The Wolf Gift - book reviews and discussion (will contain spoilers)

For when we start reading the book!

Am still in chapter one but will read more later.

Ok so far - she calls Marchent an "exotic and elegant older woman". She's 38! One year older than me!!!! I'm an older woman!!! I don't like that!!

I like this quote, from Marchant about the house she is selling

"there comes a time when a house owns you and you know you have to get free of it"

Very much a reflection of herself I thought

After chapter 1 - which is very descriptive about the house and about the families and history of Reuben and Marchant...it gets better.

The wolf makes an appearance very quickly, and it seems way too obvious who the wolf may be. At this stage we don't know anything about the wolf though. I'm around page 60 and Reuben is recovering in hospital, with signs that something is not right, something has changed in him.

I'm only ten pages in so I can't comment much but Jane who do you picture as Rueben? I keep picturing Alcide because of the height, lol, but he's too old for this character. Been trying to picture this guy from my gym

He's Lestat in my head but with brown hair!

but Ruben is taller than Lestat! lol And brawnier I imagine

Yeah he beefs up as it goes along!

I think its sadly obvious who the wolf is! Hope I'm wrong though.

The whole beginning is a bit too romanticized for me. Even his first transformation is oh so pretty and pleasurable. Huh? Not my picture of a werewolf. Has Anne been influenced by the Twatlight wolves?

The one bit I did like though was how the fallen strands of hair dissolve on their own, and how Rueben basically compares the chemical transformation of his to getting a hard on!

I agree it seems far too obvious, and where I am now I don't understand why he doesn't suspect the same person, or group of people, that I do.


I like that Anne has once again changed the legend, changed how it is supposed to be. Full moon doesn't seem to play a part, the transformation isn't painful as is usually depicted (how can all that stretching and changing be pleasurable?).. I know she explains that he has got bigger physically but still surely wolf man is bigger than him as a normal man? I love that he is still him when changed, still in control and able to act..although I think he is surely compelled towards violence in this transformed state as he has some moral regrets afterwards.

made it to 100 pages!

Jane don't you think Rueben is taking this werewolf stuff a bit too casually? He was a meek and mild man and now he's going off ripping people apart and he just accepts the acts of himself so easily? And that family of his is so ridiculous, his mother holding a "meeting" to talk about how Rueben "changed". From the descriptions there isn't much of a change to warrant such a reaction. I don't know, I don't like the flow of the narrative thus far, I'm just hoping the plot starts to pick up and makes me forget those things

is the prose the usual lush Rice fare?

I wouldn't say lush but her writing style remains well enough, it's just elements of the story which seem too glazed over to me

I agree, there is no freaking out, he just wants to document it and take pictures of himself!! Celeste I feel is annoying on purpose, we're not meant to warm to her. He talks of his father fondly, seems a little in awe of his mother. I wish he'd tell her to quit with the baby boy nickname, embarrassing!

I'm a little further on but won't spoil it for Jesse!

Just finished the chapter where he saves the kids....oh so easy now wasn't it? This is Anne Rice in her most laziest plotting I've ever read from her!!! I swear I'm just getting annoyed at the pace of the plot..or should I say splot, as in shit!

so how did he become a werewolf? Was it a genetic trait handed down to him, or was he bitten by another werewolf or something?

He was bitten.

Jesse I like the start - then it just seems to meander for a while and not much new is uncovered. But something has happened now and it has my interest again!

what page number is that so I know what to hopefully look forward to! lol

So I'm picturing a taller and slightly buffer Matt Boomer cause that's who Anne says she pictures Rueben as, so basically Alcide's body with Matt Boomer's head, lol.

mmm....Alcide....why can't I be mauled by a man like that at least once in my life? lol

I would love to be mauled by Alicide as well! Who is Matt Boomer?

I don't know the exact page but I am now just past 300, so maybe around the page 280 mark?

I looked and it's around 260. Just a good chapter.

It is still better now due to a new plot development!

chrism rhymes with jism

and morphenkind....well nice that finally there is some original type of mythology being incorporated, and I like the DNA talk but not enough at the point where I am at in the story, the confrontation with his maker was lame as fuck but the small revelations from it held promise...or does it?

There is still more interesting bits to come

What do you make of Laura?

The most non-sensical character she's ever written! A wolf man ends up on her doorstep, what does she do? She fucks him!

It just doesn't ring true that a woman would do that! Anne must have a thing for wolfs!!! I was thinking a wolf cock would be huuuuuge and painful!

I have finished it now.

I liked the last few chapters a lot more, would say more but don't want to spoil until Jesse gets there