In 2005, Anne Rice startled her readers with her novel Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, and by revealing that, after years as an atheist, she ...
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Dec 29, 2008
Skylar
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I've never read a book by Anne Rice, and nor do I have any particular interest in her, but I picked this book up because I always enjoy a good spiritual autobiography, and I hoped this would be one. Only about 100 of the 245 pages held much interest or made much of an impact on me, but they held such interest and made such an impact that I give the book a 4 star rating (3.5 if I could).
The first third (or perhaps half) of the story recounts her Catholic childhood in excessive sensor More...
The first third (or perhaps half) of the story recounts her Catholic childhood in excessive sensor More...
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Apr 19, 2009
Patty
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Anne Rice recalls the sights and sounds of the Catholicism of her youth with such vivid images that I was singing "Tan tum ergo, sacramentum..." along with her. Warning: If you aren't a 50 something Catholic, (or recovering Catholic) you might not "get it".
I completed the book in a weekend and was fascinated by how Anne Rice describes her inner landscape and how her conversion experience has changed everything for her. She makes a strong case for the power of art More...
I completed the book in a weekend and was fascinated by how Anne Rice describes her inner landscape and how her conversion experience has changed everything for her. She makes a strong case for the power of art More...
Dec 28, 2008
Ann
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I finished this wonderful memoir by Anne Rice on our trip home from Christmas in Virginia with our son and his new wife. This book touched me so deeply ... Anne Rice grew up in New Orleans in a family with deep roots in orthodox Christian Catholic traditions. I loved how she tells how her first understanding of God came from the auditory liturgies and the richly visual iconic rituals of the Roman Catholic Church ... not from the written pages of Scripture. In fact she struggled for years to mas
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Nov 12, 2008
Jimmy
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I'm proudly 52-- indeed, almost 53-- and am happy to realize that my life experience amounts to something: after all these long years, I know to give things a chance. My favorite earlier works by Ms. Rice were "Cry to Heaven" and the books about the Mayfair witches; I found the latter series evocative and spooky and just very engrossing! I could disappear into the atmosphere that swirled around those books, and hated to see them end.
Being a practicing Catholic (which means that More...
Being a practicing Catholic (which means that More...
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Aug 02, 2011
Although I enjoyed this book, I'm not really sure of its wide range appeal. I enjoyed the reminiscing on the Catholic church pre-Vatican II and her vivid details of the New Orleans of her youth. She does describe in great detail the Garden District and the Irish Channel, both of which she lived on the edge of. Although I'm not quite as old as Anne is, I remember a time when walking places as a child was ok. And I remember the church as she remembers it, though my experiences were not quite as
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Feb 15, 2009
David
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Memoir of the author's growing up in a devout Catholic family in New Orleans, then drifting away from the church as a young adult in the 60's over her social views at odds with the church's teachings, then dramatically returning ("converting" as she says) to Catholicism after a 38-year hiatus.
The U-shaped trajectory of engagement with organized religion over the lifespan is not at all uncommon, but the length of time she was away and the intensity of her involvement now a More...
The U-shaped trajectory of engagement with organized religion over the lifespan is not at all uncommon, but the length of time she was away and the intensity of her involvement now a More...
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Feb 04, 2009
Jamieson
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In 2005, I witnessed one of the greatest changes in literary history.
Anne Rice, the woman known for writing about vampires, witches, mummies and spirits announced she was going to write books about the life of Jesus Christ.
I remember thinking that this was someone’s really great idea of a joke. But the joke was on me. The first book, Christ the Lord - Out of Egypt, was released shortly after the incredible announcement.
At the time, I worked in a bookstore. I h More...
Anne Rice, the woman known for writing about vampires, witches, mummies and spirits announced she was going to write books about the life of Jesus Christ.
I remember thinking that this was someone’s really great idea of a joke. But the joke was on me. The first book, Christ the Lord - Out of Egypt, was released shortly after the incredible announcement.
At the time, I worked in a bookstore. I h More...
Jan 27, 2009
"Called out of Darkness: A spiritual confession" chronicles the well-known author's return to the Catholic Church after a decades long absence.
The once self-professed atheist received attention a few years back when she first made her conversion public and began writing her "Christ The Lord" series, a retelling of the life of Christ. While gaining new fans and I'm sure she lost others, so I'd be willing to be that there are plenty of people out there curious to r More...
The once self-professed atheist received attention a few years back when she first made her conversion public and began writing her "Christ The Lord" series, a retelling of the life of Christ. While gaining new fans and I'm sure she lost others, so I'd be willing to be that there are plenty of people out there curious to r More...
