Rating: Summary: Pure Sadness! Review: It is still hard for me to concieve the idea of Chris and Cathy gone forever, though it's been a whole year since I've finished the book. Cathy was my absolute favorite character, except for in "Thorns" (because she's such a bimbo in that one!). It's hard to think that all that they endured as children was for nothing. Even though they died at different places, it was still at Foxworth Hall, like Cory in "Flowers". Even though I don't like any of the ghost writer's stories (except for the Cutler series), I would like it if the person would attempt to continue the trilogy. I mean, what happened to Bart, Jory, Melodie, the twins, Tony, etc, after Cathy died? Did Bart leave Foxworth Hall? Did the twins grow up happily? What was Jory's and Tony's new baby like? Was it a boy or a girl? So many questions, so little of answers. I am truly filled with sadness, like a family relative died recently that I had known all my life. My favorite book was "Flowers" and the whole series besides "My Sweet Audrina", another true V.C. Andrews classic (the only Casteel book I really liked was Heaven, but I only liked the beginning but as things continued it got old). Any ways, I hope that a new Dollanganger book will come out, this one with the answers that I sought and some people may be looking for too. So, it is with tears that I say good-bye to the Dollangangers now, and thank fully I still have the first three books that I can read and attempt to forget the fourth one, for now.
Rating: Summary: Cathy's touching reflection on her life Review: Seeds of Yesterday is slow paced and does not have as much action as the last books, but is nonetheless beautiful. Although this book mostly involves Bart and Jory, it is told through Cathy's point of view. This book is the closing of the entire series. "The Dollanger Series is over," Cathy says at the end. It's very bittersweet and made me cry. Not surprisingly, this book involves death. Finally, Cathy gets closure and peace towards the end of her life. She realizes that it has been worth something. She comes to the conclusion that her life wasn't valuable because of what she did, but because of who she loved. The last four books ended with characters seeking vengence. This book has characters who are able to move on or even forgive the family members that hurt them. This is so touching because who wants to live their last few moments hating someone? All good things must come to an end, unfortunatley. This is the last book of this wonderful series. Do not pass it up if you have read the other four.
Rating: Summary: Okay ending to the series... Review: I loved the whole Dollanganger series, but I have to admit I was getting a little tired of the whole thing by the beginning of this book. The first two books were wonderful, the third one was kind of fragmented because of its inconsistent story-telling style, but the plot was interesting enough to keep me reading. This book, however, turned out to be so dark and dreary that it was just plain depressing to read it. There can only be so much tragedy to hit one family before it just gets irritating. Definitely read this book to finish up the series, so you know what happens to all of them, but don't expect it to be spectacular or anything....and don't expect a happy ending either.
Rating: Summary: worst of the series Review: I thought "Flowers" was a horrific masterpiece and "Petals" was unbelievably entertaining--both 5 star books; but "Thorns" was passable (3 star), and this last one is easily the worst in the series. There was almost no plot to speak of, and it was as if the entire book was almost completely composed of filler. Cathy spents the entire book telling us and her errant children that "Your father and I will always be there for you. We love you and care about you, and only want you to be happy...." Chris is still the clueless bimbo he had always been. Jory is boring and too mister goody two shoes to be believed. Cindy is Cathy in "Petals" but she is too underdeveloped. Only the enigmatic Bart is still fascinating, as he had been in "Thorns." The villain of this book, Uncle Joel, spends much of the story in the background--all he does is look hateful and about to pounce--but he NEVER does anything. Also, if only Andrews had the skill to wrought this book in a third person omniscient, she would have had the framework to build a more satisfying narrative; but instead, what we have here is Cathy spending much of the book eavesdropping on the other characters to find out what is going on.
Rating: Summary: Bittersweet ending to the story that began so long ago... Review: Bittersweet is the best words to discribe this last book (I don't count 'Garden' as part of the Dollanganger Series). Now they are fifty two and fifty-five (I think that's their ages, I took the book back to the library) Chris and Cathy, who still refuse not to wallow in this 'marriage' decide to meet up with their younger, multimillionaire son Bart back at the new refurnished Foxworth Hall for his twenty-fifth birthday. In flies Melodie and Jory, and their adoptee Cindy to ceibrate their deraged brother's birthday and the reading of the Grandmother's will. Well, the Foxworth hall does it again, and keeps Chris and Cathy in the house for years (this time four) to resolve personal feuding between brother vs brother, and brother vs sister. All the while, a mysterious old man, Uncle Joel (that's explained in 'Garden'), returns to his once home as a lonely, psycho-religious maniac with eyes only for the traumatized Bart. The story is again very well written and simple to read (there is nothing Dickens about Andrews!) and comprehend. The ending is sad, but also happy. Yet incomplete. I ask the same things the previous reviewers ask: what happens next? But all good things, like the Dollanganger series, must come to an end.
Rating: Summary: worst of the series Review: I thought "Flowers" was a horrific masterpiece and "Petals" was unbelievably entertaining--both 5 star books; but "Thorns" was passable (3 star), and this last one is easily the worst in the series. There was almost no plot to speak of, and it was as if the entire book was almost completely composed of filler. Cathy spents the entire book telling us and her errant children that "Your father and I will always be there for you. We love you and care about you, and only want you to be happy...." Chris is still the clueless bimbo he had always been. Jory is boring and too mister goody two shoes to be believed. Cindy is Cathy in "Petals" but she is too underdeveloped. Only the enigmatic Bart is still fascinating, as he had been in "Thorns." The villain of this book, Uncle Joel, spends much of the story in the background--all he does is look hateful and about to pounce--but he NEVER does anything. Also, if only Andrews had the skill to wrought this book in a third person omniscient, she would have had the framework to build a more satisfying narrative; but instead, what we have here is Cathy spending much of the book eavesdropping on the other characters to find out what is going on.
Rating: Summary: I had to read this to finish the series. Review: By the time I read this installment I was getting bored. I was so in love with Cathy in 'Flowers'. But I cannot believe she died in that damn attic while making a purple paper worm. A terrible ending. But on the other hand, she never really escaped the attic did she? But then again on the OTHER hand, why would she agree to live in that mansion in the first place after the dreaded estate was rebuilt? When it was announced that it would be rebuilt, she should have had a fit and refused to see it through. You can only take so much from these books; Uncle Joel, learning to paint in bed while paralyzed. Oh boy I'm glad the series is over. All in all, 'Flowers' and 'Petals' were the only two that really moved me.
Rating: Summary: Enough allready! Review: I loved the first two books, however, after that she should have stopped. By the time I got to this book I was so unbelievably sick of hearing about how she was guilty about her past and so on. I just wanted to say, 'get over it!' I also found it very depressing, one bad thing happens after another, there is no hope ever! I was so sick of it it gave me a headache. I don't think I will continue to read Gardens of Shadows.
Rating: Summary: AWESOME!! Review: Just another amazing read in my favorite VC Andrews series, FITA. I devoured this book in less that a day. It ties up all the loose ends aside from why the grandmother was as cruel as she was, but that is remedied in the 5th book, Garden of Shadows. This book is a homerun when it comes to completing the story of Cathy and Chris. This as well as all my other VC Andrews books earns a permanently place on my shelf.
Rating: Summary: Not very good Review: I Don't find it as good as the first two books,Cathy and Chris continue to suffer.Now the infernal days return with Bart.I do confess that the ending is good and sad.Nothing like Flowers and Petals.
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