Rating: 
Summary: A predictable yet engrossing read
Review: Anne Rice fans will find much that is familiar in "Cry to Heaven", although unlike her other popular novels, there is no element of the supernatural present here. This is a book that will transport the reader back to 18th century Italy, into a world of politics, intrigue, corruption, and most of all, music. Rice's writing is as full and rich as always, with detailed settings and fully realized characters. The novel is well-researched, I learned much about the time period that I didn't know before.The flaw? I found most of the major plot twists to be extremely predictable. I won't give anything away, but every time something shocking happened, I had already guessed what was to come at least a chapter before. Maybe I've just read too many books. Regardless, I would still recommend this book to any Anne Rice fan.
Rating: 
Summary: Early Anne Rice Unbeatable
Review: Set against the poetically, lushly described background of 18th century Italy, this is the tale of the castrati, men who were castrated before puberty so that they would not lose their angelic singing voices with the breaking (deepening) of the male voice which occurs at puberty. I knew nothing about this subject before reading this novel but felt that I had totally submersed myself in their world by book's end. Tonio, the protagonist, takes us there and we fully experience both his pain as a half man and his joy as an otherworldly, privileged singer. One must remember though how cruel life in general was to the majority of people in this era and country. Thus, although a terrible wrong has been done to Tonio and fellow castrati, they also experience the highs of life that would have never been open to them being among the masses of unprivileged people. They also have sex lives and rather robust ones at that, which caught me somewhat by surprise given that they've been castrated. I did see a movie which reminds me of this novel, called "Farinelli." It is the story of such a singer who really existed back then. The movie was very good but this novel is outstanding. Personally, I liked Rice better as an author in these earlier works of hers, when she took her time to really craft exceptional work. In more recent times, she produces her novels at warp speed. There's been a real loss of craftsmanship in that mass production mode that did not occur in this earlier work.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite Anne Rice novels.
Review: "Cry to Heaven" is a great piece of work. It begins with a horrifying end, which is the start of a beautiful story filled with pain, love, and song. The rich settings and strong characters make this book one that you just fall into, it envolves you in each aspect of of the novel. I found myself fascinated by the interaction of the characters, and how each related to one another. A great read, I recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: BEAUTIFUL
Review: This story is a heartwrenching work of art. It took me into a whole new world that I had previuosly known very little and made me feel part of the story. The characters are so real you will be postitive they lived.
Rating:
Summary: Took me ages to get into it....but a great book
Review: I should state from the beginning, that as a counter-tenor myself, I was advised by someone else that I would love this book. Now I know why she yells "cry to heaven" when I'm singing! It took me over a year to get into it. I'd start reading it, and then just give up. Too many Italian names.;-) When I finally did get into it, I realized just how much effort went into the writing of it. She gets alot of the emotion involved in the music of the time bang on. How I wish classical music was as big a part of our lives today, or that people took music as seriously as they did in 17th Century Italy. Sure theres sex in it, but I didn't find any of it overly gratuitous. I say that if you like a good love story,however predictable, and or are interested in classical music, read this book. I admit that she does Vampires much better, but this is a great book and one that I'll be keeping in my personal library.
Rating:
Summary: An incredible buildup to a non-existant climax
Review: The very essence and richness of this book is in its emphasis on the often unnoticed subtleties of life - the uniquely twisted emotions and mentality behind a physically mutilated body, the life and light behind a human voice and music in general, the hate behind a passionate love, the love behind a passionate hate. Perhaps the richest and most complex of these subtleties is that of Tonio's revenge - his means of carrying it out. His decision that forgiveness, as opposed to retaliation, is another one of those incredible plays on the human psyche that are prominent in this book. [...] Overall, this book was breathtaking and incredibly written, which makes the ending so much more disappointing.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfull story but too much guy on guy sex!
