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Summary: The Beginning of the Casteel Series
Review: "Heaven" is the first book in one of my favorite series by V. C. Andrews. It begins in the Willies, a mountain range in West Virginia. This is where Heaven Leigh Casteel has grown up in poverty for the past ten years, along with her four siblings (Tom, Fanny, Keith, and Our Jane), father and stepmother (Luke and Sarah), and grandparents. All nine family members share a pitiful cabin high above the small town of Winnerrow.One night, Heaven's grandmother takes her to the grave site of her real mother (Leigh VanVoreen, aka "Angel"), who had died shortly after giving birth to her. Leigh has always remained a mystery to Heaven (in fact, Heaven never knew she had a different mother other than Sarah), until her grandmother gives her Leigh's suitcase, which is filled with expensive items from her mother's previous life in Boston. After that revelation, Heaven vows to never confess her birth right to anyone, especially her siblings, who she wants to keep protected. She has a pretty good relationship with all of them, except for her younger sister, Fanny, who has always been a thorn in her side. Fanny's extremely jealous of her half-sister and basically makes Heaven's life hell. She even tries repeatedly to come between Heaven and her new boyfriend, Logan Stonewall (the son of a well-to-do pharmacist), but without any success. Even though their life is pretty pathetic so far, Heaven and her siblings receive one shock after another when their grandmother dies, and then Sarah (their stepmother) runs away after giving birth to a stillborn baby, which she believes was the result of Luke's infidelity. The biggest blow of all comes shortly after Sarah leaves, around Christmas time. Luke surprises everyone with an unthinkable Christmas present that will supposedly benefit the entire family: he intends to sell all five of his children for $500 a piece. Keith and Our Jane are the first to be "adopted". Fanny is next, taken in by Reverend Wayland Wise and his wife; then Tom, to a demanding farmer; and finally, Heaven, sold to an ex-lover of her father's (Kitty Dennison) and her submissive husband (Calhoun). Yet Cal is hardly a decent father. He would rather be Heaven's first lover than a role model. And Kitty isn't innocent of abuse either. She degrades Heaven with chemical baths and even turns her into a present-day Cinderella. As expected in all of V. C. Andrews' books, Heaven's life is full of trauma and secrets. But her story certainly doesn't end here. It continues with "Dark Angel" and "Fallen Hearts", then "Gates of Paradise" and "Web of Dreams", the two separate stories of her daughter (Annie) and her mother (Leigh). I highly recommend this book, as well as the four other books in the Casteel series.
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Summary: Heaven..
Review: Even though this is the last series i've read,((i havent read celste yet, but i've read all the other books)), i truly believe it is one of the best...Just sum of the things she went through...it was really great..I recommend this for a summer read, definitely..
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Summary: Enjoyable
Review: Heaven is a touching story, that has you reading it until your vision blurs like many of V.C Andrews stories. A poverty stricken family full of terrible burdens and so much grief it seems never ending. Secrets nobody wants to remember. Living in a shack up in the hills, isolated from those better off, and having a last name -Casteel that would always taint their reputation. The only thing keeping them alive and with a little hope was each other, until their fathers desperation and greed took over, once their mother had left. He sold them, the ultimate nightmare of separation! The characters were sometimes bordering a little unrealistic in their actions, but it was still an enjoyable read, full of surprising twists and turns, making me want to continue with reading the rest of this series. I recommend this to people wanting to absorb themselves in a book that evolves into a great story.
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Summary: Was actually bored with this novel but in the middle was OK
Review: Heaven Leigh Casteel was the prettiest smartest girl in the backwoods despite her ragged clothes and dirty face...despite a father meaner than ten vipers....despite her weary stepmother who worked her like a mule. For her brother Tom and the little ones, Heaven clung to her pride and her hopes. Someday they'd get away and show the world that they were decent, fine and talented--worthy of love and respect. Then Heaven's stepmother ran off and her wicked greedy father had a scheme that threatened to destroy the precious dream of Heaven and the cildren forever!!!! His father sold each kids off to break them up. Heaven got placed with Kitty & Cal Dennison who basically freed her. Except for the extensive work that Kitty left Heaven to do basically work her like a slave. The only one the really paid attention to her was Cal who treated her like gold. Until Kitty had a nervous breakdown or so they thought that's what it was but really she had a tumor in her breast. At the end of the book, her father was trying to find her to patch things up with her and also she was in the process of flying to Boston to look for her two youngest brother and sister.
