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Author: V.C. Andrews
Series: Dollanganger (Book #3)
Series: Dollanganger (Book #3)
Genre: Suspense Thriller
Length: 374 pages
Published: 1981
Publisher: Pocket
Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Fourteen-year-old Jory was so handsome, so gentle. And Bart had such a dazzling imagination for a nine year old.
Then the lights came on in the abandoned house next door. Soon the Old Lady in Black was there, watching their home with prying eyes, guarded by her strange old butler. Soon the shrouded woman had Bart over for cookies and ice cream and asked him to call her "Grandmother."
And soon Bart's transformation began...
A transformation that sprang from "the book of secrets" the gaunt old butler had given him... a transformation fed by the hint of terrible things about his mother and father... a transformation that led him into shocking acts of violence, self-destruction and perversity.
And now while this little boy trembles on the edge of madness, his anguished parents, his helpless brother, an obsessed old woman and the vengeful, powerful butler await the climax to a horror that flowered in an attic long ago, a horror whose thorns are still wet with blood, still tipped with fire...
Then the lights came on in the abandoned house next door. Soon the Old Lady in Black was there, watching their home with prying eyes, guarded by her strange old butler. Soon the shrouded woman had Bart over for cookies and ice cream and asked him to call her "Grandmother."
And soon Bart's transformation began...
A transformation that sprang from "the book of secrets" the gaunt old butler had given him... a transformation fed by the hint of terrible things about his mother and father... a transformation that led him into shocking acts of violence, self-destruction and perversity.
And now while this little boy trembles on the edge of madness, his anguished parents, his helpless brother, an obsessed old woman and the vengeful, powerful butler await the climax to a horror that flowered in an attic long ago, a horror whose thorns are still wet with blood, still tipped with fire...
My Review:
I give this book a 5 out of 5.
The third installment of the Dollanganger series starts with a prologue by Cathy, summarizing what would be found within the pages of the novel. The book then follows alternating viewpoints of Cathy's two children: Jory and Bart. Jory is the golden child who feels loved and content in his world. Bart is the child that feels as though no one loves him. He's clumsy, awkward, has shortened nerve endings so he does not feel pain like others, and feels like he doesn't belong.
Then the abandoned house next door is fixed up and an old, veiled lady in black moves in with her elderly butler and a few maids. Chris and Cathy are unsuspecting that their secret is about to come out to their children - in a way they did not choose.
Bart is torn between loving his mother and hating her as he befriends not only the old lady next door, but her elderly butler: a spiteful, wicked, scheming old man who gives him Malcolm Neal Foxworth's journal and makes him read it.
The conclusion is terrifying and heart-breaking at the same time. I admit fully that I teared up during one of the final scenes. Though it can be difficult at first to distinguish between which brother is narrating, you soon get a feel for their different viewpoints and styles. Jory is ever the optimist and Bart is always a pessimist. Definitely worth the read!
You can purchase If There Be Thorns through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format.
The third installment of the Dollanganger series starts with a prologue by Cathy, summarizing what would be found within the pages of the novel. The book then follows alternating viewpoints of Cathy's two children: Jory and Bart. Jory is the golden child who feels loved and content in his world. Bart is the child that feels as though no one loves him. He's clumsy, awkward, has shortened nerve endings so he does not feel pain like others, and feels like he doesn't belong.
Then the abandoned house next door is fixed up and an old, veiled lady in black moves in with her elderly butler and a few maids. Chris and Cathy are unsuspecting that their secret is about to come out to their children - in a way they did not choose.
Bart is torn between loving his mother and hating her as he befriends not only the old lady next door, but her elderly butler: a spiteful, wicked, scheming old man who gives him Malcolm Neal Foxworth's journal and makes him read it.
The conclusion is terrifying and heart-breaking at the same time. I admit fully that I teared up during one of the final scenes. Though it can be difficult at first to distinguish between which brother is narrating, you soon get a feel for their different viewpoints and styles. Jory is ever the optimist and Bart is always a pessimist. Definitely worth the read!
You can purchase If There Be Thorns through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format.
Have you read If There Be Thorns? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!
Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.
Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.
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