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kendraparker82's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
rebelwinter's review
3.0
Is it good? No. Is it trashy? Yes. Do I love it? well, 19 year old Kristi did.
koala0809's review
3.0
Ruby Landry was a wild and free child of the Louisiana bayou until she falls in love and her world is turned upside down. A rich boy in the bayou steals Ruby's heart away only for it to be crushed by the Laundry family secret and the truth about her mother. When Grandmere confeses the secret to Ruby, Ruby only has one choice: to break things off with Paul. Between the heartbreak of reveling the secret and her old age, Grandmere suddenly passes away and leaves Ruby to her druken and stingy Grandpere. Once Grandpere had Ruby in his grasps, he arranges for her to be married to a man for money. Because of this, Ruby chases the secret and leaves to find the truth. Once there, her world is turned even more upside down with one tragedy and inraging incident after another.
One of the themes that this book consists of is *surprise* incest. We all know that Andrews is famous for her use of incest throughout all her series's, but this one was a little different. Paul and Ruby had already fallen in love when they find out the truth about themselves. Ruby felt the way she felt about him, but she never acted on her thought because she knew it was morally wrong (in the first book anyway). I thought this was an interesting take considering Flowers in the Attic. I may change later on though.
A bigger theme of this book is self discovery. Throughout the whole book, you see Ruby grow as a person and grasp a better understanding of herself and the world around her. You also see her relationships growing with all the characters. One major character development point was standing up to Gizelle, her twin sister. After reading 395 pages of Ruby being walked all over and abused, it made me so happy to stand up to her sister and Daphne (the stepmom)
That being said, I truly enjoyed this book. The story was beautifully written with lost of twists and turns. It had many moments of surprise and things you would never expect while your heart grows fonder for the main character. After going through everything with Ruby, you can't help but love her.
One of the themes that this book consists of is *surprise* incest. We all know that Andrews is famous for her use of incest throughout all her series's, but this one was a little different. Paul and Ruby had already fallen in love when they find out the truth about themselves. Ruby felt the way she felt about him, but she never acted on her thought because she knew it was morally wrong (in the first book anyway). I thought this was an interesting take considering Flowers in the Attic. I may change later on though.
A bigger theme of this book is self discovery. Throughout the whole book, you see Ruby grow as a person and grasp a better understanding of herself and the world around her. You also see her relationships growing with all the characters. One major character development point was standing up to Gizelle, her twin sister. After reading 395 pages of Ruby being walked all over and abused, it made me so happy to stand up to her sister and Daphne (the stepmom)
That being said, I truly enjoyed this book. The story was beautifully written with lost of twists and turns. It had many moments of surprise and things you would never expect while your heart grows fonder for the main character. After going through everything with Ruby, you can't help but love her.
pictturo's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Incest
holly_mcc's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
awesomelybadbooks's review
4.0
Ruby Landry's life has always been a mystery. Raised in the bayou (Houma, Louisiana) by her Grandmere Catherine - a healer, of sorts - she had always wondered about her mother Gabrielle, her mother's death, and a mysterious father that she never had a chance to meet. Ruby and her Grandmere lead a simple life marked by handmaking crafts to sell to tourists on the side of the road, going to church every Sunday, and sometimes being called upon by those in the community to help those who are sick or injured as Grandmere Catherine is well-respected in the community as a woman of some spiritual power, some spiritual knowledge. They survive with no help from Ruby's Grandpere Jack - an inebriate that has done something so horrible in the past that Grandmere Catherine cast him from their home long ago and can hardly stand the sight of him. Bit by bit, Ruby grows more and more curious of what happened before her birth. Why is Grandmere Catherine so intent on Ruby not seeing the local boy Paul Tate? Why does Grandmere have so much contempt for Grandpere? Under Grandmere's Catherine pending death, the truth is finally revealed to Ruby. With Grandmere gone and under the thumb of Grandpere Jack, all the lies and secrets take Ruby to New Orleans to meet her father and twin sister for the first time! There, she is spun into the web of more lies to protect the Dumas family name and treated cruelly by her vile twin sister until everything comes to a head.
