Garden of Shadows
First edition cover
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| Author | V. C. Andrews |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Dollanganger series |
| Genre |
Gothic horror Family saga |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
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Publication date
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1986 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 384 |
| ISBN | (1990 reissue) |
| OCLC | 28578527 |
| Preceded by | Seeds of Yesterday (1984) |
Garden of Shadows is a novel by V. C. Andrews and was first published in 1987. V. C. Andrews died in 1986, and her estate commissioned ghostwriter Andrew Neiderman to continue writing novels under her name developed from plot outlines originally written by Andrews. There is some dispute over whether this particular novel was written in part by Andrews before she died, or whether it was written entirely by Neiderman. This is the fifth novel of the Dollanganger series. The novel explains the origin of Olivia Winfield (the grandmother from Flowers in the Attic) and the events that cause her to become the cold, domineering mistress of Foxworth Hall and how Corinne's childhood and eventual betrayal come about. The story takes place between the years of 1918-1957.
Tall, plain Olivia is rescued from spinsterhood by the smart and handsome Malcolm Foxworth. She thinks she has found "the one" since this is the first man to ever show interest in her. Malcolm, who is taken by her forthright manner and impressed with her intelligence, proposes after only two days' acquaintance. They marry two weeks later, and Olivia leaves her family home in New London, Connecticut and moves to the family's mansion, Foxworth Hall, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Olivia starts to discover the dark secrets about Malcolm eventually diminish her love for him. At a party to celebrate their wedding, Malcolm talks to and flirts with other women, neglecting Olivia.
She discovers Malcolm is still tormented by his mother Corinne's abandonment of him at age five, and believes it was her own plain looks and money that attracted him to her, since he mistrusts more conventionally beautiful women. While he is attracted to beauty and seems like he might consider an affair, it is obvious he lacks patience and true feeling enough for such an entanglement. Olivia feels betrayed and humiliated, but is still optimistic that things will change as they begin their life together.
When exploring the house, she discovers "The Swan Room" that belonged to Malcolm’s mother, which has been kept as a shrine to her and contains a very large, ornate bed carved into the shape of a swan. When Malcolm discovers her in the room, they finally consummate their marriage, an act that could be considered more of an attack than an act of love, with Malcolm saying his mother's name the entire time. Olivia wants to scream but doesn't, trying to hide her humiliation from the servants.
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