Gates of Paradise (Casteel Saga) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "Oh no!" Drake exclaimed, coming up behind me without my realizing it because I was so involved in my painting..." (more)
Key Phrases: toy cottage, elevator chair, mechanical chair, Tony Tatterton, Miss Annie, Rye Whiskey (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Virginia Andrews: 'Beautifully written, macabre and thoroughly nasty! it is evocative of the nasty fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood and The Babes in the Wood, with a bit of Victorian Gothic thrown in. ! What does shine through is her ability to see the world through a child's eyes' Daily Express 'Makes horror irresistible' Glasgow Sunday Mail 'A gruesome saga! the storyline is compelling, many millions have no wish to put this down' Ms London 'There is strength in her books -- the bizarre plots matched with the pathos of the entrapped' The Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Stunned by tragedy, desperate and alone, Heaven's daughter clung to the frailest of dreams!

The car crash that killed Heaven and Logan left Annie Casteel Stonewall orphaned and crippled. Whisked off to Farthinggale Manor by the possessive Tony Tatterton, Annie pines for her lost family, but especially for Luke, her half-brother. Friend of her childhood, her fantasy prince, her loving confidante...without the warm glow of Luke's love, she is lost in the shadows of despair. When Annie discovers Troy's cottage hidden in Farthinggale's woods, the mystery of her past deepens. And even as she yearns to see Luke again, her hopes and dreams are darkened by the sinister Casteel spell...treacherous, powerful and evil!

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 488 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (July 15, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671729438
• ISBN-13: 978-0671729431
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #89,808 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not great, July 6, 2000

By A Customer

I really hated that Heaven would not continue the narration spot as in the other three books. Although I know that is the formula V.C. uses I still don't like it much. You become so attached to the Heaven in the first three books that changing point of view to the daughter's side is kinda weird. I have to admit that in the Cutler series when the same thing happened in the fourth book I enjoyed much more. I think the only reason I didn't enjoy this one as much was because there wasn't much action. And all the mysteries in the book you already new the answers from the previous books. It was fun though to see your old favorite characeters progress. Like Aunt Fanny wasn't so immature anymore and Tony Tatterton really was a sick demented guy. I have to admit I always felt a little sorry for Tony in the past few books but not in this one. Definitely read it if you are intrested in the Casteel family saga but the first three Heaven books are much better.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fourth Book in the Casteel Series, May 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Gates of Paradise (Mass Market Paperback)

Starting 17 years after "Fallen Hearts" ended, "Gates of Paradise" follows Heaven Leigh Casteel's teenage daughter, Annie Stonewall, as she copes with the death of her parents and her new disability. Like many of V. C. Andrews' heroines, Annie has one forbidden love--her half-brother, Luke Casteel, Jr--, who she misses terribly when she is sent to her grandfather's mansion (Farthinggale Manor) in Boston to recuperate. While she's there, Annie is not only mistreated by her nurse (Mrs. Broadfield), but by her delusional grandfather, Tony Tatterton, who mistakes her for Heaven and Leigh quite often. Because she's isolated from most of her family, Annie has no one to really turn to, except a mysterious older man who calls himself Timothy Brothers and lives in the cottage nearby.

"Gates of Paradise" is the only disappointing book in this series; the other four books--"Heaven" (#1), "Dark Angel" (#2), "Fallen Hearts" (#3), and "Web of Dreams" (#5)--are all terrific. I had a hard time liking Annie's character; she was too whiny and weak and nothing like her mother, Heaven, who was quite a fighter. Plus, the plot was a little dull with Annie confined to her room or her wheelchair. There weren't a lot of new secrets revealed either; most of them had been uncovered in the previous three books. So, what exactly was the point of this book?

Despite "Gates of Paradise", the Casteel series is still one of my favorite series by V. C. Andrews. And if you want to find out how all of this confusion and incest began, then don't miss the fifth and final book: "Web of Dreams".

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another good read, September 30, 2008

By	M "CultOfStrawberry" (Gnawing away at your reality) - See all my reviews

While not as good as the other Casteel books (possibly because it was finished by Andrew Neiderman after VCAndrew's death), this book is still a very good read. The ending felt a bit rushed, but if you read the first three Heaven books and want to see how the saga closes, pick up this book. 4 out of five stars isn't bad at all, after all.