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Dollanganger #4
Seeds of Yesterday
The final, haunting novel, in the extraordinary story that has enthralled millions!
The horror began with Flowers in the Attic, the terrifying tale of four innocent children locked away from the world by a cruel mother. The shocking fury continued with Petals on the Wind and If There be Thorns. Now V.C. Andrews has created the last dark chapter in the strange, chilling tale of passion and peril that has captivated millions of readers around the world.
Cathy and Chris, entwined with the evil that haunts their children, living with the fearful spectre of Foxworth Hall, are awaiting the final, shuddering climax - prisoners of a past they cannot escape.
The horror began with Flowers in the Attic, the terrifying tale of four innocent children locked away from the world by a cruel mother. The shocking fury continued with Petals on the Wind and If There be Thorns. Now V.C. Andrews has created the last dark chapter in the strange, chilling tale of passion and peril that has captivated millions of readers around the world.
Cathy and Chris, entwined with the evil that haunts their children, living with the fearful spectre of Foxworth Hall, are awaiting the final, shuddering climax - prisoners of a past they cannot escape.
408 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
885 people are currently reading
20629 people want to read
About the author
V.C. Andrews
370 books9,123 followersBooks published under the following names - Virginia Andrews, V. Andrews, Virginia C. Andrews & V.C. Endrius. Books since her death ghost written by Andrew Neiderman, but still attributed to the V.C. Andrews name
Virginia Cleo Andrews (born Cleo Virginia Andrews) was born June 6, 1923 in Portsmouth, Virginia. The youngest child and the only daughter of William Henry Andrews, a career navy man who opened a tool-and-die business after retirement, and Lillian Lilnora Parker Andrews, a telephone operator. She spent her happy childhood years in Portsmouth, Virginia, living briefly in Rochester, New York. The Andrews family returned to Portsmouth while Virginia was in high school.
While a teenager, Virginia suffered a tragic accident, falling down the stairs at her school and incurred severe back injuries. Arthritis and a failed spinal surgical procedure forced her to spend most of her life on crutches or in a wheelchair.
Virginia excelled in school and, at fifteen, won a scholarship for writing a parody of Tennyson's Idylls of the King. She proudly earned her diploma from Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth. After graduation, she nurtured her artistic talent by completing a four-year correspondence art course while living at home with her family.
After William Andrews died in the late 1960s, Virginia helped to support herself and her mother through her extremely successful career as a commercial artist, portrait painter, and fashion illustrator.
Frustrated with the lack of creative satisfaction that her work provided, Virginia sought creative release through writing, which she did in secret. In 1972, she completed her first novel, The Gods of the Green Mountain [sic], a science-fantasy story. It was never published. Between 1972 and 1979, she wrote nine novels and twenty short stories, of which only one was published. "I Slept with My Uncle on My Wedding Night", a short fiction piece, was published in a pulp confession magazine.
Promise gleamed over the horizon for Virginia when she submitted a 290,000-word novel, The Obsessed, to a publishing company. She was told that the story had potential, but needed to be trimmed and spiced up a bit. She drafted a new outline in a single night and added "unspeakable things my mother didn't want me to write about." The ninety-eight-page revision was re-titled Flowers in the Attic and she was paid a $7,500 advance. Her new-generation Gothic novel reached the bestseller lists a mere two weeks after its 1979 paperback publication by Pocket Books.
Petals on the Wind, her sequel to Flowers, was published the next year, earning Virginia a $35,000 advance. The second book remained on the New York Times bestseller list for an unbelievable nineteen weeks (Flowers also returned to the list). These first two novels alone sold over seven million copies in only two years. The third novel of the Dollanganger series, If There Be Thorns, was released in 1981, bringing Virginia a $75,000 advance. It reached No. 2 on many bestseller lists within its first two weeks.
Taking a break from the chronicles of Chris and Cathy Dollanganger, Virginia published her one, and only, stand-alone novel, My Sweet Audrina, in 1982. The book welcomed an immediate success, topping the sales figures of her previous novels. Two years later, a fourth Dollanganger novel was released, Seeds of Yesterday. According to the New York Times, Seeds was the best-selling fiction paperback novel of 1984. Also in 1984, V.C. Andrews was named "Professional Woman of the Year" by the city of Norfolk, Virginia.
Upon Andrews's death in 1986, two final novels—Garden of Shadows and Fallen Hearts—were published. These two novels are considered the last to bear the "V.C. Andrews" name and to be almost completely written by
Virginia Cleo Andrews (born Cleo Virginia Andrews) was born June 6, 1923 in Portsmouth, Virginia. The youngest child and the only daughter of William Henry Andrews, a career navy man who opened a tool-and-die business after retirement, and Lillian Lilnora Parker Andrews, a telephone operator. She spent her happy childhood years in Portsmouth, Virginia, living briefly in Rochester, New York. The Andrews family returned to Portsmouth while Virginia was in high school.
While a teenager, Virginia suffered a tragic accident, falling down the stairs at her school and incurred severe back injuries. Arthritis and a failed spinal surgical procedure forced her to spend most of her life on crutches or in a wheelchair.
Virginia excelled in school and, at fifteen, won a scholarship for writing a parody of Tennyson's Idylls of the King. She proudly earned her diploma from Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth. After graduation, she nurtured her artistic talent by completing a four-year correspondence art course while living at home with her family.
After William Andrews died in the late 1960s, Virginia helped to support herself and her mother through her extremely successful career as a commercial artist, portrait painter, and fashion illustrator.
Frustrated with the lack of creative satisfaction that her work provided, Virginia sought creative release through writing, which she did in secret. In 1972, she completed her first novel, The Gods of the Green Mountain [sic], a science-fantasy story. It was never published. Between 1972 and 1979, she wrote nine novels and twenty short stories, of which only one was published. "I Slept with My Uncle on My Wedding Night", a short fiction piece, was published in a pulp confession magazine.
Promise gleamed over the horizon for Virginia when she submitted a 290,000-word novel, The Obsessed, to a publishing company. She was told that the story had potential, but needed to be trimmed and spiced up a bit. She drafted a new outline in a single night and added "unspeakable things my mother didn't want me to write about." The ninety-eight-page revision was re-titled Flowers in the Attic and she was paid a $7,500 advance. Her new-generation Gothic novel reached the bestseller lists a mere two weeks after its 1979 paperback publication by Pocket Books.
Petals on the Wind, her sequel to Flowers, was published the next year, earning Virginia a $35,000 advance. The second book remained on the New York Times bestseller list for an unbelievable nineteen weeks (Flowers also returned to the list). These first two novels alone sold over seven million copies in only two years. The third novel of the Dollanganger series, If There Be Thorns, was released in 1981, bringing Virginia a $75,000 advance. It reached No. 2 on many bestseller lists within its first two weeks.
Taking a break from the chronicles of Chris and Cathy Dollanganger, Virginia published her one, and only, stand-alone novel, My Sweet Audrina, in 1982. The book welcomed an immediate success, topping the sales figures of her previous novels. Two years later, a fourth Dollanganger novel was released, Seeds of Yesterday. According to the New York Times, Seeds was the best-selling fiction paperback novel of 1984. Also in 1984, V.C. Andrews was named "Professional Woman of the Year" by the city of Norfolk, Virginia.
Upon Andrews's death in 1986, two final novels—Garden of Shadows and Fallen Hearts—were published. These two novels are considered the last to bear the "V.C. Andrews" name and to be almost completely written by
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,359 reviews
March 12, 2018
This is all that you need to know about this book:
Uncle Joel: "Evil! Evil! Evil! Sin! Sin! Sin!"
Bart: "Mother, if you stop sleeping with your brother, I'll be nice and good forever and ever. Until then, I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL!”
Cathy: Is too busy eavesdropping on the rest of her family to have much to say.
Melodie: "How can I possibly be expected to love someone who is only half a man? Oh, heeeeyyyy Bart."
Jory: "I sure wish Melodie would come to see me. What does she do with her time anyway?"
Chris: "Wha'd I miss?"
Uncle Joel: "Evil! Evil! Evil! Sin! Sin! Sin!"
Bart: "Mother, if you stop sleeping with your brother, I'll be nice and good forever and ever. Until then, I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL!”
Cathy: Is too busy eavesdropping on the rest of her family to have much to say.
Melodie: "How can I possibly be expected to love someone who is only half a man? Oh, heeeeyyyy Bart."
Jory: "I sure wish Melodie would come to see me. What does she do with her time anyway?"
Chris: "Wha'd I miss?"
February 22, 2016
CRYING SO HARD RIGHT NOW.
