Dark Shadows - la malédiction d'Angelique

Dark Shadows #1

by Lara Parker

Barnabas a conquis le coeur de la délicieuse Angelique avant de la trahir pour une autre. Malheureusement pour lui, la jeune femme a été élevée dans la magie noire et dans l'art du vaudou. Déterminée à prendre sa revanche, elle le condamne à
l'éternité en le transformant en vampire avant de l'enterrer vivant. Deux cents ans plus tard, Barnabas est enfin libéré de ce mauvais sort. Il trouve le journal d'Angelique et découvre l'indicible : les secrets à l'origine de l'obsession amoureuse qui a uni leurs destins jusque dans la mort.

Genres: Fantasy, Vampires, Paranormal, Fiction, Gothic, Horror, Witches

431 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Lara Parker was born Mary Lamar Rickey in Knoxville, Tennessee, and grew up in Memphis. She attended Central High School in Memphis, and won a scholarship to Vassar College. At Vassar, Lara began a major in philosophy, which she completed at Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College), receiving her BA. She attended graduate school at the University of Iowa and completed all course work on a Masters in speech and drama. During the summer when Lara was supposed to write her thesis, she acted at the Millbrook Playhouse, in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, playing 5 leading roles in 6 weeks. Rather than returning to Iowa, she decided to try her luck in New York. During only her second week in the city, she was cast as Angelique, the witch, in the daytime horror serial, Dark Shadows (1966). It was a role she held for 5 years. It culminated with the film, Night of Dark Shadows (1971). While still in New York, Lara appeared on Broadway in "Woman is My Idea", as well as in two off-Broadway plays: "Lulu" and "A Gun Play".

In 1972, she moved to Los Angeles, and began working in film and prime-time television, performing many guest starring roles, and occasionally returning to daytime television. After retiring from acting, she changed her focus back to what her original interests were. She became a high school and college English teacher, and obtained her MFA in creative writing (from Antioch University). Parker authored four novels based on "Dark Shadows" (see book section, below).

Parker lived in California with her husband, Jim Hawkins and their daughter, Caitlin Hawkins. She died at age 84 from cancer in October 2023.

Reviews

[Jill Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a fan of Dark Shadows, I was curious to read Lara Parker's prequel to the never-ending tragedy of Barnabas and Angelique. I did not have high expectations for the novel, assuming it would be a good read but on a par with formulaic romance stories. My low expectations were surpassed fairly quickly, however, by an interesting and well-written storyline.

I would hope that readers new to the mythology of Dark Shadows could enjoy this novel on it's own merits, but I am not certain of that being the case. My own mind was imbued with the television characters, thus causing me to already love and care for their Gothic supernatural lives.

The story concerns three pivotal characters, and one lesser one: Angelique, whom we follow from her dramatic voodoo childhood in Martinique to her dance with the devil as a full-grown witch in Maine during the late 1700's; Barnabas, the enchanting man she meets in her youth, and whose rejection of her obsessive love leads to his eternal curse; Josette, the fine lady love of Barnabas, who innocently causes her maid servant Angelique much unhappiness; and Julia, the ever-suffering modern-day companion to the lovelorn Barnabas of the twentieth century.

The novel moves back and forth between modern times and the 1700's, as did the TV show it is based on. The seamless transition is accomplished by the use of an old diary, discovered after a fire at the Old House. A simple literary device, but it works. The story is engaging, and enough of a page-turner to make the rather long novel a quick summertime read.

Lara Parker, who played the part of Angelique in the original series, is a cut above the usual romance novelist. She took a great amount of care in crafting this story, and produced a work that is a surprising and welcome addition to my home library.

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My boyfriend and I got talking recently about the factors that have shaped our literary tastes. I’m a devoted fantasy reader, which started with Tolkien, and he is similarly committed to the world of Sherlock Holmes. We found we had wide-ranging influences, including books, comic books and TV shows. We share fond memories of the campy Batman show featuring Adam West, comic books like Superman and Turok Son of Stone, the Wizard of Oz, and the animated Spiderman series on TV when we were kids.

It’s funny what these wide-ranging conversations can shake loose in the dusty recesses of your memory—it got me remembering how much I enjoyed the show Dark Shadows, a weekly soap opera featuring the immortal Barnabus Collins, a doomed vampire, and his aristocratic family to whom he returns. On a whim, I searched our public library’s database, thinking maybe I could access DVDs of the series, but what I found was a three book series, written by one of the original cast members of the earliest incarnation of that title. (Lara Parker played Angelique, the female antagonist to Barnabus).

Now I’ve done some research and I think that the version of Dark Shadows that I fondly remember must be the 1991 remake, but I’m just not sure. I could have sworn that I watched this series while still living at home with my parents (and I left to go to university in 1979) and its becoming obvious to me that my past memories are not to be trusted with regard to time—i.e., when something happened. I think a bit more research on YouTube may be in order in the near future.

Be that as it may, I requested this first book of the trilogy and was pleasantly surprised—it is very much a soap opera, with lots of emotional drama, plenty of voodoo, and a generous dash of black magic. The actress author is a reasonably good writer and, having played Angelique for many years, she has a great vision for Angelique’s back story which is the focus of this book. Barnabus only becomes a vampire at the book’s end and the tale continues in the next volume.

Dark Shadows is probably one of the pop culture influences that have gradually transformed the vampire from a disgusting, terrifying revenant (think Stoker’s Dracula or film’s Nosferatu) into the handsome, romantic character that features so prominently in recent fiction (think Twilight or Anne Rice’s works).

I certainly wouldn’t push this book on anyone else, but for me it is scratching an itch that I acquired in my stroll down memory lane. (I’m also on the hunt for some Turok Son of Stone comics, stemming from the same conversation, because who doesn’t want to read about Native Americans fighting dinosaurs?)

[Shainlock]

Watching the original Dark Shadows from the beginning;
Have always wanted to bc I know my mom used to like it and I know other ppl that adore it. Also, I happened to see a mini-series revival version of it done by the same creator when I was in grade school or jr high or something.

[debbicat *made of stardust* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this earlier today. It was very good. I am no real reviewer, but I know what I like, and I like Lara Parker's writing and this story, these characters, this setting. It was beautifully written with descriptions that easily took me to the setting of Martinique, the home of Angelique during childhood, and Collinwood, where the Collins family lives.

I bought this on kindle first, being very eager to read it at the beginning of my October, All Hallows Read Challenge. I later realized a had a credit available on audible and was delighted to find that the author narrates it herself. Oh joy! I downloaded it on the go and was off and running in the car to listen while running errands. Angelique was my favorite character in the series. Lara Parker played her so well. Beautiful, mysterious, delicate, long blond curls, flowing dress; those eyes! I was captivated by her during the time period I watched the series. I wanted to be her. This story of her early beginnings by Lara Parker is perfect and explains so much. It gives you a lot of sympathy for her and why she did the things she did and a great deal of insight into her obsession with Barnabas. The two are so intertwined. Now I wanna find the videos and re-watch the whole series with the background knowledge I now possess. Their love/hate relationship is one of true gothic romance. Obsession, possession, evil black magic, voodoo, goddess...it's all in here. It captivated me and I often stayed up too late reading (which I rarely do bc I really like getting my sleep); and took extra walks to listen to find out what would happen next. The story is beautifully written.

