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hydrangeawitch 's review for:
The Vampire Lestat
by Anne Rice
I went into this without any expectations whatsoever. I always found Interview with the Vampire to be alright, but I was never interested in the following books. I remember 14-year old me reading IwtV for the first time and checking out the second book on amazon. I think it's fair to say that the German description of The Vampire Lestat fucking sucks. Being set in the 80ies and featuring a vampire rock star surely did not help (it really does sound ridiculous, come on).
Past me let it go.
I ordered The Interview with the Vampire on a whim last month and liked it more than the first time around. But again, I wasn't interested enough to continue with the series. Or so I'd thought. Still, reluctant I ordered the second book and I never could've imagined to like it as much as I did. The main reason for that is: I didn't think anything could redeem Lestat from IwtV.
But in my opinion he did. Kind of. This book isn't like: Hey, I had a shitty childhood and that's why I became a huge cunt so excuse my entire behaviour right now.
No, it shows that Lestat had some pretty nasty things going on but he still tried to please and keep his innocence. It didn't work; and after reading Vampire Lestat I still think he's a walking trash can, even more so. But it's a trash can with depth.
Becoming an anti-hero was a process, which you don't get to read often.
It makes sense that Louis would demonize Lestat, and he's not wrong, but this only shows how important it is to look at two sides instead of only one.
Fact is Louis and Lestat had very different expectations of another from the very beginning and-sure, questionably- somehow made do, because that's what you do. You keep up with what you've known for a long time and it's not terrible but it doesn't make anybody really happy either. And that's how you start to despise someone.
Lestat couldn't give Louis the answers he desperately needed, while Louis and Claudia constantly shut out Lestat- which is his sore spot; a fact he tried to prove wrong.
They were all imprisoned in the whole situation, with Claudia being the only one willing to break out.
This was a huge point I didn't understand at first, but how could one understand with only one perspective to look at; one filled with guilt and self-loathing and shame. A perspective that doesn't give the whole truth and feels inconsistent, because the other half of it is missing. One mustn't forget that IwtV and TVL feature unreliable protagonists, which is natural and makes the whole thing so genius.
But in the end, only Lestat's POV could make Louis more sympathetic to me. And the whole thing is summed up pretty well with Lestat admitting that they could've never loved each other as much then as they could now.
-Of course not, they simply didn't get each other back then.
In my eyes this book is a masterpiece. Seldom have I read a character written so magnificently. When was the last time I felt so much while reading a book? What has been as captivating as this lately? I honestly don't remember.
I shamelessly enjoyed every moment of it and will do so again.
Of course, the book had its flaws. One major point bothering me is when Lestat's telling about his time as an invalid. He told of Armand visiting, but not of Louis, who on the other hand told the reader in IwtV that he did in fact found Lestat at some point and even talked to him. And since Lestat "read" the same thing, he must've known that Louis had been there, too. But it wasn't ever mentioned in TVL.
So I don't know if the author simply forgot to add it or if it's another case of unreliable protagonist.
Present me is happy that 14-year old me didn't read The Vampire Lestat. 14-year old me wouldn't have been able to appreciated it.
Past me let it go.
I ordered The Interview with the Vampire on a whim last month and liked it more than the first time around. But again, I wasn't interested enough to continue with the series. Or so I'd thought. Still, reluctant I ordered the second book and I never could've imagined to like it as much as I did. The main reason for that is: I didn't think anything could redeem Lestat from IwtV.
But in my opinion he did. Kind of. This book isn't like: Hey, I had a shitty childhood and that's why I became a huge cunt so excuse my entire behaviour right now.
No, it shows that Lestat had some pretty nasty things going on but he still tried to please and keep his innocence. It didn't work; and after reading Vampire Lestat I still think he's a walking trash can, even more so. But it's a trash can with depth.
Becoming an anti-hero was a process, which you don't get to read often.
It makes sense that Louis would demonize Lestat, and he's not wrong, but this only shows how important it is to look at two sides instead of only one.
Fact is Louis and Lestat had very different expectations of another from the very beginning and-sure, questionably- somehow made do, because that's what you do. You keep up with what you've known for a long time and it's not terrible but it doesn't make anybody really happy either. And that's how you start to despise someone.
Lestat couldn't give Louis the answers he desperately needed, while Louis and Claudia constantly shut out Lestat- which is his sore spot; a fact he tried to prove wrong.
They were all imprisoned in the whole situation, with Claudia being the only one willing to break out.
This was a huge point I didn't understand at first, but how could one understand with only one perspective to look at; one filled with guilt and self-loathing and shame. A perspective that doesn't give the whole truth and feels inconsistent, because the other half of it is missing. One mustn't forget that IwtV and TVL feature unreliable protagonists, which is natural and makes the whole thing so genius.
But in the end, only Lestat's POV could make Louis more sympathetic to me. And the whole thing is summed up pretty well with Lestat admitting that they could've never loved each other as much then as they could now.
-Of course not, they simply didn't get each other back then.
In my eyes this book is a masterpiece. Seldom have I read a character written so magnificently. When was the last time I felt so much while reading a book? What has been as captivating as this lately? I honestly don't remember.
I shamelessly enjoyed every moment of it and will do so again.
Of course, the book had its flaws. One major point bothering me is when Lestat's telling about his time as an invalid. He told of Armand visiting, but not of Louis, who on the other hand told the reader in IwtV that he did in fact found Lestat at some point and even talked to him. And since Lestat "read" the same thing, he must've known that Louis had been there, too. But it wasn't ever mentioned in TVL.
So I don't know if the author simply forgot to add it or if it's another case of unreliable protagonist.
Present me is happy that 14-year old me didn't read The Vampire Lestat. 14-year old me wouldn't have been able to appreciated it.