November 22, 2017
Book Review
3 out of 5 stars for Seeds of Yesterday, the 4th book in the "Dollanganger" thriller and young adult series, written in 1984 by V.C. Andrews. When I first read this series, I absolutely loved the characters and plot. It was mesmerizing and felt just dark enough to pass the reality line, but not too far where I thought it was completely unbelievable. Somewhere around books 3 and 4, it fell down for me. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't as good as the originals. I still enjoy hearing Cathy's voice, understanding her point of view and knowing what happens with her and Chris. But her own children are terrible, and the concept of the seeds of yesterday coming back to haunt you... was mediocre for me. It's a fine line to say what turns a good person bad, and a bad person to redemption. It's rare I can buy such a change... or do I really want it to change in something like this. Writing is similar. Style is similar. But the plot just gets away too much for my taste. I gave it a 3 as it's worth the read, have some cautions with it, but would still want to finish the series. One more to go!
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.
3 out of 5 stars for Seeds of Yesterday, the 4th book in the "Dollanganger" thriller and young adult series, written in 1984 by V.C. Andrews. When I first read this series, I absolutely loved the characters and plot. It was mesmerizing and felt just dark enough to pass the reality line, but not too far where I thought it was completely unbelievable. Somewhere around books 3 and 4, it fell down for me. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't as good as the originals. I still enjoy hearing Cathy's voice, understanding her point of view and knowing what happens with her and Chris. But her own children are terrible, and the concept of the seeds of yesterday coming back to haunt you... was mediocre for me. It's a fine line to say what turns a good person bad, and a bad person to redemption. It's rare I can buy such a change... or do I really want it to change in something like this. Writing is similar. Style is similar. But the plot just gets away too much for my taste. I gave it a 3 as it's worth the read, have some cautions with it, but would still want to finish the series. One more to go!
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.
November 13, 2011
"If I blink my eyes just once, I'm twelve years old again, and you're fourteen. I can see you as you were then...but I can't see me. Chris, why can't I see me?" ~ Cathy
His crooked smile was bittersweet. "Because I've stolen all the memories of what you were and stored them in my heart." ~ Chris
A bittersweet ending to an incredible series! I loved this story and all the players in it. What an imaginative and creative collection of books. Although I have yet to read the "prequel" I am pleased with how this series has ended and I thoroughly enjoyed each book. I felt that this was a bit slow moving but a very reflective and wonderful journey. I felt so much for Jory ("Am I dancing momma?") throughout this book and although I found Bart an entertaining character, I never warmed up to him. As for Chris and Cathy's enduring love...I was very moved yet again by them. For even in hate and despair a love like no other was born and prospered. Sadly it was Cathy who seemed could not live without her Christopher doll...and in the attic where so much was lost...Cathy ultimately found peace. A fitting end.
"It's tear-shaped, Cathy - for all the tears I would have cried inside if you had never let me love you." ~ Chris
"You grow more handsome with each passing year." I stepped closer to encircle his waist with my arms as my cheek rested against his back. "I love you more each year...and even when you are as old as Joel, I will see you as you are now...standing twelve feet tall, in your shining suit of armour, soon to ride your white unicorn. In your hand you'll carry a twelve-foot spear with a green dragon's head perched upon it's point." In the mirror I saw his reflection; tears had come to glisten in his eyes. ~ Cathy
"After all this time, you remember," he whispered hoarsely. "After all these many years..." ~ Chris
"I opened the tall and narrow closet door and began my ascent up the steep and narrow stairs. On my way to the attic. On my way to where I'd find my Christopher, again..." ~ Cathy
"There's a garden in the sky, waiting there for me. It's a garden that Chris and I imagined years ago, while we lay on a hard black slate roof and stared up at the sun and the stars. He's up there, whispering in the winds to tell me that's where the purple grass grows. They're all up there waiting for me."~ Cathy
His crooked smile was bittersweet. "Because I've stolen all the memories of what you were and stored them in my heart." ~ Chris
A bittersweet ending to an incredible series! I loved this story and all the players in it. What an imaginative and creative collection of books. Although I have yet to read the "prequel" I am pleased with how this series has ended and I thoroughly enjoyed each book. I felt that this was a bit slow moving but a very reflective and wonderful journey. I felt so much for Jory ("Am I dancing momma?") throughout this book and although I found Bart an entertaining character, I never warmed up to him. As for Chris and Cathy's enduring love...I was very moved yet again by them. For even in hate and despair a love like no other was born and prospered. Sadly it was Cathy who seemed could not live without her Christopher doll...and in the attic where so much was lost...Cathy ultimately found peace. A fitting end.
"It's tear-shaped, Cathy - for all the tears I would have cried inside if you had never let me love you." ~ Chris
"You grow more handsome with each passing year." I stepped closer to encircle his waist with my arms as my cheek rested against his back. "I love you more each year...and even when you are as old as Joel, I will see you as you are now...standing twelve feet tall, in your shining suit of armour, soon to ride your white unicorn. In your hand you'll carry a twelve-foot spear with a green dragon's head perched upon it's point." In the mirror I saw his reflection; tears had come to glisten in his eyes. ~ Cathy
"After all this time, you remember," he whispered hoarsely. "After all these many years..." ~ Chris
"I opened the tall and narrow closet door and began my ascent up the steep and narrow stairs. On my way to the attic. On my way to where I'd find my Christopher, again..." ~ Cathy
"There's a garden in the sky, waiting there for me. It's a garden that Chris and I imagined years ago, while we lay on a hard black slate roof and stared up at the sun and the stars. He's up there, whispering in the winds to tell me that's where the purple grass grows. They're all up there waiting for me."~ Cathy
February 15, 2019
In the final novel that depicts the chronological progress of this most unique family unit, V.C. Andrews offers the reader even more insight into the ways the Dollangangers have become intertwined and how these connections create unforeseen offshoots that rattle the familial foundation. Chris and Cathy Sheffield (Dollanganger) are back in Virginia, still holding onto their secret, though its strength is slowly waning. Invited back to Foxworth Hall by Bart, who is about to celebrate his 25th birthday, they have come to see that he is still the religious pillar who judges others. Having been willed this mansion in his grandmother’s will, Bart has rebuilt it to reflect the days of old, not knowing some of the painful memories that it evokes. Jory and his wife, Melodie, are back as well, ready to help Bart celebrate, though always dodging his moralistic speeches. When Cindy arrives to celebrate with her brother, she is no longer the little girl the reader will remember, but a voluptuous teenage knockout who turns heads everywhere she goes. Bart has many surprises for the family, none more so than the revelation that one of Malcolm Foxworth’s sons, presumed dead, was actually alive and in hiding. Uncle Joel is as judgemental as Bart, with his past as a monk, and ready to keep the Sheffields in line. When Melodie admits that she is pregnant and will not be able to dance with Jory in a special ballet for the birthday celebrations, Cindy steps in. However, something goes tragically wrong and Jory is seriously hurt, leaving him unable to walk. As sly as he is judgmental, Bart hones in on Melodie’s ache, as Jory has lost his ability for intimacy, and he takes up with her. Shocked to discover them, Cathy can only wonder if the family curse is coming to pass yet again. Were that not enough, Cindy’s teenage brain has her wanting to give in to all the lustful thoughts that cross it, allowing the boys to dominate her curves and alluring body. When Melodie goes into labour, she cannot wait to rid herself of what is inside her, admitting that she never wanted to be a mother. Jory suffers not only with his paralysis, but upon hearing this must wonder if he chose the wrong woman to stand beside him. Melodie flees Foxworth Hall as soon as she can, leaving Jory and the rest of the Sheffields to raise the next generation. While Bart is still as critical as ever, he sets his sights on a new conquest, hoping that this will finally meet all the needs he has rummaging around inside him. However, Foxworth Hall and these Dollanganger offspring seem never to be able to take the easy road. Andrews brings some interesting finality to this series, spinning new and dastardly webs to a family that has seen so much over the past number of years. Series fans who have made it this far will likely enjoy this final piece, but there is no end to the odd storylines that have turned many readers away.
As V.C. Andrews brings this highly controversial series to a close, she does so with a bang for her fans. While the series remains part of the ‘young adult horror’ genre, the plots have held my attention and not been too corny. I know some have steered away from this series and tell me they are surprised that I have not left it to fade from my memory, but I wanted to say that I made it to the end, tying up all the loose ends left throughout. Bart plays a central role in this piece, if only because he is tapping into the religious and moralistic code left by his great-grandfather and Foxworth patriarch, Malcolm. This young man speaks of a world of sin and duplicity, then rushes off to act in such a way that the reader is left to scratch their head. With no one safe from his ‘fire and brimstone’ sentiments, characters must dodge his comments on most anything while living under the roof of his exceptional mansion. Jory’s debilitating accident offers new challenges and development for this other central character, as he learns to live without the use of his legs and is forced to watch his wife turn to another man—his brother, no less—to find sexual comfort. Jory is determined to make something of himself and be the father he has dreamed he could be, even if everyone is discounting him. Chris and Cathy, long the central characters in the series, have grown closer throughout, learning the pitfalls of their romantic decision as well as seeing the children they raised make choices of their own. With many struggles found in more traditional family units, V.C. Andrews tosses struggle and joy at this two, as she has done throughout the series. With plots and tangential storylines throughout, Andrews thickens the plot until the very end, leaving the reader to wonder what is around the corner for them in this unpredictable series. With many of the plot lines tied off—some in quite drastic ways—it would seem there is little else to know. However, Andrews is not quite done with this series, as she leaves the dedicated reader to wonder how things got started all those years ago. One final novel, a prequel, takes the story back to the beginning, long before there were children—or flowers—in any attic. I think we’ll head there to see what it is all about.