I know it is one I will read again.(and or listen to) And that is saying a lot. I don't re-read many books. Also, I was tickled to find that at the end of the audible version, we are given the first chapter of the second book in Parker's trilogyThe Salem Branch. I was sucked right in and had to listen to that. It picks right up where the other left off. Mostly. I have already downloaded book 2, The Salem Branch from audible and am looking forward to Lara Parker weaving more of the story of the Collins family (and Angelique); as well as listening to her narration, which I think she is very talented at. I suppose most actresses are. I found it the icing on the cake for her to read these novels, being I feel I know her voice so well through her years of playing Angelique. Can't wait to see where this next book goes. I loved everything about Angelique's Descent.Dark Shadows: Angélique's Descent

[Stasia Bruhn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Angelique's story..Why did she become the woman you know from the t.v. series or movie? Her mother had been a medicine woman who believed in magic.So from a very early age Angelique had seen her do spells. One day her supposed father took her away from her carefree life by the sea and thus began the strange, sad tale of Angelique.

Angelique had actually met Barnabas at a young age.The meeting made quite an impression on both of them.

Angelique started dabbling in "Evil" magic when she found some old spell books in a secret room. She realized she had powers that she didn't understand

Angelique wasn't always a cold, obsessive woman.This book explains her change from a Innocent, happy carefree spirit to the Angelique we are familiar with.

Barnabas has some responsibility in the mental madness that was Angelique.He is the one who pursued her, he led her on, and then he betrayed her..He was the weak one who couldn't stand up to his father.

[Mieneke · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I was approached to review Dark Shadows: Angelique's Descent, one of the reasons I accepted was the fact that this was the story on which the new Tim Burton film was based. The other was that this was a book definitely a little outside of my comfort zone and I think it is important to challenge your reading habits at times. Unfortunately, I failed my own challenge. This book was a struggle for me. It wasn't my cup of tea, turning out to be far more on the romance side than I expected. If I hadn't promised to read and review it, I might have put it aside. Perhaps I should have done more research beforehand, as I would probably have had different expectations if I'd done so. Dark Shadows, the film, isn't the first incarnation of this tale, far from it. Dark Shadows originated as a daytime TV soap in the 1960's and had a short-lived revival in the early 1990's. Taking these origins into account, the fact that the book is as romancey as it is, shouldn't have been a surprise. As it was, I was caught by surprise, but my problems with the books weren't just because of the romance angle.

As I stated above, Dark Shadows: Angelique's Descent is very reminiscent of a soap opera, which seeing its genesis isn't surprising, but did make for an exasperating read. It has the typical soap opera device where people change their minds a gazillion times and keep hanging on to former lovers as if you only have the one shot. Angelique's obsession with Barnabas drove me insane, by the third or fourth time he rejected her, I just wanted to smack her and tell her to move on already! It also suffers from random plot elements surprising its own characters. For example, Angelique recalls someone from the dead and makes them a zombie, who then drops from the story, but when said zombie turns up at her door at one point she's completely astonished. There were several of these instances, which are common in soaps, but are strange when they show up in books.

Writing-wise, the book also contained its fair share of purple prose. Again, common in romance books, but not something I look for in books I read. I do have to say that the prose tightened up a lot toward the end of the book and the purplishness wasn't as jolting in the sections set in the past, which tell Angelique's story. I found the prose far more of a problem in the sections set in the 1970's, which are told from Barnabas' point of view. On the whole, I have to say I did enjoy Angelique's sections far more, the setting in the Caribbean was interesting and drew me in far more than Barnabas' Maine.

One thing I found really problematic was the age at which Angelique is described to feel the first stirrings of sexual desire. She's only eleven or twelve when this is described and I found it highly disturbing. Despite being set in the 18th century and people marrying younger back then, I still find eleven – and a later scene at thirteen – to be too young for my sensibilities and I wonder whether it was really necessary to have her be that young for these scenes to work. If she'd just been a year or three older, it would have been far less disturbing. However, I realise that this might be a personal concern, there might be many people who do not find this problematic.

I find it hard to give a final judgement for Dark Shadows: Angelique's Descent, because of the fact that it just wasn't my cup of tea. There were some things which are bad or disturbing no matter what genre it is, but overall, much of what I found tedious about the book, might just be the thing that makes it work for others. So I can't say I recommend it, unless you're a die-hard romance reader who likes a bit of the supernatural mixed in or you have fond memories of the original TV series.

This book was sent to me for review by the publisher. It is an eBook-only publication.

[Jim Dooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m sure no one will believe me, but it was not my intent to finish this book on Halloween!

I’ve had the first two “Dark Shadows” books written by Lara Parker, DARK SHADOWS: ANGELIQUE’S DESCENT and DARK SHADOWS: THE SALEM BRANCH, residing on my library bookshelf for about 20-years. (In fact, Lara Parker autographed my copy of the second one at a Dark Shadows Festival!) There are now four books in the series and it felt like an excellent time to dig into the first one.

I was one of those “Dark Shadows kids” when the gothic soap opera first aired on television, literally running home from school to catch most of the the weekday episodes. (Usually, I arrived just after the first commercial break following the opening titles.) In later years, I bought the series on DVD ... all 1,225 episodes ... and shared them with my daughter who became a “Dark Shadows kid” herself.

The most famous “Dark Shadows” book series was the one written by “Marilyn Ross” ... yes, I own that set, too. They were definitely of mixed quality with the earliest ones being the best ones. In one of the later books, members of the Collins family are possessed by space aliens!! (No, I’m not making that up.) Even the better ones followed a consistent structural format which was almost a “paint by numbers” version of writing.

DARK SHADOWS: ANGELIQUE’S DESCENT is a breath of fresh air compared to the Ross series. The writer, Lara Parker, played Angelique on the original television series. Her character was one of the “Big Three” in popularity (along with Barnabas Collins and Quentin Collins), but Angelique’s backstory was only sketchily developed. So, Parker decided to explore Angelique’s past and her version of the happenings that we saw unfold on television.

The result is very much worth the read for “Dark Shadows” fans. In fact, if the opening “modern day” sequences were eliminated, it would make a terrific introductory movie. The writing style is consistently good with the added highlight that Parker was able to effectively capture the attributes of her own and other characters since she was on the set with them for five years. For example, Roger Collins is almost always portrayed as a glowering fuss-budget in other stories. Here, Parker captures more of his nuances and fleshes him out.

