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Lori's Reviews > If There Be Thorns
If There Be Thorns (Dollanganger, #3)
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"If There Be Thorns" is the third installment in the Dollanganger series and, in my opinion, the weakest link of the saga.
My main problem with the book is not so much the storyline, but the fact that the story is told from the perspectives of fourteen-year-old Jory (Cathy's son with Julian) and nine year-old Bart (Cathy's son with Bart Winslow). While it's easy to sympathize with Jory - - his confusion over finding out his parents' true identities and the true character of his biological father, it is almost impossible to relate to Bart. His character is nothing short of depraved.
When you cannot relate to your narrator, you know you're going to have problems.
Overall, the story is passable. Chris and Cathy are now in their late thirties, some years after leaving South Carolina, at the end of "Petals on the Wind". They live in California, under the guise of a doctor and his wife, raising her two children. One day, the lights in the abandoned mansion "next door" go on and a mysterious woman in black appears. This is where the story seems to go downhill.
It's obvious that the woman is the much hated mother of Chris and Cathy - - and why neither of them figure it out until the end is questionable. Having the character of John Amos Jackson reappear from "Flowers in the Attic" as working for the mystery woman seems just an excuse to bring more lunacy into the story.
Jory seems to be the only grounding in the story, but how much excitement can a fourteen-year-old generate?
I think the story might have been better served if it had been told from Cathy and Chris' viewpoints, as the previous tales were.
I have to give it three stars for the effort and for continuing a beloved series. But compared to the previous two books, it's somewhat of a letdown.
My main problem with the book is not so much the storyline, but the fact that the story is told from the perspectives of fourteen-year-old Jory (Cathy's son with Julian) and nine year-old Bart (Cathy's son with Bart Winslow). While it's easy to sympathize with Jory - - his confusion over finding out his parents' true identities and the true character of his biological father, it is almost impossible to relate to Bart. His character is nothing short of depraved.
When you cannot relate to your narrator, you know you're going to have problems.
Overall, the story is passable. Chris and Cathy are now in their late thirties, some years after leaving South Carolina, at the end of "Petals on the Wind". They live in California, under the guise of a doctor and his wife, raising her two children. One day, the lights in the abandoned mansion "next door" go on and a mysterious woman in black appears. This is where the story seems to go downhill.
It's obvious that the woman is the much hated mother of Chris and Cathy - - and why neither of them figure it out until the end is questionable. Having the character of John Amos Jackson reappear from "Flowers in the Attic" as working for the mystery woman seems just an excuse to bring more lunacy into the story.
Jory seems to be the only grounding in the story, but how much excitement can a fourteen-year-old generate?
I think the story might have been better served if it had been told from Cathy and Chris' viewpoints, as the previous tales were.
I have to give it three stars for the effort and for continuing a beloved series. But compared to the previous two books, it's somewhat of a letdown.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
June 18, 2009
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Shay
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rated it 3 stars
Sep 25, 2015 08:39PM
I see where you're coming from with it being hard to sympathize with Bart. It get's easier when you realize he was the ignored child of the family. Cathy and Chris are so wrapped up in their own bullshit they fail to notice Bart had mental health problems before "grandma" even moved in. you've got John Amos warping him, he blacks out, terrifies himself with his violent urges, deeply hurt by Cathy's obvious favoritism of Jory, he even has that love my mother/hate my mother complex. Poor kid's only nine :(
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My main issue with Bart is that his character seems so much younger than nine! Even considering the state of his mental health he feels more like a 6 or 7 year old. The way he speaks and thinks just doesn't seem like the level of maturity and reasoning you would expect from a 9/10 year old. Over all I could have done without this book. I think the storyline was wrapped up pretty well with Petals in the Wind.
Same, it could have definitely been done with Petals in the Wind, but the author probably wanted another story for the money maybe.
