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ceruleanjen 's review for:
Web of Dreams
by V.C. Andrews
Plot:
This is a re-read for me. I've read this book several times, mostly in high school and college. I was obsessed with V.C. Andrews, her books, and her characters. I decided I missed reading her books and decided I would re-read this series again.
This one tells the story of Leigh and how the events in all of the other books came to be. While Tony has painted his own version of events, they are much different from Leigh's POV. Even though I knew the basic plot from earlier readings, there were a lot of things I had forgotten. I enjoyed the plot overall though I did find the idea of this being a diary that Tony knew about a bit flimsy as it doesn't really mesh well with the previous books. Leigh's actions do but not Tony's. Why would he deliberately let his daughter and Troy fall in love? He genuinely seemed to love his brother at least.
Setting:
Most of the book is set at Farthy though Leigh also later goes to the Willies/Winnerow.
Characters:
I didn't remember liking Leigh nearly as much as I liked her during this re-read. While she has a much different life than her daughter, Heaven, does, it's also full of dark twisted things. My heart ached for the poor girl. Her life started off great and then everything began to fall apart. And then Tony Tatterton and her mother completely shattered her. They might as well be responsible for her death at the end. It was easy to see where Heaven got her spirit from because there were many instances in which Leigh had a steely resolve. I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened to this poor girl if things had turned out differently.
My perception of Jillian was also different, but maybe that's because it's so clear that she is a narcissist. While I still think a story from her POV would have been interesting, I also despised her. It also seems like Jillian wanted Tony to go after Leigh as well, which is super sick. Ugh. I got so tired of hearing her complain about her beauty, too. Her turmoil over being unable to lose four pounds was also annoying.
Then there's Tony Tatterton, who seems OK at first but slowly reveals himself to be super creepy. It would have been awesome to see how he came to be that way. I believe it had to do with a girl he loved who died when they were teenagers, but I'm not even sure how someone comes to live with such denial about the awful things they do. I hated him too.
Little Troy is so adorable and his childhood really helps explain why he is the way he is later on. He was the only one at Farthy that I felt sorry for when Leigh left.
Leigh's father, Cleave, started off decent but turned out to be just as bad when it came to ignoring his daughter's feelings. I feel like maybe he guessed somehow that she really wasn't his or maybe Jillian finally told him or he just kept her away because she reminded him of Jillian but still, to ignore her was awful. I especially hated when he married Mildred Pierce and basically let her run the show.
I liked Leigh's best friend at Winterhaven, Jennifer, and thought her boyfriend, Joshua, was decent.
Luke Casteel was actually likeable, though the idea of him fooling around with Sarah kept floating around in my mind whenever he was with Leigh. While his dislike of Heaven makes more sense, it's still really sad and a shitty thing to do. Ironically Luke was the one to name her, too.
And while she wasn't a real person, I felt "Angel", Leigh's doll, played a significant role. I liked that Leigh confided and felt like the doll was connected to her.
It was also nice to see a younger Toby and Annie Casteel.
Relationships:
Leigh's relationship with her mother was really sad to read about. As a daughter of someone with NPD, it was easy to emphasize with Leigh.
Leigh's relationship with her father and the way it changes was also sad.
I thought Leigh's relationship with little Troy was adorable. Also liked her friendship with Jennifer.
And while I felt Luke and Leigh rushed into marriage way too fast, I do feel like she was a good influence on her and I liked that he tried to make her happy as much as he could with his means. I just also wish that Leigh hadn't felt so in debt to him that she didn't want to voice any concerns that might trouble him, like her pregnancy pains toward the end.
Writing/Voice:
One of the better ghostwritten books. Leigh's voice was strong and pretty similar to Heaven's voice, but in a different way.
Ending:
The ending is already expected given the previous books and that I've read this a few times already, but it seemed especially sad this time.
Overall, I liked this one better than I remember liking it in the past. 5 stars! Dark Angel is still my favorite, followed closely by Heaven, and this one takes the 3rd spot. Then Fallen Hearts and Gates of Paradise. Overall one of the best and solid series!