Although the main draw for Readers is likely the vengeance-filled story of love gone wrong between Barnabas and Angelique (and the curse that results), the more interesting part is Angelique’s childhood and the abuse she suffered that fueled her development as witch. Virtually none of this was in the original television series, so it is fascinating. Parker intimately knows about Angelique’s adult life, so she is careful in crafting the early events to support the development arc.

The book has three significant weaknesses:

* The modern day frame is much less interesting, and it slows the pace accordingly;

* There are a number of coincidental events that seemed a bit too unbelievable. The main ones for me were the repeated appearances of Barnabas in Angelique’s early life, and the identity of Angelique’s father;

* About two-thirds of the way into the book, events begin unfolding very rapidly to the point that many details are skipped in time shifts. By the end of the book, it is as if Parker was racing for the finish line!

Friends who have read DARK SHADOWS: THE SALEM BRANCH tell me that I’m in for a real treat with that one.

In the meantime, if you are curious about “Dark Shadows,” this book is a good introduction. You may founder a bit with the opening modern scenes, but you’ll soon catch up. And when you arrive at Angelique’s backstory, I think you’ll enjoy yourself.

[Carolina Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by the actress who played the evil witch Angelique on the daytime soap-opera Dark Shadows, Angelique’s Descent tells the story of how the woman became the witch we loved to hate.


The story jumps intermittently between the present (1971) and the past, roughly 200 years prior as Barnabus Collins reads Angelique’s journal which he found at the ‘old house’ as it is often referred to in the series. The first half of the novel describes Angelique’s early childhood in late 18th century San Martinique. When we first meet the young Angelique, she is a child of the ocean spending her days swimming among the sea life and exploring caves near her mother’s island hut. We learn that her mother was a native-healer and her father, a white Englishman, the owner of a sugar plantation.

Angelique’s mother is tricked into sending her away to live with her father who promises a life of wealth and ease for Angelique. In truth, Angelique’s father suspects that she has inherited a portion of her mother’s powers and plans on using her as a pawn to keep his slaves in line by having Angelique impersonate the voodoo Goddess Erzulie. What Angelique’s father learns, albeit far too late, is that Angelique is far more powerful than he could have imagined. Along the way we learn of Angelique’s earliest meeting with a young Barnabus Collins and their eventual love affair before Angelique becomes a servant of the rich and powerful Du Pres family.

The latter half of the book will be familiar to anyone who watched the series as the author describes the events which played out on screen using dialogue from the original scripts. We are also treated to events that occurred ‘off-camera’ filling the blanks between scenes. Having escaped her past, Angelique becomes a maid to Josette Dupres to whom we learn she has a profound connection. Barnabus and Angelique are able to consummate their love-affair, however due to constraints of society at the time, they are unable to wed. Ultimately it is Josette to whom Barnabus becomes betrothed, inciting Angelique’s wrath. Angelique calls upon her sorcery in attempt to undo their love and reclaim Barnabus for herself, resulting in Barnabus becoming a Vampire.

The author’s style of writing is easy to follow. The story is well-thought out and faithful to the established characters and plot made famous in the television series. Although described as an erotic tale, I found the few scenes describing Angelique’s sexual liaisons quite tame.

My biggest complaint with the story is the lack of realism in Angelique’s flavor of witchcraft. In some instances she uses actual magical theories (such as sympathetic magic) while in other instances she chants gibberish which I take as lazy writing.

Parker did an excellent job of portraying Angelique a sympathetic villain. Having learned of the violence and betrayal of which Angelique was the victim one cannot help but empathize with her and understand why she did what she did….for love.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3,5

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reviewed for Book Chick City
http://www.bookchickcity.com/2012/07/...

DARK SHADOWS: ANGELIQUE’S DESCENT by Lara Parker is based upon the old Dark Shadows TV series, and details the history of witch Angelique, and her relationship with vampire Barnabas.

Having never seen the Dark Shadows TV series, or the recent Dark Shadows movie starring Johnny Depp, I was a little confused when starting this book, as it seemed as if background knowledge of the characters was needed in order to fully connect with the story. There is very little introduction to the character of Barnabas or Angelique, with the book delving straight into the complex plot.

It begins with Barnabas in his present time, apparently having been recently cured of his vampirism and learning to adjust to life as a human once more. He is reminiscent about the past, thinking of Angelique and her influence over his life despite the fact that as a new reader I hadn’t been introduced to her character at this stage.

When he spots a shadowy figure in the grounds of his estate, he enters the uninhabited old house which he hasn’t entered for many years. Here he is overcome with emotion and burns the house to the ground, returning to his own mansion. The morning after, when the ruins are examined, he finds a diary which belonged to Angelique, and it is here that our story really starts.

We are thrown straight into Angelique’s history, which begins when she is taken from her mother at the age of nine and forced to follow her father to a sugar plantation. Here she is dressed as a goddess, where the African slaves pray to her whilst her father keeps her locked away in a tower. She is violently mistreated during her time at the plantation, making many escape attempts in a bid to flee her father.

Her story is interrupted with flashes to the present, with Barnabas reading the diary, but there are details mentioned in this present time that aren’t at all explored. The story is all Angelique’s, but I found myself not caring for her story, and would have liked to see more of Barnabas.

The book did pick up slightly after Angelique’s escape from the plantation, as she then meets Barnabas and we discover how he became a vampire, but I still wasn’t drawn into her story. She has the qualities of a sorceress, being able to cast spells similar to voodoo, with her magic using more dark qualities than light. It is often used to hurt others, and yet still I wasn’t interested in her character, despite this emotional drama.

After enduring a slow read to reach the end of the book, I started asking myself why I wasn’t more interested in Angelique, as her story is harrowing and emotional but was missing something. Partly I think this was because I had no prior knowledge of the characters, but there was something else that frustrated me more than that. This was the description used by the writer. It was overly excessive, with every point exaggerated too far. This was good at the beginning of the book for world-building, but then I found myself going several pages and wondering what was actually happening throughout all the detail.

“Jasmine twined profusely through the iron enclosure, sweetly perfuming the air, and there was another aroma, of gardenias, tropical and heavy in the mist, blooming waxen on black bushes by the gate.”

This is just one example of the description, and as you can see, this is all one overly long sentence. The book is full of descriptions like this, and when looking back at the events I found that they could have been summed up in a couple of sentences rather than pages, and the story wouldn’t have lost any of its value.

Overall the plot of this book didn’t impress me, as I didn’t form a connection to the character of Angelique. If there had been a page or two as a prologue to detail the events of the TV series then I might have fared better, but I feel like this book is better aimed at fans of the show.

[Don Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since coming across a description of this novel in a magazine back in 1999, I’d always kept it in the back of my mind to read, yet somehow never got around to it. Fast-forward years later, and to the availability of books on Kindle, and I was able to obtain a copy of ANGELIQUE’S DESCENT. It was worth the wait. The story, which takes place in the continuity of the original DARK SHADOWS series, visits the early life of Angelique Bouchard, the sorceress/femme fatale responsible for the plight of the pivotal central character, vampire Barnabas Collins.

