Belinda

"Who was she?" That was the first thought that came into my mind when I saw her in the bookstore.

Who was she really?

She's Belinda. She's sixteen years old. She's the object of one man's ultimate fantasy. And she's one of the most "uniquely sensual and provocative" heroines to emerge from the "fearless" imagination of New York Times bestselling author Anne Rice.

"Call her the It Girl of contemporary fiction. Whatever the venue, she's never too squeamish to reach out and touch it."-Rolling Stone

"Her voluptuous prose draws readers into an erotic landscape where the sensual delights are dark-edged...and utterly compelling."-Village Voice"A wry and richly textured diary of 'forbidden love.' A compelling blend of mystery and romance."-Kirkus Reviews

"Easily one of the most natural storytellers on the modern scene... Belinda is certainly her most controversial to date."-San Francisco Chronicle

Amazon.com ReviewAn erotic and controversial tale of seduction and obsession from the best-selling author of Exit to Eden. Belinda is the ultimate fantasy. A golden-haired object of desire, fresh and uninhibited. But to Jeremy Walker, a handsome and famous 44-year old illustrator of children's books, Belinda is a forbidden passion, both beguiling and bewitching.

From Publishers WeeklyUnder the pseudonym of Rampling, Anne Rice (The Vampire Lestat wrote the erotic confection Exit to Eden ; this novel, too, has a highly sensual aura. Jeremy Walker, a middle-aged children's book author renowned for his beautiful, old-fashioned illustrations, is captivated by a 16-year-old woman-child who tells him nothing of her past when she moves into his San Francisco home. Obsessed by Belinda's smoky sexuality, the paintings in which he celebrates her beauty are an erotic and sometimes violent extension of Jeremy's books. When the artist discovers that his mysterious lover is the missing daughter of a famed film star, a scandalous story of anger and betrayal uncoils, and Belinda abruptly disappears. To bring her back, Jeremy makes his portraits public, unleashing a media circus and police investigation that conspire to separate them forever. The concluding chapters are badly marred by a heavy dose of saccharine, but its rivetingly seductive, gothic overtones lend a fine, eerie flavor to scenes stretching from brash Hollywood deals to the darkness of an enshrined house in New Orleans. Major ad/promo. Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.