Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

For October Vicky and I have chosen Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice! This is a reread for both Vicky and I, but neither of us have read it since we were teens....and that was some time ago! Both of us were interested in seeing if we felt the same way about the story as adults.

I LOVED the Vampire Chronicles when I was a teen. I first read Interview when I was around 14. My mom had the book lying around the house and since I had seen the movie, I was interested to see if the book was any different. Spoiler alert, it is. But in a good way. While the movie follows the book rather well, there are certain nuances that you just can't get in film. And while Anne Rice herself hated the casting of Tom Cruise as Lestat, after reading the book I think that he played Lestat brilliantly.
After devouring Interview and loving it, my mom bought me the rest of the Vampire Chronicles and I flew through them. There are currently 13 books in this series and I have read 6 of them. The underworld that Rice created was so fascinating to see develop. Especially with all the passage of time and watching these characters navigate the world as it changed around them and they never aged. Queen of the Damned will always be my favorite in the series, but the movie was a trash fire. What amazed me is that I always thought that Louis was the main character for the series. He's not. Lestat is. As you read the series that becomes abundantly clear. He is one of the most fascinating characters I have ever encountered. As the series evolves new characters come in and take the forefront, but Lestat will always be my favorite. The scheming, cocky, selfish, no f*cks given vampire that he is. Rice also describes New Orleans so perfectly it feels like you are right there. I always feel completely immersed when I read her books.

I hope you join Vicky and I in revisiting Interview with the Vampire in October! It is a reread that has been a long time coming for both of us, and what better time to pick it up than in October?

Here is the official synopsis:
This is the story of Louis, as told in his own words, of his journey through mortal and immortal life. Louis recounts how he became a vampire at the hands of the radiant and sinister Lestat and how he became indoctrinated, unwillingly, into the vampire way of life. His story ebbs and flows through the streets of New Orleans, defining crucial moments such as his discovery of the exquisite lost young child Claudia, wanting not to hurt but to comfort her with the last breaths of humanity he has inside. Yet, he makes Claudia a vampire, trapping her womanly passion, will, and intelligence inside the body of a small child. Louis and Claudia form a seemingly unbreakable alliance and even "settle down" for a while in the opulent French Quarter. Louis remembers Claudia's struggle to understand herself and the hatred they both have for Lestat that sends them halfway across the world to seek others of their kind. Louis and Claudia are desperate to find somewhere they belong, to find others who understand, and someone who knows what and why they are.

Louis and Claudia travel Europe, eventually coming to Paris and the ragingly successful Theatre des Vampires--a theatre of vampires pretending to be mortals pretending to be vampires. Here they meet the magnetic and ethereal Armand, who brings them into a whole society of vampires. But Louis and Claudia find that finding others like themselves provides no easy answers and in fact presents dangers they scarcely imagined.

Originally begun as a short story, the book took off as Anne wrote it, spinning the tragic and triumphant life experiences of a soul. As well as the struggles of its characters, Interview captures the political and social changes of two continents. The novel also introduces Lestat, Anne's most enduring character, a heady mixture of attraction and revulsion. The book, full of lush description, centers on the themes of immortality, change, loss, sexuality, and power.

Oooh, exciting! Just joined, and this is one of my favorite books! I think I've read it 3 or 4 times, but haven't picked it up in several years. Definitely due for a reread. Maybe this time I'll actually go on to read the rest of the series finally 😅

The rest of the series is good! I need to reread them and then continue. 😂

Bobbi wrote: "The rest of the series is good! I need to reread them and then continue. 😂"

I started The Vampire Lestat earlier this year and was loving it, but I got to like the 100 page mark and was defeated by a reading slump. I'm hoping rereading the first one will motivate me to get back to it!

Looking forward to re-reading this!! Will you guys be doing the rest too?

We could Lauren! There are 13 now so it would take us years. 😂😂