Lara Parker is equally as adept as a writer as she is as an actress. Having played Angelique on the small screen for so many years, there’s no one who knows the character better, and Ms. Parker superbly fleshes her out, peeling back the layers of her jealousy and hatred to reveal a truly tortured and conflicted figure. Appropriately, past events are described from Angelique’s perspective, through the discovery of her diary by Barnabas, who heads the familiar assortment of characters in 1971. Barnabas’ relationship with Angelique is a central theme that fuels the entire series, and the author depicts their first encounter at a tender age, leaving a strong impression on both.

She also likens Angelique’s witchcraft to Barnabas’ vampirism; it’s not something she embraces willingly, but the darkness within her that she’s constantly fighting, which eventually consumes her entirely and leaves her powerless to become anything other than what she is. Barnabas’ betrayal is the final catalyst of Angelique’s descent. Professing his undying love for Angelique and his goal for independence from his wealthy family, then caving to familial pressure and developing true love for Josette du Pres, coldly turning away from Angelique in the process, Barnabas often comes across as cowardly and hypocritical, making Angelique’s curse on him seem a fitting and deserved retribution. In spite of that, she continues to pursue him, her unwilling companion for eternity. Ms. Parker’s portrayal of Barnabas Collins is also spot-on.

Written by one who understands the iconic DARK SHADOWS characters, and who also brought one of those characters to startling life, ANGELIQUE’S DESCENT is a revealing tale delivered with the highest level of compelling drama found in the series itself.

[Emma Valieu · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3.5/5]

Quand Barnabas croise Angélique, c'est le coup de foudre. Elle qui est d'une beauté si saisissante et atypique lui donnera bien du mal pour se laisser charmer par ce beau parleur jusqu'à ce qu'elle lui offre finalement son coeur... pour son plus grand malheur. Angélique, sorcière de naissance, prêtresse vaudoo de "formation", va passionnément aimer Barnabas Collins, à la vie mais surtout à la mort.

Moi qui avais pas mal aimé le film Dark Shadows de Tim Burton , j'ai trouvé l'idée d'écrire une saga sur les personnages d'abord issus d'une série télévisée très bonne, surtout que ce premier tome concerne Angélique que j'ai tout bonnement adoré. On ne voyait à l'écran d'elle qu'une garce puissance prête à tout pour réaliser ses caprices mais Lara Parker (qui interprétait le rôle d'Angélique dans la série) a imaginé ce qu'aurait pu être sa vie avant sa malencontreuse rencontre avec l'homme dont elle tomba follement amoureuse. Et que dire si ce n'est que c'est assez passionnant : fille d'une mère guérisseuse et d'un père inconnu, elle baigne très tôt dans le pouvoir des plantes jusqu'à ce qu'elle soit emmenée par un homme plus cruel que bon qui l'obligera à embrasser le monde vaudoo dans une Martinique fragilisée par l'esclavage et la révolte. Petit à petit, on découvre ce qui a fait d'Angélique la femme fatale qu'elle est devenue et il est alors plus difficile de la haïr. C'est que certaines femmes voyant leur coeur brisé par un homme ont du mal à empêcher leur âme de noircir, ce qui fut le cas pour Angélique dont le prénom est pour le coup ironique.

La plume très poétique et l'ambiance gothique et romantique m'ont beaucoup surprise ; malgré quelques longueurs qui finissent par rendre ce roman un peu laborieux, l'immersion tantôt dans les grandes maisons de planteur moites, tantôt dans les demeures froides et lugubres est totale. Une bonne découverte pour qui voudrait allier sorcellerie et vampirisme de manière plus classique, voire historique.

[Lynelle Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who's always been curious about Angelique's backstory, I was thrilled to finally be able to read this. The novel started off rather slowly (I don't think we really needed 20+ pages of Barnabas brooding around the Old House), but I was soon impressed by how deeply LP went into constructing Angelique's childhood/introduction to spellcasting. I really enjoyed most of the beginning and middle of the novel. I've always wondered how Barnabas/Angelique truly met, and why Angelique was so obsessed with him. Truth be told, I STILL don't know why she was so obsessed, because this novel made him out to be a total cad. It would've been nice if, after Barnabas realized he actually loved Josette, we could've followed him in the narration for a bit, because his change of heart was so sudden. I know it was presented this way for the sake of surprise, but I have a feeling that most readers already know the story, so it wouldn't have been a big deal to spoil that and get Angelique's reaction later. I found Barnabas much more charming as a child, though I enjoyed their scene as adults in the market.

For those who have seen the show, the ending was a bit anticlimactic since it basically rehashed the events that actually occurred. I get why it was necessary since we were following Angelique toward her downfall, but once it ended in her death, I wasn't nearly as invested. The ending was also very abrupt. If I hadn't looked deeper into this, I wouldn't have even realized there was a sequel since, as is, the story seemed complete with a few forgivable loose ends. Overall, I enjoyed it, but the pacing could've been a bit better.

[Gidget Strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of the original soap saga, I was pleased that my favorite character, had
a book based off her story, and her love written by the woman who portrayed her.
Angelique's Descent was not just a love story between Angelique and the vampire
you hated to love Barnabus Collins, it was a tale of her birth, her trials in her
youth, and her love/hate for Barnabus.
You find that Angelique came from a long line of voodoo, and witchcraft, and
that her father took her away to basically make her a goddess for his slaves
to keep them from escaping. When Angelique tries many escape attempts, he attempts
to sacrifice her. She in turn murders her fathers and escapes to America in search
of a young man who she fell in love with. That man, was one Barnabus Collins.
When she finds herself a servant to the woman who her "Soulmate" was to marry,
she sets out on a course of seduction and magic. When that fails she places on
him a curse he spends many lifetimes trying to reverse.
Lara Parker eloquently and beautifully paints in words, a canvas of riveting, raw
romance. No one can put that much heart into a story unless she portrayed this woman
on the television screens. Parker took a soap character and made her come to life,
you felt the loneliness of her being held prisoner by her father, you felt her heartbreak.
Those who love the soap will not be disappointed, those new to the series, or never watched
will be engrossed in a love story better than anything written today.

[Lanae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't yet around when the tv version of Dark Shadows was on the air but I have recently started to watch it. Having seen some of the show out of order and now starting it in order, I know bits and pieces of the story of Barnabas, Josette, and Angelique but not all. Needless to say when I saw this book, I figured why not. It should put a lot of things into place for me. I'm not exactly worried about spoilers at this point.

This is a good telling of Angelique's story from childhood until her death. Of how Barnabas met Angelique, fell in love with her, out, then in love with Josette. How revenge ruined the Collins family and Angelique. It is told to us through Angelique's eyes via her diary which Barnabas is reading in 1971 as he prepares to marry Julia. Some of the characters living in Collinwood during the 70s do make cameo appearances but really this is a story about Angelique, her family, Barnabas, his family, Josette, and her family.

