The life and times of Ann Rice in her own words

books:


	• Conversations with Anne Rice: An Intimate, Enlightening Portrait of Her Life and Work Michael Riley Ballantine Books, 1996 - 316 pages average customer review:based on 5 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A VERY GOOD BOOK ABOUT ANNE RICE...

Why this books is so good??? Because Anne is allowed to talk. Everytime we see an interview with Rice, people dont let her talk. Michael is a close friend of Anne and they do this kind of talking all the time... If you are looking for motivations and in-depth talk of Anne Rice's books, this book is for you. After all, who better than Anne Rice and her friend to talk about her books??

The next best thing to being there!

I just finished reading this book in one sitting. It seems as if you're in the same room as Anne & Michael Riley. He knows exactly what questions her fans want answered. It's refreshing to read Anne's own responses in their entirety without having a reporter interpreting her "meaning". I give this a "9" because the only thing that would have made it better would be if Anne had offered pictures of herself & environment.

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In-depth and insightful

She broke the mold of bestselling authors with her tormented vampires and complex witch families, often set against the mossy, misty backdrops of her native New Orleans. Anne Rice is one of the few authors whose lives and opinions are as interesting as what they write, and Michael Riley offers more insight than virtually any other interviewer has done.

Michael Riley was a friend of Stan Rice's, and met Anne Rice at her wedding to Stan; he remained a pal after Anne shot to fame. Yet "I had rarely if ever seen an interview or profile that I thought did justice to her." So the two sat down and discussed many things about Rice: Her youth and her Catholic upbringing, about good and evil, New Orleans, California, her mold-breaking fiction, the immensely popular vampire Lestat, the handling of sex in her books, intellectual pretentions and elitism, the movie adaptation of "Interview With The Vampire," and what in her life inspired aspects of her books.

A less respectful reviewer probably would have descended leering or sneering, given that Rice's works include erotica, S&M fiction, and a Lolita-type novel. But Riley is professional, affectionate yet not gushing, and his questions have brains behind them. (Not the usual "what's your favorite food? Do you have any pets?") His respect for Rice is clear, and it makes the book especially interesting that he has genuine interest in what she says. But of course, the book hinges on Rice and what she has to say to Riley -- whether or not you agree with what she's saying, her warmth and humor are in clear evidence, and she's clearly thought through what she says.

It may not be necessary to know the author to enjoy his/her works, but it definitely can't hurt. Fans of Anne Rice will find this a must-read, and even casual readers of her books should give it a shot.

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The life and times of Ann Rice in her own words

This just isn't a biography of Ann Rice, it's as if she's telling you herself all the answers to questions we've all wanted to ask. This is her thoughts on her family, fans, characters, and herself. She shares her opinions freely and openly. I truly developed another view of this remarkable woman after reading this. Michael Riley had a good idea when he decided just to write this in interview form. That's exactly what everyone's been waiting for: 'Interview with Ann Rice'

A Must Read For Any Anne Rice Fan

Michael Riley takes the reader inside Anne Rice's worlds of reality and fiction through a series of extensive interviews. He's broken the text down into titled sections to emphasize the topic covered in each phase of the dialogue. Rice delves into where her characters and story ideas come from and just how much her life in New Orleans has influenced her work. It's interesting how the influences changed over time. First Lestat was her husband Stan and she was Louis but now she's more like Lestat than Stan. She discusses how her husband's poetry has had a great affect on her own work where certain lines will run through her head as she writes.

This is a good book for writers to read. Rice gives a lot of background on the movie biz and a view into the studio politics that occur when they purchase the rights to make a novel into a movie. The story behind the making of Interview With a Vampire is told in great detail. An interesting fact I learned was that when Hollywood buys the rights to a book any sequels that are written involving the same characters are contractually connected. Therefore the studio has the right to see them before any other studio can look at the books for potential development into movies. Rice also talks about rejection letters and how she dealt with them and provides in site into how the larger New York publishing houses operate. Highly recommended for fans and writers alike!

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In the novel that introduced Anne Rice to the world, Interview with the Vampire, a reporter seeks out the facts behind an extraordinary life. In the years since, Anne Rice has created a remarkable and acclaimed body of work--encompassing her celebrated Vampire Chronicles, The Lives of the Mayfair Witches novels, two haunting historical epics, and her controversial, equally sought-after excursions into erotica. One of the world's best known and biggest bestselling authors of contemporary fiction, Rice has herself been the subject of countless interviews, profiles, and a full-length biography. Yet, who Anne Rice is, and the beliefs, fascinations, desires, fears, and passions that inspire her work, remain endlessly fascinating topics. In this first-of-its-kind book-length interview with Anne Rice, film scholar and author Michael Riley seeks out--and finds--the truth behind the extraordinary life and work of a unique, tantalizing writer.
In Conversations with Anne Rice, the creator of Lestat, Louis, and Lasher talks in depth--and in her own words--about everything: from her early struggles toward publication to the tremendous literary reputation she has achieved. From the success and adulation of the vampire novels to the lesser-known books that are her personal favorites. From the influence of classical and popular literature to that of Catholicism and eroticism. From the role of movies in her literary vision to her definitive critique of the film version of Interview with the Vampire, and far beyond.
Here, then, is Anne Rice--her heart, her psyche, her soul--in candid and captivating dialogue with her audience.

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