Rating: 
Summary: Poor writing
Review: After reading Anne Rice "Beauty" series and then trying to switch to her "mainline" novels, I was dissapointed to find that the poor writing style that I found in "Beauty" was also found in the rest of her novels. I thought the stilted, mundane, elemenatary sytle of Beauty was unique to erotica and was a result of trying to make hardcore sex fascinating, but I found the same pendantic, non-literary style to be found in the rest of her novels. Anne Rice is all plot and not style. She approaches fascinating and erotic subjects with pedantic and stilted phrasing. ... I keep waiting for the literary style that the promos, books sales, and movies promise. It aint's there. Basicallly, Anne Rice is soft porn with no literary style. Any good romance writer could do as well. Rice just sucks people in with gore.
Rating: 
Summary: fascinating, yet squishy
Review: to open, i should say that Cry To Heaven is arguably Anne Rice's best novel. perhaps i say that because i find vampire novels cliched and peurile--material geared specifically to the hordes of "goths" and middle aged women that make up much of Rice's huge fanbase.but Cry To Heaven is different. firstly, it's historical fiction. period. no Lestat (although he is a thoroughly engrossing character in his own right), no blood-sucking, no excessive usage of the word "preternatural". this is a VERY refreshing break from what becomes a monotony of violent, largely unrealistic adventures experienced by the usual Vampire crew. set in 18th century Italy (and we like Italy), the book explores an almost forgotten cultural phenomenon--the castrati. the castrati were talented boys who "went under the knife" to preserve their angelic voices. they actually existed from the 12th century right up until the 1920s. just for finding such an intriguing subject, Rice earns herself 2 stars. the other 2 come from her handling of the subject. she doesn't shy away from the bisexuality of her characters. you may be inclined to believe it's just another Rice fetish, but if Tonio and Guido had actually existed, it is likely that they would have engaged in such relationships. Tonio especially is charming, and the amount of research she has obviously done shows in her descriptions and accounts of the Venetian and Neapolitan nobility. where Rice loses a star is the last 200 pages. whereas the beginning of the book was a delight to read - historically accurate, engrossing, tragic, and heartfelt, the last third dissolves into a mush of unabashedly feminine, poorly written string of orgies. punctuated only by an unrealistic act of vengeance, the book leaves one decidedly unsatisfied, even though Rice makes an attempt at an ending, it seems haphazard and designed merely to please the romantics. overall, i still reccomend the book. a truly fascinating glimpse into the mutilated -putti- of the italian enlightenment.
Rating: 
Summary: Made an Anne Rice fan out of me
Review: This was the first Anne Rice book I've read, but it certainly won't be the last. The author has an amazing ability to make both the plot and history come alive. At first the subject matter seemed bizarre and not something I really wanted to read about, but I was soon transfixed. What started out as a before-bed book ended up keeping me up all hours several time. I would definately recommend this book to anyone who likes an out of the ordinary story.
Rating:
Summary: Is this the same Anne Rice?
Review: Can this be the same Anne Rice who brought us into the sad yet exciting world of vampires? I loved every one of The Vampire Chronicles(including the newest: Blood and Gold). At first, I was skeptic to think that Anne Rice could write something as well as The Vampire Chronicles. But I have proven myself wrong in that this was one of the best novels I have ever read. The tale of young Marc Antonio Treschi is direct and to the point. It was also very descriptive and the reader can tell every little detail about the setting. Another Anne Rice classic.
Rating:
Summary: I love this book!
Review: Cry to Heaven is an amazing story. At first, I didn't understand the connection between Tonio and Guido, but Anne Rice didn't keep
me guessing for too long. I recommend this book to classical and opera fans, as well as people who enjoy stories of conflict, passion, and revenge.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite Anne Rice Novel!
Review: This is an amazing book. I wanted to read it all in one sitting. I fell in love with the main character, Tonio Treshi. There is rich descriptions of Venice, Rome and Naples, that will fascinate you if you are interested in Italian culture. I never knew much about the castrati so this story was really intriguing to me. By the time I was almost done with this book I was hearing Tonio singing in my sleep. It obviously made quite an impression.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent chronicle, beautifully written!
Review: And Guido perceived that when the woman is taken out of an entire realm of life that must need to imitate the world itself, then some substitute for that woman is inevitable. Something must rise to take the place of what is feminine. Something must rise to be feminine. And the castrati were not mere singers, players, anomalies; they had become woman herself. -Anne Rice Set in Venice, Naples, Rome, and Florence during the time of Vivaldi, this exquisitely written work is the story of Marc Antonio Treschi, a castrato. A Venetian nobleman, Tonio was blessed with many things -- a beautiful mother, a fine family, a gentlemanly upbringing, and not least of all, a beautiful singing voice. Tonio led a very sheltered early life, and as he begins the journey to manhood, he starts to discover some dark secrets of the House of Treschi. A word to the wise: This author does not shy away from taboo subjects. Music was the passion and preoccupation of many people in Europe during this time. In the name of producing great music, mutilations were routinely done during these times to little boys from poor families -- boys with voices that showed promise. How Tonio came to his experience with the knife will best be discovered by reading this wonderful book, and spoiling the experience by detailing the plot is something which will not be done in this review. This book is a compelling adventure, and it is written by a masterful writer. Anne Rice excels in transporting her reader to magical times & places, and introducing them to interesting people, who then spring to life. She takes her readers on a mystical journey, always choosing the perfect word. Simply, magically, elegantly, she weaves a tapestry of wonder, and through it all, holds one spellbound. She can describe a walk through a grand old square in Italy, and everything she has outlined can be envisioned, right down to the smells and sounds. Rice's characters are larger than life, they are compelling, and they are detailed down to their fingernails and the texture of their hair. Their thoughts are perfectly articulated, and they are set forth in extremely beautiful prose. If one contemplates a "Cry to Heaven," one could think of many things that could conjure up such a cry: Religion, Remorse, Regret, Angst, Guilt, Pain, Sorrow, Love, Rapture, Longing, Ecstasy, and of course, Great Music! All of these are found in this work. Highly, Highly Recommended!!!
Rating:
Summary: Simply amazing
Review: This book is my favorite of Anne Rice's many wonderful tales. Her ability to make you not only see but believe everything she writes is never stronger than here. The heart wrenching story of Tonio Treschi will amaze, shock and astonish you. This story left me a different person than when I first found it. Please note, I am a huge Anne fan. I have read every one of her books many times over, but this story is simply amazing to me.
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.
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