Seeds of Yesterday

Seeds of Yesterday is a novel written by V. C. Andrews. It is the fourth book in the Dollanganger Series. The story is once again written from the point of view of the main character, Cathy, following her from the age of 52 until her death a few years later. Cathy was born in April 1945, meaning the events in the book occur between 1997–2001, which was thirteen years into the future at the time the book was originally published in 1984.

Plot summary

The story begins with Cathy and Christopher arriving at the house of their son, Bart, which was entirely built to replicate Foxworth Hall (which burned down in Petals on the Wind). They are planning on moving to Hawaii soon afterwards, but several events keep them from doing so. They meet Joel, who they soon learn is their mother, Corrine's brother, who was long thought dead. He claimed he spent several years in an Italian monastery and they soon learn that he is feeding Bart false information about God and punishment. Bart also begins to look at Joel as a father figure; a fact that troubles Cathy greatly. Bart is still bitter towards his mother and Chris for their incestuous relationship, so their stay is not pleasant. He has grown into a handsome young man, who is extremely jealous and power hungry, and bitter that Chris is the guardian of his money until he reaches twenty-five. Eventually, Cindy and Jory, along with his wife Melodie, join Bart at his home, which adds to the tension.

Bart soon shows signs of jealousy towards Jory, because of Melodie. We soon find out that Melodie is pregnant, but the happiness soon dies when Jory gets into an accident leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Melodie withdraws from Jory and finds solace in Bart and the two begin an affair, which Bart soon realizes is an empty relationship and he is just a replacement for Jory. Melodie goes into labor on Christmas Day, although she tells no one and ends up having twins Deirdre and Darren, who are said by Cathy to resemble her twin brother and sister. The pressure of motherhood is too much for her and she flees, leaving the children and Jory.

Cathy tries to console both her sons and tries to keep a firm hand on the pretty and free-spirited Cindy, who has a knack for finding boys. Bart, under the influence of Joel, hypocritically bans Cindy from premarital sexual acts under his roof even though he repeatedly slept with his brother's wife. In one incident Bart beats up a boy, Lance, when he finds Cindy having sexual intercourse with him in her room; in another, he comes across Cindy and another boy, Victor, making out in a car and again assaults the boy. Cindy later mentions to her mother that in her fear she kneed Bart in the crotch to make him stop but his rage was so great that he didn't even flinch at the supposedly crippling pain. This shows Bart's belief that what Cindy was doing was truly evil and his determination to stop her. When confronted about his hypocrisy a number of times throughout the story, Bart never attempts to justify his actions but instead responds with anger and resentment. After a long period of torment from Bart, and later Joel who disapprove of her ways, Cindy leaves to go to a school in New York.

They hire a beautiful nurse, named Antonia "Toni" Winters, who comes in to try and help Jory recuperate and she soon starts an affair with Bart, who seems infatuated. Cathy discovers, though, that Jory has feelings for Toni and that he deserves her love more than Bart. Cathy and Christopher stay there for years, which disturbs Cathy because it reminds her so much of Foxworth Hall. Eventually, Toni falls for Jory and they begin a relationship.

Cindy later comes home for a visit and notes of how she ran into Melodie in New York, who had apparently remarried immediately after her divorce from Jory was final and resumed her dancing career. Bart has now built a chapel, in which he commands the family to attend Sunday sermons, presided over by Joel. Cathy and Chris eventually become disgusted by the "fire and brimstone" sermons and tell Bart that they will no longer attend. Bart secretly starts bringing the twins to the chapel, where they are made to pray for forgiveness for being the "Devil's Issue", which Cathy overhears, reminding her of Cory and Carrie. She confronts Bart with this, and tells him to leave the twins alone, telling Toni never to let them out of her sight, unless she knows they are with Jory or herself. Soon Chris and Cathy decide to move out with Jory, the twins, and Toni, and Cathy eventually confronts Bart with this, and a resented Bart acts as if he wants nothing more.

