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The Book
Garden of Shadows is a prequel to Flowers In The Attic, it details how the grandmother (Olivia) and grandfather (Malcolm) got together and how things happened to them that would inevitably change the course of the lives of the Foxworth clan for at least another three generations.
Olivia ... Read review
Garden of Shadows is a prequel to Flowers In The Attic, it details how the grandmother (Olivia) and grandfather (Malcolm) got together and how things happened to them that would inevitably change the course of the lives of the Foxworth clan for at least another three generations.
Olivia Winfield was seen as an old maid, she was tall and broad, which were seen as unfeminine in those days. When all her friends ... ...father. Then one day Malcolm Foxworth came into their lives, little did she know at the time he had set out to find a bride, any bride to help take care of his house and business. He also wanted a wife who was the opposite of his flighty mother who abandoned him at the age of five.
Once married and back at Foxworth Hall, Olivia began to realise that Malcolm didn't really love her. They had separate bedrooms and he never came to her ... more
Buying The Book
This book was bought for me as part of a set. I'd read one of the set already, fell in love with it and just had to read the rest of the set.
The Book
Garden of Shadows is a prequel to Flowers In The Attic, it details how the grandmother (Olivia) and grandfather (Malcolm) got together and how things happened to them that would inevitably change the course of the lives of the Foxworth clan for at least another three generations.
Olivia Winfield was seen as an old maid, she was tall and broad, which were seen as unfeminine in those days. When all her friends were married off she was still alone, living with her father. Then one day Malcolm Foxworth came into their lives, little did she know at the time he had set out to find a bride, any bride to help take care of his house and business. He also wanted a wife who was the opposite of his flighty mother who abandoned him at the age of five.
Once married and back at Foxworth Hall, Olivia began to realise that Malcolm didn't really love her. They had separate bedrooms and he never came to her at night. The first time she slept with him was a virtual rape when he caught her in his mothers old bedroom and started calling he by his mothers name (Corinne), implying he was fantasising about his mother. This encounter led to the birth of their first child Malcolm jr aka Mal. He didn't come to her again for a while until one night he came to her and said he wanted a daughter. Again she fell pregnant, this time however she had a hard pregnancy and birth and the baby was a boy, a very sickly boy named Joel. She was advised not to have anymore children and it seemed Malcolm would never have the daughter he so wanted.
When their sons were growing into toddlers, Malcolms father Garland returns home after a few years away on honeymoon with his young bride Alicia, Alicia is even younger than Olivia, and heavily pregnant. Alicia is beautiful where Olivia is plain. Malcolm becomes infatuated with her. Alicia gives birth to a son, Christopher. Garland dotes on him. They all muddle along for the next year, until Christophers 1st birthday party. After the celibrations are over Garland finds Malcolm forcing himself on Alicia, they struggle and Garland dies of a heart attack.
Alicia goes into mourning for a long time. Then, all of a sudden, she is pregnant. With Malcolms child. They shut Alicia away in the room that will later become the prison for the four "dresden dolls" of later books. Olivia pretends she is pregnant as they are going to pass the child off as theirs. Alicia begins to lose her mind. She gives birth to a daughter, Corinne. Once she has given birth Alicia and Christopher are sent away with nothing.
Malcolm undermines Olivia and insists Corinne be raised as he see's fit, she ends up a spoilt brat. Olivias beloved sons Mal and Joel die very close to one another and all that is left is corinne. Then, one day Christopher comes back, he is a young man now and Corinne is a teenager. Corinne thinks this exciting new stranger is her half uncle, when really he is her half brother.
Christopher and Corinne gradually fall in love, but keep it a secret. Until one day Malcolm and Olivia find out. Malcolm throws them oout and curses them. He then had a heart attack and starts on a path of sickness which will contribute to further books.
Christopher and Corinne go away and get married, taking on the name Dollanganger, which is a name used by an ancestor. Olivia hires a private investigator to see if they have any children, and is told that they have four perfect children. Grandchildren that she can never love.
The book ends with the arrival of Corinne and the children at the house after the death of Christopher.
The Author
Virginia Andrews died in 1986, leaving alot of unpublished work. The Flowers In The Attic series is by far the best she ever wrote. A ghost writer now carries on her work.
What I Thought Of It
I thought this was a brilliant book because it explains alot more of the back story than any of the other books do. It slots a few things in place regarding how and why things turned out as they did. Such as why they grandmother was so cold and evil. Also why Corinne was disinherited.
I thought it was very well written and had some great plot twists, it keeps you on your toes the whole time, never giving you the time to get bored and restless.