Written by a ghost writer - and, as stories go, penned with the influence of unfinished work that Andrews left behind - there is so many things fundamentally wrong with this book that I can't help but to find guilty pleasure in it. Let's start off by saying, V.C. Andrews' work is always wrong on so many levels especially during the late 1970s, through the 1980s, and into the early 1990s. It just is. It didn't matter if it was written by Andrews herself or the ghost writer, there is just so much wrong with these books. So much. From the continual fish out of water trope. The incest. There always being an uber-bitch that you love to hate in the story. Right down to the very wrong, one-dimensional way that black characters are written. So wrong. So many levels. Yet every story is like a train wreck that you can't help but to sit back and watch with wide eyes. These books fall into the category of so bad that they're good. I don't know if that make me an awful person or not, but I can't help but be fascinated by this work. For a lot of men and women of a certain age, reading these books was a rite of passage. They were considered taboo. I am of that certain age and it was like I was transported back to 1995 because I think that's when I last read this book. It held up better than some other V.C. Andrews books I've read. Maybe because the ghost writer is a better writer than the actual woman, herself, was? I don't know.
All I know is, this is pure trash and I loved every minute of it.
Written by a ghost writer - and, as stories go, penned with the influence of unfinished work that Andrews left behind - there is so many things fundamentally wrong with this book that I can't help but to find guilty pleasure in it. Let's start off by saying, V.C. Andrews' work is always wrong on so many levels especially during the late 1970s, through the 1980s, and into the early 1990s. It just is. It didn't matter if it was written by Andrews herself or the ghost writer, there is just so much wrong with these books. So much. From the continual fish out of water trope. The incest. There always being an uber-bitch that you love to hate in the story. Right down to the very wrong, one-dimensional way that black characters are written. So wrong. So many levels. Yet every story is like a train wreck that you can't help but to sit back and watch with wide eyes. These books fall into the category of so bad that they're good. I don't know if that make me an awful person or not, but I can't help but be fascinated by this work. For a lot of men and women of a certain age, reading these books was a rite of passage. They were considered taboo. I am of that certain age and it was like I was transported back to 1995 because I think that's when I last read this book. It held up better than some other V.C. Andrews books I've read. Maybe because the ghost writer is a better writer than the actual woman, herself, was? I don't know.
All I know is, this is pure trash and I loved every minute of it.
kacyrene's review against another edition
3.0
Was it a work of great literature? No. Was it atmospheric, soap opera like, and a damn good time. Yes, it was! Andrew Neiderman, writing as V.C. Andrews brings the sibling love and scary domestic scenarios one comes to expect. We also have the fun tropes of the evil twin and the evil stepmother. There is another fun trope, but I don't want to venture into spider territory.
I was frustrated with the main character's naivete. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three, four, five... I had to knock off one star because I just wanted to shake Ruby and scream, "Why do you still trust these people."
This was picked up by Lifetime, and it definitely reads like a Lifetime movie with all the dysfunctional family secrets and drama. It's usually not my thing, but I knew what I was getting into. If this is something you are in the mood for, you will enjoy this book too. I'm going to continue with the series.
I was frustrated with the main character's naivete. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three, four, five... I had to knock off one star because I just wanted to shake Ruby and scream, "Why do you still trust these people."
This was picked up by Lifetime, and it definitely reads like a Lifetime movie with all the dysfunctional family secrets and drama. It's usually not my thing, but I knew what I was getting into. If this is something you are in the mood for, you will enjoy this book too. I'm going to continue with the series.
b0okcupidity's review
4.0
I owe my love of all things Bayou related to this book series. I remember staying up all night and reading these books under the covers in my room with a flashlight. :)