Kudos, Madam Andrews, for keeping me entertained throughout. This has been quite the ride since I took the daring plunge into seeing what the series was all about. Now, I am hooked and must see how it ends...or all began!
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
As V.C. Andrews brings this highly controversial series to a close, she does so with a bang for her fans. While the series remains part of the ‘young adult horror’ genre, the plots have held my attention and not been too corny. I know some have steered away from this series and tell me they are surprised that I have not left it to fade from my memory, but I wanted to say that I made it to the end, tying up all the loose ends left throughout. Bart plays a central role in this piece, if only because he is tapping into the religious and moralistic code left by his great-grandfather and Foxworth patriarch, Malcolm. This young man speaks of a world of sin and duplicity, then rushes off to act in such a way that the reader is left to scratch their head. With no one safe from his ‘fire and brimstone’ sentiments, characters must dodge his comments on most anything while living under the roof of his exceptional mansion. Jory’s debilitating accident offers new challenges and development for this other central character, as he learns to live without the use of his legs and is forced to watch his wife turn to another man—his brother, no less—to find sexual comfort. Jory is determined to make something of himself and be the father he has dreamed he could be, even if everyone is discounting him. Chris and Cathy, long the central characters in the series, have grown closer throughout, learning the pitfalls of their romantic decision as well as seeing the children they raised make choices of their own. With many struggles found in more traditional family units, V.C. Andrews tosses struggle and joy at this two, as she has done throughout the series. With plots and tangential storylines throughout, Andrews thickens the plot until the very end, leaving the reader to wonder what is around the corner for them in this unpredictable series. With many of the plot lines tied off—some in quite drastic ways—it would seem there is little else to know. However, Andrews is not quite done with this series, as she leaves the dedicated reader to wonder how things got started all those years ago. One final novel, a prequel, takes the story back to the beginning, long before there were children—or flowers—in any attic. I think we’ll head there to see what it is all about.
Kudos, Madam Andrews, for keeping me entertained throughout. This has been quite the ride since I took the daring plunge into seeing what the series was all about. Now, I am hooked and must see how it ends...or all began!
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
November 10, 2020
It has taken me years to finish this series and it's only 4 books long but the madness is real and finally i'm at the finishing line. Hooray for me.
Reading a VC Andrews book is like being at a Mad Hatters tea party, I can only imagine her personality in real life.
I really enjoyed book one but from there's its like being on acid. I have a theory that because the first book was so taboo and whipped up such a storm that books 2-4 had a lot to live up too so Andrews just threw every shocking taboo trope into the washing machine, because that's what it felt like, being thrown around at speed with dark things.
By the time I got to this book I was just laughing, toddlers putting greenery on each others gentiles, brothers sharing wives and girlfriends, everything that could go on did go on.
After the death of Andrews another author continued this series but it feels unnecessary to me as this book really did wrap everything up so I shall finish here.
Andrews, if we ever meet in the afterlife we are doing cocktails, I want to understand where your head is at!
Reading a VC Andrews book is like being at a Mad Hatters tea party, I can only imagine her personality in real life.
I really enjoyed book one but from there's its like being on acid. I have a theory that because the first book was so taboo and whipped up such a storm that books 2-4 had a lot to live up too so Andrews just threw every shocking taboo trope into the washing machine, because that's what it felt like, being thrown around at speed with dark things.
By the time I got to this book I was just laughing, toddlers putting greenery on each others gentiles, brothers sharing wives and girlfriends, everything that could go on did go on.
After the death of Andrews another author continued this series but it feels unnecessary to me as this book really did wrap everything up so I shall finish here.
Andrews, if we ever meet in the afterlife we are doing cocktails, I want to understand where your head is at!
February 13, 2017
"I am caught between Heaven and Hell in a kind of purgatory where ghosts of the past roam the hallways at night."
Foxworth Hall has been built again.
I just finished a long-overdue re-read of the finale of the five-book Dollanganger saga. Yes, I'd forgotten most of it, with the exception of the oh-so-sad ending and the return to a manor that once terrified everyone in the series.
While Flowers in the Attic started the journey that destroyed four innocent young lives, the series continued to follow the mains Cathy and Chris who had to cling to each other for sanity and life long after they left the attic. The ending of the book was actually beautiful. It's demented and dark, but it's fitting to go back to where it all started.
Besides the dramatic but perfected finish, Seeds of Yesterday suffered from some of the same things 'If There by Thorns' did. While told only through Cathy's point of view again, thankfully getting rid of the shifting POVs of the boys from the previous book, it still focuses on truly unlikable characters.....Frankly Cathy's kids grew up to be annoying. Whiny, self-pitying, pathetic and in some cases evil messes. I get sticking around for the salvation of a son but it became unrealistic. Seriously, Bart is just too annoying, Melanie is one of the worst excuses for a woman ever, and Cindy's wailing made me want her to face a tragic ending of her own.
Andrews rocked with beginnings, endings, and shredding a reader's hearts to pieces, but she sometimes overplayed the already dramatic tone of the Gothic. This book particularly reads unrealistically when it comes to most of the dialogue. Also, I am definitely getting tired of looming, older men's presences in the house spoiling everyone's fun.
It's weaker in comparison to the rest of the series except 'If there Be Thorns', but it's still a Dollanganger sequel, which wins points on its own. The haunting vibe was still very much alive in the pages, and that ended - while bleak and leaving me feeling like I have some lead sitting in my chest - is in a strange way a beautiful wrap-up of a twisted family line.
"He's up there, whispering in the winds to tell me that's where the purple grass grows. They're all up there waiting for me."
Foxworth Hall has been built again.
I just finished a long-overdue re-read of the finale of the five-book Dollanganger saga. Yes, I'd forgotten most of it, with the exception of the oh-so-sad ending and the return to a manor that once terrified everyone in the series.
While Flowers in the Attic started the journey that destroyed four innocent young lives, the series continued to follow the mains Cathy and Chris who had to cling to each other for sanity and life long after they left the attic. The ending of the book was actually beautiful. It's demented and dark, but it's fitting to go back to where it all started.
Besides the dramatic but perfected finish, Seeds of Yesterday suffered from some of the same things 'If There by Thorns' did. While told only through Cathy's point of view again, thankfully getting rid of the shifting POVs of the boys from the previous book, it still focuses on truly unlikable characters.....Frankly Cathy's kids grew up to be annoying. Whiny, self-pitying, pathetic and in some cases evil messes. I get sticking around for the salvation of a son but it became unrealistic. Seriously, Bart is just too annoying, Melanie is one of the worst excuses for a woman ever, and Cindy's wailing made me want her to face a tragic ending of her own.
Andrews rocked with beginnings, endings, and shredding a reader's hearts to pieces, but she sometimes overplayed the already dramatic tone of the Gothic. This book particularly reads unrealistically when it comes to most of the dialogue. Also, I am definitely getting tired of looming, older men's presences in the house spoiling everyone's fun.
It's weaker in comparison to the rest of the series except 'If there Be Thorns', but it's still a Dollanganger sequel, which wins points on its own. The haunting vibe was still very much alive in the pages, and that ended - while bleak and leaving me feeling like I have some lead sitting in my chest - is in a strange way a beautiful wrap-up of a twisted family line.
"He's up there, whispering in the winds to tell me that's where the purple grass grows. They're all up there waiting for me."
December 16, 2011
(Full review here: http://wp.me/p1Zgyz-7D )
Wow. Almost done with the Dollangangers, thank goodness. Only two books left to cover in this series, and this one is probably going to be the most difficult to write about. Why difficult? Because it sucked. Seriously. This book was terrible. Combine all of the horribly tragic events of the first two books into one, add Chris and Cathy as an old married couple and you have this dreck.
Yuck.
Last book (huzzah!) coming up on Tuesday.
Wow. Almost done with the Dollangangers, thank goodness. Only two books left to cover in this series, and this one is probably going to be the most difficult to write about. Why difficult? Because it sucked. Seriously. This book was terrible. Combine all of the horribly tragic events of the first two books into one, add Chris and Cathy as an old married couple and you have this dreck.
Yuck.
