The Witching Hour

Rating:
Summary: I can't wait to read Lasher and Taltos!
Review: Last summer, following the advice of a friend I read Anne Rice's Interview. I flew flew through the rest of the chronicles; not wanting them to be over as I put Mennoch on the shelf. This summer, I read The Witching Hour. Being a person who loves detail, the history of the witches was amazing. I can't wait till Lasher and Taltos arrive. Rowen's story is wonderful, proving again that Anne Rice can make you fall in love with her characters.

Rating:
Summary: A Work of Art
Review: In this novel Anne Rice cast a spell over the reader. I can't help falling into love and hate with the facenating charectors. Beauty and love mixed with witch craft and sprits and Anne Rice's fetish with family make a novel that I just couldn't put down.

Rating:
Summary: One of my favourite books of all time.
Review: I loved this book. The detail Anne Rice goes into is just amazing, it made me feel as if I was there. All the witches were fascinating, and their characters were so well developed, from simpleton Suzanne to strong Mary Beth and her daughter Stella the "jazz baby" right through to Rowan the successful neurosurgeon. And who can forget Julien, the true "father" of the family (although I did find the whole incest thing a little disturbing), and of course Lasher, the unforgettable, evil but incredibly seductive daemon. A truly wonderful book.

Rating:
Summary: Write on, Anne, but watch your focus
Review: I simply adore Rice's way with words. Throughout the book, she keeps the reader up to date, enabling us to visualize each character. How? Well, I know I have been completely drawn into her fascinating settings: from yesteryear's Scotland to today's New Orleans. Then, of course, there are the vivid flowers and wildlife, beautiful costumes, captivating personalities and complex character changes. So why 4 stars?, you ask. As much as I have raved, I was bored when Rice turned back to her present-day characters. And while I admire her ability to write freely, and I understand the beauty of portraying every detail a subject, I just don't think all that sex was nessicary. It got to the point where it was just d r o n i n g - o n - a n d - o n. But no one is perfect, so I give you my best regards, Anne, and continue your art.

Rating:
Summary: I'll never waste my time on an Anne Rice book again.
Review: Anne Rice manipulates her readers as much as Lasher manipulates the Mayfair witches. In a book of 600 pages, one would think she could have come to a proper ending, instead of a cliff-hanger (in order to sell the next book?) And maybe she would have, if she hadn't spent so much space in repetitious description of New Orleans, San Franciso and the family history of the Mayfair witches - descriptions that told us very little that was new and different than the previous iteration. But her worst sin was not being true to her characters. For 560 pages her main characters are depicted as brave, morally strong and intelligent to point of genius...then they roll over.... Much more satisfying, but requiring no sequels.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!!
Review: This was my first Anne Rice book and I loved it. Although it was long, I couldn't put it down. Every night I would stay up thinking I heard something or saw someting. It was absolutely one of the best. You must read the other two. Now I'm on the Vampire Lestat. All I can say is that it is spellbinding. Both of them. Anne, you're brilliant!

Rating:
Summary: Absoluelty Wonderful!!
Review: Anyone who has ever enjoyed the work of Anne Rice will truly love this book. I found it very intriguing and could not imagine anyone who would say it was boring or sleep inducing, Then if one did fall asleep-- could only imagine being transformed to the house of the Mayfair's. This book is one of my very favorites! Thanks Anne for a wonderful book. I am a true fan!

Rating:
Summary: WONDERFUL,ENTERTAINING,INTRIGUING!!!
Review: I LOVE ALL OF ANNE RICE'S WORK IT IS WONDERFUL. EVERY TIME I HAVE READ ONE OF HER BOOKS- I AM TRANSFORMED TO ANOTHER PLACE, ANOTHER DIMENSION AND I FEEL FOR THE CHARACTERS. I LOVED ROWAN, AND FELT HER PAIN.. FELT HER HUSBAND'S PAIN WHEN HE FELT THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO TO HELP HER. WONDERFUL! COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!** TRUE FAN.

Rating:
Summary: Entrancing yet rough and unpolished.
Review: Anne Rice to this day has not realized that character identification must be avoided or embraced not stradled. Her characters are among the most powerful and emotional in all of literature and have much to tell us about life yet in most of her works they are hard to identify with and care about to a large degree because of their wealth and perfect beauty among other things. Anne is far too capitolist minded. Anne asks us to pity them, but how when they have so much we do not. She asks us to envy them, but how when they are so shallow, cold and materialistic. She could learn from studying Werner Fassbinder and Anne Tyler two masters of opposite strategies with regards to perspective of the audience. 'Oh but do I pitty the sickeningly wealthy, godly powerful, stunningly beautiful, and immortal Lestat with his juvenile "my father did not love me and I am angry" antics'. These are the very same traits in many modern american authors that have isolated non-escapist readers for centuries. Despite that and a poor editing job this book is a marvelous attempt at creating yet another history such as that created in The Vampire Chronicles, and once again Anne tackles touchy and intriguing issues that most authors fear. However the entire series lacks the emotion and depth that her other novels capture so very well. The characters are not as interesting and no wonder as there is scarce little to care about them save for Lasher who is not dealt with in any real detail until the second novel. The novel is too stream of consciousness and Anne tends to go off on impertenant tangents and at times seems to forget her original train of thought. The family history is far too detailed, and must be reread numerous times to be remembered, and far too much superflous information is included about the family history that readers frankly are not likely to care about. This is so much so in fact that many readers do not survive half the novel. One wonders how Michael Curry finds the time to read the history before A! aron Lightner dies of old age. Much of this wordiness is not entirely Anne Rice's fault however, but rather more the result of a poor editing job. Despite its drawbacks, for those who survive the family history, the entire series is a great first read, but lacks the deeper meaning to life that is so like Louis, Armand and countless other Anne Rice characters. "I want to feel for the characters, understand them and learn from them"! For those who enjoy pure escapism it will be better enjoyed, but for those who value meaning and deeper understanding of the character, it is less enjoyable than her other works. In short this novel is interesting, but will not make you "feel". The Vampire Chronicles have far more to offer as does Violin, The Feast of all Saints and A Cry to Heaven among others. With considerable polishing this could have been an epic.

Rating:
Summary: This a great book anyone would enjoy.
Review: This was the first Anne Rice novel I ever read. Afterwards, I read anything of hers I could get in my hands. I really loved this book. The beginning was a little slow, but once I got to the family history part I couldn't put it down. Even if you didn't like Memnoch the Devil that much you will love this book and practically everything else she wrote. It wasn't too challenging (I read it when I was eleven or twelve), in case that's the only thing stopping you.