In the end, Cathy is waiting for Chris to come home from work, but he never shows up. Joel comes and quite happily tells them that he heard on the radio of a car accident, in which a man was killed. Cathy's worst fear is confirmed later when she finds out that that man was Chris. She realizes how similar it was when their father was killed. With the loss of Chris, a big part in Cathy dies and she loses the will to live. Bart soon realizes how much he really loved Christopher and gives a moving eulogy at his funeral, and soon after finds his place as a televangelist who travels the world. Bart and Cindy also make peace with each other. Toni and Jory have gotten married, and Toni becomes pregnant; Jory tells Cathy that if they have a boy they will call him Christopher, and if it is a girl they will call her Catherine. Despite all these good things and the family becoming closer than before, Cathy is depressed and longs to see Chris again.

On her last night, Cathy goes up to the attic and sits by the one of windows and, after decorating the attic with paper flowers, dies. As she passes away, she remembers Chris, her mother, grandmother, and siblings, and how she lost her innocence to the world. Jory and a servent find a letter in Cathy's hand that she wrote, saying that no one needs her more than Chris does and also saying that the manuscript (the one she wrote in If There Be Thorns) is in her private vault and anyone can do with it what they will. It is determined that Cathy died of natural causes, but it is likely that she died of a broken heart.

Characters introduced

• Joel Foxworth: Corinne's brother (actually half-brother, according to Garden of Shadows). He was previously mentioned in Flowers in the Attic. He was thought to have been dead but claims he was living at an Italian monastery the whole time. Like John Amos, he fills Bart's head with false beliefs about God and Hell, which he does to gain Bart's trust and earn part of Bart's inheritance. He dies of cancer.
• Cynthia "Cindy" Sheffield: Cathy and Chris's adopted daughter. She had become an orphan at age two in If There Be Thorns after the death of her biological mother, Nicole, who was a student at Cathy's ballet school. Cindy is described as very beautiful but boy crazy and free-spirited, which often gets her in trouble. She becomes an actress. At the end of the book, Cathy sees Bart and Cindy together and feels for them the same happiness as for Jory and Toni. She is still alive.

• Antonia 'Toni' Winters - A nurse whom Cathy and Chris hire to take care of Jory. She has a short affair with Bart, whom she saw as handsome and charming but breaks up with him after seeing his dark side. She then falls in love with Jory, who is already in love with her, and they get married. She becomes the step-mother of Deirdre and Darren. At the end, she becomes pregnant; Jory says they plan to name their child Christopher or Catherine, after his parents. She is still alive.

• Deirdre and Darren Twin children of Jory and Melodie, born on December 25. Jory's second wife Toni becomes their step-mother. They resemble Carrie and Cory and in appearance and personality, which causes Cathy to sometimes confuse the two sets of twins in her mind. Unlike Carrie and Cory, however, Deirdre and Darren are healthy children treated well by their grandparents. Joel, who had brainwashed Bart, also begins to brainwash the twins but he gets caught. They are both still alive.
• Melodie- Jory's first wife and former dance partner. Mother of twins Deirdre and Darren. She loved Jory for mostly shallow reasons and is unable to cope when he's injured during a performance and left paralyzed like his father Julian. She begins an affair with Bart, whom she uses as a substitute. She divorces Jory and abandons the children to restart her dance career with a new partner whom she marries. She is still alive.

• Trevor The only servant whom Bart hasn't fired by the end of the book. He finds Cathy's body and letter in the attic. He is still alive.

References

• Andrews, V. C. (1984). Seeds of Yesterday. Simon and Schuster. p. 426 pp.. ISBN 0-671-72948-9. 
• Andrews, V. C. (1981). If There Be Thorns. Simon and Schuster. p. 384 pp.. ISBN 0-671-72945-4. 
• Andrews, V. C. (1980). Petals on the Wind. Simon and Schuster. p. 448 pp.. ISBN 0-671-72947-0. 
• Andrews, V. C. (1979). Flowers in the Attic. Simon and Schuster. p. 412 pp.. ISBN 0-671-41124-1.