Read and cook with Robbie Cheadle – Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice and New Orleans Gumbo #bookreview #recipe #Readandcook
Posted: October 9, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized 59 Comments
Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice
This book is a fascinatingly different take on the traditional vampire story. Louis, a vampire, decides to share the story of his life’s journey as a vampire with a young journalist. The journalist is scared of Louis but is so interested in the story, he remains to hear it all.
Louis story begins in 1791 when he is the owner of a plantation, Pointe du Lac, outside of New Orleans. Louis is grieving the death of his younger brother for which he feels responsible. While deranged with grief, Louis meets a vampire named Lestat and falls under his charismatic spell. In a state of semi-entrancement, Louis allows himself to be turned into a vampire by Lestat who is searching for a companion in his immortality. After his conversion, Lestat pushes himself into Louis life, moving into the manor house and living a life of luxury at Louis expense. Lestat happily feeds on and kills humans, but Louis cannot bring himself to adopt the ways of the vampire. Louis exists by drinking the blood of animals. He resents Lestat and his vampirical ways disgust Louis.
The plantation employees eventually work out that the pair are vampires and attack the manor house, intending to kill them. The two men escape but the planation is burned to the ground. With the help of a woman whom Louis is passionately in love with, the vampires escape to New Orleans. Before Louis leaves, the woman tells him she believes him to be evil and a devil. These words wound Louis deeply and in New Orlans he attempts to give in to his vampire nature. He feeds on a five year old girl, Claudia, but he doesn’t kill her. Lestat finds out about Claudia and decides to turn her into a vampire, despite her young age, to bond Louis to him. He knows that Louis will take responsibility for their young charge.
The trio life in relative peace for many years but Claudia becomes very frustrated as she matures into a woman trapped in a child’s body. She develops a hatred for Lestat and kills him. Knowing the murder of one of their own is against the vampire law, Louis flees to Europe with Claudia in order to protect her. In Europe, the pair seek other vampires and try to build a new life.
Louis is a tragic and conflicted character. He was unhappy as a human and he remains unhappy subsequent to his conversion into a vampire. He is completely morally conflicted and cannot bring himself to feed on and kill humans for many years. Feeding for vampires is described as being almost sexual in its intense joy and Louis is completely miserable as a result of his self denial. He is also resentful towards Lestat who trapped him into the immortal life he despises. Louis is intelligent and learned, but he is intensely lonely. He wants to find a community of similar minded vampires to live with. Unfortunately, all the other vampires he meets are animalistic and driven by blood lust and a desire to live the high life. Louis becomes embittered and lonelier as the years pass by. I finished the book feeling incredibly sorry for Louis and even having some feelings of pity for Lestat.
Interview with a Vampire is well written and an interesting examination of themes of loyalty, the nature of evil, immortality and its meaning, and the link between violence and death and eroticism and desire. The settings are all dark and gothic and fit well with the themes of the book and its horror genre.
I recommend this book as an excellent Halloween read for readers who enjoy books with strong characterisations and dark, gothic settings.
Purchase Interview with a Vampire from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345476875
Quotes from Interview with a Vampire
“Evil is a point of view. We are immortal. And what we have before us are the rich feasts that conscience cannot appreciate and mortal men cannot know without regret. God kills, and so shall we; indiscriminately He takes the richest and the poorest, and so shall we; for no creatures under God are as we are, none so like Him as ourselves, dark angels not confined to the stinking limits of hell but wandering His earth and all its kingdoms.”
“It was as if the empty nights were made for thinking of him. And sometimes I found myself so vividly aware of him it was as if he had only just left the room and the ring of his voice were still there. And somehow, there was a disturbing comfort in that, and, despite myself, I’d envision his face.”
“It was as if this night were only one of thousands of nights, world without end, night curving into night to make a great arching line of which I couldn’t see the end, a night in which I roamed alone under cold, mindless stars.”
New Orleans Gumbo with a South African flavour
I’ve paired Interview with a Vampire with New Orleans Gumbo which I gave a South African flavour.
