Cry to Heaven
by Anne Rice
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Book Reviews of Cry to Heaven
Book Review: Competent plot and writing, but lacks memorability and impact. Hesitantly recommended as a fast, enjoyable, but forgettable read
Summary: 3 Stars
Tonio Treschi is a growing boy, the heir a small but noble Venetian family, and he has the singing voice of an angel. Guido Maffeo is a grown castrato who lost his singing voice in adolescence and now teaches young castrati and composes music. When Tonio is castrated at the order of a jealous and vengeful relative, he is forced into Guido's care and banished from Venice. Guido takes him to the school for castrati where he himself was taught, and endeavors to train Tonio's voice and make him into the best singer the world has ever seen. Old enough to know the world of men, but now removed from it forever, Tonio is caught between a desire to avenge the crime against him, mourning for what he has lost, and the first chance at happiness that he has ever know. Cry to Heaven is a well-plotted story and competently told, but lacks the sincerity to make it truly meaningful or memorable. The characters aren't nearly as compelling as some of the others in Rice's books, and the issues within the book are generally dealt with too bluntly and without much thought or detail. It is a fast, entertaining read and never becomes difficult or slow, but its lasting impact is somewhat limited. As a result, I recommend this book only hesitantly.
There isn't much more to say about Cry to Heaven. It is neither disappointing nor impressive, and neither good or bad. The plot and writing style are more than competent, keeping the book moving at a good pace, introducing plenty of problems and resolutions in the plot and working its way up to one major climax at the end of the book. My only compliant with the writing itself is the lack of emotional resolution at the end of the book--the action builds up nicely, but the actual conclusion to the book seems a little empty and unexplored, especially in comparison to the character insight in the body of the text. Other than that detail, all of the necessary authorial techniques are there and the book is approachable, holds the reader's attention, and has a strong plot.
But outside of plot devices and action, there isn't much to this book, leaving the reader with nothing memorable or though-provoking. Rice may not be a particularly "deep" writer, but some of her other books prove that she is capable of creating and exploring complex moral situations, emotions, and ideas. The underlying ideas upon which Rice tries to and could have expanded upon are present, specifically the gender ambiguity and third-gender roles of the castrati, but Rice approaches them too bluntly to make the issues detailed or thoughtful. She rushes into sexual situations, cross-dressing, and androgyny too quickly and easily and her approach to the subject becomes repetitive: repeat sexual encounters, repeat manliness angst, and not much more. If explored in more depth, the contents and characters of this book would probably be much more meaningful; as it is, they are interesting while reading but have no long-term impact on the reader.
I recommend this book as a quick, enjoyable, attention-grabbing read, but I don't recommend it very strongly. It won't be a book that I come back to, and I would recommend some of Rice's other books before this one. The text isn't worth seeking out, but if you stumble upon it like I did (for fifty cents at a library sale), then by all means give it a go.
Book Review: Addendum to Other Reviews
Summary: 5 Stars
The reviews of others, e.g., Chicago Dreamer and Fisher, are accurate, useful, and elegantly written; so I'll add only a few more thoughts. I avoided Rice and her vampire books mistakenly thinking that she was only a pulp/pop-fiction writer. When I read "Cry to Heaven," I was pleasantly surprised, even astonished. She obviously is intelligent, talented, and professional. My being an avid reader and member of a great-books discussion group for many years, I was impressed with her style and skill. Her detailed research into the era, locales, and the world of castrati was admirable. My having worked as a therapist for many years, I was profoundly touched by the insight and sensitivity with which Ann explored the thoughts and feelings of Tonio. My having been a life-long lover of serious music and also a researcher and lecturer into the subject of Baroque music and the castrati, I was impressed with her accuracy and understanding of this amazing phenomenon.
"Cry to Heaven" would make a unique and wonderful movie, but only if it were to be made very well, perhaps as a "labor of love" as was Visconti's "Death in Venice" and with an appropriate budget, time, and effort similar to Peter Jackson's, albeit longer, "Lord of the Ring" triology. Of course, there would be several difficulties to overcome.