Last book (huzzah!) coming up on Tuesday.
March 8, 2020
The finale is a heartbreak. Don't read it if you have a weak heart.
January 28, 2023
The last book of the life of Cathy and Chris. Again, I could not wait to read it. I do however have to say that with every book a little get lost of the charm the story has. Sometimes it is better not to make a sequel or sequels to a story. I did like it, but what I said the charm got lost. I am still not a fan of Bart, I was worried about the last book that he would stay mean, and lets be honest not much had changed. What a weird boy/man, but without him there wouldn't be a lot of story. So it will get just under 4 points. Up to book 5 of this series.
November 9, 2015
Todo mereció la pena por ese epílogo.
“Hay un jardin en el cielo, que esta esperando. Es un jardin que Chris y yo imaginamos hace muchos años, mientras yaciamos en una losa dura y negra del tejado y contemplabamos el Sol y las estrellas”
“Hay un jardin en el cielo, que esta esperando. Es un jardin que Chris y yo imaginamos hace muchos años, mientras yaciamos en una losa dura y negra del tejado y contemplabamos el Sol y las estrellas”
March 20, 2019
This held up well.
March 8, 2016
5+++++ Stars!
This series is seriously addictive. It's been 4 days non-stop I've been reading books in the series back to back(Yes....I've been sleep deprived!) and well I am glad I stumbled into this book for never had I read any book as wonderful as this one. They are really well written and it's such a grotesque yet captivating story.
Seeds of Yesterday was really an engaging novel and one of the most heart breaking book I've come across. It really pulls on your heart strings & tugs on every emotion possible. The end got me for sure. It made me cry. There were so many sad moments. I cannot take my mind off this book right now. I had enjoyed Cathy and Chris's journey since the first novel, and this book has perfectly wrapped up their story and it was a very peaceful ending. I am really gonna miss every characters. Even if they are wicked. But the one that I will miss the most is Christopher. His love and dedication towards Cathy is superb; their's tale is utterly heart wrenching. The story between Cathy and Chris will remain forever in my heart.
This series is seriously addictive. It's been 4 days non-stop I've been reading books in the series back to back(Yes....I've been sleep deprived!) and well I am glad I stumbled into this book for never had I read any book as wonderful as this one. They are really well written and it's such a grotesque yet captivating story.
Seeds of Yesterday was really an engaging novel and one of the most heart breaking book I've come across. It really pulls on your heart strings & tugs on every emotion possible. The end got me for sure. It made me cry. There were so many sad moments. I cannot take my mind off this book right now. I had enjoyed Cathy and Chris's journey since the first novel, and this book has perfectly wrapped up their story and it was a very peaceful ending. I am really gonna miss every characters. Even if they are wicked. But the one that I will miss the most is Christopher. His love and dedication towards Cathy is superb; their's tale is utterly heart wrenching. The story between Cathy and Chris will remain forever in my heart.
March 8, 2014
Chris and Cathy come from a long line of poor decision makers, and they continue that tradition when they return to the new Foxworth Hall to celebrate Bart's graduation from Harvard and his twenty-fifth birthday. What they think is a one night stay before moving to Hawaii turns into a three year long run in hell.
Cathy and Chris are still the same bores they always were.
Jory (ugh, that name) is still mister perfect.
Bart is still an oozing walking herp sore that's consistently on its period.
Cindy turned into quite the little slut.
The newest addition to the family is Uncle Joel, one of Corrine's brothers thought to be long dead. He's old, he's creepy, he's been living in an Italian monastery so he's developed some hardcore religious beliefs and he's Bart's mentor. Nice.
A bunch of bad things happen such as:
Jory becomes paralyzed and then his pregnant wife cheats on him with Bart then leaves him after giving birth.
Cindy is a slut who keeps getting caught having sex.
Cathy constantly whines to Chris and Chris gets pissy with her about it.
Bart has wild mood swings and Uncle Joel is just evil. How evil? Well, we never get to know for certain because Andrews leads us down a poorly plotted path then says "awww fuck it" and takes the easy way out. Characters personalities instantly change and petty nuisances are conveniently taken care of as though as they never existed.
How I wish I would have saved my time and just used Wikipedia to satisfy my curiosity.
Cathy and Chris are still the same bores they always were.
Jory (ugh, that name) is still mister perfect.
Bart is still an oozing walking herp sore that's consistently on its period.
Cindy turned into quite the little slut.
The newest addition to the family is Uncle Joel, one of Corrine's brothers thought to be long dead. He's old, he's creepy, he's been living in an Italian monastery so he's developed some hardcore religious beliefs and he's Bart's mentor. Nice.
A bunch of bad things happen such as:
Jory becomes paralyzed and then his pregnant wife cheats on him with Bart then leaves him after giving birth.
Cindy is a slut who keeps getting caught having sex.
Cathy constantly whines to Chris and Chris gets pissy with her about it.
Bart has wild mood swings and Uncle Joel is just evil. How evil? Well, we never get to know for certain because Andrews leads us down a poorly plotted path then says "awww fuck it" and takes the easy way out. Characters personalities instantly change and petty nuisances are conveniently taken care of as though as they never existed.
How I wish I would have saved my time and just used Wikipedia to satisfy my curiosity.
April 3, 2021
3.5 stars. So that wraps up Cathy and Chris's story and I am going to end this series here. I don't feel much enthusiasm to read The Grandmother's story and my understanding is that the rest of this series wasn't actually written by V.C. Andrews, so I'm calling it a day.
February 6, 2021
🥀
While I haven't quite finished the series yet, as I still have the prequel to read, I have reached the end of the four Dollenganger siblings that this rather unhinged journey started with.
Chris and Cathy return to a rebuilt Foxworth Hall, which Bart has made sure resembles the original with eerie perfection. The intent is to stay until Bart's 25th birthday, which is fast approaching, which will lead to a symbolic rereading of the will (which we already know will not go smoothly, because nothing ever does for this family), after which Cathy, Chris and Cindy will move to Hawaii and presumably happily ever after in their delusional, incestuous bubble. But it's not so easy to leave that house, as they well know.
Bart is still teetering about on the edge of mental stability. He's full of rage, self-hatred, an alarming amount of misogyny, resentment toward every member of his family. He's a dizzyingly rich disaster, but he also tends to make points that actually makes sense.
"Don't you realize yet that you and your brother have always managed with your incestuous relationship to ruin and contaminate my life? I used to hope and pray someday you'd leave him, but it never happens. I've adjusted to the fact that the two of you are obsessed with one another and perhaps enjoy your relationship more because it is against the will of God."
Bart's issues boil down to the fact that he wants his mother to stop sleeping with her brother. Cathy thinks this is unfair, cruel, unreasonable. I agree with Bart. I agreed with him most, but not all of the time. His tendency to slut shame every person in existence while doing the same things he rages about tended to undermine his points a bit.
Now, I thought Cathy couldn't be usurped from her role as one of the most annoying, self-involved characters I have ever encountered, but she was easily overtaken by not one but two young women. Jory's wife Melodie, who I disliked immensely, and Chris and Cathy's adopted daughter Cindy, who I loathed. Every time she appeared on the page, to wail about the unfairness of her life I would cringe away from the page. She was completely insufferable, and I think it's a little unfair that she basically made it through the book unscathed.
"Momma," she wailed. "I'm not having a good time! It's been a terrible summer, the worst. I'm sorry Jory's in the hospital and he won't ever walk or dance again, and I want to do what I can for him, but what about me?" ---isn't it just so terribly unfair when your brother being paralyzed interferes with your summer plans? I should point out that her offer to do what she can comes to nothing. She's too self-absorbed to think about someone else for more than a few minutes at a time.
For all that I disliked her, at least Melodie managed to bring herself to make the occasional good observation:
"This house wants to use the people inside as a way to keep it living on forever. It's like a vampire, sucking our lifeblood from all of us. I wish it hadn't been restored. It's not a new house. It's been here for centuries. Only the wallpaper and the paint and the furniture are new, but those stairs in the foyer I never climb up or descent without seeing the ghosts of others..."
and:
"How can you condemn me, Cathy, when you have done even worse?"
I had forgotten that Cathy had been documenting these events. But she thinks, a little too optimistically given we are only part way through the story, 'My last book, I told myself. What more did I have to say? What else could happen to us?' --- well, Cathy, there are about 200 pages left, so a lot will still happen.
"It's tear-shaped, Cathy - for all the tears I would have cried inside if you had never let me love you." --- This is Chris, talking about a diamond necklace he has given Cathy. She finds it touching, complicatedly heartfelt. I find it cheesy and also very creepy. Especially since he didn't exactly ask her to let her love him. He raped her, something she romanticizes, that I simply cannot. Even without the incest part, every element of her relationship is wildly inappropriate. The rape, the fixation her has on her, the never ceasing pressure he put on her during the years when she tried to break away from him. Everyone in the book seems to think Bart is too hard on him (including Bart himself, by the end) but I think he lets him off too easily. Being a doctor does not absolve abysmal behaviour. Nor does being locked in an attic.