It's really a book for fans of the original show. Heavy on the romance, revenge, and all things paranormal. I felt like the author was trying a little too hard at times to be over the top but all that did was keep me from giving it 5 stars. It's still an excellent book for anyone needing a DS fix.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mother loves this show, but my memories of it are vague and seen through the foggy haze of youth. Therefore I'm judging this book on its own merits and not comparing it to the show (or the recent movie, which I did see). I think I liked it more after I finished and thought back on it than I did when I was actually reading it. The reason for that is the parts that take place in the "present" (actually 1971). I found those parts to be a bit boring and they completely took me out of the story. I kept thinking, come on, get back to Angelique! I think this might be a better book without them. Angelique's story could be told on its own without the flashbacks through her diary. I also think the author glossed over some interesting parts; notably the pirate attack and Angelique's true paternity. I'd rather there had been more written on those than the 1971 parts. Angelique's parts are interesting, but very dark. There is a lot of cruelty, both animal and human. For me, it got really good when Angelique goes full-on cray-cray. I had some questions about the show when I finished, but that was my own curiosity about how the book compared to the show. I definitely think the book stands on its own and fans of supernatural romance will probably enjoy this a lot.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished Lara Parker’s 1st “Dark Shadows” novel “Angelique’s Descent” and it was great!!! :D Lara is an amazing writer and she created such a great backstory for her character Angelique. Some of it shocked me and it totally had me feel even more for her character in ways the show never really was able to do (like explain her childhood and how she became a witch). It was a bit hard to get through at first with her childhood but once it started picking up with her as a teenager, meeting and falling for Barnabus, and becoming Josette’s laidies maid that’s when it took off. It was a crazy ride and such a great book. Plus getting things that happened on the show from her POV. But I also loved how Barnabus was finally finding this out too in present day (well 1971) Collinwood. His story picks up right after the show ended and leaves off with an interesting cliffhanger for the 2nd book (which I’m reading next).

Again just amazed by Lara’s writing and so looking forward to reading the 2nd book (which focuses more on present day Barnabus and the Collins family) and the 3rd (about Quinten). Hopefully she’ll be able to get her 4th one about Victoria out soon too. :)

[Adele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not too sure of her acting, but MAN! the woman can write! After a bit, I refused to read it after dark. I have another Dark Shadows book on my TBR shelves for nearly 10 years that I've been too scared to read yet. (For the curious, it's "Dark Shadows: Dreams of the Dark" by Stephen M. Rainey, pub. 1999.)

[Reeny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always loved Angelique she was my favorite character on the Dark Shadows series besides Vicki winters. Lara Parkers books lend much profoundness to Angelique and her background, I had always wondered about her mother, her father her family and home and how she came about practing witchcraft Voodoo, and this book explained it all and it answered many of my question about her.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lara Parker's writing is amazing. She truly captures the feel of the show and in this novel, gives us insight in to the mind of Angelique. I think that fans of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles would also enjoy this book..it has the same type of rich historic atmosphere. A must read for any fans of dark shadows!

[E Jeanne Harnois · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked up this book as I was a fan of the original series. Actually bought it because I was intrigued by author's background. Not that she was the actress from the original show, that alone would have made me put it back as fan-fiction, but that she appears to have the literary skills/talent to pull this prequel off. We'll see!
Follow up: An entertaining read, but about 100 pages too long.

[Sara Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Lara Parker is an excellent writer and this is one of the best novels I have read. I highly recommend it. It draws you into the characters and fills you with passion. One of my favorite books.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice continuation from the originals by one of the actors who was there from the beginning (almost). Have enjoyed her books so far and I saw she has a new one coming out soon!!!

[Phyllis Sroka · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lara Parker tells the story of fire at Collingwood. Barnabas' struggles with his past. Julia tries to help Banabas overcome his past. Great so far-page 46!

[La Lettrice Raffinata · Rating 3 out of 5]

"«Cos'è stato a renderlo così?» ... «Una maledizione. Un nemico ha pronunciato una maledizione, la vendetta consumata. Ci vuole un enorme potere per lanciare una maledizione simile. Un enorme potere e un enorme odio insieme»"


HOW TO CREARE ASPETTATIVE FASULLE

Libro acquistato all'uscita del film con l'idea di leggerlo per poi confrontarlo con l'adattamento; in pochi saranno stupiti di scoprire che, oltre a non aver letto il romanzo fino ad'ora, non ho mai recuperato neanche il film. Ma forse in questo c'è qualcosa di positivo, infatti "Dark Shadows. La maledizione di Angelique" non è l'ispirazione alla base del quasi omonimo lungometraggio di Tim Burton: entrambe le opere sono invece figlie della soap opera a tema sovrannaturale trasmessa tra la fine degli anni Sessanta e l'inizio dei Settanta, infatti Parker era l'interprete della strega Angelique prima che quest'ultima assumesse i connotati di Eva Green nel 2012.
Il romanzo si potrebbe considerare un prequel rispetto alla soap perché la narrazione principale ruota attorno alle origini di Angelique Bouchard, figlia di una guaritrice discendente da schiavi, che nel corso della sua vita si avvicina sempre più al mondo dell'occulto. La ragazza diventa così una strega, e sono proprio le sue abilità a salvarla in diverse occasioni, oltre a permetterle di attuare una vendetta nei confronti dell'amato Barnabas Collins quando lui le preferisce una ricca ereditiera. Questi avvenimenti e molti altri sono raccontati tramite lunghi flashback opposti alle brevi parentesi ambientate nel 1971: qui troviamo un Barnabas guarito dalla maledizione ma ancora prigioniero del suo passato e delle azioni che l'hanno portato a perdere i suoi cari.
Premetto che a mio avviso questa storyline avrebbe potuto essere molto ridimensionata, se non direttamente eliminata; risulta infatti meno interessante e si basa su personaggi e premesse per nulla chiari, probabilmente perché già ben noti allo spettatore della soap, ma non ad un lettore neofita purtroppo. Per fortuna la maggior parte del volume è dedicata alla storia di Angelique, partendo dall'infanzia spensierata sull'isola della Martinica per poi snodarsi in vicende sempre più tragiche ed oscure.
Si sarà intuito che ho trovato estremamente affascinate questa protagonista, oltre a ritenere molto solida e ben motivata la lenta costruzione della sua discesa nella malvagità, un tipo di sviluppo caratteriale sulla carta vincente ma spesso difficile da rendere bene. Penso che l'autrice abbia gestito correttamente anche gli elementi di foreshadowing: forse i colpi di scena non saranno sbalorditivi, ma la cara Lara riesce comunque a creare una sana curiosità attorno all'intreccio del romanzo.
Un altro elemento che ho apprezzato sono i personaggi secondari (tra i quali devo per lo meno menzionare il mio preferito, aka Césaire), ai quali l'autrice ha cercato evidentemente di dare una caratterizzazione oltre agli stereotipi. Ben resa anche l'atmosfera gotica ed enigmatica, che da il suo meglio nelle scene un po' oniriche in cui Angelique ricorre ai suoi poteri.
Purtroppo questo titolo ha anche parecchi difetti, oltre alla già menzionata debolezza della parte ambientata nel presente. Lo stile non è sempre all'altezza della storia raccontata, e lo si nota specialmente in alcuni dialoghi estremamente artificiosi e retorici, mentre la descrizione delle creature sovrannaturali è degna dell'immaginazione di un bambino: streghe votate al Maligno e vampiri che si trasformano in pipistrelli stonano parecchio con l'ambientazione cupa e angosciante creata da Parker.
Ma la pecca maggiore è da attribuire in toto alla CE italiana che, per cavalcare l'onda pubblicitaria del film, ha realizzato un'edizione in cui tutto (sottotitolo, cover, sinossi) rimanda al personaggio di Barnabas; e per quanto io mi sia poi affezionata alla strega Angelique, non sarà difficile immaginare come le mie aspettative iniziali siano state deluse allo scoprire come questa non fosse la storia del vampiro.
Avevo perfino inserito il titolo in una TBR a tema vampirismo! Per lo meno lo spirito halloweeniano è stato rispettato: i vampiri non si sono quasi visti, però le atmosfere della storia e il fascino oscuro della magia la rendono una ottima lettura spooky.

