Violin

Rating:
Summary: This book was misunderstood and must be read again.
Review: This was a book that I needed to put down and come back to later. I just couldn't handle it the first time and needed to read it again. It was by no means an easy read and I wouldn't call it a page turner, however, after picking it up the second time, I feel that I understood it better and enjoyed it a lot more. I thought it was ugly and difficult the first time, but the second time it was still difficult, but with patience, I was able to find the beauty in it.

Rating:
Summary: Erg.
Review: As a general rule, I'm addicted to the works of Anne Rice... with the exception of Violin. Her words are like paint on a canvas, but Violin is an inkblot.
I allowed hours to be drawn into the plot. With the turn of each page I hoped I'd find some concept to grasp, but I didn't. This one didn't work for me, but I've read several others since that have validated my addiction to Anne Rice.

Rating:
Summary: Some books should be out of print.
Review: Some books should be out of print.

Rating:
Summary: Swimming through 100 Pages
Review: I love Anne Rice just as much as the next person but this book just didn't do it for me. I have noticed that a few of her books have slow intros but this one....I had to read over 100 pages of a 300 page book to get into it. It just wouldn't take off. If you like books that captivate you from the first page this is not the book for you. I would recoment trying one of her Vampire books. Although this novel was rich with music history it lacked the necessary captivating intro to keep the reader interested in what many may consider a dry topic. Hope you enjoy reading this novel more than I did or that you enjoy her other marvelous books.

Rating:
Summary: Her Best Since "The Witching Hour"
Review: I just finished Violin, and must say its Rice's best since the Witching Hour. However, "Violin" is not for the masses. Be warned, "Violin" is a psychological exploration of one woman's nightmares and losses, not a horror or even a ghost story, as its advertised. If your interested in exploring a deep, character portrait, pick up "Violin". My one criticism is that towards the end, certain events occurr so rapidly and the story is wrapped up sooooooooo tightly that it takes away from the slowly unfolding pace of the rest of the novel. Its a rushed ending. I enjoyed this book for its handling of prose, which takes center stage leaving plot and characters on the sidelines. For the literary critic, pick up "Violin".

Rating:
Summary: Anne Rice's most Autobiographical Work
Review: In my own never-to-be humble opion I beleive this to be Anne Rice's most authobiographical work thus far. It's apparent to me that Triana is in so many ways similar to Anne Rice. She describes herself for all practical purposes, right down to the bangs she has worn for as long as I've seen pictures of her. Even the way Triana dresses is Anne Rice right down to the long skirts of velvet. Of coarse the most poignant detail of the similarities is the daughter, dying of cancer with her angelic face puffy from chemotherapy and already having lost her beautiful blond curls gone before she was six years old. I think Triana was Anne's own voice regarding the horrible and unthinkable nature of burying your own baby. I really enjoyed this book obviously given the 'five stars'. I think Triana is a wonderful, human character which of coarse I was unaccustom to with Rice's work. It was lovely being able to aspire to her courage as she was 'just' a human, beautiful, scared, frail and strong all at the same time. She had her late husbands money to sheild her from the horrors of life whilst she suffered the fallout of having loved him and lost him. I didn't find it disturbing really at all her 'keeping' her Karl to herself for a few days after he passed on. In days of old, the family always prepared the corpse for burial, who else would be so loving and careful? It was disturbing, yes, but life's beautiful moments would be so much less so should we not have dark ones to balance them. The end of the book left me crying, as she helped yet another soul cross over, but this soul left her also with a beautiful gift. (I shall try not to give the end away, but suppose I already have, haven't I?) I don't envy her gifts as we are all blessed with our own and she certainly earned them all with her beloved service and devotion, this Triana... I loved her and will think of her as an 'old friend' along with Jane Eyre, Lastat, and so many others... Thanks Anne Rice for allowing us this peek into your mind and heart... I was reading this novel during the time of the horrible attack on the United States and it was a welcome reprieve when I simply couldn't take any more of the real horror coming out of my computer screen.