Dec 30, 2008
Jennifer
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This is the story of Ann Rice’s spiritual journey, from being raised strict Catholic to atheism and back to the Catholic church. It isn’t an autobiography of her life, she only touches briefly on what was happening outside her spiritual quest. I found that as she described her childhood her line of thought was a little scattered, but her about her adulthood observations about the church, God, and her relationship with it all was incredible insightful. There were many quotes that I love, but t
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Jul 05, 2011
Pam
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An interesting read, although Rice rambles and repeats herself at times. Rice, maybe best known for her Interview With a Vampire books, recounts her devoutly religious Catholic youth in New Orleans, her subsequent break with God, and then the resumption of her faith. I think it could have been written in half the words, but it is an interesting glimpse into 1950's Catholicism (I'll admit, I've always been fascinated with the pageantry of the Catholic mass). The last few chapters were the most t
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Apr 16, 2011
Amy
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Like most of the Christian world, the "conversion" of Anne Rice to Christianity was news of interest. We always like it when someone "famous" makes a public declaration of faith. One for our side. Yeah! (Intended to be semi-sarcastic, in case anyone was wondering.)
Reading this was interesting because it was not so much a "conversion" as a return. Anne Rice was a serious Catholic for her childhood years and left the Church when she was in college. This al More...
Reading this was interesting because it was not so much a "conversion" as a return. Anne Rice was a serious Catholic for her childhood years and left the Church when she was in college. This al More...
Feb 02, 2011
Paul
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Anne Rice is best known for her vampire books. "Interview with a Vampire", "The Feast of All Saints", "The Vampire Lestat", to name but a few. She did 20 books in this genre.
"Called Out of Darkness" is her personal spiritual journey.
Anne was born in New Orleans and was brought up in the Cathlic religion. She came from a very devout family and followed the dictates of Catholicism faithfully. She attended Catholic Grade School and More...
"Called Out of Darkness" is her personal spiritual journey.
Anne was born in New Orleans and was brought up in the Cathlic religion. She came from a very devout family and followed the dictates of Catholicism faithfully. She attended Catholic Grade School and More...
Jul 16, 2009
Terra
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This was a wonderful book that I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend. Anne Rice's spiritual journey is incredible. She describes growing up as a devout Catholic as a joyful and exquisitely beautiful time in her life. As a Protestant, I appreciate her love of the solemnity of the Latin mass and the ways the architecture and statues in the churches draw her toward faith and worship. While I know that there are ways I cannot align theologically with Catholicism, the church gets something ab
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Jun 26, 2010
Auntie
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Feb 01, 2009
Jennifer
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I couldn't bare to finish this book...it was a total lack of organized thoughts...
UGH!!!! WHAT A BORE!!!!! I am only finishing this book out of principle. I've never read Anne Rice's novels because they are my style but I have heard from so many she's fantastic. I was really interested in getting into her head but once I started reading this overbearing book it turned me sour to her writing style! You are so inundates with details you loose site of what she's trying to ha More...
UGH!!!! WHAT A BORE!!!!! I am only finishing this book out of principle. I've never read Anne Rice's novels because they are my style but I have heard from so many she's fantastic. I was really interested in getting into her head but once I started reading this overbearing book it turned me sour to her writing style! You are so inundates with details you loose site of what she's trying to ha More...
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Nov 20, 2008
Bill
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I can imagine many fans of the novels of Anne Rice were surprised that her first memoir, Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession, is not about her life as a writer; rather, it is about her life as a Catholic and the role of faith in her life.
Rice beautifully describes her life as a child being enveloped in Catholicism---the masses, the sacraments, her experiences as a student in Catholic school, the religious holidays (Nativity scenes set up at churches in New Orleans at the More...
Rice beautifully describes her life as a child being enveloped in Catholicism---the masses, the sacraments, her experiences as a student in Catholic school, the religious holidays (Nativity scenes set up at churches in New Orleans at the More...
Sep 17, 2009
Mark
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I've never read an Anne Rice novel. (I did collect the Interview w/a Vampire comics for a while, but that was a long time ago.) So I don't come to this spiritual memoiras a fan.
I'm not a Roman Catholic, either... though the book is about a person's journey from Catholic faith to atheism & back to Catholicism.
So my review/response to this book is colored by these things.
Here's the bullet points:
- the structure of the book is rambling... and that's being More...
I'm not a Roman Catholic, either... though the book is about a person's journey from Catholic faith to atheism & back to Catholicism.
So my review/response to this book is colored by these things.
Here's the bullet points:
- the structure of the book is rambling... and that's being More...
May 28, 2009
Katie
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Aug 06, 2011
Breanne
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This book hit me hard on so many levels. It follows Anne Rice through her personal life journey of spirituality and religion. It starts with her growing up in a predominately Catholic city where everything around you reflects the beliefs of the major religion. It goes through her fall from grace, her anger and hopelessness, her confusion, and her eventual return to her church. Throughout the book, I could feel the parallels to my own life. Having grown up in a predominately Mormon area where eve
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Feb 14, 2010
Jennifer
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By coindidence, I picked this book up at the library after having just read C.S. Lewis journey from atheism to faith, "Surprised by Joy." I thought this book might give me some insight into a mind that could create such literature as "Interview With a Vampire." This book is also a journey from atheism to faith, but these two authors took two completely different roads. Whereas Lewis reasoned his way to faith, Rice's was an emotional experience culminating in a love experie
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Dec 06, 2008
Jo
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Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession, is not about Anne Rice's life as a writer; rather, it is about her life as a Catholic and the role of faith in her life. She was raised Catholic, then fell away and became an Atheist for 38 years before finding God and dedicating her life to Him again, through the Catholic church. It is an amazingly honest book, and her descriptions of New Orleans, of the Catholic Church, of her searching for God while insisting He doesn't exist, and the joy and intelledc
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Sep 08, 2009
Deb
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I was curious about this book when I heard that Anne Rice, an atheist for 40 years, had returned to the Catholic faith of her childhood.