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Summary: Amazing book and series!
Review: I am a big fan of the late V.C. Andrews and out of all her books this one is my favorite. I highly recommend Heaven and the Casteel Series to anyone who knows a book when they read it. The rest of the books in this series (4 others) are as enjoyable to read as "Heaven." If you haven't already read V.C. Andrews books, any of them, but especially the Casteel Series!
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Summary: A stab of reality. A life of tragity. A world of fantacy.
Review: I feel this is the ideal book for the average life of a 'normal teenager'. You really don't know how bad life can be until you live it in someone elese's shoes. Heaven's character I use now as a rolemodel. She was forced to grow up faster than she wanted to yet she wouldn't let that take away her life long dreams. I strongly encourage anyone to read this novel. I found it amazing how V.C Andrews was able to put me in a daze of imagination and make me feel such emotion while reading the Heaven series. It was almost like creating a new dream world. If you continue to read on to other series of this novel you will find despite the grat tragities of Heaven's life there are some amazing things too. I am 14 years old and not a very big reader, but I promise you, if you read this novel you will agree it's the most brilliant, heart-throbbing story you will ever hear in your whole life!
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Summary: After all these years- just gotta love it!
Review: My mother forbid me to read any V.C. Andrews after the whole Flowers In the Attic epidemic. I was 12 or 13, snuck this home from the library under my winter coat (it was my very first of this author). Twelve years later, after reading anything and everything, I'm reading this book again for the ? time. Yeah, Heaven goes from from 16 to 17 to 16 to 17 every couple pages (anybody ever pick up on that?) but this is one hell of a story line, and the best of any of her series.
Read it, love it, you'll live with it forever.
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Summary: A good book to a good author
Review: This book has a taste of fantasy becoming reality in Heaven's mind. She always dreamed of a place where she didn't take a bath once a week or she didn't have to sleep on the floor. This book is about Heaven's dreams coming true. From being the scum of the hill to a girl richer beyond her dreams. When her father sold her family one by one her family is torn apart. Heaven with the exception of Tom is trying to put the family together again without the man who tore them apart. There Pa. Of course in this story you have a girl who can't seem to do anything but be lazy. Fanny. You have two helpless children finding there way into a dream. Keith and Our Jane, and the lifelong friend, Tom. When Heaven is sold she soon learns her new family is wretched and evil beyond her dreams except Kitty's husband, Cal. Cal was the one who understood her, or thats what she thought. In this story is betrayal,love, romance, and drama. All of what V.C Andrews does best in her novels of suspense and unexpected twists. This is definitly a book to read if you want to be at the blink of head aches for taking so many words in. If you don't think dreams can come true. I'd definitly read this book as a reminder that god works in mysterious ways.
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Summary: Fave V.C. Series
Review: This is by far the best series i have read by V.C. I couldn't put this book down until i read every word. When i did finish i could NOT wait to get the rest of the series!!! The drama between Heaven and her father, the devotion between Heaven and her siblings, the tragedy that falls onto them, and the first love for Heaven. This is a MUST read if you read V.C. Andrews. this is the series that made me go out and read all the other series!!
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Summary: Great
Review: Undoubtedly this book and "Flowers In The Attic" are the best books of Virginia Andrews. I couldn't put it down 'til I read the last letter and then I wanted to get the sequel immediately. Heaven is a strong young girl and all the other characters and relationships are extremely well-written, especially the love-hate feeling between Heaven and her father. When reading this book you'll feel their joys and tragedies as if they were happening to you. If you haven't read any of Andrews' books then begin with this one.
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