"That's Foxworth Hall. Once you enter its portals, you seldom are seen again."
'What was there about the human condition that made us hold on to tragedy with such tenacity and easily forgo the happiness we could reach readily?'
The conclusion of the book wrapped things up well, I thought. I had maybe hoped Cathy could finally live a life free from Chris, become her own person, but I also don't think that would really fit with the tone of the series. Her end felt right, sad as it was.
I've been giving this series a lot of thought now that I have finished reading the main series, and for all it's faults, the way it's often overwritten, the endless hysterical melodrama, there is something so fascinating about it all. In one sense it's an oddly fun series, but it's also rather horrific. In some ways it feels like a rather extreme metaphor for childhood trauma and how hard it can be to recover. There is a big focus on religion being twisted and used as a way to justify doing cruel things. The victims are often young children, trusting in adults who just don't care. There are toxic relationships, dreadful accidents, a family who never seem to grasp that you can enter into a relationship with someone who doesn't live in your immediate household (Bart and Jory's most significant relationships are with the same two women). While I despised Cindy, her obsession with herself meant she was the only family member who avoided this nonsense. I had thought she might end up with Bart (and this would be a step in the right direction, since at least they aren't related biologically) but I was pleasantly surprised when this didn't happen. Instead of continuing the family tradition of sleeping with his sister, he became a TV evangelist. I have to admit that made me laugh. I had a few theories about what would happen with Bart, and that certainly wasn't on the list!
The Lifetime films of the Flowers in the Attic series are available to watch on a local streaming service, and I'm going to give them a go. The only thing that might make me abandon the movies is that sometimes hysterical people are easier to read about than to have to listen to. I shudder just imagining having to listen to Cindy's complaining. But I'm curious as well --- it is possible to capture the addictive, creepy feeling the books give? I can't imagine they would be easy to adapt, but I sort of want to find out.
While I haven't quite finished the series yet, as I still have the prequel to read, I have reached the end of the four Dollenganger siblings that this rather unhinged journey started with.
Chris and Cathy return to a rebuilt Foxworth Hall, which Bart has made sure resembles the original with eerie perfection. The intent is to stay until Bart's 25th birthday, which is fast approaching, which will lead to a symbolic rereading of the will (which we already know will not go smoothly, because nothing ever does for this family), after which Cathy, Chris and Cindy will move to Hawaii and presumably happily ever after in their delusional, incestuous bubble. But it's not so easy to leave that house, as they well know.
Bart is still teetering about on the edge of mental stability. He's full of rage, self-hatred, an alarming amount of misogyny, resentment toward every member of his family. He's a dizzyingly rich disaster, but he also tends to make points that actually makes sense.
"Don't you realize yet that you and your brother have always managed with your incestuous relationship to ruin and contaminate my life? I used to hope and pray someday you'd leave him, but it never happens. I've adjusted to the fact that the two of you are obsessed with one another and perhaps enjoy your relationship more because it is against the will of God."
Bart's issues boil down to the fact that he wants his mother to stop sleeping with her brother. Cathy thinks this is unfair, cruel, unreasonable. I agree with Bart. I agreed with him most, but not all of the time. His tendency to slut shame every person in existence while doing the same things he rages about tended to undermine his points a bit.
Now, I thought Cathy couldn't be usurped from her role as one of the most annoying, self-involved characters I have ever encountered, but she was easily overtaken by not one but two young women. Jory's wife Melodie, who I disliked immensely, and Chris and Cathy's adopted daughter Cindy, who I loathed. Every time she appeared on the page, to wail about the unfairness of her life I would cringe away from the page. She was completely insufferable, and I think it's a little unfair that she basically made it through the book unscathed.
"Momma," she wailed. "I'm not having a good time! It's been a terrible summer, the worst. I'm sorry Jory's in the hospital and he won't ever walk or dance again, and I want to do what I can for him, but what about me?" ---isn't it just so terribly unfair when your brother being paralyzed interferes with your summer plans? I should point out that her offer to do what she can comes to nothing. She's too self-absorbed to think about someone else for more than a few minutes at a time.
For all that I disliked her, at least Melodie managed to bring herself to make the occasional good observation:
"This house wants to use the people inside as a way to keep it living on forever. It's like a vampire, sucking our lifeblood from all of us. I wish it hadn't been restored. It's not a new house. It's been here for centuries. Only the wallpaper and the paint and the furniture are new, but those stairs in the foyer I never climb up or descent without seeing the ghosts of others..."
and:
"How can you condemn me, Cathy, when you have done even worse?"
I had forgotten that Cathy had been documenting these events. But she thinks, a little too optimistically given we are only part way through the story, 'My last book, I told myself. What more did I have to say? What else could happen to us?' --- well, Cathy, there are about 200 pages left, so a lot will still happen.
"It's tear-shaped, Cathy - for all the tears I would have cried inside if you had never let me love you." --- This is Chris, talking about a diamond necklace he has given Cathy. She finds it touching, complicatedly heartfelt. I find it cheesy and also very creepy. Especially since he didn't exactly ask her to let her love him. He raped her, something she romanticizes, that I simply cannot. Even without the incest part, every element of her relationship is wildly inappropriate. The rape, the fixation her has on her, the never ceasing pressure he put on her during the years when she tried to break away from him. Everyone in the book seems to think Bart is too hard on him (including Bart himself, by the end) but I think he lets him off too easily. Being a doctor does not absolve abysmal behaviour. Nor does being locked in an attic.
"That's Foxworth Hall. Once you enter its portals, you seldom are seen again."
'What was there about the human condition that made us hold on to tragedy with such tenacity and easily forgo the happiness we could reach readily?'
The conclusion of the book wrapped things up well, I thought. I had maybe hoped Cathy could finally live a life free from Chris, become her own person, but I also don't think that would really fit with the tone of the series. Her end felt right, sad as it was.
I've been giving this series a lot of thought now that I have finished reading the main series, and for all it's faults, the way it's often overwritten, the endless hysterical melodrama, there is something so fascinating about it all. In one sense it's an oddly fun series, but it's also rather horrific. In some ways it feels like a rather extreme metaphor for childhood trauma and how hard it can be to recover. There is a big focus on religion being twisted and used as a way to justify doing cruel things. The victims are often young children, trusting in adults who just don't care. There are toxic relationships, dreadful accidents, a family who never seem to grasp that you can enter into a relationship with someone who doesn't live in your immediate household (Bart and Jory's most significant relationships are with the same two women). While I despised Cindy, her obsession with herself meant she was the only family member who avoided this nonsense. I had thought she might end up with Bart (and this would be a step in the right direction, since at least they aren't related biologically) but I was pleasantly surprised when this didn't happen. Instead of continuing the family tradition of sleeping with his sister, he became a TV evangelist. I have to admit that made me laugh. I had a few theories about what would happen with Bart, and that certainly wasn't on the list!
The Lifetime films of the Flowers in the Attic series are available to watch on a local streaming service, and I'm going to give them a go. The only thing that might make me abandon the movies is that sometimes hysterical people are easier to read about than to have to listen to. I shudder just imagining having to listen to Cindy's complaining. But I'm curious as well --- it is possible to capture the addictive, creepy feeling the books give? I can't imagine they would be easy to adapt, but I sort of want to find out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2020
Don't read this review if you don't want a lot of spoilers!
This book was beautiful. It was very intriguing. The one I just read and this one just feel a little bit connected. Jory is in a horrible accident when he's dancing at his brother's birthday party. It's devastating to his whole family. They take him to the hospital and learn that he can never walk again. He will be paralyzed from the waist down for his whole life. And everything around him seems to be crashing down. It's extremely difficult but without dancing he thinks there's no purpose for him in the world. His wife is also a dancer, Melodie. That was his childhood sweetheart. She is pregnant with his baby. She is extremely upset that her husband can no longer use his legs for dancing. And she begins to pull away from him. She thinks that if he's handicapped what kind of husband would he be? She didn't think he woukd be able to raise a baby. Melodie is completely horrible. She does nothing for Jory. If something ever happened to the boy I loved I would stay by his side the entire time. I wouldn't care if he could no longer walk. I would still love him. I would be there every step of the way. She must have not loved him that much. Melodie is cruel to him. And while he's in the hospital and trying to get through his pain from his loss, she sleeps with his brother. She is then convinced that she's madly in love with him. So yeah she's just horrible but she doesn't end up staying with Bart the whole time. Long story short when Melodie has her baby it's twins. She leaves Jory completely and goes off to start her career of dancing again.