You Catholics or former Catholics out there might really enjoy her descriptions of growing up Catholic in New Orleans (or maybe your mothers would enjoy it even more!). Her writing is lush and evocative. By chance, I came across the audio version of this book just as we were setting off on a long road trip, so I listened to it instead of reading it. More...
You Catholics or former Catholics out there might really enjoy her descriptions of growing up Catholic in New Orleans (or maybe your mothers would enjoy it even more!). Her writing is lush and evocative. By chance, I came across the audio version of this book just as we were setting off on a long road trip, so I listened to it instead of reading it. More...
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Mar 04, 2011
Deb
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This is a fascinating look at the spiritual journey of a gifted writer. Anne Rice describes her Catholic childhood in detail (maybe a bit too much detail, but not knowing much about this type of upbringing I found it interesting). Through the ups and downs of her life she took her faith seriously and wanted to live a life of significance. She even wanted to be a priest..or at least a nun. Of course she eventually broke with the church and lived as an athiest for many years. Her return to t
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Mar 09, 2011
Tracey
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This is a book written by one of my all time favourite authors, Anne Rice. In this non-fiction publication, Anne recounts her life and her relationship with God. Beginning in her youth, Anne Rice takes us through her religious upbringing as a devout Catholic in New Orleans.
I was amazed at the extent of her devotion and worship and was able to catch a glimpse of what growing up in the Catholic faith was like in America at that time. I was also able to gain a clearer understanding of More...
I was amazed at the extent of her devotion and worship and was able to catch a glimpse of what growing up in the Catholic faith was like in America at that time. I was also able to gain a clearer understanding of More...
Oct 25, 2009
Chastity
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Apr 09, 2010
Angela
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I got through the entire book and firmly believe than neither I nor Anne Rice understand why she went back to Catholicism. The beginning sections about her childhood were a tedious bore that skim over any remotely interesting part of her life. She explains in detail the architecture of a church while only touching on her mother's alcoholism.
I was down right angry that her solution to not being happy with any Catholic church policy is to ignore it and focus on your relationship with More...
I was down right angry that her solution to not being happy with any Catholic church policy is to ignore it and focus on your relationship with More...
Mar 23, 2010
What I learned:
Mrs. Rice's given name is "Howard Allen". (really!)
She grew up with progressive parents who wanted to be called by their first name.
Her mother was an alcoholic who died when Anne was in her early teens.
She grew up religiously and socially Catholic and lost her faith when upon entering college she discovered that there were lots of good people who didn't think/believe like she did.
Despite writing (using a nom de More...
Mrs. Rice's given name is "Howard Allen". (really!)
She grew up with progressive parents who wanted to be called by their first name.
Her mother was an alcoholic who died when Anne was in her early teens.
She grew up religiously and socially Catholic and lost her faith when upon entering college she discovered that there were lots of good people who didn't think/believe like she did.
Despite writing (using a nom de More...
Jan 22, 2009
Robin
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This autobiography tells how Anne Rice left the church and lived as an atheist for most of her adult life before she discovered that belief and faith are about more than churches inhabited by flawed people just like her. my favorite part is in the last chapter where she says " When people refer to me as a "prodigal daughter" because I have given up writing about "vampires and witches" I am confused. I feel no guilt whatsoever for anything I ever wrote."..."I
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Nov 20, 2008
Christa
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It's really not fair that someone can write such an honest-sounding memoir of her spiritual journey and yet it be so beautifully written. If you read it, I would love to hear your thoughts. There are so many things I would love to quote from this book. Just a couple:
"It seems to me that many people think a Christian conversion is exactly that -- a falling into simplicity; a falling from intellect into an emotional refuge; an attempt to feel good. . . . My return involved comp More...
"It seems to me that many people think a Christian conversion is exactly that -- a falling into simplicity; a falling from intellect into an emotional refuge; an attempt to feel good. . . . My return involved comp More...
Jun 26, 2011
Daniel
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This is another great book by Anne Rice. In this book she describes her religious background as a child why she became and atheist and the her spiritual return to the catholic church.
There are people who gives this 2 or 3 star ratings. I think they are doing this because they don't really know what this book is about. These people are probably the core rice devotee fans like me but just cant get over the fact that she is no longer writing about the supernatural or vampires.
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There are people who gives this 2 or 3 star ratings. I think they are doing this because they don't really know what this book is about. These people are probably the core rice devotee fans like me but just cant get over the fact that she is no longer writing about the supernatural or vampires.
More...