Voto effettivo: tre stelline e mezza

[Richard L. Haas III · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took me longer than I wanted. Since I’ve been going through watching the original soap, I decided I would just listen to all Dark Shadows audio content as well because it’s a fun semi-trashy soap and the extra content adds additional layers. This was available as a mini audio drama as well, but I thought why not and dove straight into the full book. Unfortunately, one thing that no source discussing the novel (aside from spoiler reviews) noted was that the 18th-century storyline was all flashbacks to a post-show 1971 frame. Not much seemed spoiled, aside from the status of Barnabus’ health, I suppose.

Otherwise, most of the novel was fine. I wonder how my experience would have differed had I read it over listening to it because, I will be honest, I had a lot of portions that I started to space out with. The latter half of the novel is understandable— acceptable, even— when you realize that it is just a retelling of the 1795 story arc from the show, just with Phyllis Wick as Sarah’s governess instead of Victoria Winters. And that change made little difference as the rest of the novel follows the same exact trajectory with maybe some small switches with details and timelines. The only significant difference is that the POV stayed strictly on Angelique or Barnabus. I wish we got more with Phyllis or see any significant differences, since this was our big chance to see what “actually” happened.

The first half is undoubtably the best part of the book and only goes (somewhat) stale after they get to Collinwood. There is some questionable material, however. When watching the television version of the story arc, one thing that became awkwardly apparent is that they were dreadfully afraid to show or reference black slaves in the show. I’m not sure if it ran deeper than that, since I can’t really recall any significant black actors in the show so far, but if you’re going to tell a story about a wealthy family with ties to a plantation seventy years before the Civil War, it would be weird not to include black slaves. Furthermore, it would make more sense for Angelique to be black, especially her ties to Martinique and the type of magic she uses. Well, this book attempts to fix all of that by introducing slaves and making Angelique half-black. Some of it works; some of it doesn’t. The nonchallant mention of slaves molesting her at nine years old in a ritual, for example, was a bit much.

However, listening to Lara Parker in the audiobook mimic the voice of a stereotypical uneducated black slave was incredibly awkward and off-putting. The only thing more off-putting was how she tried to replicate her character’s father’s voice (legit a moment of it sounded like Adam Driver in Megalopolis) or how she preformed the stutter of a preacher. All of that mixed together made it fairly hard to listen past and I just kept on falling asleep during the first couple of hours because of that.

All-in-all, it’s an okay novel. There’s enough story there for one to enjoy outside the show, if they’ve never seen it, but for those who have, it just helps to showcase Angelique in a more sympathetic way— seemingly justifying her actions, as we see Barnabus portrayed as a true chauvinistic asshole. To be quite honest, I’m unsure if this helps or detracts from the soap opera. Regardless, it was, at the very least, interesting.

[Cornerofmadness · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were problems with this cultural appropriation wise. First off, this is from the 1960s soap opera Dark Shadows (NOT the Johnny Depp movie) and I'm not sure the words cultural appropriation were even put together back then. The book was written in the early 90s and cultural appropriation still wasn't much of a concern. Back in the 60s Angelique (very blonde and blue eyed, the author of this was the actress who played her) was a witch and the soap opera writers just grabbed any kind of magic they could including giving Josette and Angelique a history of coming from Martinique and Angelique knew some voo doo.

You see where I'm going with this. Parker at least gives Angelique a bit of African blood but this book could have been so much more interesting than it was. One downplaying the whole voo doo thing might have been wiser. Instead we get 200+ pages of Angelique from age 9ish to about 14ish. Where her abusive father makes her something of a living voo doo goddess (and while Living Gods are a thing I'm not sure they are in voo doo) and since this is in the 1700s Colonial period, we have lots and lots of abused slaves. Instead of downplaying the voo doo and slavery it wallows in it.

Finally we see Angelique as Josette's maid, plagued by the devil/dark spirit promising her she was his and she would never love but Angelique has fallen for Barnabas Collins. I'll be honest, I was a wee kid when this was on the TV and I can remember the 1990s remake better. I know there was the whole Barnabas/Angelique/Josette love triangle thing and Angelique being responsible for the curse that made Barnabas a vampire (which really was a cool idea for a soap opera)

THe last 100 or so pages we're at Collinswood in Maine and how it all goes wrong. There are some intercutting with modern day Barnabas now 'human' thanks to Julie's serum and they're reading all about this as Angelique's diary.

It was overly long, very soap opera purple prose but that was fitting the show. I just wish we hadn't had SO much of the young Angelique, voo doo goddess/slavery stuff. It really didn't serve the story well.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

L’Antologia degli Inganni

« Tutti coloro che ho amato mi sono stati strappati. C’è qualcosa di pericoloso in me, un potere oscuro che non comprendo... »
[Angelique - Dark Shadows - pag. 284]

Se il film di Tim Burton (in programmazione in questi giorni) pare avere principalmente l’intento di riportare in auge e di rendere omaggio alla gothic soap opera “Dark Shadows”, il romanzo di Lara Parker — primo di una serie — trova radici in un sorta di auto-espiazione, per il ruolo di Angelique che ne consacrò il successo e — come spesso avviene — la conseguente veste identificativa.
L’ex-attrice, ora autrice della fortunata serie di romanzi ispirati a “Dark Shadows”, ha evidenziato la pesante eredità di un ruolo come quello di Angelique in un’intervista:

"Kids tended to think I was Angelique and that I was that evil and cruel."
[“I bambini tendevano a pensare che io fossi Angelique e che, come lei, fossi cattiva e crudele”]

non potendo togliersi di dosso l’aura negativa derivata dall'indentificazione col personaggio, intaccando persino la sua immagine pubblica e privata, la Parker ha sentito la necessità di tentare — a distanza di un ventennio — la riabilitazione di Angelique, unendo utile e dilettevole nella seconda delle sue passioni, la scrittura.

