Holy Hell, it’s been a while since I’ve read such a crappy book – and I read a few. Picked it up from the bargain bin thinking I might get lucky and get another eyebrow raiser like Flowers in the Attic but no such luck. This time it’s the long-winded story of a woman who was involved in an accident that left her paralized and who pines for her half-brother.
What made me hate the book was the fact that it was so verbose on elements that didn’t really matter and could have entirely been cut out of the book. And today I’ve seen that the author died shortly after the release of the second novel in the Casteel series, Dark Angel. Oddly enough the book (Gates of Paradise) along with Fallen Hearts, and Web of Dreams were released after her death, and it smells a lot like a ghost writer was hired to finish an epic without being able to hold on to her voice well enough.
I don’t mind if people hire help to finish a trilogy as we well know that most authors are lazy (Patrick Rothfuss, I’m looking at you) or old and sated with network money (George R.R. Martin is another culprit) so they are not really invested in finishing off decades old work.
But this book stank up to heaven with filler.
The story
Previous to this book, we had a few characters set up. I hate it when I pick up a story in the middle but once it gets going, it’s doing all right.
Gates of Paradise is definitely a fairytale gone wrong. It opens with two children, on the cusp of adulthood, dreaming of a magical place where all of their dreams will come true. And then, one day, tragedy befalls the heroine and she finds herself whisked away with strangers to a dilapidated old mansion where she is kept prisoner by an old man, before eventually being rescued by the one man who truly loves her. And, although Annie and Luke are star-crossed lovers, a revelation from a kindly old relative at the end of the novel means that they are free to be together and live happily ever after.
In Gates of Paradise, Tony keeps Annie as a prisoner inside Farthingale Manor, forces her to dress as her mother and grandmother and eventually attempts to rape her. In that sense, Tony is the villain. However, he is also presented in the novel as a confused old man. He often confuses Annie with Jillian, Leigh and Heaven. He also appears not to remember some of these episodes. After sexually assaulting Annie while she is in the bath, he returns to the young woman’s bedroom wearing different clothing and behaving as though he has not seen her for several hours. He does seem to genuinely care about his granddaughter and is afraid of losing her, which can be seen through his payment for her medical treatment and his outburst when Luke and Fanny rescue Annie from Fathinggale Manor. Tony, although evil enough to have assaulted or attempted assault on four generations of women, is never quite powerful enough to become a real villain. In fact at the end of the novel, Annie realises that she feels more sorry for him than anything.
Mrs Broadhurst plays a powerful part in Annie’s recovery. She is said to dislike spoiled rich children and systematically punishes Annie for behaving like a spoiled brat. Mrs Broadhurst’s punishments include placing Annie inside a tub of boiling water, from which she cannot escape, and placing laxatives in Annie’s food. Sadly, however, Mrs Broadhurst’s role in the novel is too small and she is too quickly removed from her place of employment for her to reach the status of a true villain.
Drake Casteel is quickly seduced into the Tatterton Empire and seems oblivious to the suffering of those around him. He is also a hypocrite. He admonishes and bullies Luke for what he perceives as an incestuous relationship with Annie, yet it is also hinted at that Drake has romantic feelings for his niece. For example, when Drake greets Annie with a peck on the cheek, his kiss always seems to land on the side of her mouth. Drake, like the others is not a true villain, but a fool.
Gates of Paradise lacks a true V.C. Andrews style villain. It is pleasing then, that the novel does have a saviour, a person who plays a small but vital role in rescuing the heroine in her time of need. Paul Sheffield from Petals on the Wind fits into this role, though his intentions may not have been entirely pure. Without Paul, it is unlikely that any of the Dollanganger children would have survived for very long. Like in Web of Dreams, Luke Casteel plays the part of a saviour marrying Leigh and offering to raise her child as his own. (Though, through his sadness at Leigh’s death, Luke soon reverts to his old ways.) In Gates of Paradise, Troy Tatterton, Annie’s long lost biological father is that saviour. It is Troy who finds Annie in the maze and Fathinggale Manor, listens to her story and encourages her to walk again. Knowing that the young woman is in danger, he also makes a small but vital step toward her rescue. It is he who phones Fanny and insists that she take Annie away from Fathinggale Manor.
One Book a Week (Julia Reads Books) 