Ruby

First lines

About this book

**In the heart of the bayou, Ruby Landry lives a simple, happy life. But innocence can't last forever....** The only family Ruby Landry has ever known are her loving guardian, Grandmère Catherine, a Cajun spiritual healer, and her drunken, outcast Grandpère Jack. Although thinking about her dead mother and mysterious father sometimes makes her feel as mournful as the wind sighing through the Spanish moss, Ruby is grateful for all she has. Her life is filled with hope and promise... especially when her attraction for handsome Paul Tate blossoms into a mysterious, wonderful love. But Paul's wealthy parents forbid him to associate with a poor Landry, and Grandmère urges her to follow her dream of becoming a great painter, foreseeing a time when Ruby will be surrounded with riches in the dazzling city of New Orleans! Yet she cannot know how close that uncertain future looms.... In a faded photograph, Ruby glimpses for the first time the image of her father -- and learns of a shameful deception and a shocking scheme of blackmail that now must come to light. Stunned by these revelations, she is devastated when Grandmère dies, leaving her to seek out her father in his vast New Orleans mansion. There, in a house of lies, madness, and cruel torment. Ruby clings to her memories of Paul to keep her heart alive. For only their love can save her now....

Themes & subjects

About the author

V.C. Andrews

6 June 1923 – 19 December 1986

V. C. Andrews - vcandrewsbooks.com **Cleo Virginia Andrews, better known as V. C. Andrews or Virginia C. Andrews, was an American novelist.** She was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. Andrews died of breast cancer at the age of 63. Andrews' novels combine Gothic horror and family saga, revolving around family secrets and forbidden love, and sometimes include a rags-to-riches story.Wikipedia Born:Cleo Virginia Andrews, Jun 6, 1923, Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S. Died:Dec 19, 1986, Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S. Occupation:Novelist