I decided to do a VCA Recap with this book like I did with previous books. If you do not mind spoilers and want to check it out, go here: https://jncahill.wordpress.com/2017/05/23/vca-recaps-web-of-dreams-part-1/
This is a re-read for me. I've read this book several times, mostly in high school and college. I was obsessed with V.C. Andrews, her books, and her characters. I decided I missed reading her books and decided I would re-read this series again.
This one tells the story of Leigh and how the events in all of the other books came to be. While Tony has painted his own version of events, they are much different from Leigh's POV. Even though I knew the basic plot from earlier readings, there were a lot of things I had forgotten. I enjoyed the plot overall though I did find the idea of this being a diary that Tony knew about a bit flimsy as it doesn't really mesh well with the previous books. Leigh's actions do but not Tony's. Why would he deliberately let his daughter and Troy fall in love? He genuinely seemed to love his brother at least.
Setting:
Most of the book is set at Farthy though Leigh also later goes to the Willies/Winnerow.
Characters:
I didn't remember liking Leigh nearly as much as I liked her during this re-read. While she has a much different life than her daughter, Heaven, does, it's also full of dark twisted things. My heart ached for the poor girl. Her life started off great and then everything began to fall apart. And then Tony Tatterton and her mother completely shattered her. They might as well be responsible for her death at the end. It was easy to see where Heaven got her spirit from because there were many instances in which Leigh had a steely resolve. I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened to this poor girl if things had turned out differently.
My perception of Jillian was also different, but maybe that's because it's so clear that she is a narcissist. While I still think a story from her POV would have been interesting, I also despised her. It also seems like Jillian wanted Tony to go after Leigh as well, which is super sick. Ugh. I got so tired of hearing her complain about her beauty, too. Her turmoil over being unable to lose four pounds was also annoying.
Then there's Tony Tatterton, who seems OK at first but slowly reveals himself to be super creepy. It would have been awesome to see how he came to be that way. I believe it had to do with a girl he loved who died when they were teenagers, but I'm not even sure how someone comes to live with such denial about the awful things they do. I hated him too.
Little Troy is so adorable and his childhood really helps explain why he is the way he is later on. He was the only one at Farthy that I felt sorry for when Leigh left.
Leigh's father, Cleave, started off decent but turned out to be just as bad when it came to ignoring his daughter's feelings. I feel like maybe he guessed somehow that she really wasn't his or maybe Jillian finally told him or he just kept her away because she reminded him of Jillian but still, to ignore her was awful. I especially hated when he married Mildred Pierce and basically let her run the show.
I liked Leigh's best friend at Winterhaven, Jennifer, and thought her boyfriend, Joshua, was decent.
Luke Casteel was actually likeable, though the idea of him fooling around with Sarah kept floating around in my mind whenever he was with Leigh. While his dislike of Heaven makes more sense, it's still really sad and a shitty thing to do. Ironically Luke was the one to name her, too.
And while she wasn't a real person, I felt "Angel", Leigh's doll, played a significant role. I liked that Leigh confided and felt like the doll was connected to her.
It was also nice to see a younger Toby and Annie Casteel.
Relationships:
Leigh's relationship with her mother was really sad to read about. As a daughter of someone with NPD, it was easy to emphasize with Leigh.
Leigh's relationship with her father and the way it changes was also sad.
I thought Leigh's relationship with little Troy was adorable. Also liked her friendship with Jennifer.
And while I felt Luke and Leigh rushed into marriage way too fast, I do feel like she was a good influence on her and I liked that he tried to make her happy as much as he could with his means. I just also wish that Leigh hadn't felt so in debt to him that she didn't want to voice any concerns that might trouble him, like her pregnancy pains toward the end.
Writing/Voice:
One of the better ghostwritten books. Leigh's voice was strong and pretty similar to Heaven's voice, but in a different way.
Ending:
The ending is already expected given the previous books and that I've read this a few times already, but it seemed especially sad this time.
Overall, I liked this one better than I remember liking it in the past. 5 stars! Dark Angel is still my favorite, followed closely by Heaven, and this one takes the 3rd spot. Then Fallen Hearts and Gates of Paradise. Overall one of the best and solid series!
I decided to do a VCA Recap with this book like I did with previous books. If you do not mind spoilers and want to check it out, go here: https://jncahill.wordpress.com/2017/05/23/vca-recaps-web-of-dreams-part-1/