The good thing is Jory makes it through. He is overly happy to have children and he is determined to be a good father to them. He starts doing things despite his disability. He learns to paint with watercolors and he becomes an amazing artist. He also falls in love with his nurse and eventually marries her in the end. But Bart he's just not very nice and was with her before that. I was happy that Jory found someone to love again and in the end Bart turns into a better person.
And finally at the end of the book Chris gets into a car accident and ends up passing away. I think that was the thing that changed Bart the most. Even though Bart never said it; he loved his father dearly. Cathy also ends up passing away as well because she is so sad about Chris. She feels her time and need on earth has come to an end. She wanted to be with Chris again. But I was happy for her children. The children had their happy ending. It was very sad at the end to see them go. It was a journey reading about their life. If you read the series you probably know exactly what I mean. And I even shed a few tears near the end for them. It was a great, amazing book. I'm pretty sure the movie to this is completely different though. In the movie Cindy and Bart slept together. But that is not the case in the book. There must be a lot of differences. And also in the movie Jory tried to kill himself that didn't happen in the book either. I guess there are always a few little things.
This book was beautiful. It was very intriguing. The one I just read and this one just feel a little bit connected. Jory is in a horrible accident when he's dancing at his brother's birthday party. It's devastating to his whole family. They take him to the hospital and learn that he can never walk again. He will be paralyzed from the waist down for his whole life. And everything around him seems to be crashing down. It's extremely difficult but without dancing he thinks there's no purpose for him in the world. His wife is also a dancer, Melodie. That was his childhood sweetheart. She is pregnant with his baby. She is extremely upset that her husband can no longer use his legs for dancing. And she begins to pull away from him. She thinks that if he's handicapped what kind of husband would he be? She didn't think he woukd be able to raise a baby. Melodie is completely horrible. She does nothing for Jory. If something ever happened to the boy I loved I would stay by his side the entire time. I wouldn't care if he could no longer walk. I would still love him. I would be there every step of the way. She must have not loved him that much. Melodie is cruel to him. And while he's in the hospital and trying to get through his pain from his loss, she sleeps with his brother. She is then convinced that she's madly in love with him. So yeah she's just horrible but she doesn't end up staying with Bart the whole time. Long story short when Melodie has her baby it's twins. She leaves Jory completely and goes off to start her career of dancing again.
The good thing is Jory makes it through. He is overly happy to have children and he is determined to be a good father to them. He starts doing things despite his disability. He learns to paint with watercolors and he becomes an amazing artist. He also falls in love with his nurse and eventually marries her in the end. But Bart he's just not very nice and was with her before that. I was happy that Jory found someone to love again and in the end Bart turns into a better person.
And finally at the end of the book Chris gets into a car accident and ends up passing away. I think that was the thing that changed Bart the most. Even though Bart never said it; he loved his father dearly. Cathy also ends up passing away as well because she is so sad about Chris. She feels her time and need on earth has come to an end. She wanted to be with Chris again. But I was happy for her children. The children had their happy ending. It was very sad at the end to see them go. It was a journey reading about their life. If you read the series you probably know exactly what I mean. And I even shed a few tears near the end for them. It was a great, amazing book. I'm pretty sure the movie to this is completely different though. In the movie Cindy and Bart slept together. But that is not the case in the book. There must be a lot of differences. And also in the movie Jory tried to kill himself that didn't happen in the book either. I guess there are always a few little things.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2009
"Seeds of Yesterday" is the final saga of Cathy and Chris from the "Flowers in the Attic" series and the characters have come full circle in this novel.
It is now many years after the end of "If There Be Thorns". Cathy is fifty-two and Chris is fifty-four. Jory has grown up to marry his childhood sweetheart, Melodie, and both have become successful dancers. Bart has just graduated from Harvard Law School and although, as Cathy points out, his psychiatrists have declared him "cured", it quickly becomes evident that Bart is still suffering from some pretty serious issues. Corinne, Cathy and Chris' mother, has left Bart the rebuilt Foxworth Hall, which Bart plans to reopen and make the grandest home in Virginia.
Cathy and Chris have arrived, to live once again, forty years later, in Foxworth Hall. You would think they would immediately realize that this may not be the best idea, if for no other reason that their mental health, but no, they come for a fairly long visit.
Jory and Melodie come for a visit, along with Cindy (Chris and Cathy's adopted daughter from "Thorns") and their long presumed dead Uncle Joel Foxworth shows up - - much as John Amos Jackson did in "Thorns". Joel's only purpose seems to be to spout off Malcolm-like pseudo-religious vitrol - - why no one tells him to pack his bags and get the hell out is beyond me.
Although this story is told again from the perspective of Cathy, and feels much more comfortable than the narrative of "Thorns", Bart again seems depraved and warped. It's hard to have sympathy for a character that seems so unredeemable.
Chris and Cathy's love story continues and is as bittersweet and tender as ever. Their love seems genuine and real.
As does Jory's love for Melodie. His eventual anguish over being paralyzed, losing his career and eventually his wife are the only parts of this story (other than Chris and Cathy) that ring true.
The rest of the story feels forced and the characters very one dimensional. Can Bart be any more like Malcolm? Can Joel be any more like the Grandmother? Can Cindy be any more like a young Corinne or Cathy? Even Jory and Melodie have blond twins, a boy and a girl - - giving us visions of Cory and Carrie.
Reading the story you wonder how much grief and anguish one family can take. And why everyone seems to be stepping around Bart and making excuses for him. You get to the point where you wish Chris or Cathy would just knock his lights out.
This book is worthy to read as a conclusion to the Dollanganger saga - - although the ending is a bit rushed and Chris and Cathy's demises are tragically sad.
Definitely does not compare to "Flowers" or "Petals" but as good as, if not slightly better than, "Thorns".
It is now many years after the end of "If There Be Thorns". Cathy is fifty-two and Chris is fifty-four. Jory has grown up to marry his childhood sweetheart, Melodie, and both have become successful dancers. Bart has just graduated from Harvard Law School and although, as Cathy points out, his psychiatrists have declared him "cured", it quickly becomes evident that Bart is still suffering from some pretty serious issues. Corinne, Cathy and Chris' mother, has left Bart the rebuilt Foxworth Hall, which Bart plans to reopen and make the grandest home in Virginia.
Cathy and Chris have arrived, to live once again, forty years later, in Foxworth Hall. You would think they would immediately realize that this may not be the best idea, if for no other reason that their mental health, but no, they come for a fairly long visit.
Jory and Melodie come for a visit, along with Cindy (Chris and Cathy's adopted daughter from "Thorns") and their long presumed dead Uncle Joel Foxworth shows up - - much as John Amos Jackson did in "Thorns". Joel's only purpose seems to be to spout off Malcolm-like pseudo-religious vitrol - - why no one tells him to pack his bags and get the hell out is beyond me.
Although this story is told again from the perspective of Cathy, and feels much more comfortable than the narrative of "Thorns", Bart again seems depraved and warped. It's hard to have sympathy for a character that seems so unredeemable.
Chris and Cathy's love story continues and is as bittersweet and tender as ever. Their love seems genuine and real.
As does Jory's love for Melodie. His eventual anguish over being paralyzed, losing his career and eventually his wife are the only parts of this story (other than Chris and Cathy) that ring true.
The rest of the story feels forced and the characters very one dimensional. Can Bart be any more like Malcolm? Can Joel be any more like the Grandmother? Can Cindy be any more like a young Corinne or Cathy? Even Jory and Melodie have blond twins, a boy and a girl - - giving us visions of Cory and Carrie.
Reading the story you wonder how much grief and anguish one family can take. And why everyone seems to be stepping around Bart and making excuses for him. You get to the point where you wish Chris or Cathy would just knock his lights out.
This book is worthy to read as a conclusion to the Dollanganger saga - - although the ending is a bit rushed and Chris and Cathy's demises are tragically sad.
Definitely does not compare to "Flowers" or "Petals" but as good as, if not slightly better than, "Thorns".
July 26, 2018
No me ha gustado nada.
El único libro que realmente he disfrutado de la Saga Dollanganger ha sido el 1º (Flores en el Ático), pues realmente se trata de un libro angustiante que te cuenta una historia con sentido y que está bien llevada. A partir de ahí las continuaciones han sido cada vez peores, y llegado al 4º libro no he podido sino apreciar cosas negativas.
Leí Semillas del Ayer porque era el último libro que me quedaba par acabar con la historia original de los protagonistas; si bien lo único que encontramos a lo largo de sus casi 500 páginas es la repetición de figuras que ya han aparecido en los otros libros (Malcom - John Amos - Joel), drama y más drama sin sentido y un claro desprestigio constante a la mujer. Que rabia me daba leer una y otra vez palabras como ramera, puta, zorra ..., únicamente para referirse a mujeres que actuaban exactamente igual que los hombres en la novela. Se que hay gente que dirá que el libro pretende precisamente eso, mostrar la cara de el radicalismo de la religión y la imagen que la misma proyecta sobre las mujeres, pero si esta era la intención para mi esta mal logrado la forma de plantearlo. Y si; uno puede pensar que esa familia está realmente maldita por todo lo que les pasa pero mi mente era incapaz de procesar tanto drama, en mi opinión, muy, pero que muy mal llevado.