“Dark Shadow - La Maledizione di Angelique” è soprattutto un cammino di espiazione al rovescio.

Se il film di Burton parla per voce di Barnabas Collins, vero protagonista della soap americana (andata in onda dal 1966 al 1971 - inedita in Italia), non stupisce affatto che Lara Parker, ancora una volta, interpreti se stessa, raccogliendo in un diario i ricordi della sceneggiatura originale integrati ad una memoria inventata, quella personale di Angelique, che narra la genesi della maledizione, motore unico della storia.
Non pensiate, dunque, di trovare nel film il contenuto del libro, poiché non sono l’uno l’eco dell’altro, bensì entrambi omaggio ed interpretazione di una sola voce, ovvero, la serie cult Dark Shadows, che influenzò generazioni di giovani, introducendo tutti gli elementi del paranormal che oggi sono tornati alla ribalta.

Veniamo al libro.
Siamo nel 1972 (il ‘presente’ negli anni della serie), Barnabas Collins è libero dalla sua prigione di legno, la bara incatenata che lo ha costretto al sonno e al digiuno per oltre due secoli e, forse, libero anche dalla maledizione che lo aveva mutato in vampiro e, com’è ovvio, in assassino.
Al suo fianco ora c’è Julia, prima testimone della sua condizione di ‘mostro’, la sola persona in grado di comprendere, di trovare una cura, di guarirlo e conquistare con ciò quella fiducia e quell’affetto che Barnabas, chino sotto il peso di un passato terribile, non avrebbe mai immaginato di ritrovare in una donna.

La macabra casa di famiglia a Collinswood è prossima alla distruzione, sostituita, poco distante, dalla sua versione moderna, una villa meravigliosa, tuttavia priva di quella memoria che coincide col passato di Barnabas, un baule di ricordi divisi tra felicità e dolore, che finisce inesorabilmente per attirarlo in seno a quelle stanze, impregnate ancora di quell’oscurità inquietante memoria e presagio di eventi incredibili.
Barnabas è deciso a lasciarsi alle spalle la sua prima esistenza per cominciarne una nuova, nella normalità che il tempo corrode, di gran lunga preferibile all’orribile prezzo da pagare all’immortalità. Ma alla vigilia dell’abbattimento della vecchia casa, qualcosa di antico lo conduce fra le spoglie di quel passato, una presenza o una suggestione, in principio non riesce a capirlo, finché il suo timore più grande non si concretizza in una coincidenza diabolica, nel ritrovamento del diario di Angelique.

Barnabas comincia a leggere il diario, convinto che ci sia una ragione per cui questo si è salvato dalla distruzione; lo legge di nascosto, temendo di ferire Julia e, forse, di scoprire qualcosa di pericoloso... ma quello che trova è totalmente nuovo, inaspettato, per la prima volta vede chi è veramente la donna che gli ha rovinato la vita.
Angelique racconta il suo destino sulle pagine del diario, di come siano stati gli eventi a tenere il timone della propria vita. Nel paesaggio vergine della Martinica, trascorre la vita semplice felice di una bellissima bambina, dalla pelle troppo chiara per somigliare alla madre, dagl’occhi del colore del mare incorniciati da una cascata di capelli d’oro da somigliare una dea, Erzulie la Dea dell’Amore.

Questo è solo il primo di una serie d’inganni che devieranno verso un destino immeritato la giovane Angelique, strappata all’affetto della madre senza apparente motivo, ignara dell’identità del padre naturale, sola di fronte a violenze ed ingiustizie, costretta a ricoprire un ruolo che non comprende, la ragazza scopre il lato più crudele degli uomini, lottando per non cadere in quelle stesse tentazioni, cercando, quasi mendicando un po’ di affetto, imparando ad usare la magia, diversa da quella praticata dalla madre, per avvicinare e proteggere quelle persone care, scoprendo, invece, l’imprevedibilità del proprio talento, la potenza incontrollabile che cela una natura legata a doppio filo col male, ben lontana dall’aura angelica che il suo nome suggerisce.

La vita di Angelique scorre sotto gli occhi di Barnabas, ora sconvolto dalla scoperta della sua dimensione umana, fragile, persino amabile, riportando il pensiero al momento in cui la vide per la prima volta, come in un sogno meraviglioso e se ne innamorò all’istante, come sotto l’influsso di un incantesimo, un bellissimo quanto terribile incantesimo che lo avrebbe incatenato per secoli.

La Parker ha uno stile semplice, ma fluido quanto basta per convincere il lettore a girare le pagine, ad inoltrarsi in una storia inedita, tra realtà (persino storica) e fantasia, raccontando l’evoluzione, sinora nascosta, del suo personaggio, le tribolazioni di un animo che oscilla pericolosamente tra Bene e Male, il suo indeciso passare tra l’ambizione e la semplicità, tra l’ingenuità e l'ossessione del suo amore per Barnabas e la consapevolezza del tradimento, un duello costante tra passione e vendetta, dietro a tutto questo l’ennesimo inganno, una maledizione indelebile, il potere oscuro che va oltre la vita e... oltre la morte.

Un romanzo che si legge tutto d’un fiato, lasciando in sospeso la dose giusta di domande da rendere trepidante l’attesa del secondo libro della serie.

La recensione su La Collezionista di Dettagli

[LadyAileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark Shadows. La maledizione di Angelique è il primo volume di una trilogia ispirata ad una soap opera americana (oggi un cult) andata in onda tra il 1966-1971.
Questo volume arriva in Italia in concomitanza con l'uscita cinematografica del film con Johnny Depp e racconta l'infanzia di Angelique (occupano la prima parte del volume) e il suo rapporto ossessivo per Barnabas (la seconda parte).
Angelique è una donna che ha subito gravi abusi da bambina (è difficile non provare pietà per lei), è fragile e tanto bisognosa d'affetto, credeva di aver trovato in Barnabas l'amore della sua vita ma il tradimento trasforma l'amore in odio e ossessione.
Barnabas, invece, era il tipico aristocratico ricco e viziato che non si fa scrupolo di sedurre una povera ragazza per poi abbandonarla senza rimpianti quando ha ottenuto quello che voleva.
Le vicende sono narrate principalmente attraverso il punto di vista di Angelique (un'occasione per conoscere meglio il personaggio in questione e l'autrice fa davvero un bel lavoro) ma non manca quello di Barnabas (è lui che ritrova il diario di Angelique).
Lo stile è scorrevole, la trama è avvincente e non manca qualche colpo di scena ma per alcuni aspetti della vita di Barnabas non vengono forniti chiarimenti (il libro, infatti, prende il via dopo la fine della serie televisiva e dunque chi non l'ha vista all'inizio resterà un po' spaesato ma non crea grandi problemi).
E' un romanzo dove s'intrecciano passione, tradimento, atmosfere gotiche, ossessione, gelosia, storia (dominio coloniale in Martinica) e riti Voodoo (dettagli macabri e crudi per cui se siete facilmente impressionabili meglio lasciar perdere).
Sono davvero curiosa di scoprire cosa riserverà il prossimo volume.

