Garden of Shadows by V.C. Andrews

     This is the prequel to Flowers in the Attic.  This tells the story Olivia and Malcolm Foxworth from the point of view of Olivia.  Olivia tells the story of how she and Malcolm first met and how Malcolm treated her after they were married.  She gave birth to 2 sons and was then told that she would have no more.  When their sons were toddlers Malcolm's father returns remarried and with a pregnant wife.  Then one night Malcolm tries to seduce his father's wife and forced himself on her.  When Malcolm's father tries to stop it and ends up having a heart attack and dies.  Malcolm ends up getting his father's wife, Alicia,  pregnant and Olivia comes up with a plan to hide the pregnancy.  When the Alicia gives birth they send her and her son away.  Malcolm and Olivia raise the little girl that Alicia gave birth to as their own.  Then tragedy hits the family not once but twice.  Then they get word that Alicia has died and take her son Christopher in.  They years go by and everything seems to be happy.  Then there is another blow that ends with Christopher and their daughter, Corrine, leave the house.  The story ends with the beginning of the story Flowers in the Attic.
    I really liked this story.  I loved how it showed how the grandmother, Olivia, became the way she was in the Flowers in the Attic story and that how the tragedies in the family shaped what was going to happen in the other stories.  I highly recommend reading the whole series and give this book 5 stars.