Review: Welpz, that's not to say that i didn't enjoy anne's novel, but i did find it disturbing to read soooo much on guy on guy sex. The story itself was great! and i couldn't have asked for a better plot. but i don't understand why anne likes to write about gay sex. i didn't think Cry to Heaven was an erotica when i bought the book to read, but the first 30 or so made meeh change my mind. there is just too much of gay sex. (i swear, anne has a thing for guy on guy sex. note the vampire chronicals, the mayfair chronicals,and the Feast of all Saints.)the plot is this: this valued and only son of a rich guy gets kidnapped and gets his "pee-pee" cut off. (his brother who's really his father hired the kidnappers) a castrai takes the boy and teaches him to sing. during this time, the son vows revenage. after a few years the boy gets his revenage. (it's kinda funny how it happens) welpz that's the plot. like i said, the story couldn't be any better. only the gay sex bothered meeh a little. but then if your the type of person who enjoys this kind of stuff, go for it!; otherwise, stick to the vampire and witch chronicals. their gay sex isn't as obvious. =oÞ
Rating:
Summary: Highly Enjoyable
Review: Cry to Heaven, in typical Rice fashion, mesmerizes the reader with lavish prose. You come to feel for Tonio and Guido as the tale progresses; Anne Rice masterfully develops her characters. While not particularly profound, this story touches the heart on many levels: the roles of masculine and feminine, the necessity of revenge, the possibility of love and friendship existing in a single relationship, all these things are explored against a beautiful backdrop of Italian culture and countryside. Anyone who wishes to enter the enchanting world (which only Rice can create) should read this fine book.
Rating:
Summary: A lush historical novel
Review: I had no idea what this book was about when I decided to pick it up in the library and read it. The first line struck me like lightning. I had to re-read a couple of times before the meaning sank in. I have never read a book on castrati singers before and, except for Farinelli, have never heard of any other famous castrati and, to tell the truth, never thought much about what the costs of being a castrato singer were. Anne Rice changed all that. The story of Tonio and Guido was so vivid with every emotion that the main characters were feeling that it is hard to remain unaffected after reading this novel. The plot moves speedily but at times it is too convoluted and too convenient. On emotional level, the novel works extremely well. To addressed some of the criticisms in the previous reviews, I agree that the sexual relationships (be they heterosexual or homosexual) were a tad too explicit but that is the staple of all of Anne Rice's novels so I was not that bothered by them. I wasn't bothered by the characterization of Christine also. I agree that she was bland and uninteresting, or at least not as interesting as she could have been given her unique postion as a female painter during the times where female artists were rare, but I think that her presence in the novel as Tonio's salvation was well realized. I absolutely loved the description of Tonio's revenge and admired the author for making some hard and heart-breaking choices. This is the most original novel that I have read in a while and definately worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: touching beyond belief
Review: I didn't expect to like this book. My knowledge of opera was so slim it was laughable, but what I'd heard of it and understood about it made me want to puke. And then I picked this up, figuring, Anne is a fantastic writer, let's see what she does with this subject matter. And Cry to Heaven became one of my favorite Anne Rice books, as well as one of my favorite books, period! I couldn't put it down, and I cried, I couldn't even restrain myself from reading it over again... and it's a hefty book. I didn't even wait two weeks before reading it again. And like someone else who reviewed this said, it opened me to opera. I like alternative normally, but she made me so curious about what the castrati sounded like that I went to Blockbuster and found the only possible movie TO find on the castrati; Farinelli. I now own the movie and the soundtrack, and I listen to it nearly nonstop. (it's a recreation of a castrati's voice using a digitally morphed mixture of a soprano female and a contre-tenor male's voices). This isn't the only opera with such quality, either. I mean, Anne has opened up my ears to some amazing, ethereal sounds. And I can't praise this book of hers sufficiently. I loved its characters, I loved the plot, everything! Though I concur with those who found Tonio's female little love less than completely satisfying. But still! It doesn't matter! This book is a masterpiece!
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