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Summary: The Fifth & Final Book in the Dollanganger Series
Review: Although "Garden of Shadows" is the last book in the Dollanganger series (preceded by Flowers in the Attic, Petals on the Wind, If There Be Thorns, and Seeds of Yesterday), it begins the sequence of events that will haunt the Foxworth-Dollanganger family for over three generations. While the majority of the books in this series are written from Cathy Dollanganger's perspective, it is now the Grandmother's turn to relate her own life history. Even though I didn't feel a lot of sympathy for Olivia Winfield (the Grandmother), at least it was easier to understand where she was coming from.The book begins sometime in the early 1900s in New London, Connecticut, where a plain 24-year-old Olivia Winfield meets a
handsome, rich gentleman named Malcolm Neal Foxworth. Olivia is bewildered yet excited when he proposes to her and, after the wedding, brings her to Foxworth Hall in Virginia. Here the story begins to unfold. We soon learn Olivia's real purpose as Malcolm's wife is to be a "breeder" and give him sons, which she does--two of them, Mal and Joel. And later on, the secret of Corrine and Christopher's birth parents is revealed. In previous books, they were considered half-uncle and niece, but they're really half-siblings. (Long story.) So, when they begin to fall in love, it's no wonder Olivia and Malcolm panic. Corrine and Christopher, however, ignore their warnings and later elope. The rest is history. Obviously, there's some incest in this book. If this bothers you, you might not enjoy "Garden of Shadows" (or any other V. C. Andrews book, for that matter). But for the rest of you, I'd certainly recommend this one, especially to Dollanganger fans. It finally completes the series and answers all those dark questions that have been building since "Flowers in the Attic".
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Summary: V.C. Andrew's Dollanganger series
Review: READ THIS BOOK LAST OF THE SERIES!! I just finished reading the Dollanganger series. This was one of the better ones. There were 5 in the series : 1) Flowers in the Attic 2)Petals on the Wind 3)If there be thorns 4)Seeds of yesterday 5)garden of shadows. If you read the rest of the books before this one, in the order she wrote in, you will be let in on a "secret" that you never realized before. The best books were #1, 2, 5. I did not care for the 3rd book, but you should read it if you are going to read the whole series!! HAPPY READING!
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Summary: Weird, But Good Book
Review: Strange things definitely happen in this book, like Olivia staying married to Malcolm, when she definitely had the means to leave. Locking Alicia away for something that was not her fault was another strange thing about this book. Overall, it is a good book with a lot of twists and keeps you guessing.
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Summary: The Prelude to "Flowers In The Attic"
Review: This book explains how everything comes into place....how it all began. The book is written from Olivia's(the grandmother from "Flowers In the Attic") point of view. It tells of how she met Malcolm, and the children came to be. I don't want to give it away to those who haven't read it yet. If you are curious as to how it all began, I suggest reading this book!!
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Summary: This story line is getting really really really old
Review: I loved FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC. PETALS ON THE WIND was pretty good. When I read IF THERE BE THORNS it was okay. SEEDS OF YESTERDAY was pretty boring. But this book was shocking for somebody like me. Who really gives about what happened to the stupid granma. I got really bored reading about Catherine and Christopher and their little family, but I wouldn't have said anything bad about it. Then came this book. B-O-R-I-N-G. It makes girls and women sound soooooooo vulnerable to men. it's scary to think that anyone can even think like that. "Everything you do wrong takes you one step closer to hell" is the message you get from this book. I definately wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
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Summary: A well done character study.
Review: Garden of Shadows does quite a good job in both giving us a backstory as to how the Dollenganger saga began and a look into the scarred soul of the woman who would become The Grandmother. The tale is well told, the author (who is Andrew Neiderman and NOT the late Virgnia Andrews) quite obviously did a lot of detailed research into the timelime of the stories that follow this prequel, making sure that all hints and clues are well explained and/or explored. Olivia is allowed to tell her side of the sordid tale and, although the motives for her monstrous behavior are well founded, she, in the end, falls short of being a sympathetic anti-heroine and, with the closing of the hidden door to the attic, remains a vile monster.
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Summary: FERTILIZER FOR THE GARDEN
Review: This story was so bad that it was EMBARRASSING! Olivia, the matriarch of the Dollanganger twins is featured in this tired prequel. Bitter and resentful over her lot in life, she marries an unloving man named Malcolm and has two sons. Irate over Malcolm's adulterous ways, Olivia understandably resents Malcolm's latest love interest, the lovely Alicia. She doesn't take into consideration that Malcolm rapes Alicia and this act results in the birth of Alicia's daughter, Corinne. Malcolm insists on naming his baby Corinne after his dead mother. During Alicia's pregnancy, Olivia keeps her away from her son Chris (who would later, with Corinne, become the parents of the Dollanger 4) locks her away in the attic (the attic again)! Alicia is a fool for allowing Olivia to spirit Chris away and even more foolish for letting Olivia keep Corinne in that malignant household. Common sense does not enter into this story. This book is good fertilizer for the garden.
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Summary: The prequel to Flowers in the Attic
Review: If you've always wondered why the grandmother in Flowers in the Attic was so mean, this book is for you. This is Olivia Foxworth's story of how it all began. A great novel, one of my favorties!
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Summary: Ok, but it was also confusing too
Review: I thought this book was ok. It explained a lot of what happens in Flowers. It was also confusing. Towards the end, she expressed her love for the children and how much she wanted to hold them, so how could she be so cruel to them? I think Malcolm also corrupted her severely. He need help. Overall, this was a good book. I suggest though, that you read it after the others. It'll make a little more since.
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Summary: Where the Flowers Began
Review: This story is told from Olivia's point of view. It pretty much explains her deep hatred of the children. I often wondered why she hated the children. I found out why in this book. Her hatred is not excusable in the least but it is logical. Olivia had a terrible life and you have to wonder if she would have been the same hateful person she became if it hadn't been for the bad decision she made in marrying Malcom Foxwarth. I'm not sure if Andrews wanted us to believe that her treatment of the children was natural and that anyone in her shoes would do the same. Not everyone who is a victim becomes a victimizer. In fact, most don't. I did not identify or root for Olivia but I did enjoy her story. This story spans over about 20 years. It answers questions I had that I couldn't find reasons for in the other books. It is not as compelling as the stories told from Cathy's point of view, but it is definitley worthwhile. I would read a thousand of these books if they were all in the same saga. I have never reread a book but I am seriously considering reading 1-5 all over again. I enjoyed them immensely!
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