by the author. I miss the gut wrenching, loin stirring, blood sucking aspects of Ms. Rice's earlier works. Ms. Rice's knowledge of history and art, and the countless hours of research do not go unappreciated. Her historical facts are correct and interesting, but if I wanted to read about the Golden Age of Florence, I would not buy a book about vampires. Let's get back to the lust, romance and just great writing that Ms. Rice has shown us and that I, for one, miss.
Rating:
Summary: One of Anne's Best!
Review: Vittorio is simply intoxicating. It is one of Anne Rice's best novels to date. The character of Vittorio is a character of which the readers haven't seen the like since Louis in Interview. He is totally mesmerizing and I anxiously await more of his story. Bravo Anne!!
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Summary: Breathtaking, as usual.
Review: Once again, Anne has left me breathless with her passionate writing. Anne is one of those rare writers who can actually make you *feel* the character as though he was actually sitting next to you and telling his story. For a short story, Vittorio was wonderful. Keep up the great work, Mrs. Rice!!
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Summary: This is an Must Buy.
Review: I have been reading this novel and I greatly enjoy her latest vampire novel. Vittorio is such an interesting character, as is the entire story. He is an strong - willed aristocrat who sees his family murdered directly. His hatred, and then, love for Ursula is enchanting. The Court of the Ruby Grail is enigmatic, yet most intriguing, as the tale unfolds. I strongly reccommend this to any fan of the Chronicles. This is a MUST BUY for any Anne Rice - Vampire Chronicles fan. It is set in an rich Italian setting and I loved it! I am ready for the next installment.
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Summary: I am enthralled and in awe of such a story.
Review: This book is a excellent addition to the new vampire series. As in Pandora, Vittorio allows you to step into a portion of his life. He does it with the flair and grandeur of the society he lived in. Ms Rice has always pushed my imagination to the limit and she has a winner in this story. I felt the anguish and pain Vittorio felt when he saw his family destroyed and understood his desire to kill the monsters that had done this deed. But throughout all this horror, we see a special love. Yes this love was created from a awful circumstance, but you understand why he had to make the decisions he did. We all have felt passions this great in our lives at one point in time. I was able to devour this story in 3 1/2 uninterrupted hours. Afterwards all I can say is WOW, smile and wipe a small tear.
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Summary: Vittorio a literary victory for Rice
Review: For all those people out there who have never before picked up an Anne Rice novel, either because they were grossed out by the movie of Interview with the Vampire, or because they, like Oprah, don't want to "contribute to the forces of darkness"; you just ran out of excuses. Within the pages of Vittorio the Vampire, Rice explores the nature of good and evil; art and life; innocence and wisdom, themes that she also delt with in an earlier novel, Memnoch the Devil. In Vittorio, she explores her themes by making references to literature and art, incorporating the works of such diverse writers as St. Augustine; Dante; Sheridan Le Fanu; and te painters Fra Angelico and Fra Filipo Lippi. This kind of grand scheme could only be achieved by a writer of Rice's caliber; a writer at the height of her power. Vittorio marks the first time that Rice has used angels as major characters, and her description of the light, ethereal qaulity of the angels is in direct contrast with the heavy symbolism of the Court of the Ruby Grail. Letting loose her imagination on the beauty of Italy, Rice is able to see with the eye of an artist, bringing to life through words the colour; texture; light and beauty that is Italy. One of the things that is striking about the book, besides Vittorio's story itself, is the fact that Rice appears to be using words to create a kind of painting of her view of Italy. Even her references (the book includes a bibliography of books of Italian art and history) are not heavy handed, as they can be when a writer starts to show off their literary knowledge. Instead, Rice is able to incorporate her references into the context of the story, so that even if the reader is not familiar with the work of Fra Angelico or St. Augustine, it doesn't spoil the novel as a whole. No need for an appendix here. The details of life in Florence, as well as the decadence of the Court of the Ruby Grail, are drawn with the same loving hand and an eye for detail that makes all of Rice's work so compelling. Known for her well developed characters, Rice's Vittorio is no exception. He becomes a very sympathetic character, one who, unlike the infamous Lestat, has no desire to be good at being bad. Since Vittorio the Vampire is a seperate and distinct work from Rice's Vampire Chronicles, it really is a wonderful book to read if you have never before read any of Rice's novels, and want to see what all the fuss is about. You will certainly not be disappointed. Since Anne Rice seems to get better with every novel she writes, I can safely say that Vittorio the Vampire is one of the best books that Anne Rice has written, so far. END
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