'Cry To Heaven' is beautifully written and full of vivid detail. The subject is unusual yet fascinating and I would say this is one of Rice's best. A book that will keep you coming back for more. ( )

This was a great book. Mrs. Rice did an amazing job. ( )

How I missed the lush writing and opulent worlds of Anne Rice! I very much enjoyed the journey I took in "Cry To Heaven" and loved the vivid Italian landscapes that Rice has painted. (In general I enjoy the Venetian setting in stories.) I felt the characters and became deeply engrossed in the tale of Tonio Treschi. The novel is now one of my favorite works of Rice. A fine and marvelous read! ( )

Anne Rice is an author who showed great promise in the early stages of her writing career. She then devolved into mass produced, contrived, poorly written dreck. I always found that very disappointing because some of her early work is quite good. This is one of those books.

Cry to Heaven is the story of a Venetian castrato in the 18th century. Unlike most castrati, Tonio wasn't cut as a child, but rather as a teenager - right before the onslaught of puberty & the inevitable change in voice. There are a lot of reasons for why this happens to him that I won't go into here, but the story is rich & wonderful.

The novel follows Tonio & Guido - a castrato cut as a child who nevertheless lost his voice, but became a composer. These two stories intertwine to create a story that brings to life the colors of its settings & the sheer beauty of the music. If you've never listened to Baroque opera, now is the time. It's not what you think it is.

The story is poignant & beautiful & it is a joy to watch these characters move through their changes. All of the characters are fully fleshed & complex & believable as is the plot. This book is a pleasure. I wish she'd kept writing at this level. ( )

Very nicely written in the typical gilt and blood style of Anne Rice. A bit much on the homoerotic side for me, and I got the feeling this was (yet again) her attempt to come to grips with her son's sexuality. However, I really enjoyed the depth and layers of Castrati history and fiction together. As usual, her visualizations were beautiful, and a joy to get lost in. ( )