Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Veren vangit by Anne Rice

25 reviews

gabriella_'s review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I felt a lot of things reading this book - parts of it are deeply problematic (re: Claudia), but if you go in the with a grain of salt and self care ready, I think this is a solid read

The yearning is so strong in this book. There are moments where Louis’ sorrow is so tangible it has a physicality. It drapes over the narrative of prose of the book like a curtain.

“I didn’t know I thought these things. I spoke them now as my thoughts. And they were my most profound feelings taking a shape they could never have taken had I not spoken them, had I not thought them out this way in conversation with another. I thought myself then possessed of a passive mind, in a sense. I mean that my mind could only pull itself together, formulate thought out of the muddle of longing and pain, when it was touched by another mind; fertilized by it; deeply excited by that other mind and driven to form conclusions. I felt now the rarest, most acute alleviation of loneliness.  I could easily visualize and suffer the moment years before in another country, [. . .] and then that passionate and doomed affection for Claudia which made loneliness retreat behind the soft indulgence of the senses, the same senses that longed for the kill. [. . .] And it was as if the great feminine longing of my mind were being awakened again to be satisfied. And this I felt despite my own words: ‘But it’s that dark, that empty. And it is without consolation.’”

 The entire time I felt like I was seeing through Louis’ eyes and was keenly aware of

Lestat’s watchful gaze

“But Louis, this is the very spirit of your age. Don’t you see that? Everyone else feels as you feel. Your fall from grace and faith has been the fall of a century.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

taleofabibliophile's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Ableism, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol

caterina's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

For 7 days, I read this book in the dark of night, when sleep is challenging due to chronic pain, and I miss it now that it's over. I didn't expect to enjoy this so much, but the lush imagery and the wrestling with grief that reflects Anne Rice's own (loss of a daughter Claudia's age) drew me in. I'm glad I read this for a reading challenge.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Blood, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Racism, Slavery, and Suicide

amberinpieces's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Gore, Violence, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Cursing, Self harm, Torture, and Death of parent

mothstrand's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Racism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Confinement, Excrement, Stalking, and Abandonment

13octopus's review against another edition

dark funny relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Incest, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Colonisation

Minor: War

mengzhenreads's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A fun, gritty, and atmospheric book about vampires. Published in 1976, this book was the precursor to the modern vampire and for that I applaud this book for being something original, unique, and fresh with good writing. I really enjoyed the reflective nature of Louis' character and overall found this to be a great exploration of the nuances and depth of vampires.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Slavery, and Violence

Minor: Confinement

mysimas's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I first saw the film when I was a child, a little older than ten perhaps; I was allowed to stay past my bedtime to finish it, and it was unlike anything I had seen before. I’ve been fond of it and the characters ever since, even if I now think the story a tad too melodramatic and emo for my tastes.

The book, I never liked as much - frankly, it’s bit of a slog at times, showering you with unnecessary words where much fewer would suffice. I’m sure at least half its shine stems from nostalgia. But like with the movie I’m fond fond fond and will keep coming back…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Confinement, Blood, and Abandonment

Minor: Animal death, Stalking, and Death of parent

anastasiamakes's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Confinement

arianappstrg's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

4: 'It didn't have to end like that... I don't accept it... You talk about things that millions of us won't ever taste or come to understand. And then you tell me it ends like that... You don't even understand the meaning of your own story, what it means to a human being like me'. And that sums up how I feel about this book. 

I totally respect how much of a revolution this book was when it was first published not only because it breathed fresh air into the vampire universe/trope/canon but also because of the socio-political context of the period. You can read the story through various themes and events in American history such as opulence and crumbling economies, stardom, AIDS, the Vietnam war, corruption, homosexuality and art. It indirectly touches on all the above, whether that is through its elegant exploration of death, religion, existential dread or our sublime connection to nature and twisted need for blood, control and terror. 

Rice humanizes vampires, makes them flawed and vulnerable and pits them against the great binaries; life and death, good and evil, God and Satan, knowledge and ignorance. To this day, I have never read a vampire story that subverts, so discreetly and intrinsically, what we think we know about vampires and human nature. It looks beyond the traditional vampire storyline, strives to be engaging, contemporary and subtly political and refreshingly philosophical. Honestly, you think you're reading about vampires, you think you're falling into that great abyss of fantasy and escapism only to discover that this immense abyss of blood-drinking, sensual killing and existential crises, gradually, starts looking back at you. In our own unique way, we are immortal. We delight in blood. We seek a deeper meaning in life. We lose ourselves. We curse our emotions and go numb. In the end, we are really not that different from Louis, Lestat and Claudia. 

There are a few things I would like to say about religion and the quality of the writing. Exploring religion and the nature/existence of God seems to be one of Rice's main objectives, at least, in this first book and though she uses her extended metaphors, similes and all that magical imagery very well the theme does feel overly recycled after a while. I know New Orleans has marvellous sites, churches, and cemeteries for religious worship. I know that the quest for and questioning of God, defying God, living like a God, acting like a God, is part and parcel of the vampire's existential madness. However, there is no need for it to be explored on every other page. I caught myself wanting to skip most of Louis' religious rumblings to get to the bits where he talks about his emotions, his connection to human beings, his love of life and all things beautiful. Rice does a great job unravelling these aspects of her characters, especially when it comes to Louis but I feel there should have been more balance between the grand narratives she chose to explore. At times, I felt she was addressing me directly on the subject of God, like the author was present more than the character. It read like 'now, let me walk you through my PowerPoint presentation on my religious realisations' which is not a bad thing at all, it's just that there is too much of it. 

Lastly, I am new to Rice's vampire verse, this is literally the first book of hers I read, but can someone help me understand that freaky 'father-daughter/lover-lover' (and that's a direct quote from the text) dynamic between Louis and Claudia? I feel this needs to be addressed 😂. It was simultaneously engrossing and gross. It is quite possible that human rules when it comes to parenting do not apply to vampire parents and I get that but the number of times Louis describes Claudia as an object of sexual interest is borderline pedophilic 😂. Now, because my little brain is sick and loves reading about all these twisted dynamics I found it, as I said, engrossing but at the end of the day, it didn't really bode well with my morals and took me places I'd rather not go. Still, I thank Anne Rice for making me confront topics I am not comfortable with. Something tells me she is doing exactly that in other books as well. 

 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Pedophilia

A note on the pedophilic element of this novel. For me personally, it's minor and it's indirect but it's most definitely there. It's something in the way Louis describes Claudia, in his whole body language with her and in the thoughts he has about her. And then there is Rice's parallelism of the relationships between father and daughters and lovers which I feel might be disturbing and triggering for people. It was for me so I thought a heads-up was in order.