Pandora - Anne Rice > Reviews > From the original Lady of Sorrow

Author's product rating:   

Would you listen to it again?	Yes
Story	Good
Characters	Good
Listenability	Pretty compelling but not addictive
How does it compare to audio works by the same author?	Quite good

Advantages:	Moving and beautiful
Disadvantages:	Tiresome with an overdose of historic detail

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I have many gripes with the portrayal of this particular 'biography', so please, bare with me...

Firstly - The overall story is not based upon Pandora's life as a vampire at all but rather her human life as a Roman girl and woman. Most of the book is spent in great, articulate, period detail and resembles more of a history book then a work of fictional pleasure. However, for the detail buffs out there, this should get an A* rating on the authenticity scale as Rice has outdone herself in this particular novel and perhaps even more so then in her other books.

Secondly - When we finally get an insight into Pandora's vampiric life, we are only given a taster as practically the entire content is given over to her time with Marius, her lover and maker. In the whole of this tale Pandora is placed in nothing but stereotypical roles as a wife and daughter, she is known for nothing else other then which household or man she is attached to. The book might as well be entitled 'The wife of Marius' as it seems she has no life other then at his side which is just utter folly and recklessness on the part of what usually is an exquisite author.

Thirdly - Again actually, I can't emphasise on the extreme lack of emphasis on Pandora herself; there is so much graphic, atmospheric and historical detail but hardly any character revelations other then in her encounters with other characters. The tone with which she narrates (or should I within which say Rice dictates) is objective and unemotional or maybe that is representative of Pandora herself in that she is not to talk about her feeling and thoughts too deeply lest she be revealed and her security taken away from her. But it is a shame because there was such potential in her character; a beautiful, gifted, intelligent, fiery female with wit, daring and cunning was forced into marriage and home life but rebelled and tried for as much freedom as possible. A woman of passion and promise was wasted and unappreciated not only by Marius but also by Rice herself and her character is just not done justice at all in this book. There is much suffering, conflict, sorrow and despair in Pandora's character but also rejuvenation, strength, adaptability and courage; there is something of a Scarlet O'Hara in her and she is simply irresistible yet suppressed and abandoned by everybody whom she ever loved. She is lonely and fragile and yet resourceful and stubborn - come what may she is a survivor and will stand the test of time no matter what guise or form she may take be it a seemingly empty shell of depression and woe or a reserved lady of wisdom and dignity Pandora has it all - she is an enchanting paradox. It is just unfortunate that in her own book even, she is hardly given the time of day.

Fourthly - The other main and loveable character Flavius isn't developed to the heights of what potentially could have been yet another little spin-off novel biography. His character is so very compatible and complimentary to Pandora's that I wonder would they have been lovers if he had not been gay and then where and how would Marius fit in? It certainly is an interesting concept, the great Marius and the one that got away (Pandora) or more correctly, the one that he foolishly left and never returned to even though he claimed to love her dearly. His whole life with Marius and Pandora is glossed over in approximately one sentence which basically states that many a happy year passed by. How is it that Rice can more then surpass the standards for setting the scene and yet come up so surprisingly short in character detail and experience? Once Pandora gives Flavius the 'dark gift' of immortality, he is immediately expelled from the house and the book by Marius in a fit of jealousy. It is such a shame and an unforgivable waste to not have continued his story.

Finally - for those readers who have or even have not read 'Blood and Gold - The Story of the Vampire Marius' you will notice some inconsistencies in some of the encounters and events between the two, for example when they meet up again at a ball; the experience is very short lived in Pandora and expanded as well as softened in Marius' story. Another example being in Marius' story where Pandora saves him after the Queen has trapped him in his own home of ice and snow; in Marius' story he loves Pandora dearly but in 'The Queen of the Damned' he is practically on the verge of spitting venom at her. This just goes to show that either Rice is underestimating the intelligence and sensitivity of her readers or forgot to check her own stories and she wrote new ones thinking she could change them without anyone noticing.

In conclusion: Pandora as a character herself is a wonderful assortment of emotional humanity and bleak immortality but as the novel is rather monotonous at times and long breaks are necessary in between chapters otherwise one will lose all motivation to keep reading altogether. Pandora is a beautiful flower stuck in a barren desert of literary boredom; if you fall in lover with her character and relate to her as I have I urge you to persevere as she does herself, she is worth it; but if not, just skip through the history lesson and read the good parts (namely her interaction with other characters).

If you want to compare Pandora to other characters, I would suggest that she is up there with Cleopatra, The Queen of Sheba, Delilah, Scarlet O'Hara and all of those other sumptuous heroines, she is more then deserving of that prestige. Rice had a real treasure here was squandered it carelessly, don't so the same.