Rating:
Summary: More of an exercise in setting....
Review: I have been a fan of Anne Rice since the eighties. Most of her work has exotic desriptions of the surroundings which only warrants a read. The reader also has the feel that she has done her research and nows her topic (not just the setting, but the character, and the mythology).

Not here.

Although I loved the places the narrator, Triana, describes for us (her home and Vienna especially), I really didn't feel the plot move at all. The majority of the book is almost an argument between Stefan and Triana over who gets the violin. I understand the need for conflict, but this was a bit too long for an enjoyable read.

When I read of Rice's witches, vampires, or mummies, I am intrigued to hear about them. Stefan is a miserable ghost. What is the point of his remaining locked to Earth? I agree with Triana that I am puzzled. I now how, but no idea why. The insertion of Beethoven into the mix seemed like a quick device to keep the book moving. I really don't know the significance of it though.

If you want to follow Anne Rice in her exquisite settings, by all means read the book. If this is your choice for an introduction to Anne Rice, please don't read this one. She has some great stuff out there, and this is not it.

Rating:
Summary: Purely personal...
Review: The 3 stars are a tribute for the author's undeniable talent...but the novel gets a zero.Don't get me wrong; i'm a huge fan of Anne rice. Her style is unique. her writing is superbly sensual, erotic, mysterious and gothic.She's truely all that. But in "Violin" she just decided to open wide the doorway to her deepest, craziest and wildest feelings (or should i say perversions?)and lay them down on paper. the result is something NOT for the fans( at least not what they were expecting her to write), and certainly not for mainstream readers who just want a flawless story to read and to forget. I was really disappointed by this book and they were times i just didn't want to continue it anymore. but i managed -real hard- to finish it though and i was disappointed even more. however, i respect what was written in it because this is clearly a shouting out loud at something nobody but the author knows. in Violin ,i think that anne rice spat in the face of some personal frights ,nightmares or disillusions she had, and produced a very underground work that could really disturb the reader at some points. the ghost's story is gripping but what kills me is when by some magic i could'nt grasp ,Triana (who's an obvious projection of the author's person) starts to do miracles on the violin that belonged to Stephan. i's like the talent was only in the violin and this violin decided to transfer it to triana without a reason. or maybe the violin decided to forsake his old master for triana? anyway i'm sure i won't be re-reading this book to find out... I repeat: This is NOT easy reading here! if u're a die hard Rice fan take a look at this novel, but you will still live if you don't.period.

Rating:
Summary: A Peek at human emotion
Review: This story is full of eloquent prose and breath-taking imagery. The detail used to describe each scene is incredible, the pictures they painted in my mind's eye was glorious, the suffering, loneliness, and desperation of the two main characters compliment the allusions to music completely. The stream of consciousness style of writing gives the tale a sense of reality that sucks you into the novel. It lends itself to the emotionally attached and the artistically inclined. The more times you read it the more things fit together. The novel reflects the madness and complexity of human emotion, from love to ambition,with each read we learn more about the emotional challenges that these characters have to face as they leap from different times and places that represent exquisite beauty and raw humanity. Rice uses the love and heartache of relationships in ordinary life and sprinkles it on the pages of this novel; it describes the beauty and complexity of the heart and paints against a background that is full of elegance due to its simplicity.

Rating:
Summary: A Peek at human emotion
Review: This story is full of eloquent prose and incredible imagery. The detail used to describe each scene is incredible, the pictures they painted in my mind's eye was glorious, the suffering, loneliness, and desperation of the two main characters compliment the allusions to music completely. The stream of consciousness style of writing gives the tale a sense of reality and humanity that sucks you into the novel. It lends itself to the emotionally attached and the artistically inclined. The more times you read it the more things fit together. The novel reflects the madness and complexity of human emotion, from love to ambition, and with each read we learn more about the emotional challenges that these characters have to face as they leap from different times and places that represent exquisite beauty and raw humanity.