[Lisachan · Rating 3 out of 5]

La prima cosa importantissima da dire su questo libro è che l'associazione (per ovvi fini commerciali) che la casa editrice fa tra il romanzo è il film è abbastanza fuorviante. Dopo un paio di pagine dall'inizio della lettura è evidente che sia il romanzo che il film, non avendo niente più che l'idea di base da condividere, sono in realtà entrambi ispirati, con risultati differenti, alla soap opera originale degli anni '60, che è in sé una realtà differente rispetto ad entrambi. Questo per dire che approcciare questo libro con l'idea di ritrovare fra le sue pagine lo spirito della dark comedy di Burton può solo portare ad una delusione.

Preso a sé, invece, il romanzo ha alcuni punti di forza ed alcune debolezze, come tutti quei romanzi che ispirano commenti tipo "sì, carino, m'è piaciuto". Ecco, Dark Shadows. La Maledizione di Angelique è l'immagine fatta libro del "sì, carino, m'è piaciuto". Non stiamo parlando di un capolavoro della letteratura internazionale, ma nondimeno parliamo di un romanzo che, pur essendo lunghissimo, si legge in pochissimi giorni, ed è in grado di regalare un personaggio che, purtroppo, a mio parere il film non era riuscito a mettere in luce come avrebbe dovuto.

Parlo di Angelique, naturalmente, di cui questo libro racconta l'intera vita, letteralmente dalla nascita alla morte, preferendo (e a ragione) concentrarsi su di lei che sulle vicende personali di Barnabas Collins, che invece era assoluto protagonista del film e che qui nel libro è ridotto a coprotagonista maschile, quasi una specie di semplice osservatore, il veicolo attraverso il quale si dipana l'affascinante storia di Angelique, figlia bianca di una guaritrice di colore della Martinica che, per una serie di vicissitudini, scopre la magia nera e diventa una strega.

E' lei il punto di forza del libro, la pietra preziosa custodita fra le pagine. Tutta la prima metà del romanzo è avvincente ed intrigante perché parla di lei, la racconta fin da piccola senza il minimo pudore in tutti i suoi problemi ed in tutti i suoi turbamenti di bambina e poi di adolescente e giovane donna. Segue la sua vita, una sventura dietro l'altra, ma per Angelique non si arriva mai a provare pena (tranne che nella parte finale del libro), perché la sua forza, il suo orgoglio e il suo coraggio non smettono mai di scintillare, anche nei momenti più bui.

La sua storia con Barnabas, ovvero il germoglio del loro amore e l'inizio della loro relazione, è anch'esso un punto di forza del romanzo. Contrariamente al film, dove fin dall'inizio si presentava Angelique come una ragazza sprovveduta ingannata da un Don Giovanni, nel libro la storia d'amore fra i due si protrae per anni in una serie di incontri/scontri di cui Barnabas non è pienamente consapevole fin quando non trova il diario della ragazza e lo legge. Angelique incontra e conosce Barnabas da bambina, si innamora di lui immediatamente e vive tutto il resto della propria vita in completa devozione della sua persona, e questo - particolare che ho trovato particolarmente struggente e realistico - nonostante Barnabas, la persona che Barnabas realmente è, non meriti niente di tutto questo.

La vera pecca del libro, a mio parere, è la scelta dell'autrice - legittima, ma nondimeno poco accorta - di continuare ad incentrare il punto di vista narrativo su Angelique anche quando invece sarebbe stato necessario spostarlo su Barnabas e Josette. C'è un punto, infatti, in cui all'improvviso Barnabas, che fino a poche pagine prima dichiarava amore eterno ad Angelique promettendole di sposarla, dopo un'assenza di un anno ritorna alla Martinica perdutamente innamorato di Josette, anche se con lei ha trascorso la totalità di mezz'ora ed ha scambiato solo qualche lettera. Non serve a molto che l'autrice, attraverso Barnabas, si ostini a ripetere quanto intensamente lui amasse Josette: di quell'amore noi non abbiamo visto niente, non lo conosciamo, ed il risultato è che, presentato così, sembra solo un espediente di Barnabas per non perdere l'eredità paterna.

Altro punto debole del libro è quello di presentare Josette come una figura pura e salvifica, quando poi quello che viene effettivamente mostrato del suo carattere fra le pagine del romanzo è del tutto diverso: Josette è una ragazzina viziata, capricciosa, volubile, civettuola, piena di buone intenzioni ed entusiasmo solo perché abbastanza sciocca, innamorata di Barnabas solo perché è bello e poetico nelle sue lettere; è una persona che, quando Barnabas viene trasformato in vampiro, si lancia fra le sue braccia chiedendogli di vampirizzare anche lei perché "non le interessa niente di queste maledizioni che lei non capisce", ma alla quale poi basta che Angelique le mostri una falsa immagine di se stessa vecchia e brutta per farle cambiare idea. Non si riesce in alcun modo né ad empatizzare con lei, né a provare interesse per il suo amore nei confronti di Barnabas, e per questo motivo tutta la seconda parte del libro risulta forzata e vagamente frustrante, specie per chi invece aveva a cuore la relazione fra Angelique e Barnabas, così appassionata e romantica, e che nell'ultimo centinaio di pagine osserva quella stessa relazione trasformarsi in qualcosa di orribile, in cui i due non riescono a smettere di farsi del male a vicenda, incapaci sia di amarsi che di odiarsi per bene.

Lo stile dell'autrice è pieno, gonfio di immagini interessanti, quasi barocco, il che si traduce in splendide descrizioni (specie della Martinica, delle sue grotte, del suo mare, delle piantagioni di zucchero, dei rituali pagani degli schiavi neri) ma dialoghi fortemente artificiosi. Ho fatto fatica ad abituarmi, ma è un problema che ho spesso con gli stili poco diretti e ricchi di fronzoli, non proprio la mia tazza di tè. Ciononostante, ad una cinquantina di pagine dall'inizio, il romanzo ingrana e scorre via velocissimo, tanto che, appunto, nonostante la lunghezza, lo si legge in pochissimi giorni.

In generale, mi sento di consigliarlo abbastanza a chiunque, purché non ci si aspetti il romanzo perfetto, o di ritrovare le stesse atmosfere del film, perché in quel caso si rimarrebbe parecchio delusi. Se siete in cerca di intrattenimento non facile ma neanche particolarmente complesso, Dark Shadows è perfetto per voi. E adesso aspettiamo di vedere se la Tre60 deciderà di pubblicare anche i due seguiti.