My recommendations
I recommend that everyone should read this series at least once. If you do buy the series I think it is best to start with this book and then continue with the others. It helps you figure out the plot alot better.
Advantages: well written, challenges morals and principles Disadvantages: always some abuse going on.
Garden of shadows was one of the first books published after Virginia Andrews died of breast cancer on December 19th 1986.
It was one of many unpublished works that she had left behind, and so her family employed a ghost writer who remained anonymous for many years and who is now known to be Andrew Neiderman.
Virginia Andrews was born in Portsmouth, Virginia on the 06th of June 1923, she spent most of her life in a wheelchair and on crutches suffering ... ...keep her privacy.
Although garden of shadows was released as a prequel after the rest of the bestselling flowers in the attic series had already been published i would reccomend it to be read first for two reasons
1) it explains the cause of everything which happens in the rest of the books, making them less confusing.
2)It will ease you slightly more gently into the abusive worlds Virginia andrews creates. The reason i mention this is that most ...
oakleigh 10.03.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Garden of Shadows - Virginia Andrews
Advantages: Helps to make sense of the books that follow Disadvantages: Best read before the rest of the books, not after
Garden of Shadows is the prequel to the fantastic Flowers In The Attic series of books. These books follow the lives of four children named Chris, Cathy, Cory and Carrie, and are written from Cathy’s point of view. The series starts with Flowers In The Attic, the heart-wrenching story of how the four children spend several years of their childhood locked away in a tiny room leading to an attic, starved of love, attention and even sunlight. The reason ... ...cleared up in the prequel, Garden of Shadows, which was written after the other 4 books.
Garden of Shadows tells the story of the children’s grandmother, Olivia, and her marriage to Malcolm Foxworth. Olivia is a plain woman who believes she will never marry and have a man to rely on. She therefore ensures that she has a good head for business and hopes this will be enough to get her through life. Then she meets Malcolm Foxworth, a young go-getter, ...
shorn_the_sheep 05.07.2003 (09.07.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Garden of Shadows - Virginia Andrews
This is the prequel to Flowers In the Attic and is a must for
Virginia Andrew fans.
Olivia Windfield marries the dashing Malcolm Foxworth and dreams
of a wonderful life with her new husband. Instead of making love
to his new wife he brutally assaults her.
His father takes a second wife and she gives birth to a son,Christopher.
Malcom rapes his fathers wife Alicia, and his father is a witness to this causing him to have a heart attack and die. ... ...named Corinne after Malcom's mother, who desserted him as a child.
Corinne is brought up to believe that Olivia is her mother and many years
later she falls in love with Christopher, even though she has grown
up thinking he is her half Uncle, who in fact is her half brother. Confused,
read the book, it's a fantastic read, and four other books follow this saga. ...
Patricia 12.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Garden of Shadows - Virginia Andrews
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Advantages: Very well written - fantastic gripping storyline Disadvantages: dragged a tiny bit in the middle
months - and continuously the mother lets them down.
The emotional rollercoaster that the two eldest children go through is very gripping. Both children are heading into the age where they should be having boyfriends and girlfriends - this mixed in with all the changes in their body makes for a very unusual storyline.
*****The Authour*****
This book is written by VirginiaAndrews - and this is the first of 5 books written about the Dollanger family. The next book is Petals on the wind followed by If There be Thorns and Seeds of Yesterday. There is then a prequel - Garden of Shadows which VirginiaAndrews never got to finish.
The Authour died in 1986 before she finished her final two books - Garden of Shadows and Fallen Hearts - these were almost complete and were published after her death.
****My Opinion****
This book is ...
Advantages: Shocks and Thrills, Excellent Writing, The Best Book I Have Ever Read ! Disadvantages: None - Although Those Hoping That Books By Her Ghost Writer Will Match Up, Will Disappointed
the mansion, whilst they are confined, is very interesting as at the start they are full of hope that one day they will venture downstairs when their grandfather dies and their mother can inherit. Over time the relationship changes and the children begin to lose hope in their mother whilst the older children become parental figures for the youngest.
I would recommend this book 100% and it is actually based upon a true story. Read this book first, followed by the 3 sequels Petals on The Wind, If There Be Thorns and Seeds of Yesterday which take the family through many years to adulthood. Then Garden of Shadows the prequel which in my opinion contains the biggest shock of all and completes the series perfectly.
Whilst VirginiaAndrews books, from Flowers, to the Heaven Series (Casteel) are finely written and re-readable as well as the only book ...
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