Ingredients
Olive oil for cooking
1 x brown onion, diced
8 x spring onions, sliced
2 x medium eggplants (bringal or aubergine), diced
1 x large pepper, diced. I used a yellow one
150 grams dried sausage, I used South African Chili droewors
30 ml (2 tablespoons) Cajun seasoning
15 ml (1 tablespoon) garlic flakes
1 kg deboned and skinless chicken breasts cut into quarters
500 grams peeled prawns
For the sauce:
250 grams butter
500 ml cake flour
1 litre chicken stock
1 litre milk
Extra:
10 grams chopped fresh parsley
Method
Heat olive oil in a wok or large frying pan. Fry onion, spring onion and celery until golden. Add the eggplant and green pepper and fry for a further 5 minutes. Eggplant should be turning golden. Add the dried sausage, Cajun seasoning, and the garlic flakes. Fry until cooked through and then set aside.
Add the chicken stock stirring continuously and then add the milk slowly. Stir until all lumps are gone and the liquid is smooth. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens into a sauce. The sauce is ready at the point when bubble start forming on the surface. Add the chicken and the vegetables and turn down to a simmer.
In a large saucepan, cook the chicken is a little olive oil until about 2/3rds cooked. Remove from pot and set aside. Melt the butter in the saucepan. Add the flour and mix to form a thick paste, allow to cook for a few minutes (this is called a rue).
In a separate frying pan, cook the prawns in a little butter until pink all over. Add the prawns to the chicken mixture. Your gumbo is now ready to serve with rice.
My short video of the finished product:
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This post is sponsored by the Midnight Dark Fiction Anthology Series and WordCrafter Press.
Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories – https://books2read.com/MidnightRoost
Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow – https://books2read.com/MidnightGardenAnthology
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a lovely recipe and one of my favourite books, Robbie…
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I am so pleased to know that 🌞💚
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The book sounds amazing and the gumbo looks deliscious Robbie 🤗
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Hi Maggie, I enjoyed this book. An interesting take on the vampire tale. The dish was yummy
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Hi Robbie
The book does look good !
Ah 😉 I should try making it .
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Robbie, great recipe for a blog post: an excellent review of a compelling novel, and…a recipe. 🙂
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😃. This was a delicious meal. I enjoyed this book very much and intend to read the next one.
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Fascinating post, Robbie!
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Thank you ☺️
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I’ve read about this book but I have not yet read it, or seen the movie, or seen the television series. Your description of the book was a delight to read. It seems to be very intriguing. I love Gumbo and the New Orleans Gumbo with a South African flavour sounds delicious, the recipe as well as the photos.
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Hi Thomas, I’m glad you enjoyed this post. The meal was very good, I’ll make it again. I appreciated Anne Rice’s unusual and interesting take on the vampire story
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You really should read the rest of the series, Robbie. It’s more about Lestat, but Anne Rice has a way of giving brilliant description of setting and bringing you into the story. And her worldbuilding is filled with the rich vampire history which she’s created. 🙂
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Thank you, Kaye. I do plan to read the next book.
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Hi, please forgive, did you read this on Audible?
I have it available from the National Library Services For The Blind and Print Disabled free lending library but the narrator isnât all that great. I wonder if the Audible one is better?
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Hi Patty, yes. I listened to it on Audible and I liked the narrator, Simon Vance.
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I read it many years back and enjoyed it as well, Robbie. It started a trend on vampire novels, and Anne Rice is a fascinating author. And thanks for the recipe!
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Hi Olga, you are right. This series did start a trend. It’s a great book.
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Anne Rice still is one of my fav authors. Since I was a child I’ve always loved vampire tales. xxx
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I like vampire tales too. I’ve read a lot of vampire stories.
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There is something about vampires. xxx
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I think it’s the sexual eroticism that goes with them that is so fascinating.
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I agree, plus they usually dress so beautifully.
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Robbie, your gumbo looks amazing. At your hands, the recipe seems simple – but I dare not try. 😊 I’ve not read Rice’s book, but it sounds fascinating.
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Hi Gwen, it depends whether you can make a white sauce successfully. My sister’s sauce always goes lumpy. I just don’t understand why 🤷♀️
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Great review, Robbie. I read this years ago and you really captured its essence. I love the recipe you shared eith it.
