Broken Flower (Early Spring, Book 1)

Broken Flower seems to be all about the consequences of growing up too fast. Jordan is too young to handle the changes that are occurring in her body and yet she has no choice but handle it. She has no choice but deal with terrible things that befall her parents and older brother. And yet, she is able to keep a strong front in the face of adversity so that the ending made me look forward to reading all about her new adventures in the second in the series, Scattered Leaves. What keeps me reading VC Andrews is the easy breezy style and way in which characters are tested beyond most people's limits and work things out creatively as they teach the reader more about coping than the average paperback. BRAVO!

I am on the waiting list now for everyone of VC Andrews books, and I have a best friend waiting for me to quick finish each book. We think she is one of the greatest!

Seven years old Jordan March and her thirteen years old brother Ian are being raised by a loving nurturing mother, Carol, and Christopher, a useless cheating father whose only love is alcohol. Carol is always there for her offspring while Christopher has nothing to do with either of them. When Carol notices Jordan has tiny breasts and pubic hairs, she panics and tells her daughter not to say a word to anyone and to never let Grandma Emma see her naked. Carol also checks her daughter's dirty laundry only to find evidence that the little girl menstruated. Brilliant science minded Ian is fascinated by it and decides he must study what is happening to his sister. Due to his drinking and driving Carol and Christopher are severely injured in a car accident that leaves both incapable of caring for themselves let alone two children. Grandma Emma who detests her son takes over caring for her two grandchildren though much of the daily chores are left to the hired help, strict disciplinarian Miss Harper. Emma does not hide the fact that she cherishes Jordan, but seems at best to be indifferent to Ian, perhaps loathing him whereas Miss Harper thinks the seemingly sweet girl hides an evil soul. This is the summer that will make or break young Jordan especially after she and Ian meet Flora, who reveals secrets involving the March brood. As always with any of the "Flower" novels, the villain is never quite who you think he or she is. The story line focuses on Jordan whom readers will empathize with while also feeling horrified that a second grader is beginning to turn into a woman. Fans hope she comes out of this okay as it seems those who should love and nurture her want to use her. Even though the author died, fans of the series will appreciate a fine entry that easily could have been written by V.C. Andrews' ghost. Harriet Klausner

Boy, what a good book. Hard to put down. If you have ever enjoyed a book by this author DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!

Wow. I am truly honored to once again be the first to review this new VCA novel! Broken Flower is the story of 7 year old Jordan March. Jordon experience precocious puberty, and it changes her live and the lives of her family forever. All of the necessary VCA ingredients are here... villians galore, an evil grandmother, and yes, even murder! Jordan has a good mother - Carol. Not an evil, conniving one. But Carol is burdened with a worthless, lazy, unfaithful drunken husband - Christopher. (Not like the loving Christopher in Flowers in the Attic.) While Carol clearly loves Jordan and her brother -- Ian -- Christopher can't really be bothered with his children, especially Jordan after she develops her affliction. Ian, the brother, is a strange lad. He is so smart that sometimes he can't seem to use good judgement. He makes a "project" out of his sister's precocious puberty. And this leads to all hell breaking out after Carol and Christopher are incapacitated in a car accident. For most of the novel, you believe that the real villian here is Grandmother Emma. Of course you believe she is the villian. That is the VCA formula. But towards the end of the book, you see that Emma is disguisted by her nar-do-well son, and that she really loves Jordan. But Grandmother Emma seemingly hates Ian, so that makes her a villian in that sense. The real villian here is the evil is the nanny Miss Harper. Wow, when she washes Jordan's mouth out with soap and threatens to refuse her food, you see that is the true VCA villian. I haven't hated a fictional character so much in a long time! As always, it is never my intent to review the book page by page. I don't want to spoil any of your fun! But since I condsider the ghostwriter -- Mr. Andrew Neiderman -- to be my friend, I want to you to buy and enjoy his book. While I considered the part with Flora and her brother at the campground to be too graphic for a VCA novel, you learn early that many, many people are going to take advantage of the sweet Jordan. Once in a while, the genius of VCA is almost magically transferred to Mr. Neiderman. It's that good! The only shame here is that this will only be a two book series! How I missed the standard "5 book" VCA formula! The Willow Series and this one are series that easily could have been imagined and written by Ms. Andrews herself. Mr. Neiderman must be very, very proud! Keep it up, Mr. Neiderman, and entertain us for many, more years to come!