If There Be Thorns
About this book
If There Be Thorns is a novel by Virginia Andrews which was published in 1981. It is the third book in the Dollanganger series. The story takes place in the year 1982. The book is narrated by two half-brothers, Jory and Bart Sheffield. Jory is a handsome, talented young man who wants to follow his mother Cathy in her career in the ballet, while Bart, who is unattractive and clumsy, feels he is outshone by Jory. By now, Cathy and Chris live together as common-law husband and wife. To hide their history, they tell the boys and other people they know that Chris was Paul's younger brother. Unable to have more children, Cathy secretly adopts Cindy, the daughter of one her former dance students, who was killed in an accident, because she longs to have a child that is hers and Chris's. Initially against it, Chris comes to accept the child. Lonely from all the attention Jory and Cindy are receiving, Bart befriends an elderly neighbor that moved in next door, who invites him over for cookies and ice cream and encourages him to call her "Grandmother." Jory also visits the old lady next door, and she reveals that she is actually his grandmother. Jory initially doesn't believe her, and avoids her at all costs. The old woman and Bart, on the other hand, soon develop an affectionate friendship, and the woman does her best to give Bart whatever he wants, provided that Bart promises to keep her gifts—-and their relationship-—a secret from his mother. ---------- Also contained in: If There Be Thorns / Seeds of Yesterday
Reader Profile
4.3/5 · 210 readers · 379 pages · ≈ 7 h 01 m · Moderate
What order should I read the Dollanganger series?
Read If There Be Thorns first, then follow the publication order above — Flowers in the Attic, then Petals on the Wind.
How long does it take to read If There Be Thorns?
About ≈ 7 h 01 m — 379 pages, assuming roughly 250 words per page at 225 words per minute.
How many pages is If There Be Thorns?
379 pages in its most-read edition.
What genre is If There Be Thorns?
It sits on the Horror, Fiction shelves.
Is If There Be Thorns in the public domain?
No — it is still under copyright.
Who are the main characters in If There Be Thorns?
The main characters include Jory Sheffield, Bart Sheffield, Cathy Sheffield, Chris Sheffield.
Where does If There Be Thorns take place?
It takes place in 1982.
Who wrote If There Be Thorns?
V.C. Andrews.
Dollanganger — reading order
- → If There Be Thorns (1981) you are here
- 1 Flowers in the Attic (1979)
- 2 Petals on the Wind (1980)
“Whenever Dad didn't drive me home from school, a yellow school bus would let me off at an isolated spot where I would recover my bike from the nearest ravine, hidden there each morning before I stepped onto the bus.”