Cry to Heaven
by Anne Rice
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Book Reviews of Cry to Heaven
Book Review: By far, the best Ann Rice has written to date.
Summary: 5 Stars
I am an avid Ann Rice fan. I have read virtually EVERYTHING this author has written, even the work under the pen name, Ann Rampling. Although there are few of her books that I have not read in one sitting; spell-binding as they were, I have not enjoyed any of them as much as I enjoyed Cry to Heaven. This book is vastly different from her Mayfair Witches or Vampire Chronicles work. The story gives a historical perspective of the Italian castrati; a group of young boys who showed musical promise. At around age eight or so, they would be castrated, against their wills, and taken to monastaries; living their lives in the development of their musical careers which started out as being singers for the Pope and which hopefully led them to the Italian opera houses. The story weaves its way sensually into the life of one such young boy and follows him into adulthood where he achieves the highest level of honour for a castrati, singing in the most prestigeous opera houses of the day. He is the toast of the Italian opera world but his soul is tortured. This book is one of only a very few which I have read and re-read any number of times. It is a delight for the reader who enjoys sensuality with a taste of history. Of note is the fact that there are actual recordings of the main character available to further enhance one's understanding of the world of the Italian castrati and their contribution to the musical world. This book is a must-read for Rice fans and is too often passed over because it does not belong to any of the "series" types. What a mistake to ignore it!Book Review: Early Anne Rice Unbeatable
Summary: 5 Stars
Set against the poetically, lushly described background of 18th century Italy, this is the tale of the castrati, men who were castrated before puberty so that they would not lose their angelic singing voices with the breaking (deepening) of the male voice which occurs at puberty. I knew nothing about this subject before reading this novel but felt that I had totally submersed myself in their world by book's end. Tonio, the protagonist, takes us there and we fully experience both his pain as a half man and his joy as an otherworldly, privileged singer. One must remember though how cruel life in general was to the majority of people in this era and country. Thus, although a terrible wrong has been done to Tonio and fellow castrati, they also experience the highs of life that would have never been open to them being among the masses of unprivileged people. They also have sex lives and rather robust ones at that, which caught me somewhat by surprise given that they've been castrated. I did see a movie which reminds me of this novel, called "Farinelli." It is the story of such a singer who really existed back then. The movie was very good but this novel is outstanding. Personally, I liked Rice better as an author in these earlier works of hers, when she took her time to really craft exceptional work. In more recent times, she produces her novels at warp speed. There's been a real loss of craftsmanship in that mass production mode that did not occur in this earlier work.Book Review: Anne Rice's stand-alone masterpiece!
Summary: 5 Stars
Let me add my enthusiastic "bravo!" to the list. Read this book! This novel is a wonderful tale of music and the passion of lives fully lived...and the pain to which that fullness is wed. What thrilling, erotic read. This is the story of an 18th century castrato who is torn between getting revenge against those who mutilated him...or rising above that-- with his angelic voice and impossible good looks-- to become Italy's next opera star. Rice steeped her novel in betrayal, obsession, the drive for revenge, the lust for power, and the need of a astarved soul to find love. But beyond all these "bodice-ripper" adjectives, Cry to Heaven is at its heart an unflinching character study of a man who has his manhood stolen from him, and of how his mind has to twist in on itself to cope with this loss.
Ms. Rice's protagonist, Tonio Treschi is wonderfully nuanced, and we get to see into his tortured soul at every step of his journey-- from the confused and unfocused pain of being castrated, to the cold, focused revenge on the one responsible. Masterful! Add to this the lush backdrop of the intrigue of the opera scene in Naples, Venice, Milan and Rome...well, this is truly a feast. And I ate every morsel. After reading this novel, you'll felt like you've earned a PhD in musicology, opera seria, and Italian political history-- it's that detailed. But the details NEVER bog down the story, just make it richer and richer. Again, bravo, bravo Anne Rice!
Book Review: an addictive little thing
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the written equivilant of "The Jerry Springer Show". Every ten pages (or every ten lines if it's during a homoromantic love triangle -- it doesn't matter that they're eunuchs; this is Anne Rice), you ask yourself, "Why am I reading this sheist?" But you keep on reading anyway.Though some may find the author's treatment of gender (psychological vs. biological, mainly) amusing, my favorite aspect of this book is Tonio's surreal life after being, ahem, snipped. How does the mind adapt to such a change in the body, and what of the man survives that trauma? The author's answers to these questions take a few hundred pages, but they're fascinating answers.
Though Freud would have probably considered the sword to be a phallic symbol, it's remarkable just how far the author carries this symbolism. The way the protagonist balances a life of castrati opera and swordfighting isn't, in sum, androgynous; it's something far more complex than that.
Overall, the history is well researched; Rice stretches it by making a fifteen year-old into a eunuch (most singers would be castrated well before puberty), but that's not technically impossible, just improbable. Her writing and plot at times mimic the melodrama of an Italian opera, but it's no cheesier than those goth vampires in her other books, and the fact that it's based in reality is refreshing.
Book Review: Truly a cry...disturbing and at times unbearable
Summary: 4 Stars
Because I've fallen so helplessly in Love with Anne Rice'swritings, I would forgive her nearly anything. But this novel waslittle bit too much for me. I admit that I've been enchanted with the grand historical background of the 18th century Italy and "the otherworldly society of the castrati", of which I knew nothing before reading the novel, and which Anne Rice has been able to bring back so magically to life. The acute and indescribable pain of Tonio, the protagonist, is just at times too real and haunting to the extent that I had to put down the novel for a while to calm down and be able to bear all that pain. Yes, Anne Rice can make you stay up all night reading her book or stop reading at one point to digest the too real emotions she describes or the questions she raises. Tonio's confusion and questions are so touching and disturbing that they became mine for quite some time. What was far too disturbing for me and at times unbearable is the total indulgence of desires that Tonio practices. I would have really loved the novel far more if that indulgence has not been described so often and sometimes with so much details. All in all, Anne Rice has proven her ability to write a book of supernatural strength though there are no supernatural beings in it and once more she captivates and captures her readers as only few writers could.