Dawn (Andrews novel)

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Dawn was a 1990 novel started by V.C. Andrews and finished by Andrew Neiderman after her death. It is the first book in the Cutler series.

[edit] Plot Summary

Dawn Longchamp leads a humble existence with her parents, Ormond and Sally Jean Longchamp, and her moody older brother Jimmy. They move around alot, not providing much stability for their daughter, but what her lifestyle lacks in stability, her home life makes up for in love. This erratic lifestyle seems to change when Dawn and her brother Jimmy gain access to a private school due to Ormand's employment there. It is here that Dawn's talent for singing is revealed. Her brother does not enjoy the school, feeling the weight of class differences bear down upon him. Dawn, although optimistic, does not fare much better. She is sternly castigated by the headmistress about being on her best behavior as she is of lesser social status than her classroom peers. On her first day, she also incurs the wrath of the most popular and affluent girl in the school, Clara Sue Cutler, after accidentally ratting her out on her smoking. Clara Sue then proceeds to pull pranks on Dawn that are entirely mean-spirited in nature. Clara Sue openly refers to Dawn as white trash, an appellation that stings Dawn at her very core. Dawn's derision for Clara Sue grows, but surprisingly enough to Dawn, this derision does not spill over to Clara Sue's older brother, the handsome and charming Philip Cutler.

Philip is kind to Dawn, and immediately shows an interest in her. He compares her beauty to that of his mother, Laura Sue Cutler, and is easily entranced. Jimmy is leery of Philip, but does not overtly oppose Dawn's involvement with him. Dawn, a young, nervous girl, is taken somewhat aback by Philip's immediate romantic overrtures even though she does find him attractive. He urges her to date him, and with some parental persuasion, Dawn is able to do this. Meanwhile, Dawn's mother, Sally Jean, has discovered that she is pregnant. This puts a cramp in the Longchamps tight financial budget, but nonetheless, Dawn is overjoyed at the prospect of a little sibling. Sally Jean gives birth to a little girl named Fern, but does not recover her health after the labor. She attempts several holistic ways of recovering her health but to no avail. She remains bedridden for the duration of Dawn's school year. At school, what sparks her excitement are the musical opportunities allotted to her. Her satisfaction in her music culminates in her solo song, Somewhere over the Rainbow, at a school concert. Although nervous because of a prank pulled earlier by Clara Sue Cutler and her posse, Dawn draws emotional strength from the pearls which Sally Jean gave her earlier in the evening, a Longchamp heirloom, she claims.

Dawn's world comes crashing down after her solo performance at the school concert. Her beloved mother, Sally Jean, passes on that night. With the shock of the event barely registered, what comes on the heels of Sally Jean's death truly changes Dawn's life forever. A security guard at the hospital Sally Jean died at recognizes the family, and also notices something peculiar in Dawn's appearance. He goes to the authorities who perform an early morning raid of the Longchamp residence. Here, through these officers, it is revealed to Dawn that she is not the daughter of Ormond and Sally Jean, but that she was in fact kidnapped by them as a newborn, and that she is actually the daughter of Randolph and Laura Sue Cutler.

Dawn is transported via the authorities to Cutler's Cove, Virginia, an offshoot of Virgina Beach. Ormand, arrested for his part as a child kidnapper, is arrested, and Jimmy and Fern, with no nearby immediate family member to come to their aid, are placed in foster care. Dawn is stunned, does not believe this could be happening, but the authorities distinguish her by physical characteristics described as on her person at birth. In the periphery, Dawn is also appalled at the realization the terrible Clara Sue is her sister, and more heartbreaking to her, that her boyfriend is actually her brother, Philip. However, these concerns are pacified somewhat after her first scary interaction with Grandmother Cutler at the family's owned hotel and resort at the Cove.