The Feast of All Saints – Anne Rice (1979)
Set in 19th-century New Orleans, this historical novel by Interview with the Vampire author Anne Rice explores the complex lives of the gens de couleur libres (free people of color), a unique class of mixed-race individuals caught between the privileges of white society and the oppression of slavery. The story follows several interconnected characters—including the ambitious artist Marcel Ste. Marie and his mother, the enigmatic Dolly Rose—as they navigate love, identity, and societal constraints in the antebellum South. Rice’s lush prose and meticulous research illuminate a rarely depicted chapter of American history, blending drama with Gothic undertones.
If You Appreciated This, Try:
- The Yellow House (Sarah M. Broom, 2019) – A memoir exploring race and family in New Orleans.
- Cane River (Lalita Tademy, 2001) – A multi-generational saga of Creole women in Louisiana.
- The Awakening (Kate Chopin, 1899) – Another New Orleans-set classic of identity and rebellion.
