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hollyway's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I first read this book in 2007 when I was 12/13. It was probably the first real adult book I read and became an instant favourite. That was almost twenty years ago!! So I thought it was time to revisit it and figure out whether Interview with the Vampire qualifies as a favourite book or merely a foundational one.
Well, I can safely say it is a favourite, favourite, favourite, and I knew within pages that it would be. The narrative voice is impeccably dramatic, rich and spellbinding, the characters are iconic and the world is built up for us in descriptions so gorgeously original that I couldn't help but soak up every word. I was surprised and pleased with how genuinely creepy and disturbing it was at times, as well as hypnotically beautiful.
Beyond simply being effective in its style, this is a deeply philosophical novel in the vein of Frankenstein. Louis' eternal anguish over his very nature is agonising. Though he is lamenting life eternal and the parasitic nature of the vampire, it all echoes very human concerns. Themes of grief, love, hate, lust, self-loathing and the very meaning of life reverberate throughout every page of this novel - but never preaching to the reader, merely searching hand in hand for answers to unanswerable questions.
Though I struggle to conceive of what the hell I got out of this book at the ripe old age of 12 lol (I have to imagine that 90% of it went over my head) I'm not at all surprised at the way the characters and their relationships stuck with me over the years. No matter my distance from the novel, no matter the fact that I have never watched the movie all the way through and haven't yet watched the new adaptation, Louis and Lestat have remained vivid in my imagination this whole time (I'm surprised at how little I remembered of Armand, though, cos um. oh my god?). They are the kind of characters that truly take on a life of their own, tuck themselves in your pocket and travel on with you. I'm glad I met them when I was a kid and it was a pleasure to get reacquainted with them.
God I love reading!!!!
Well, I can safely say it is a favourite, favourite, favourite, and I knew within pages that it would be. The narrative voice is impeccably dramatic, rich and spellbinding, the characters are iconic and the world is built up for us in descriptions so gorgeously original that I couldn't help but soak up every word. I was surprised and pleased with how genuinely creepy and disturbing it was at times, as well as hypnotically beautiful.
Beyond simply being effective in its style, this is a deeply philosophical novel in the vein of Frankenstein. Louis' eternal anguish over his very nature is agonising. Though he is lamenting life eternal and the parasitic nature of the vampire, it all echoes very human concerns. Themes of grief, love, hate, lust, self-loathing and the very meaning of life reverberate throughout every page of this novel - but never preaching to the reader, merely searching hand in hand for answers to unanswerable questions.
Though I struggle to conceive of what the hell I got out of this book at the ripe old age of 12 lol (I have to imagine that 90% of it went over my head) I'm not at all surprised at the way the characters and their relationships stuck with me over the years. No matter my distance from the novel, no matter the fact that I have never watched the movie all the way through and haven't yet watched the new adaptation, Louis and Lestat have remained vivid in my imagination this whole time (I'm surprised at how little I remembered of Armand, though, cos um. oh my god?). They are the kind of characters that truly take on a life of their own, tuck themselves in your pocket and travel on with you. I'm glad I met them when I was a kid and it was a pleasure to get reacquainted with them.
God I love reading!!!!
kat_fields's review
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is a book that works well as an audiobook.
an_honest_synopsis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
π―πππππ πΊπππππππ: A centuries-old vampire recounts his immortal life.
πΉπππππ: I've seen the movie, multiple times (hello every 90s heartthrob). I'm watching the AMC series, which is fantastic and everyone should watch it. I thought I should finally get around to reading the book and I remembered why I gave up on it so easily in college. So wordy. One paragraph takes up an entire page. Never felt like I was making a dent.
π©πππ ππ π΄ππππ: The movie is mostly true to the book with a few minor edits. There are a couple of scenes that are completely removed from the movie, but I don't feel they would have added to the story. There was one key aspect of their time in Paris that was changed and I'm not entirely sure which version I prefer.
π©πππ ππ π»π½ πΊπππ: There are a lot more liberties in the TV show including race and ages of some of the characters, and Louis' origin story is more authentic to the book. The TV show is in an earlier section of the book ending in Part 1. Pretty sure Season 2 will take place in Paris, so we'll see how that plays out.
πΉππππππππ πππππ: If you want to read the book I wouldn't discourage you, but the movie does a good job.
julyover7's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
logolepsy_e's review against another edition
3.0
Un romanzo sui vampiri che definirei intenso.
Le avventure narrate sono vivide, crude e realistiche e la storia, ricca di avvenimenti, si sviluppa in modo veloce ed accattivante, con descrizioni dettagliate e precise che ci immergono nel romanzo.
Ma ciò che più mi ha sorpreso di questa storia è l'incredibile capacità dell'autrice di analizzare e descrivere perfettamente gli stati d'animo del protagonista. L'aspetto introspettivo di questo racconto è infatti ciò che lo rende così speciale: non è una semplice storia di vampiri, ma è un viaggio profondo nell'animo di queste creature, in particolare in quello di Louis, attanagliato da innumervoli dubbi e angosce sulla sua natura e sulle sue azioni malvagie. E quindi un viaggio attraverso l'Europa si trasforma in un viaggio attraverso la mente tormentata di una creatura alle prese con una realtà che non avrebbe mai voluto conoscere.
Le avventure narrate sono vivide, crude e realistiche e la storia, ricca di avvenimenti, si sviluppa in modo veloce ed accattivante, con descrizioni dettagliate e precise che ci immergono nel romanzo.
Ma ciò che più mi ha sorpreso di questa storia è l'incredibile capacità dell'autrice di analizzare e descrivere perfettamente gli stati d'animo del protagonista. L'aspetto introspettivo di questo racconto è infatti ciò che lo rende così speciale: non è una semplice storia di vampiri, ma è un viaggio profondo nell'animo di queste creature, in particolare in quello di Louis, attanagliato da innumervoli dubbi e angosce sulla sua natura e sulle sue azioni malvagie. E quindi un viaggio attraverso l'Europa si trasforma in un viaggio attraverso la mente tormentata di una creatura alle prese con una realtà che non avrebbe mai voluto conoscere.
lizbradford's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
casteele303's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really loved the mood of this book, the darkness and descriptive nature. For some reason it just falls a little flat for me. I thought the relationships between the characters were indigestibly weird and the plot felt boring and disjointed at parts. Not a bad read, but I definitely prefer the movie.
anna_scht7's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
svea505's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75