Anne Rice: Vampires, Witches, and Best Sellers

In this installment from A&E's popular Biography series, we make the acquaintance of public library stalwart Anne Rice, but not necessarily the Anne Rice of the goth shtick and cult trappings. No, here we discover that the author of the Vampire Chronicles series, the porn trilogy based on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, and the Mayfair Witches series is a mother who has been married to the same man since 1960 and can commonly be found "in a Laura Ashley sundress, sitting watching TV and eating crackers." Via lots of family photos and archival footage, interspersed with insights from her editor at Knopf, herself, and her husband, son, sisters, and various other insiders, we learn of Rice's birth in 1941 (her given name was Howard Allen Frances O'Brien) and her liberal, unfettered childhood with an alcoholic mother and overwhelmed dad in New Orleans. Married to high school sweetheart Stan Rice in 1960, she moved to San Francisco, where her daughter Michelle died from leukemia at the age of 6, and from where she published Interview with the Vampire in 1975, followed by over 20 books. This A&E production does its usual stellar job compressing the life and career of its subject into 45 minutes of bio and critique, mentioning more than once that Rice's novels are often panned for their florid pretension and repetition, but that her fan base is broad and loyal. It is just that fan base who will thoroughly enjoy this presentation, and it is therefore highly recommended for public library collections, along with A Visit with Anne Rice (VL-3/98). Aud: P. (K. Glaser)