First, Tonio grows from childhood into young adulthood, requiring perhaps three look-alike actors of special beauty, as described by Ann, and with convincing acting ability.
Second, the superlative castrato voice would have to be created most likely by using 21st-century technology (which would take time but should not be overly difficult) to cover the wide alto-to-soprano range plus the vocal strength suitable for the opera stage. Very importantly, the uninformed mistakes of the "Farinelli" producers would have to be avoided, i.e., using an average, female soprano with distinctly female timbre, breathiness, and technical imprecision along with an average countertenor with similar problems. For the alto range, superlative countertenor Andreas Scholl has the talent, experience, power, and voi-blanc sound required to approximate the castrato voice. Unfortunately, the perfect female soprano Gundula Janowitz no longer sings, but there may be one or two now available who have voices far superior to the one used in the 1994 "Farinelli." Also, natural male sopranos such as Jorge Cano or Radu Marian might be used. Then these voices could be electronically blended to form a consistent, ideal voice.
Third, the sex scenes in Ann's novel are not gratuitous and do explore the natural drives and emotional confusion of the castrati. They should not be avoided in a movie version and can be filmed tastefully so that they would not be offensive to anyone other than those persons who are horrified by sex and prefer to deny human nature.
Perhaps a dedicated film maker such as Visconti or Jackson will have the courage, support, and budget to make a quality film version of Ann's book. In the meantime, this book should be a must-read for anyone who is interested in the subject and also is looking for a good, dramatic tale.
Book Review: Historically thrilling!!
Summary: 4 Stars
I must admit, I have never found vampires to be a topic of particular interest for me, and so my interest in the books of Anne Rice has been very recent. But through reading about this book, it snagged my musical and historical interests, and so I encourage critical and accurate reviews!
Cry To Heaven is the story of a young nobleman named Tonio who discovers a dark family secret and is then dispelled and castrated before he comes of age to hurl him away from the House of Treshi into the world of the castrati singers. Tonio, while being perhaps the most marvelous singer in all of Naples and possibly of all time, seeks patiently his own quest also, that of revenge. The story also follows Guido, a composer/teacher once singer of the castrati with talent like Tonio's who lost his voice, and so his passion for opera ends up being Tonio's voice. Passion and love, however, grow between these two who struggle towards their musical goal, from the dimly lit studio at the conservatorio to the operas in Naples, to the Contessa's ball to the stage in Rome. As for Tonio's revenge... read the book.
Just having read the book "Cry To Heaven", I have several comments on controversial or not so controversial points in many reviews. Firstly, the book is very lavish in description in places, while being quite skeletal in others (that is to say, mostly action narrative), but one never notices the latter because even then, there is a great wealth of detail described between the lines if you let your imagination flourish. I myself am a great fan of a historical fictional novel and this is an unusual, and not often dealt-with topic to choose. However, as a singer who is currently soprano and a student of music, I find this book to be delightful in that way. I found myself quite swept away to the spectacles of Italian opera, and rich clothing, to the drearier moments, in sight and sound.
There are bits and pieces of this book that can be disturbing and a reader should be forewarned of. One is the incest in the house of Treschi, from which Tonio, the main protagonist, is from. Another are the strong themes of sexuality here and there in the book, due to the disabled yet sexually functional genderless castrati. I am not one to endorse homosexuality or bisexuality, or any sexuality, but in this book, it seems well-twined with the other problems as these singers grow up and therefore I do not condemn it either. Not much is peculiarly graphic so don't bother getting the smelling salts. Religion, also, is brought in, highly Catholic, and adds an extra bit of intrigue to the story, though used a little inappropriately at one point. The combination of these potentially disturbing topics quite knocks the 5th star off the the rating.
But historically, from names of composers to opera setbuilders to great singers and teachers in italy, to even the training methods of music, there is great accuracy in this book which to me makes it a gem, though I think it begins a bit slow. *BUT* for the reader in the world of music, history, or who merely likes a realistic intrigue story with a little romance in it, it is a recommended read.
