Garden of Angels

by Lurlene McDaniel

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553494325
• ISBN13: 9780553494327
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf Library
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 7.0"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Garden Comfort

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.

Excellent book for dealing with cancer in the family

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.

A heart warming story

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.

Darcy's Life

This, in my oppinion, would have to be one of Lurlene McDaniel's best books. It's a story about a girl named Darcy Quinlin and her struggle through her freshman year. She faces many difficulties, some the same as all of us, but some different. For one, she hasn't matured as fast as many of the girls there, so she feels a little bad about her lack of curves and bumps, and she is having trouble sorting out her emotions for the bad boy, Jason Powalski. These are problems we all deal with growing up(as females) but she also has to deal with her mother being diagnosed with breast cancer. It is a hard struggle for her, and she has much difficulty dealing with all these emotions at once. This story is written to take place in the 1970s so it will add a bit more to the story with the wording and what is happening. If you like other Lurlene McDaniel books, then you will love this one.

Great Easy Read!

Hey,I'm 13 and was looking for a good summer read. It was short, small, and the summary looked appealing. The book includes romance, sadness, and friendship. The main character starts out at the age of 13 or 14 in the mid 70s. It talks about her crush, her sisters marriage, and her mother's diagnoses' of breast cancer. It's a great book and you can't put it down!! I recommend it for all ages, even my mom is reading it!