Blackwood Farm

The Vampire Chronicles

By: Anne Rice

Narrated by: David Pittu

Perennial bestseller Anne Rice fuses her two uniquely seductive strains of narrative—her Vampire legend and her lore of the Mayfair witches—to give us a world of classic deep-south luxury and ancestral secrets.

Welcome to Blackwood Farm: soaring white columns, spacious drawing rooms, bright, sun-drenched gardens, and a dark strip of the dense Sugar Devil Swamp. This is the world of Quinn Blackwood, a brilliant young man haunted since birth by a mysterious doppelgänger, “Goblin,” a spirit from a dream world that Quinn can’t escape and that prevents him from belonging anywhere. When Quinn is made a Vampire, losing all that is rightfully his and gaining an unwanted immortality, his doppelgänger becomes even more vampiric and terrifying than Quinn himself.

As the novel moves backwards and forwards in time, from Quinn’s boyhood on Blackwood Farm to present day New Orleans, from ancient Athens to 19th-century Naples, Quinn seeks out the legendary Vampire Lestat in the hope of freeing himself from the spectre that draws him inexorably back to Sugar Devil Swamp and the explosive secrets it holds.

A story of youth and promise, of loss and the search for love, of secrets and destiny, Blackwood Farm is Anne Rice at her mesmerizing best.

Blackwood Farm: A Strange and Lovely World

If you're a fan of Anne Rice's usual antics, this novel will not disappoint. The story is quite interesting and unique, for all its ghosts and vampires and great families, a bit of a star crossed lovers tale with the flavor of New Orleans. If you haven't read Rice before, don't be scared off by the other reviews of reservations of sexual situations. The prose in this story is rich and descriptive and the characters complex and beautiful as Bellini angels. Her love of fine antiques and lush tropical flora particularly shine in this tale.Pittu's narration is also very entertaining and well done, quite a treat! His voice encompasses an impressive range of characters, from the french accent of the vampire Lestat to Quinn Blackwood's educated southern drawl. Blackwood Farm is an excellent creation by Rice.

Fan of Anne Rice

What did you love best about Blackwood Farm?

I love the story line the brooding Vampire, also the period and location.

What other book might you compare Blackwood Farm to and why?

All of Anne Rice's books that I have read have links to each other , any of her books about witches and vampires will be equally as good.

Which character – as performed by David Pittu – was your favorite?

Tarquin

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, it will keep your interest.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed reading the book.

Never a dull moment

It seems the audible critics either love it or hate it. I for one really enjoyed the book. There was always a lot going on in each chapter. The book is written from the viewpoint of an 18 year old boy, who had a very unusual childhood. Don't expect the maturity and rational thought of an adult and you will enjoy the book as much as I did. I think she did a fantastic job merging the withches and the vampires. Worth it!

Perfectly Prepared Rice

I have read the book before. It is another Rice triumph. A must read. Blah-Blah-Blah. But I have stopped my new audio version in the middle of chapter five to see who this magnificent narrator, David Pittu is. His voice is like candy to my ears, youthful and attractive, velvety and rich. Best of all are his range of characters and accents. When he started to do the voice of an aging southern belle, I nearly fell out of bed laughing. He nailed it! I could scarcely believe it was still him. His characters are enchanting, his accents are flawless and his voice is like butter. This audio book does not disappoint.

Perfect

The narrator is amazing. He should have read Armand's story with his youthful sounding voice.