As someone who reads as much as I do people are often surprised at how I haven't read many 'Classics' nor big popular authors-This is an example of that. Anne Rice is well known, If you have read her stuff or not you know her name or have had a conversation about her at some point. I have a great friend who is an Anne Rice lover to the core and she kept telling me 'You have got to read some of her stuff'', 'I really think you would like Anne Rice, Pick up one of her books' and so on. My 'To Read' list is very lengthy and all the Anne Rice novels just sort of blended in with the rest of the others until I decided to pick up a Rice novel while I was at the library. My local library isn't big by any means nor does it have all the books I would like it to but it does the trick, I found where Anne Rice's books were and began to sift through what I should get-The cover that caught my eye was that of her stand alone novel Violin. Jumping in head first I began reading Violin, at first I was confused to say the least. Anne Rice has a style all her own and it was difficult to really see where she was going with everything. The words were beautiful, poetry in a sense, the description she uses definitely doesn't lack by any means. Violin was a mix of emotions and thoughts, Feelings of saddness, happiness and sometimes just feeling downright demented for the pictures this amazing Author was creating in the mind of her reader. The character profiles created for each name dropped in this book are fantastic, There was no feelings of wonder when it comes to what each character was like personality wise nor was there any mystery in how the reader will feel for each one. Anne Rice truly has a way with words and an intricate mind to create such stories and characters. Reading the First Ten chapters was definitely a treat, Something entirely new and astounding. As a reader you may get lost at some points with the 'back and fourth' memories Rice uses but it is easy to get back on track after a few paragraphs. The next Seven chapters began to lack a little, Seeming almost like a bunch of throw in stuff that did get tiresome at times. The novel picked back up in the last Four chapters ending the novel in a wonderful way. This being the first Anne Rice novel I have ever read was a great experience and I will definitely be reading more from her.
Not the worst book I've ever read, but the worst by Anne Rice. I kept wondering whether the main character, Triana, was somehow modeled in Rice's image. Triana's physical description certainly fits Rice's, and then there were the similarities of Triana's ex-husband, Lev, being a poet, like Rice's husband, and Lev's son Christopher, who shares the name with Rice's son. I couldn't help but think Rice quite possibly was inspired to write this from some drunken delusion. The book certainly does read like a drunken delusion, but then alcoholism does have a role in this story. The aspect I didn't like the most was the character of Triana. She's just not likeable. Neither is Stefan, really, but I found myself feeling at least sympathetic toward him. Triana just irritated me. The truth is, Stefan's story was much more interesting and I think I would have enjoyed the book had it been about him instead. This brings me to my second big dislike: Absolutely nothing happens plot-wise the first half of the book. Boring. Rice herself couldn't find the words to describe how boring it is. I'm no stranger to Rice's verbosity. Some dislike her books based on this alone. In general, it doesn't bother me. It's her signature writing style. It bothered me in this book. There really is no excuse for going on for 140 pages and nothing happens. The only reason I continued was because it was Anne Rice, and I really hoped there was some substance to be found in the second half. There was enough to keep this from being a 1-star book.
What do You think about Violin (2002)?
Reseña completa en mi bloghttp://drdeadwish.blogspot.com.ar/201...La primer mitad del libro peca de depresiva-opresiva, pero es la mejor sin lugar a dudas. Tal vez sea porque tengo cierta empatía con el estilo de la autora, pero decididamente logra transmitir todo ese dolor desgarrador. Esto es una búsqueda deliberada (y efectiva) que no muchos lectores comprenden, y abandonan el libro por denso y depresivo. Lo es, pero a propósito.A partir del cambio, lamentablemente, la narración pierde consistencia página a página. Cuando llegamos al clímax, casi no se lo reconoce como tal, y el final es, muy al estilo de Anne Rice, lo más flojo del libro por mucho. Es más, creo que es el peor final de todos los libros de Rice que leí.
—Deadwish
Stuck with me...I must admit this story has haunted me a bit over the years. I was sucked into the pulsating rage of depression like an undertow the first time I read it, (which is is not so surprising since I was 17 when it came out, teenage angst galore). I was dealing with some pretty large, life-altering events at that time, which is probably why this struck a chord.I admit to not wanting to read it again for fear of spoiling the effect/memory of that first reading. As with most of Anne Rice's work, some of her syntax and dramatic overtones don't always hold up to the test of time well. I fear that happening here, if I were to pick this volume up again tomorrow.I have to add that I am also a fan of LeStat (who wasn't?) and I loved this book. So I appear to differ from many reviewers that I have read here in that respect.So I recommend this one, WITH CAUTION! Be prepared for angst and melodrama.
—Christine Raymond
Now I will read just about anything that seems mildly interesting and I love (or used to love) Anne Rice, but I never made it through this book. It is very rare that I don't finish a book, but this one just held no interest for me. How could I possibly be interested in the author as the main character? It was probably vaguely entertaining when she finally got to the violinist, but it just took too long. Now, if like Stephen King, she had actually just come out and said she was the main character and sandwiched herself discreetly into the book somewhere, it would have been a different story. But she didn't. If she wanted to write an autobiography/personal fantasy she shouldn't have tried to pass it off as a novel. That's all I'm saying.
—Ali
