Rating: 
Summary: Ok, but it was also confusing too
Review: I thought this book was ok. It explained a lot of what happens in Flowers. It was also confusing. Towards the end, she expressed her love for the children and how much she wanted to hold them, so how could she be so cruel to them? I think Malcolm also corrupted her severely. He need help. Overall, this was a good book. I suggest though, that you read it after the others. It'll make a little more since.
Rating: 
Summary: Intense, riveting, totally necessary prequel to the series
Review: "Garden of Shadows" should definetly be read after the other books if you are to appreciate it. Olivia is portrayed sympathetically here, and I think almost anyone can feel sympathy for her, the tall, gawky, unloved woman. Olivia is a strong woman though, and I love how she twists Malcolm to her advantage. However, we can also see Olivia's sadistic ways that occur when she locks Alicia in the attic. There is definitely some madness within her.The book is moving and sad, never boring. A must for fans of the series.
Rating: 
Summary: 'Tis why...
Review: Being the last of the series, I read it & was surprised to find out that it was actually meant to be a prequel instead. I only gave it a 3-star because it came in after a long series of the "Flowers.." & following everything through became quite boring. The only redeeming factor was that it was more of an introductory to the entire series & it pretty much explained the reasons behind the 'Dresden dolls' suffering & why a good-natured Olivia turned evil overnight.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Riveting!
Review: Absolutely Riveting! Although Garden of Shadows was the last book written in the series of the Dollanganger family, it is the prequel to Flowers in the Attic therefore it was the first book I read in the series. Having seen the movie Flowers in the Attic, many times, there were a lot of questions I had. Well, Garden of Shadows answered my questions ten times over and left me with my eyes wide open (and probably my jaw dragging the floor). Once I started reading I found it hard to put the book down. Sometimes I would read it until my eyes watered. It shows how Olivia goes from being a sad child/teenager growing up without her mother, to being a hopeful and seemingly sweet teenager with dreams of her own to being one of the most wicked people you've ever known. It's symbolic how she relates life to her dollhouse in the glass case with the perfect family of untouchable, porcelain people inside because once she moved into Foxworth Hall, that's how her life was; not perfect but untouchable. This book portrayed how the one person Olivia came to depend on, who she thought would be the light of her life, the one who would turn her otherwise gray life bright, had the exact opposite affect. It portrayed how one man can have so much more than others but still want so much more and will walk over anyone and anything to get it. It also shows Olivia's devotion to Malcolm even when she could have easily walked away. The detail in the book made me see everything exactly the way it was supposed to be. I felt as if I was living everything the characters in the book lived. The way the narrator described the house, each room, each piece of furniture (down to the rugs), each character, their clothing, their expressions and what they were feeling was all so real. The only thing that could have been more developed were the male children's characters; Mal, Joel and Christopher. The narrator mentioned them often but we never really got to know them through their own words and thoughts as we did with Corinne. As I read further into the book, it made me see why Olivia acted the way she did in Flowers in the Attic. I still didn't in anyway agree with the way she treated her grandchildren because who they were wasn't their fault. They were innocent children caught up in a web of deceit and lies and they had to grow up long before they should have had to. THEY didn't even know who they REALLY were. As I said, it did make me understand why she was the way she was; why she always wore gray; why she was so stern; why she was so cold and uncaring. In Garden of Shadows, Foxworth Hall was in a state of total turmoil, much more than in Flowers in the Attic (if you can believe that). If you've seen or read Flowers in the Attic, then Garden of Shadows is a must read. It will clear up any questions you may have about that story.
Rating:
Summary: Make sure to read this one last.
Review: Although this is a prequel to the Flowers in the Attic series, you should save this for last. This story wraps up some of the questions that you had in the earlier books. The book tells of the grandparents early years of marriage. I can not give away too much only to say that this book reveals the true reason that Corrine was disinherited and sets up the horrifying legacy that would follow them.
Rating:
Summary: This book was really great
Review: Now i really thought this book was good. Having only read a few books out of the series I am left to wonder. How was Malcom turned into such a demented person? The ole "madness" that seems to run in his family isn't quite explained. Why did he have such an obsession with his mother? Yes she left him as a child but that leaves you to wonder where exactly did she go? Also the book makes many differant mistakes contradicting it's self. For instance it is remarked by a servant that the new wife of Garland caught his eye while she was walking in the street, then later on the new wife, Alica, tells Olivia of how Garland was a family friend for many years who always helped her family. WHAT? You wonder if maybe Alica wasn't already related to the family before her marrige. They all seem to share the same blond blue eyed looks. In this book Olivia, who turns out to be the steely gray grandmother, does a lot of evesdropping. I never saw a charecter in a book do so much listening. Ms. Andrews really needs to write a pre-qul to this story. I want to know what happend with Malcom's mother and her marrige to Garland. And why does everyone in their family die of mysterious accidents about every 5 seconds? Is the family supposed to be cursed or what. I am so confused. This book is real shocking if you don't know the whole story, and how closely Chris and Corrine actually were related. Though I can't understand if he's is her uncle and her brother, or whatever. I definatly reccomend this book if you have read any of the others, even if it leaves you wondering, you still find out some more oh so "amazing and shocking" secrets.
Rating:
Summary: Totally Fascinating!
Review: I bought the entire Flowers In The Attic series of books recently and I decided to start with this one since this was the prequel to Flowers In The Attic. I must say that I was totally blown away by this book. This, without a doubt, has to be the strangest book I've read in years, if not ever! From the first page, I was drawn in and I just couldn't get over all of the events that went on in this book. For those of you who have already read the book, I'm sure you would agree that "weird" would be at least ONE WORD to describe this book. For those of you who have NOT read this book, buy it and be prepared to enter a world totally unlike your own!
Rating:
Summary: Good Finale
Review: This book explores the life of Olivia Winfield (a.k.a the Grandmother in Flowers in the Attic) Olivia is a 24 year "old maid" who's life is changed when the rich, aloof Malcolm Foxworth impulsively asks her to marry him. But upon arrival to her new home she discovers that she is only there to give birth to an heir. THis is a well-written book which tells you how someone so nice can turn into someone so evil, but I took off a star for the glaring errors that pepper this book.
Rating:
Summary: Huh?
Review: If you're someone who pays attention to details, you'll find a lot of inconsistencies in "Garden of Shadows." Coming from someone who read this book before reading "Flowers in the Attic," I saw way too many instances where we're told two different versions of what happens. In "Flowers in the Attic," Joel supposed dies in a skiing accident but in "Garden of Shadows" he dies in an avalanche. This is just one of the dozens of differences I noticed while reading the book.
Rating:
Summary: Why? Why? Why?
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book, now I'm sharing it with you. I enjoyed it because it really explains what happens in the book called Flowers In The Attic. It also explains why certain things happen in the book. If you enjoy gossip, information, and details than this would be a great book for you.
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