The Vampire Lestat

The Vampire Lestat
By: Anne Rice

 So I finished the second book in the Vampire Chronicles. I absolutely loved it. It's a very nicely paced book with some dragging bits, but even then that was just my impatience to get back to the main story line and the dragging bits were still interesting enough to read.
  This book really expanded on much of what was given in the last book. It expanded not only on the world it takes place in, but also upon the character Lestat. For some weird reason, I liked him in the first book. And as I read on, I started liking him even more. He's not a heartless, cruel character as Louis first perceives, in fact, he's a very rash and outgoing kind of guy, a very Gryffindor kind of guy who has this "King of the World" sort of attitude.
   What I really enjoyed about this book was that you did learn more about the Vampire World. Louis, he's simply trying to find a purpose for existence, proof of our meaning, and of vampire meaning. He actually doesn't find many answers. Lestat, now he's the guy bumbling around having fun. We learn of how he meets Armand, his relationship with Gabrielle, and his later search for the Ancient Vampire Marius.
    What I think I liked the most though was the relationship between Lestat and Gabrielle. Gabrielle is Lestat's mother, and he has always had a deep connection with her. He was the only one Gabrielle could relate to and love in a family full of a husband and children whom she couldn't connect with. She actually tells her son (Lestat) that she likes to think of him as her man self. I really love how Gabrielle and Lestat's relationship is strong not only because they are mother and son, but because they had only each other as like minded individuals when they were with their family. They ended up supporting each other and helping each other survive in a place they didn't belong. And when Lestat makes a decision that I won't reveal due to spoilers, their relationship only becomes stronger; and I feel it's a very beautiful portrayal of a Mother and Son as even though they drift apart, they still held each other strong before and they still love and care for one another.
  Gabrielle also shows the weakness that women were given in those time periods. They weren't considered strong, or independent. They were weak things to be ordered around. I hated to read about when Gabrielle would dress as a man and travel because I felt it was so anti-feminist. But then again, she was raised in such an anti-feminist culture, and so having the persona of a man can finally free her of her inhibitions.
    Though these books sort of make me wonder. Wasn't being gay just recently accepted? From the way most women are portrayed in this book (except for the few we see, they aren't strong or they're boring and predictable), it's easy to see that guys would most likely be attracted to another guy for an intellectual level, especially if women don't have any personality. Anyways, if being gay wasn't really accepted back then, wouldn't people be a bit more... disgusted towards the actions some of the guys do in public? Or was it just a common occurrence? Maybe they didn't think guys could be gay. Maybe they were all secretly gay... I don't know. Ah well. It will forever be one of the mysteries of life.