This book is a TRAVESTY! All who love literature should rise up in rage with pitchforks and torches, and find whatever dark, gloomy cliffside castle "VC Andrews" lives in and chase him/her out of civilization forever. Once in a while, I venture forth from the safe, comfortable world of actual, real, thought-provoking classic literature into the world of what people read on beaches. We have great cause for embarrassment if THIS CRAP is what people are reading on beaches, or anywhere. This thing sucks on so many levels. First of all,no character is developed. They're all one dimensional and pathetic. Typical misunderstood teen, whose father dies, and her mother falls in love with a fabulously wealthy man (of course). All of a sudden, ordinary girl is thrown into the world of charity events, boarding schools, and sailboats--the domain of Joan Collins, et al., but even more poorly painted as characters and no sizzling, breast-heaving sex. Is this a romance novel with training wheels for eighth grader girls who aren't quite ready for the real thing? Would I want my eighth grader reading this crap? But I digress. Second, the conflict is this rich asshole who is taking his girlfriend's daughter out on the sailboat and screwing her, even though, it's just "assumed" wink wink that that's what he's doing. She doesn't get pregnant until the book is practically over, which could have been a wanly interesting, though trite, plot point to develop, if only for its tawdriness. But the worst part of this awful book is that everyone speaks in the same voice. What one character says in quotations sounds just like what every other character says in quotations sounds just like what "VC Andrews" writes as narrative. If this book were a meal, it would be mac 'n' cheese and iceburg lettuce and peas and carrots and skim milk all thrown into a blender, pulverized and served as a lukewarm gruel in a MelMac bowl. One more thing, I got to the end, looked at the title and thought, "Where the fuck are the woods in "Into the Woods"? Did I miss something? If there were any woods in the entire book, I slept through them. Okay, back to "War and Peace."
If you think that your life is bad and no one else would be going through anything worse ... well pick her up and you will feel a whole lot better. All her stories are such horribly sad - and most of them the main characters are cheated in life (not money) mind you.... The main character is a girl who looses her father and has to move out with her mother. She lives a very miserable poor life an has no friends cause she is 'different'. Then her mom decides to get herself a rich man who can take care of them - Obv she finds one. He is some old guy who has a good heart and stuff like that. Both mother and daughter are happy - for some time- the daughter has a tough time adjusting as she still continues to be the 'outlaw' of the richie-rich world. Finally she manages to get into the routine when her new dad - whom she begins to love - dies leaving her mom and her once again along but not pennieless. Her mom finds another guy - who is shall we say not so nice but out to get their money - and also out to get into the daughters bed. Finally rapers her and she goes mad.... A truely depressing book. Anyways for a normal Virginia Andres this is ok ... I would rate it a good 5/10. Dont feel up to such a heavy reading book ....
What do You think about Into The Woods (2002)?
When I read these novels back in the day I would have given them 3-3.5 STARS and now would say about one StarI started reading VC Andrews books in the 1991 and stopped about 2003. I have read:-Dollanganger Series-Casteel Series-Cutler Series-Landry Series-Logan Series-Orphans Series-Wildflowers Series-Hudson Series-Shooting Stars Series-DeBeers Series-Broken Wings SeriesAs a preteen reading these novels was a rebellion and the gothic theme also seemed cool. I stopped reading this author because the novelty wore off, the novels are too formulaic that I could not tell one book from another and gothic aspect was lost.
—Kris - My Novelesque Life
This is Grace Houston Montgomery’s story. She is Willow’s mother. This book covers the period between when she was moving around with her father as a Navy brat until the time she goes to Dr. De Beers clinic in South Carolina.(view spoiler)[ Graces father dies and her and her mother movie to Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Various small occurrences happen, people die, and Grace is tormented by the school snob who just happens to be the daughter of Jackie Lee’s oldest friend, Dallas Tremont. Jackie Lee works in Dallas’ in The Tremont Inn . It is here that she meets Winston Montgomery, a Palm Beach Millionaire and owner of Joya Del Mar. Jackie Lee is courted by Winston and eventually they marry and Grace and Jackie Lee move to Joya Del Mar.Grace gels very well with Winston and she is sent to a prestigious private school strictly for residents of Palm Beach. Jackie Lee becomes a Palm Beach socialite, pretty much ignoring Grace in the process.After about 5 years Winston dies of a massive heart attack. Jackie Lee hooks up with the notorious Kirby Scott. They marry and he moves into Joya Del Mar. Grace is wary of him from the beginning. One night Grace’s life is changed forever — The end result is her being sent to Dr. DeBeers clinic. (hide spoiler)]
—Marie
So this book has a lot of negative reviews, but I honestly thought it was pretty good. It was a lot better than Twisted Roots and had more of the VC Andrews feel to it. I thought the pacing of the story was a bit off though. Wish they'd spent left time on her younger years and more about her time with Kirby and the struggles with her mother and baby Lindon. They had a lot of history to cover in this book and I thought they did a fairly good job of it. I mean, I hated Kirby, but I thought it would have been better to really let his jerk-like personality develop. I thought Grace was a stronger character than Hannah and perhaps even Willow herself. Grace story was just so devestating, she never got a happy moment so I had to pace myself through this one. Ultimately though, I thought this was one of the stronger books in the De Beers series.
—Chelsea Gouin
