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A review by joannacorvus
Belinda by Anne Rice, Anne Rampling
4.0
Upon finishing this book, I was left with a feeling of bewilderment. I dare say that like which Dorothy experienced after the tornado and finding herself in a strange world she had never even dared to dream of before.
While I am no prude, I admit that I found it strange to be reading Belinda, to be reading a story of a middle aged man that falls in love with a sophisticated, mature, and beguiling 16 year old. And to be clear, she falls in love with him as well. While most people claim that age is just a number, when a person under the age of 18 is involved it suddenly becomes taboo, even a perversion. Which is strange when one considers that many of the parents of children in the 50s were often young women of 13-17 when they got married to men of 21 and older. That it became taboo in a single generation is mind boggling. And though I myself believe that most 16 year old kids are not mature enough to step into a stable and healthy marriage, upon reading Belinda I find that I can believe her quite capable.
Here is Anne Rice writing in her majestic way that draws you in and allows to to really “feel” the areas she has her characters in. From the moody and dark brilliance of New Orleans, to the foggy and open and clean San Francisco, to the smog filled lush beauty of Tinseltown, you really can imagine yourself there. Warmed by the sun, hair blowing in the breeze, listening to the wind tossing the trees in the storm outside, every nuance is covered and transmitted in words to form a clear image in your head that transports you right into it.
Add to this that she gives each character such unique poise. Every person is separate, each their own way of talking and body language. You’re never questioning who she’s talking about because each character is painted vividly in your imagination. You fall in love with the loyal gentleman actor Alex, with G.G.’s boyish charm and quick wits and his innocence, Blaire’s flamboyant and loud exuberance, and Susan’s easy southern charm and ready smile. Even the smallest characters pull at your mind like each has their own story to tell if you’d just come on in for a cup of tea.
All in all, a boundary pushing book. While not my favorite of Anne Rice’s work, and a bit hard to really get into for the first half (simply because I was weighing morality of a 45 year old and a 16 year old and wasn’t identifying with them at first, but that did come later), it’s well worth pushing through to the whirlwind ending if you're able to come to terms with the age gap.
While I am no prude, I admit that I found it strange to be reading Belinda, to be reading a story of a middle aged man that falls in love with a sophisticated, mature, and beguiling 16 year old. And to be clear, she falls in love with him as well. While most people claim that age is just a number, when a person under the age of 18 is involved it suddenly becomes taboo, even a perversion. Which is strange when one considers that many of the parents of children in the 50s were often young women of 13-17 when they got married to men of 21 and older. That it became taboo in a single generation is mind boggling. And though I myself believe that most 16 year old kids are not mature enough to step into a stable and healthy marriage, upon reading Belinda I find that I can believe her quite capable.
Here is Anne Rice writing in her majestic way that draws you in and allows to to really “feel” the areas she has her characters in. From the moody and dark brilliance of New Orleans, to the foggy and open and clean San Francisco, to the smog filled lush beauty of Tinseltown, you really can imagine yourself there. Warmed by the sun, hair blowing in the breeze, listening to the wind tossing the trees in the storm outside, every nuance is covered and transmitted in words to form a clear image in your head that transports you right into it.
Add to this that she gives each character such unique poise. Every person is separate, each their own way of talking and body language. You’re never questioning who she’s talking about because each character is painted vividly in your imagination. You fall in love with the loyal gentleman actor Alex, with G.G.’s boyish charm and quick wits and his innocence, Blaire’s flamboyant and loud exuberance, and Susan’s easy southern charm and ready smile. Even the smallest characters pull at your mind like each has their own story to tell if you’d just come on in for a cup of tea.
All in all, a boundary pushing book. While not my favorite of Anne Rice’s work, and a bit hard to really get into for the first half (simply because I was weighing morality of a 45 year old and a 16 year old and wasn’t identifying with them at first, but that did come later), it’s well worth pushing through to the whirlwind ending if you're able to come to terms with the age gap.