Not Read

ROXY'S STORY
By V.C. Andrews

Ah, yes, as I indicated with “Forbidden Sister,” I am home again, safe within the arms of another Andrews book. This book goes back and explains what happened to Emmie Wilcox’s sister. Emmie was the protagonist in “Forbidden Sister” and now Roxy Wilcox is the star of the show in “Roxy’s Story.” It seems only fitting that we understand what led Roxy to the life she led when Emmie finally found her in “Forbidden Sister.”

Roxy was a young girl, not yet eighteen, who was kicked out her house and cut off from her family. Was it her parents’ fault or Roxy’s? I venture to say a bit of both, really. Roxy had a lot of growing up to do. Alone in the world, Roxy is just about to give up, concede defeat, and head back home to face a military-style father. Life in the slums isn’t what she pictures her newfound freedom to be like, but alas, it is and it’s not an ideal living arrangement for a girl who hasn’t even graduated high school. Then Mr. Bob comes to the rescue or does he really offer her a life or promiscuity and self-destruction?

This novel will definitely answers the questions about Roxy posed in “Forbidden Sister,” but the beauty of it is, you really don’t have to read the first to understand the second. It flows like a river can: some rapids and some peaceful currents as Roxy comes to understand not only Mrs. Brittany—her ‘mentor’—but a deeper part of herself as well. A much bigger picture is presented to Roxy that allows her to recognize just what is important in life.

You will not regret picking up this book and I look forward—as always—to another Andrews tale.

Reviewed by Starr Gardinier Reina, author of “The Other Side: Melinda’s Story” ( )