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It’s a great novel. I need to read book 2. This was a great meal. I’ve planned to try gumbo for ages.
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[…] https://writingtoberead.com/2024/10/09/read-and-cook-with-robbie-cheadle-interview-with-a-vampire-by… […]
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Excellent review! I’ve read Interview with the Vampire and enjoyed it very much. I then read The Vampire Lastat, which I didn’t like as much.
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Okay, that is good to know as I was going to read it next.
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I can’t believe I’ve never read “Interview with a Vampire”. So many have talked about it over the years, it seems like I have read it. I sure like the quotes you chose, Robbie.
The gumbo is interesting. As a veggie, I can usually see how I can turn a meat recipe into vegetarian, but this one is to be left alone.
Tofu gumbo won’t cut it, and a nut gumbo would be too heavy.
Okay, fab post Robbie and Kaye Lynne, thank you!
PS(Kaye Lynne’s books look like Halloween reading!)
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Hi Resa, indeed, Midnight Garden is a Halloween anthology. I have a story in this collection. I really enjoyed Interview with a Vampire, it was very unusual and different. Some dishes don’t convert well to vegetarian, I’m afraid 😀
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Ah, an anthology… right on!
I’m trying to get my “Out of the Box” review up well before Halloween. 🤞
True, not all recipes do. Oddly, some are better vegetarian.
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Agreed, some are better. I could be vegetarian but my menfolk wouldn’t like it. I was before I got married.
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Understood!
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Thank you, Resa. I have Midnight Garden on my TBR. Some of the stories sound fascinating. I suppose you could use eggplant and mushrooms in the gumbo. It think that would be very nice.
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Oh yeah…I forget about mushrooms and eggplant.
Thanks Robbie!
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😀
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They are dark fiction, so perfect for Halloween, Resa. I hope you’ll give them a try. ☺️
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I’d like to. I’m full up for this Halloween, but will put them top of the list for next year!
Thank you, Kaye Lynne!
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☺️
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Wonderful review Robbie. And that gumbo looks delish. Thanks for sharing the recipe. ❤
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My pleasure, Debby. It is a delicious meal 💞
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No doubts! ❤
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Looks like the new blog series is a hit, Robbie. I suspected it would be. 😉
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😀 Great
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I’ve read most of Ann Rice’s Vampire books, but this one remains my favourite, perhaps because Louis is such a tragic character. The gumbo looks fabulous too. Suddenly I’m starving! Time for breakfast. 🙂
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Yes, Louis is tragic while Lestat is not. The gumbo was delicious.
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lol – I did curse you just a little because of the gumbo. I ended up having porridge and toast. 😉
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🤣😂
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Thanks, Meeks
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Thanks for sharing this great review, Robbie, and your gumbo looks delicious! My husband would love this! 💞
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It’s very nice, Lauren
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What an enticing recipe, Robbie. I like all the ingredients and the end result looks delicious. The African flair is an added treat. 🙂 I’ll have to give it a try.
And what a great book. I read it a while ago and just loved it. Your summary reminded me why. It started a Rice reading binge for me. The movie wasn’t bad either. 🙂
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Hi Diana, this meal was nice and worth making 💛. From what I’ve read, this is the best book in the series so I haven’t read the others.
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Great review – TBR, definitely, especially as Dracula is one of my favourite books. And a recipe too – like paprika hendl ? .
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I’m glad you enjoyed this post. Dracula is one of my favourite books too 🌈
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[…] November 11 is Remembrance Day or Poppy Day, a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty. With this in mind, and to feed my growing interest in USA history, I selected To Wake the Giant: A Novel of Pearl Harbor by Jeff Shaara for this month’s book review. Last month, the month of Halloween, I reviewed Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice. If you missed that post, you can read it here: https://writingtoberead.com/2024/10/09/read-and-cook-with-robbie-cheadle-interview-with-a-vampire-by… […]
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Ah, I am intrigued by two things I have yet to experience… Ann Rice’s book, and gumbo!
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😀, both are very worthwhile 🌈
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