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A review by barebookbear
Pandora by Anne Rice
3.0
It's been decades I think since I read any Rice. This was one I bought years ago and it sat on my bookshelf until a couple days ago. I thought it would be more of a throw-away, a trifle, and I wasn't expecting much satisfaction. And it started that way, her flowery prose, fully scented yet ethereal and unsubstantial vapors in the end. Not sure why I thought this; this seems to be the popular opinion of her "other vampire books."
I was delightfully wrong as I continued reading. Yes, it's a quick read, but it does what Rice does so well, pull you into a world fully researched, and given life, strength, muscle and beauty through her flowery prose. It was also a great way to reenter her world I'd turned away from so long ago, readying me to pick up those last Vampire Chronicle books on my shelf still waiting to be read (Vampire Armand, Vittorio, Prince Lestat) and also to return to the Witches.
It also does the other thing Rice does well: philosophize, examine, search for truth in the miasma of history's philosophies, myths, beliefs, religions. Her vampire work has always been a search for her own truth and feelings regarding religion, faith, God after the tragic death of her young daughter decades ago. I'm not sure where she stands at this point; fans of hers have come and gone with her religious convictions, her newfound zeal for Christianity, followed by her denial of it again.
Her personal beliefs aside, I liked these characters of Pandora and Marius. I enjoyed learning (and revisiting with greater clarity) their back story. They're not as precious and annoying as Lestat, whose rock star swagger I always found annoying and silly.
In the end, a satisfying enjoyable read.
I was delightfully wrong as I continued reading. Yes, it's a quick read, but it does what Rice does so well, pull you into a world fully researched, and given life, strength, muscle and beauty through her flowery prose. It was also a great way to reenter her world I'd turned away from so long ago, readying me to pick up those last Vampire Chronicle books on my shelf still waiting to be read (Vampire Armand, Vittorio, Prince Lestat) and also to return to the Witches.
It also does the other thing Rice does well: philosophize, examine, search for truth in the miasma of history's philosophies, myths, beliefs, religions. Her vampire work has always been a search for her own truth and feelings regarding religion, faith, God after the tragic death of her young daughter decades ago. I'm not sure where she stands at this point; fans of hers have come and gone with her religious convictions, her newfound zeal for Christianity, followed by her denial of it again.
Her personal beliefs aside, I liked these characters of Pandora and Marius. I enjoyed learning (and revisiting with greater clarity) their back story. They're not as precious and annoying as Lestat, whose rock star swagger I always found annoying and silly.
In the end, a satisfying enjoyable read.