Garden of Angels [Hardcover]

Lurlene Mcdaniel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 2003

It is 1974 and the country is still struggling to come to terms with the Vietnam War. In the small town of Conners, Georgia, Darcy has just started high school, her older sister Adel goes to weekend dances at the local Army base, and their mother tends her beautiful garden–the biggest and best in town. But Darcy’s world is soon changed forever when her mother goes to Atlanta for tests. The diagnosis is not good–breast cancer. There is so much Darcy wants to talk to her mother about: the war and what happened to the soldiers who were there; the feelings she is having for the new (and troubled) boy in school. But she can’t. So she finds solace in her mother’s garden. There she can help the flowers her mother planted bloom.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

It is 1974 and the country is still struggling to come to terms with the Vietnam War. In the small town of Conners, Georgia, Darcy has just started high school, her older sister Adel goes to weekend dances at the local Army base, and their mother tends her beautiful garden?the biggest and best in town. But Darcy?s world is soon changed forever when her mother goes to Atlanta for tests. The diagnosis is not good?breast cancer. There is so much Darcy wants to talk to her mother about: the war and what happened to the soldiers who were there; the feelings she is having for the new (and troubled) boy in school. But she can?t. So she finds solace in her mother?s garden. There she can help the flowers her mother planted bloom.

About the Author

Lurlene McDaniel has written more than 30 inspirational novels. Her books have received acclaim from teachers, parents, young adults, and reviewers.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (May 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553570935
• ISBN-13: 978-0553570939
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,162,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lurlene McDaniel is known for her poignant inspirational novels. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Garden Comfort, April 24, 2006

By 

CoolTigersRule (Versailles, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Garden of Angels (Hardcover)

After Darcy Quinlin finds out her mother has breast cancer, she is deeply saddened and in disbelief. She is also loosing her sister, Adel, to Barry Sorensen, a soldier in Vietnam. Above all that, there is J.T. who pushes her around especially when she falls hard for Pastor Jim's brother-in-law, Jason, who just moved to Connors. Darcy needs comfort and someone to talk to about boys, feelings, and school problems and her mother can't be that person. Neither can Adel because she is moving far away with Barry. Her mother did leave a beautiful garden that Darcy takes care of and it helps her through her many situations now and to come.
I liked this book because it was different from other Lurlene McDaniel books. In this book the girl doesn't have cancer, like in many other books, it's her mother. Also, this book is set in the 1970's during the Vietnam War.
I would recommend this book to teenage girls who like sad, loving stories or like other Lurlene McDaniel books.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for dealing with cancer in the family, March 11, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Garden of Angels (Hardcover)

When we hear the word "cancer", it's a word that frightens many of us because cancer can just appear like that to any individual. In Garden of Angels by Lurlene McDaniel the small hometown of Conners, Georgia. Darcy's Quinlin's world is changed forever when her mother goes to the hospital in Atlanta for some harmless tests. Her diagnosis is breast cancer. Between many tests and treatments of chemotherapy, and learning to grow up, Garden of Angels will be a book that you will never want to put down.
In Garden of Angels, Darcy doesn't comprehend why her loving, caring, and nurturing mother has to suffer with breast cancer. Lurlene McDaniel brings inspiration to this book by helping kids to understand to never give up because you can't choose what life "dishes out" to you. Lurlene also brings out realistic events through Darcy so kids that have a parent with breast cancer can learn and understand more about it. Hopefulness is expressed in this book by Darcy keeping her mother's gardens alive so that one day when her mother fully recovers, she can plant and enjoy her gardens once again. Lurlene McDaniel really expresses real children's feelings about having a parent with breast cancer through her character, Darcy.
Lurlene McDaniel, the author of Garden of Angels has written over thirty highly praised novels. Over twenty-five years ago, after her three-year-old son was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, Lurlene had stated "I saw firsthand how chronic illness affects every aspect of a persons life." "I want kids to know that while people don't choose what life gives to them, they do get to choose how they respond". Lurlene McDaniel currently lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she is working on her next inspiring novel. Darcy Quinlin, the main character in the book, Garden of Angels is frightened by her mother's cancer. But in the end Darcy discovers that "We are all connected by love and hope for the future, there is no end.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A heart warming story, November 8, 2003

By 

"bubbles21791" (GreenBay, WI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Garden of Angels (Hardcover)

In this book, a girl's life goes out of control when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer, her sister gets engaged to a soldier and she meets Jason. Her family is very religious so, all these changes aren't to hard for her to deal with until her mother becomes deathly ill, her sister's husband Barry gets his leg blown off when stepping on a land mine and Jason decides to go back to Chicago. This story will fill your heart with love for the characters and also sympathy.