Personajes como Bart, que incluso me pareció interesante leer en la 3º parte por sus problemas mentales, pierde el sentido en este libro, repitiéndose una vez más la existencia de otro personaje que manipula a este. Igualmente me ha parecido poco creíble la redención repentina de este personaje....en fin; todo un despropósito.
Creo que guardaré en mi mente el primer libro, y la historia de los 4 muñecos de Dresdem, y borraré el resto de la saga que en mi opinión no es más que un intento de alargar la historia innecesariamente.
Únicamente de este libro me quedo con el Epílogo, pues el mismo cierra la historia de los personajes originales; esos personajes que en el primer libro me desgarraron el alma y que hacían que entendiera todo lo que hacían por las circunstancias de su historia y la edad que tenían; que pena que todo eso se haya perdido en los siguientes libros pues incluso entiendiendo que son personajes con secuelas por lo ocurrido en el 1º libro no es nada creíble las decisiones y comportamientos que adoptan posteriormente.
El único libro que realmente he disfrutado de la Saga Dollanganger ha sido el 1º (Flores en el Ático), pues realmente se trata de un libro angustiante que te cuenta una historia con sentido y que está bien llevada. A partir de ahí las continuaciones han sido cada vez peores, y llegado al 4º libro no he podido sino apreciar cosas negativas.
Leí Semillas del Ayer porque era el último libro que me quedaba par acabar con la historia original de los protagonistas; si bien lo único que encontramos a lo largo de sus casi 500 páginas es la repetición de figuras que ya han aparecido en los otros libros (Malcom - John Amos - Joel), drama y más drama sin sentido y un claro desprestigio constante a la mujer. Que rabia me daba leer una y otra vez palabras como ramera, puta, zorra ..., únicamente para referirse a mujeres que actuaban exactamente igual que los hombres en la novela. Se que hay gente que dirá que el libro pretende precisamente eso, mostrar la cara de el radicalismo de la religión y la imagen que la misma proyecta sobre las mujeres, pero si esta era la intención para mi esta mal logrado la forma de plantearlo. Y si; uno puede pensar que esa familia está realmente maldita por todo lo que les pasa pero mi mente era incapaz de procesar tanto drama, en mi opinión, muy, pero que muy mal llevado.
Personajes como Bart, que incluso me pareció interesante leer en la 3º parte por sus problemas mentales, pierde el sentido en este libro, repitiéndose una vez más la existencia de otro personaje que manipula a este. Igualmente me ha parecido poco creíble la redención repentina de este personaje....en fin; todo un despropósito.
Creo que guardaré en mi mente el primer libro, y la historia de los 4 muñecos de Dresdem, y borraré el resto de la saga que en mi opinión no es más que un intento de alargar la historia innecesariamente.
Únicamente de este libro me quedo con el Epílogo, pues el mismo cierra la historia de los personajes originales; esos personajes que en el primer libro me desgarraron el alma y que hacían que entendiera todo lo que hacían por las circunstancias de su historia y la edad que tenían; que pena que todo eso se haya perdido en los siguientes libros pues incluso entiendiendo que son personajes con secuelas por lo ocurrido en el 1º libro no es nada creíble las decisiones y comportamientos que adoptan posteriormente.
November 21, 2017
This book was infuriating. This was not the ending to the series that any of the characters deserved, nor did it feel thought out in any respect. The whole plot felt superficial and so many plot threads were just left to fray from one chapter to another. The ‘psychological thriller’ aspect takes hold only due to the fact that you kept feeling something coming that never does. Cathy, in earlier books, felt like a deeper, if deeply flawed and neurotic, character. This book made her out to be nosy, wishy-washy and too weak to emotionally stand up on her own for more than a few moments, completely dependent on Chris, her kids, and her endless need for her family to come together happily. Chris is still the same shallow, blind character he always has been and Bart is still a hopeless, attention case. Cindy’s somewhere between charming little sister and whiny spoiled brat that calls back to Cathy in earlier books while Jory’s probably the most realistic person next to Trevor (dear Trevor). Joel’s character was an unnecessary annoyance the whole way through and if Cathy was any kind of mother, she would have called the cops on both Joel and Bart right from the start. Joel was a creep and Bart was a violent psychotic. No amount of love and kindness fixes that shit.
The ending of the book was the most disappointing. It was rushed and everything was tidied up in the last 10 pages, magically fixing all the problems for everyone after Chris’ death. Well, I guess almost everyone. Bart instantly becomes a decent human being, even going so far as to make complete amends with Chris and Cindy whom he tortured the whole book and Jory gets the use of his dick back. Hooray. There’s no feeling of triumph for the family in either watching the ever creepy, judgmental Joel waste away from his sickness (which only shows up in the last 20 pages?!?)or in having everyone move on in happiness their own separate ways. I was rooting SO. HARD. for Cathy to finally stand up to Bart and get herself, Jory and the twins out of the house to mental safety. Before the very last chapter, it feels like so much more could happen, but Andrews gets tired of planning anything, so it’s all too-easily wrapped up. Ugh. Definitely will not be picking up the prequel story.
The ending of the book was the most disappointing. It was rushed and everything was tidied up in the last 10 pages, magically fixing all the problems for everyone after Chris’ death. Well, I guess almost everyone. Bart instantly becomes a decent human being, even going so far as to make complete amends with Chris and Cindy whom he tortured the whole book and Jory gets the use of his dick back. Hooray. There’s no feeling of triumph for the family in either watching the ever creepy, judgmental Joel waste away from his sickness (which only shows up in the last 20 pages?!?)or in having everyone move on in happiness their own separate ways. I was rooting SO. HARD. for Cathy to finally stand up to Bart and get herself, Jory and the twins out of the house to mental safety. Before the very last chapter, it feels like so much more could happen, but Andrews gets tired of planning anything, so it’s all too-easily wrapped up. Ugh. Definitely will not be picking up the prequel story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2011
I'm so glad I'm done. The first book was amazing, the second was great, the third was alright, but infuriating at time and by the 4th I had stopped caring. I know the entire saga is meant to be based on a true story, but that has to be one truth stretched to it's limits.
I wanted to put this book down so many times, but was determined to see it through. Every character, with the exception of Jory bugged me. Bart was just hateful, I know he had "problems" but why did he have to take them out on everyone? He was far from perfect. Joel was horrid, Mel turned out to be nothing but a bitch. I don't care how hard things wold have been, she was the one who wanted kids, then she leaves them? Cindy wasn't likable. She seemed to do nothing but cause trouble. Now I'm not saying I could be around someone like Bart and keep my mouth shut but everything else..meeting random men, bringing home guys to sleep with. She could do all that during all the time she wasn't at home. Chris' attempts to make everything seem find got soooo dull and frustrating. And Cathy? Well I just don't know what to say. I don't know why she ever went back to Foxworth Hall. Plus the ending didn't come as a surprise to me. The moment Chris took his new job and then announced he would be gone Monday - Friday I knew what was going to happen.
Like I say, I'm glad I finished those four books. One thing I will not be doing however is going back in the "saga" to read Garden of Shadows.
I wanted to put this book down so many times, but was determined to see it through. Every character, with the exception of Jory bugged me. Bart was just hateful, I know he had "problems" but why did he have to take them out on everyone? He was far from perfect. Joel was horrid, Mel turned out to be nothing but a bitch. I don't care how hard things wold have been, she was the one who wanted kids, then she leaves them? Cindy wasn't likable. She seemed to do nothing but cause trouble. Now I'm not saying I could be around someone like Bart and keep my mouth shut but everything else..meeting random men, bringing home guys to sleep with. She could do all that during all the time she wasn't at home. Chris' attempts to make everything seem find got soooo dull and frustrating. And Cathy? Well I just don't know what to say. I don't know why she ever went back to Foxworth Hall. Plus the ending didn't come as a surprise to me. The moment Chris took his new job and then announced he would be gone Monday - Friday I knew what was going to happen.
Like I say, I'm glad I finished those four books. One thing I will not be doing however is going back in the "saga" to read Garden of Shadows.
July 10, 2017
Don't touch me! That epilogue! That freaking epilogue! "The Dollanganger Saga is over. You'll find the last manuscript in my private vault. Do with it what you will". My poor feels. "I did manage to convince one person, at last that he did have the right father. And it wasn't too late, Bart. It's never too late." My poor children. My poor heart.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2024
Tengo cosas que procesar antes de calificar 🫠
November 4, 2021
I really didn't want to read this because I wasn't ready for their saga to end.
