Cry to Heaven

1st edition (publ. Knopf)

Cry to Heaven is a standalone historical novel by Anne Rice, first published in 1982. Taking place in Italy during the eighteenth century, it follows the paths of two unlikely collaborators: a Venetian noble and a maestro from Calabria, both trying to succeed in the world of the opera.

Plot introduction

Guido Maffeo, born a peasant, is castrated at the age of six to preserve his soprano voice, and becomes a star of the opera by the time he's a teenager. However, like many castrati, he loses his voice as he enters manhood. After a failed suicide attempt, he becomes a music teacher in the Naples conservatorio where he was raised. While he becomes an excellent teacher and composer, he is denied the fame he originally had.

Tonio Treschi is (apparently) the last son of a noble family from the Republic of Venice, his father, Andrea, a member of the Serenissima's Council of Three. About ten years younger than Guido, he possesses a natural soprano voice, and enjoys singing.

However, the Treschi family hides a great secret - Tonio is not the last heir of the house, but the youngest; his older brother, Carlo, was exiled for embarrassing the family. While Andrea Treschi attempts to cut Carlo out of the family, after his death, Carlo returns and plots to regain his original position. To this end, he decides on a cruel and ironic method - because of his voice, he has Tonio castrated, and sends him off with Guido to study in Naples. Tonio is thus left in a hard position, divided between his love of music on one side, and his desire for revenge on the other.

Plot summary

As Tonio learns, Carlo is actually his father. However, although everyone in Venice is inclined to believe that Carlo was behind his castration, Tonio cannot accuse him of the crime because doing so would result in the "extinction" of the Treschi family. After some soul-searching, he decides to remain in Naples and study under Guido, holding off on revenge until after Carlo and his mother (also Carlo's lover and later wife) have children to ensure the family line.

Because of Tonio's almost unhuman soprano voice, Guido is roused from his depression, and takes him as a star student. Tonio progresses in his lessons extremely quickly. Guido also has Tonio perform some of his original compositions, which begin to impress audiences at the conservatorio.

Tonio, for his part, struggles to come to terms with his castrato status - in his own mind, he is "less than a man." At first, he finds it difficult to even associate with his fellow castrati. As time goes on, he has a love affair with another castrati boy, Domenico, and after Domenico leaves, with Guido himself. He comes to dominate the conservatorio - in addition to being a star student, he soon befriends all the boys his age and becomes something of a leader and confidant.

Also, Tonio continues his studies in fencing and firearms, which, in Guido's words, make him into a "hero" to his fellow students, especially after he kills (in self-defense) a student who vowed to kill him. Because he was raised to be a gentleman, and because he was castrated relatively later in life, he continues to act like a man, unlike the more effeminate poses of castrati boys. Despite the fact he's a castrato, even local noblemen come to respect him both as a sparring partner and a friend.

However, Guido and others need to scheme to finally get Tonio out of the conservatorio and onto the stage. After his debut, Guido and Tonio travel to Rome for his premiere opera, where he gains the patronage of a powerful cardinal, Calvino, and befriends a powerful count from Florence, di Stefano. Although he is almost booed off the stage for upstaging the operatic star Bettichino, he proves a great success, and both he and Guido have a bright future in front of him. He even becomes lovers with an English noblewoman and widow, Christina, which seems to restore him to his former status.

However, Tonio is unable to break free of the desire for revenge against Carlo. After having two children by Carlo, Tonio's mother, Marianna, dies. Soon afterwards - and before his Fat Tuesday opera performance - hitmen sent by Carlo try to kill him. Against the wishes of all his friends, Tonio vows to return in time for an Easter opera, then disappears.

In Venice, Carlo has become a pathetic alcoholic wreck. Disguised as a woman (a trick he learned for the opera), Tonio succeeds in "seducing" his father and capturing him. Intoxicated, Carlo curses ever coming back to Venice, and even wanting to take Tonio's place, finding the city decadent and confining. Although he promises never to try and hurt Tonio again, he attempts to kill him the second he has the opportunity. In response, Tonio finally kills Carlo. He then returns to his friends, finally able to fully pursue his life.

Major themes

Although Cry to Heaven is not considered one of Anne Rice's pornographic novels, it stands out because of its constant, graphic, and romantic descriptions of homosexual sex, mainly between teenage castrati boys. Additionally, Tonio has affairs with "whole men" such as the Roman cardinal and the Florentine count.

Despite this, it is difficult to say that any of the characters are truly homosexual, even the non-castrati. As Guido explains, castrati are seen as neither male or female, and enjoy a type of "freedom" in their relations. Guido openly extols this freedom - although he clearly loves Tonio, he has an ongoing affair with a wealthy contessa, whom he also loves. Tonio's relations before his castration, and by the end of the novel, are predominantly heterosexual, despite his many affairs with other boys. Even effete castrati, such as Domenico (who is submissive to Tonio during their affair), have sex with both genders.

A darker reason for this may be Guido's warning that castrati, as they age, lose their sexual desire. Because of this, he encourages Tonio to act on his desires whenever they seize him, as the day may come when he no longer has such desires.

The bisexual nature of the characters is similar to that of the vampires in Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Like Lestat, neither Guido nor Tonio discriminate based on gender.

Also, although there are no supernatural elements in Cry to Heaven, Tonio is often described in super-human terms. For example, his voice is considered "angelic," and his slender yet strong frame, at times, ghostly.

Literary significance & criticism

Cry to Heaven is one of Anne Rice's early novels and, along with The Feast of All Saints, a highly-researched historical tale. The book's afterword reveals Rice's extensive research, ranging from medical and anatomic information into castration to her immersion in the world of 18th century opera.

The book is also considered one of Rice's best historic novels. In particular, the New York Times' Book Review section, when reviewing Rice's historical novels, often refers back to Cry to Heaven as a comparison, much to the disadvantage of her more recent works.

ISBN 0-345-39693-6

See also

Novels portal

• Farinelli
• Farinelli (film)