Haven't posted in this for a long time. And am not feeling well right now, though did just get back from a field trip to Washington DC which was ok-- went to the National Gallery & the Hirshorn. People were giving us odd looks before we even got off the bus.
Following written 4/17/07 1:53 a.m.:
The main thing recently, though, has been that I have begun to read Anne Rice. About two weeks ago, we were at a Goodwill & in looking through the books, saw
Interview With the Vampire. Have always wondered what reading an Anne Rice book would be like, chiefly due to memories of "Lady Minty's" customs back in the days when the online MLP community was thriving: Lestat (or 'Stat)-pony, Nicki-pony, & Louis-pony. She stated what they were from, & so that's what I've always thought of, seeing an Anne Rice book. Of course I'd also heard things about them; think father once said he's read them. This was the chief reason I left the book on the shelf: Didn't want the parentals to know.
But got in line & thought would regret not getting it, & so made an excuse of wanting to "check something." Everyone else went out to the car; went back, grabbed the book, & bought it for fifty cents. And read it in three or four days.
It's hackneyed, but I couldn't put it down. It was written so well & it seemed elegant, even the gruesome (sp) parts. It's difficult to explain, aside from saying, "I really liked it." The end made me go, "What-- the--
hell?" It kept me from painting. I finished it when I was supposed to be doing a painting assignment. Felt stupid, but just had to find out how it ended. People complain about Louis' whining, but I found it easy to read. And Louis' "whining" didn't bother me at all; in fact, sometimes he said something that made me say, "
Exactly!" It was dark, elaborate, & elegant, & there were definitely moments of suspense. And when Lestat comes back from the swamp & Louis & Claudia see him & the fledgling outside-- that was creepy. And interesting to note how Lestat's character changes during the course of the novel.
And, of course, just had to get the next one.
A little more than a week after buying
Interview, was able to go out to Borders & found
The Vampire Lestat. It was about $8.36 when all was paid, & felt, admittedly, slightly foolish. But it was what I did Spring Break, which was a huge disappointment. It took longer to finish, though-- only just finished it.
One reason: Despite the fact I like to read, Spring Break drove me crazy by keeping me home all the time. There was nothing to do even when there was something to do. It's also a slightly different style-- of course, it is Lestat here & not Louis telling the story. That came across clearly. The other fact was that it just seemed a bit more adventure-oriented (though I do like adventures, do not get me wrong).
Interview seemed more subtle, even in its moments of action.
Lestat had an almost reckless air to it & more action than thought (this makes no sense). Lestat terrifying the theatregoers felt a little lacking, though his perception of Nicolas' feelings was not. The corpses he finds in Magnus' tower is one of those moments where the elegance shows again, even in the more disturbing images & circumstances. Lestat's realization of the "nothingness" made me feel sad, & Nicki was sad, as well.
But the story of Marius-- eh. First off, there are many discrepencies (sp) with the Celts as they are portrayed. The Celts had ceased to practice human sacrifice long before more "civilized" people-- ie the Romans-- & the whole 'wickerman" thing has been proved a myth. And felt uncomfortable with the idea of "the Mother and the Father"-- Akasha & Enkil. Don't know why, but the whole explanantion was a little disquieting (word?). And it just didn't have the feel to it, the kind
Interview had to it, of grotesque elegance & sadness to it. But then again, myabe that is Louis & Lestat, ever the rebel, is more straightforward. But the thing is, the beginning had something of that feeling, as did some other parts throughout the novel. Like I said before, Nicki's madness & despair was extremely sad, & Lestat's feeling of there being just nothing conveyed the terror. But some parts didn't have that kind of feeling.
"Dionysus..." was priceless. First, Louis doesn't hate Lestat (?!), then there's that mad performance & Gabrielle swings in out of nowhere-- talk about a hell of a reunion! And the open-ended, cliffhanger ending...
Of course, it also makes it feel difficult to reread
Interview. Because, while Louis by the end makes it clear he feels no malice towards Lestat, there's still a feeling of distance & misunderstanding. In
Lestat at the end, Louis & Lestat are more buddy than ever before. It's not that I'm adverse to it, it just seems like rereading
Interview will be odd now.
It's also one of those "action scenes." I liked it a lot, but at the same time, it felt out of place. There's a chase scene, the Porsche explodes; it feels odd but exciting at the same time. Here are our vampires suddenly in action mode. There's something subtly uncomfortable & wrong with that, while at the same time it's exciting & almost kind of funny. Lestat, Louis, & Gabrielle: Action Heros! (I cannot spell that word;
pathetic.) It's so difficult to explain, yet that feeling can be applied to almost the whole book. There;s something too bright that makes it not fit quite right with the darkness of
Interview-- reminiscent of what Nicolas said about the "light" in Lestat, & then Lestat comparing Nicki & Louis' temperaments. Really, between Lestat & Louis, I "identify" (ugh, that word & phrase) more with Louis, especially in Interview, because by the end of
Lestat, though any bitterness of not wanting to be a vampire seems to be gone, there is still the feeling of guilt (when Louis mentions his victims). It's an odd feeling that hard to describe.
Oh, but Gabrielle is brilliant. Wasn't quite sure what to think of her for a while-- mother/lover, WTF-- but the image of her in safari clothes driving a Porsche at breakneck speed & generally just seeming tomboyish is brilliant.
Have to go. Pardon any typos.