I wish I hadn't read it and could read it for the first time again.
Here's the thing about this book - not series.
It was repetitive. Bart was a douche. Cindy whined. Jory was hopelessly good about everything from being paralyzed to his wife leaving. Cathy tried to make everything better and Chris... was way to absent. Seriously. This should have been Cathy and Chris' story. I felt like Chris was barely there. ANd when he was, more of a supporting character. This was their saga. Their lives. But suddenly, no Chris. I was so disappointed and that was a big reason I lowered my star rating.
And then he died the same way as his father and everything came full circle which was the theme of the story.
Returning to Foxworth.
The twins.
Joel basically = the grandmother only sneakier.
And that ending. OMG that ending. Catherine returning to the attic, putting up the flowers like they had when they were kids before she died. I cried. I didn't expect to, but I did. I cried. It was just such a reflection of what she'd gone through. I loved that ending. I would read it all over again just for that last chapter.
While this book (and the third in the series) aren't up to the standards of books one and two, that ending was fitting. I loved it and now what to read the whole series again.
I wish I hadn't read it and could read it for the first time again.
Here's the thing about this book - not series.
It was repetitive. Bart was a douche. Cindy whined. Jory was hopelessly good about everything from being paralyzed to his wife leaving. Cathy tried to make everything better and Chris... was way to absent. Seriously. This should have been Cathy and Chris' story. I felt like Chris was barely there. ANd when he was, more of a supporting character. This was their saga. Their lives. But suddenly, no Chris. I was so disappointed and that was a big reason I lowered my star rating.
And then he died the same way as his father and everything came full circle which was the theme of the story.
Returning to Foxworth.
The twins.
Joel basically = the grandmother only sneakier.
And that ending. OMG that ending. Catherine returning to the attic, putting up the flowers like they had when they were kids before she died. I cried. I didn't expect to, but I did. I cried. It was just such a reflection of what she'd gone through. I loved that ending. I would read it all over again just for that last chapter.
While this book (and the third in the series) aren't up to the standards of books one and two, that ending was fitting. I loved it and now what to read the whole series again.
September 25, 2016
“Cuando me hallé en aquel cuarto frío, tenebroso, sin muebles ni alfombras con sólo una casa de muñecas que no era tan hermosa como la que yo recordaba, abrí la alargada y angosta puerta y comencé mi ascensión por los peldaños altos y estrechos. Camino del ático, hacia el lugar donde había encontrado a mi Christopher, para reunirme con él otra vez...”
No estoy triste ni nada..., SOLO ESTOY DESTRUIDA. Vengamos todos a hacer una filita y depositar nuestras lágrimas sagradas en una botella.
Hermosa saga, PRECIOSA. La amo. Sin duda una de mis favoritas.
No estoy triste ni nada..., SOLO ESTOY DESTRUIDA. Vengamos todos a hacer una filita y depositar nuestras lágrimas sagradas en una botella.
Hermosa saga, PRECIOSA. La amo. Sin duda una de mis favoritas.
January 1, 2020
The beat goes on? What at the time was deemed to be the final novel in this cash making but limited good storytelling brings our 'close' family back to Foxworth Hall!
.
The series was already made more into a daytime TV soap a la Sunset Beach, and this outing continues in that vein as actions, behaviors and even words bear no real coherence with the characters as this becomes completely 'shocking' story lead. 4 out of 12... a One Star read!
.
The series was already made more into a daytime TV soap a la Sunset Beach, and this outing continues in that vein as actions, behaviors and even words bear no real coherence with the characters as this becomes completely 'shocking' story lead. 4 out of 12... a One Star read!
April 4, 2014
Fue imposible no llorar al finalizarlo. Fue imposible no repetir con Cathy 'No mi Chris, no mi Christopher Doll' o llorar con su ultima carta. Una gran historia con un final totalmente inesperado. Cuando se lee la historia de los Dollanganger se puede ver una especie de estructura cíclica, características de la familia que se repiten de generación en generación.
Read
May 29, 2015The book was amazing! When i read it i cried. This is one of the best books I have ever read.
February 6, 2017
LO AMÉ LO AMÉ LO AMÉ
AMÉ COMO ESTA NARRADO
AMÉ A LOS PERSONAJES
AMÉ A JORY Y A BART
AMÉ LA HISTORIA
AMÉ A CHRIS
AMÉ ESTA SAGA
AMÉ COMO ESTA NARRADO
AMÉ A LOS PERSONAJES
AMÉ A JORY Y A BART
AMÉ LA HISTORIA
AMÉ A CHRIS
AMÉ ESTA SAGA
March 8, 2021
So… Hm… Tengo sentimientos encontrados por este libro. Debo decir que mi principal problema es Bart (a quien, por cierto, no pude dejar de imaginarme como Check Bass a lo largo de la novela); si pensábamos que ya habíamos visto el lado malo de este personaje, ajá, resulta ser que nos quedamos cortos.
Debo decir que, a excepción del primer libro, que me pareció un poco más consistente, me resultó difícil tomarme el resto de los libros enserio. La palabra clave de la serie es “tabú”, y a partir del primer libro, las consecuencias del “amor nacido del pecado” entre Cathy y Chris no dejan de crecer, siendo con cada libro que pasan, más y más grandes. Llegó un punto en el que se sentía como un ciclo sin fin de tabúes, drama y puterío del bueno, solo me faltaron los pochochos (y cuando pensé que lo había visto todo, me enteré de que en la peli se mandan un lvl up respecto a Bart y Cindy).
La novela en sí se me hizo bastante cíclica: Cathy espiando a todos a ver qué pasa, Chris obsesionado con el trabajo y no creyendo o tomándose en serio las preocupaciones de Cathy, Bart metiendo la pata cada vez que puede (y haciéndose odiar), Cindy llegando de visita, peleando con Bart y volviendo a irse… El único personaje en el que vi un desarrollo fue en Jory.
La incorporación del tío Joel tampoco me pareció bien aprovechada del todo, me quedé con ganas de más. Me pareció un buen personaje pero desaprovechado; bien introducido pero que después se quedó en la nada, como un murciélago gigante rondando a los personajes pero sin ir a por todas en ningún momento. No es la primera vez que me pasa con los antagonistas de la serie, tienen buena base pero a la hora de la verdad, meh, fue la misma impresión que me llevé en el tercer libro.
La cuestión religiosa en sí es bastante interesante, y se torna más aún cuando construyen la capilla en la mansión… Pero también quedó en la nada, al final se limitaron a darle vueltas a la relación de Cathy y Chris y no salió de ello. Me decepcionó bastante en ese aspecto: había material para más pero la autora se quedó en las mismas. Otra opción hubiese sido sacarle unas 70 páginas.
Una última cosa que decir porque este personaje me sacó de quicio, incluso más que Bart: Melodie, canceladísima.
Debo decir que, a excepción del primer libro, que me pareció un poco más consistente, me resultó difícil tomarme el resto de los libros enserio. La palabra clave de la serie es “tabú”, y a partir del primer libro, las consecuencias del “amor nacido del pecado” entre Cathy y Chris no dejan de crecer, siendo con cada libro que pasan, más y más grandes. Llegó un punto en el que se sentía como un ciclo sin fin de tabúes, drama y puterío del bueno, solo me faltaron los pochochos (y cuando pensé que lo había visto todo, me enteré de que en la peli se mandan un lvl up respecto a Bart y Cindy).
La novela en sí se me hizo bastante cíclica: Cathy espiando a todos a ver qué pasa, Chris obsesionado con el trabajo y no creyendo o tomándose en serio las preocupaciones de Cathy, Bart metiendo la pata cada vez que puede (y haciéndose odiar), Cindy llegando de visita, peleando con Bart y volviendo a irse… El único personaje en el que vi un desarrollo fue en Jory.
La incorporación del tío Joel tampoco me pareció bien aprovechada del todo, me quedé con ganas de más. Me pareció un buen personaje pero desaprovechado; bien introducido pero que después se quedó en la nada, como un murciélago gigante rondando a los personajes pero sin ir a por todas en ningún momento. No es la primera vez que me pasa con los antagonistas de la serie, tienen buena base pero a la hora de la verdad, meh, fue la misma impresión que me llevé en el tercer libro.
La cuestión religiosa en sí es bastante interesante, y se torna más aún cuando construyen la capilla en la mansión… Pero también quedó en la nada, al final se limitaron a darle vueltas a la relación de Cathy y Chris y no salió de ello. Me decepcionó bastante en ese aspecto: había material para más pero la autora se quedó en las mismas. Otra opción hubiese sido sacarle unas 70 páginas.
Una última cosa que decir porque este personaje me sacó de quicio, incluso más que Bart: Melodie, canceladísima.
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