Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

44 reviews

erebus53's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was a bookclub read (that I nominated) for #FOMO club. As someone who was a goth kid in the 90s, I was already well familiar with the plot of the book, and the movie, and I had frequently listened to quotes and rants about it. I had learned much of the book from cultural immersion. As a result it's difficult to objectively review something that was just, Known, by my social group. It's like trying to review Princess Bride, or Star Wars.

There were a few little things that I picked up from this read through; for example, it rocks my world that there is a reference in the book about a lone leader who was the only one in the social group who didn't dye their hair black. If I had only read the book in 1996, I would have been able to quietly flex with all my baby bats... (as I didn't either).

Realistically though, the book has some very problematic and unsettling features. It's supposed to be gothic horror, and it gets that way by how it messes with people's heads. It's very dismissive of Consent, and it challenges Church and Morality. There is blood and booze, and debauchery. The main character comes across as remorseful and moody, but he is also inconsistent, and has low-key pedophilic vibes. The character is also fairly non-sexual.. being attracted more by beauty and vivacity, which I think leans a little into Acephobia, to try and un-human him.

As someone who was a LARPer (live action role player) I spent about a zillion nights in fancy dress playing at vampires. It was interesting to read about vampires who knew nothing about their own 
kind because as a player of Vampire games and student of vampire myths, it makes anything these undead creatures do in a book seem familiar to ME, but they of course, having only just being reborn into night (muahahah) they don't know what they can or can't do, and have no words for the things they feel.

I think the book is clever in the way that it launched thousands of vampire fans, and in how the struggles of immortality are depicted, but as a story it kind of drags, and the characters aren't particularly loveable (I know... but it's _my_ opinion, and LeStat is a deadbeat dad, and Louis is a moper).

All in all it's a so-so story. It's not bad, but also not something I'd rush out and buy a copy of to lend to all my friends.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Chronic illness, Grief, Murder, Violence, Death, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Slavery, and Racism

singalana's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-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

3.25

Anne Rice ensimmäinen julkaistu romaani on klassikko vampyyrikirjallisuuden ystäville. Kirja kertoo vampyyri Louisin tarinan, ja tutustumme myös Rice tunnetuimpaan hahmoon: vampyyri Lestatiin. Kaksikon suhde on kaukana harmonisesta. 

Vaikka kirjaa pidetään kauhuna, kovin kauhea se ei ole. Enimmäkseen kirjassa seurataan Louisin kamppailua itsensä ja omien moraalikäsitystensä kanssa. Sinällään kirja etenee kovin verkkaisesti ja hyvin mietteliääseen tapaan. Vaikka Louis kavahtaa pahuutta, hän on kuitenkin kykenevä myös julmuuteen. Mikäli pitää mietiskelevästä kerrontatyylistä ja moraalisista pohdinnoista, kirja on kiehtovaa luettavaa, mutta toiminnan ystäville teos voi olla liian hidastempoinen. 

Etenkin kirjan loppupuolella on vähän toistoa, mikä alkoi häiritä. Itse olisin toivonut vähän enemmän toimintaa, eikä Louis ole kovin kiinnostava ja aktiivinen hahmo. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Blood, Violence, Alcohol, Animal death, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Death, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, and Adult/minor relationship

elizlizabeth's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Aside from a couple scenes that I feel were unnecessary, I'm glad that I gave this a chance. Very entertaining, love it when catholics bring to life the gayest most depraved shit to hate on it so I can be horny on main.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Animal cruelty and Confinement

penguuu's review

Way too long, way too slow, none of the characters are likeable, I couldn't do it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Pedophilia, Violence, Racism, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, Blood, Death, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Just, bad.

jessthanthree's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Blood, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Animal death, Slavery, Racism, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Gore, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Cannibalism

chris_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, and Death

Minor: Violence, Animal death, and Emotional abuse

ouizaya's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

nigrumcattus's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Body horror, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, and Racism

Minor: Colonisation, Pedophilia, and Incest

stinkylou's review

challenging dark mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death, Child death, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

cecilyroseceillam's review

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Starting my yearly re read of the vampire chronicles, I obviously had to start with interview. This book is amazing and highly worth reading, the character development is amazing and following them is so interesting, Claudia is personally my favourite and I love her story, where she’s turned against her will into a vampire after her mother has died and she grows up while her body doesn’t. It’s extremely tragic and very beautifully written; I love her character development too and seeing what she deals with as a woman stuck in a child’s body. I also enjoy reading the relationship between Louis and lestat and how toxic and abusive lestat is and how Louis continues it on to Claudia, I think the dynamic between them is very interesting. Overall I’d highly recommend this book if you have not read it, the dynamics of abuse and power struggles are very well explained through Louis, lestat and Claudia's relationship and how it’s continued on and it’s direct consequences. The descriptions are also extremely beautiful and I love the way Anne rice describes New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It’s so visceral and captivating, especially in the way she describes clothes. I also really like the way she describes certain areas as being like perfume and bringing back memories, it adds a unique way to describe nostalgia or deja vu without being super obvious but still can be understood. Overall I’d highly recommend anyone read this as I think everyone can get something from it and take something from it, whatever it be from the writing itself, descriptions or relationship dynamics.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Suicidal thoughts