Book Review: Potent, Evocative Look Into the World of the Castrati
Summary: 4 Stars
There are no vampires here but something equally intriguing. Even though this Anne Rice book was first published back in 1982, I must admit my interest peaked when the extraordinary countertenor David Daniels recently mentioned it would make the ideal subject for an opera that could showcase his rarefied voice type. He's right. In her inimitable way, she has recreated the artistic and musical world of 18th century Europe, in particular, Venice and Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) with vivid strokes and seeming historical accuracy. Her protagonist is Tonio, born into nobility who thanks to a cruel elder brother, is surgically altered to become a castrato so that his voice will never mature into a man's. His estranged brother returns after his father's sudden death and wants to usurp the position of heir. Disinherited and forced to join the ranks of the castrati, Tonio plans his revenge while striving to become the greatest of all singers. This portion of the book sounds very Baroque and melodramatic, and for the most part, it is but in a most irresistible way, similar to Gérard Corbiau's 1994 film, "Farinelli".
The rest of the novel focuses on Tonio's success as a singer, and the nightmares that plague him for much of his life. He receives invaluable help from Guido, a eunuch who composes opera and dreams of the perfect male soprano voice to give it life. He discovers Tonio and becomes his teacher. This is exactly what truly sets this novel apart, Rice's acute ability to immerse the reader into the world of the castrati. It's clear she has done extensive research to provide the foundation and dramatic currents of her engrossing story. We are immersed into the daily life and work of the castrato student - the vocal exercises and technical lessons in composition and notation, even the castrato's uniform, a black tunic with a red sash and a black ribbon around the neck. Their soaring voices impressed courtiers and nobility, and the best ones achieved wealth and power, but as Rice illustrates with Tonio, it all comes at a significant price - living in constant fear, an unrelenting vengeance for his brother and an impossible struggle to become a "real" man. In the afterword, Rice mentions recordings of Monteverdi and Scarlatti as inspirations for several of the scenes in the book. I suggest you play some of David Daniels' stellar recordings, such as his Nerone in Monteverdi's "L'incoronazione di Poppea" or any of his versions of Handel's arias, to get you in the proper mood for this evocative novel.
Book Review: Magnificent chronicle, beautifully written!
Summary: 5 Stars
"And Guido perceived that when the woman is taken out of an entire realm of life that must need to imitate the world itself, then some substitute for that woman is inevitable. Something must rise to take the place of what is feminine. Something must rise to be feminine. And the castrati were not mere singers, players, anomalies; they had become woman herself." -Anne Rice Set in Venice, Naples, Rome, and Florence during the time of Vivaldi, this exquisitely written work is the story of Marc Antonio Treschi, a castrato. A Venetian nobleman, Tonio was blessed with many things -- a beautiful mother, a fine family, a gentlemanly upbringing, and not least of all, a beautiful singing voice. Tonio led a very sheltered early life, and as he begins the journey to manhood, he starts to discover some dark secrets of the House of Treschi. A word to the wise: This author does not shy away from taboo subjects.
Music was the passion and preoccupation of many people in Europe during this time. In the name of producing great music, mutilations were routinely done during these times to little boys from poor families -- boys with voices which showed promise. How Tonio came to his experience with the knife will best be discovered by reading this wonderful book, and spoiling the experience by detailing the plot is something which will not be done in this review.
This book is a compelling adventure, and it is written by a masterful writer. Anne Rice excels in transporting her reader to magical times & places, and introducing them to interesting people, who then spring to life. She takes her readers on a mystical journey, always choosing the perfect word. Simply, magically, elegantly, she weaves a tapestry of wonder, and through it all, holds one spellbound. She can describe a walk through a grand old square in Italy, and everything she has outlined can be envisioned, right down to the smells and sounds. Rice's characters are larger than life, they are compelling, and they are detailed down to their fingernails and the texture of their hair. Their thoughts are perfectly articulated, and they are set forth in extremely beautiful prose.
If one contemplates a "Cry to Heaven," one could think of many things that could conjure up such a cry: Religion, Remorse, Regret, Angst, Guilt, Pain, Sorrow, Love, Rapture, Longing, Esctacy, and of course, Great Music! All of these are found in this work. Highly, Highly Recommended!!!