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Summary: A neglected piece of history that deserves to be known
Review: Like several of the previous reviewers, I too have read this book at least three times since it's publication and am fascinated by the free people of color. This was indeed an eye-opener and though I found it hard to swallow the fact that blacks were enslavers themselves, this novel helped me put it all in perspective. I know many people of creole descent, but very little was ever discussed regarding their heritage other than speaking of family members that they know that have passed for white and assimilated into the white race. It could be many of them especially the younger ones know very little of their history and the part they played in literature, the arts, and craftsmanship. When I was asked to name my favorite all-time book, Feast of All Saints was at the top of the list.
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Summary: "What will become of our gens de couleur libres?"
Review: Once again Ms.Rice excels at evoking a bygone era. Even more impressive in this case as she is not of mixed race and is a product of a society that has swept this bit of history under the rug. However, the weakness of the book is that it still fosters what has come to be known as "the tragic mulatto myth". I'd like to see her follow up with a sequel set in the present day and where she answers her own question quoted above.
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Summary: Overwhelming!!!
Review: Once I started reading the Saints of All Feast I kept waiting for a Vampire to enter, but to my amazemet, this story unfolded a lot of unanswered questions about myself and my family. Coming from a great grandfather(who I now know to be a gens de coulerur libres)and my great grandmother who was considered a Negro,I understand their reasoning for migrating from Lousiana to Oklahoma, where I have generations and generations of Creole relations.I also now know why my mother was called the Black Sheep. This is a Beautiful Story. I recommend anyone that has any French Creole in their Blood read this book.
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Summary: You are coming with me....Now.
Review: Roughly the first two hundred pages of this book deal with a young boy enrolling in a new school. In the process, the book tells us who this boy, Marcel Ste. Marie, is and brings passionately and atmospherically to life his people and their world. It's fascinating. It avoids cheap thrills to unfold like old fashioned literature into a great sensuous flower of a story that doesn't let go. Hints of Rice's customary obsessions are present in this early book but they are very restrained and so gain tantalizing power.The book deals with the free people of color in 19th century New Orleans, mixed-blood descendants of freed slaves- the proud old families who have established themselves as tradesmen and planters but also the children of white planters' quadroon mistresses. All are oppressed in subtle ways and walk a narrow path of propriety in response. Abandoning their heritage for more racially tolerant Europe is a constant temptation. Even the most refined, educated and prosperous members of the old families cannot vote. A respectable white planter must not be embarrassed by the second family he maintains with his mistress and all assume a mistress's pretty daughter will follow her mother's profession. Marcel, his sister Marie, his friends Richard and Anna Bella come of age in this environment with poignantly intense youthful enthusiasms, affections and anxieties. Anything their elders cannot face has been kept from them until they reach the age when their world's injustices become unavoidable. They then find themselves at odds with traditional ways that formerly provided meaning and certainty. The story that develops can't be summarized but it builds to such a pitch that when you reach the words in this review's title you might just cheer aloud, as i did. This is historical fiction at its best.
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Summary: Not only poignant and moving, but also unique.
Review: Set in Rice's favorite town of New Orleans, this beautifully crafted novel is a must read. Rice follows the trials of a mulatto family who struggle to find happiness in the 1840s. This novel is not only a poignant and moving story, it is also unique. New Orleans of the 1840s is a world apart from our own, ripe with new adventures to explore. The story follows young Marcel who is the son of an aristocratic plantation owner and his African-American mistress. Marcel strives to live up to the expectations he has set for himself, and struggles under the caste system prevalent in the city of New Orleans. His experiences, as well as those of his sister, his mentor, and his best friend finally lead him to recognize the truths about life he'd known all along.
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Summary: Great characters, fascinating history, but...
Review: The characters in Saints are all interesting, and the fact that this is historical fiction certainly helps make them more so. My biggest gripe is that the narrative is excessive and bogged-down at times - not as bad as some scholar might have it - but still leaving you doubting most of the time that much of the extra detail helps develop the story. Also, the author's strength lies in straight-forward story telling, there's no artistic style to her words, but none the less her stories are gripping on their own.
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Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: The Feast of All Saints was an excellent book! It truly depicts the lifestyle of the Free People of Color in Louisiana. I am an avid Anne Rice reader, and in this novel she again demonstrates her amazing talent. Anne Rice uses such descriptive language in her writing, making you feel that you can almost see the action happening before your eyes as you read. She incorporates all of the senses into her writing. She describes taste and touch, sound and smell, along with what is seen. Anne Rice writes like a poet, and I believe that it is her flowery prose which has caused her to gain such a large following. This book is a bit different from others that Rice has written. She usually incorporates the supernatural into her tales, yet The Feast of All Saints is based upon actual events in history. One item that has remained consistant with Rice is the setting of her books. As with several of her previous stories, The Feast of All Saints takes place in New Orleans. This must be an area of particular interest for Rice, for it is the location of many novels she has written. The Feast of All Saints, in conclusion, is a superb work of art. A must read for those who love Anne Rice already and also for those who are interested in history.
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Summary: Her Best
Review: The first Rice books I read were those of the witches series. I had been so impressed that I looked for others written by her. So far I have read about 10 of her novels. Feast of All Saints.....what can I say? WOW By far this is the best of everything I've read so far. Her historical accuracy combined with her mezmerizing storytelling blew my mind. Bravo Anne!
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Summary: A bit unevenly paced, but excellent story!
Review: The problem with Saints is the first 100 or so pages are stuffed with historical detail, the next few hundred pages lull into an easy going story, and the last 50 or so pages load in a lot of climax. So don't be turned off in the beginning, it is quite an excellent story it just takes it's time to develop.
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Summary: Fascinating historical novel
Review: This absorbing melodrama explores the complex hierarchal and insular community of white upper class landowners and their "free" mulatto mistresses and their progeny. Set within the larger context of 19th century New Orlean's slave society, Anne Rice recreates the unique power dynamics within these relationships which don't always have a predictable outcome. Fascinating because it is based on historical facts.
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