Cry to Heaven

Last month I mentioned that I was reading Ann Rice's Cry to Heaven. I've finished the book and I enjoyed it very much. Without spoiling the plot, the book is set in eighteenth century Italy and centers around castrati opera singers. Castrati are men who were castrated as boys to preserve their treble singing voices. They were the musical superstars of their age. Of course, the practice was barbaric, particularly as it was practices on boys without their consent. While a few of the castrati were successful opera stars, they were treated like freaks and less than men.  Rice, as usual, writes an enjoyable novel about difficult subjects. The castrati may not have testicles, but they are sexually active. Her main character, Tonio, has a series of sexual affairs, mostly gay.  Rice's main characters are usually supernatural and we travel through the book learning how they deal with their situation. In this case, Tonio is not supernatural and his situation is forced upon him. He must craft his own destiny. I'd highly recommend Cry to Heaven.

Is there a tie to chastity as I practice it? Well, perhaps a bit. Tonio is castrated against his will but is still sexually active. I've chosen to limit my sexual activity. I guess our true sexual organ is the brain.