Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

15 reviews

madelinequinnee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Utterly heartbreaking and truly disturbing. 

I decided to read this book because i’m a big fan of Nicole Dollanganger and i know she takes a lot of inspiration from this series. I knew what to expect when going into this, but it didn’t make it any less horrific. I didn’t, however, anticipate this to be so sad. I ended up feeling really connected to the characters by the end, and Cory’s death made me cry. 

I think this book can go in the same category as Lolita, they’re both beautifully written but contain dark content 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death, Rape, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Torture, Murder, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Vomit, Abandonment, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Car accident, Confinement, Incest, and Injury/Injury detail

gillzzzo's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Child death and Incest

Minor: Sexual content, Self harm, Rape, and Physical abuse

isibeal's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Death, Child death, Sexism, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Rape, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Animal death, Cursing, Vomit, and Blood

raybudbury's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Insane. Absolutely insane.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexism, Animal death, Incest, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Child death, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Self harm, Grief, Confinement, Blood, Murder, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Child abuse

maggiemaryamos's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Hate crime, Grief, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Death

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a really interesting book to read and imagine young gals reading this years ago. Because god, is it intense. I was prepared for the incest, but not for the

assault </>, and I think it's really interesting to consider the author kind of excusing it and the time and ideas in which she was raised. I'm probably going to keep reading this book series, but def f Christopher. He can fall off a cliff.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Rape, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Classism, Incest, Child abuse, Confinement, and Abandonment

Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Cancer, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcohol, Body shaming, Animal cruelty, Murder, Pregnancy, Animal death, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, and Self harm

nastjausagi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Incest

Minor: Self harm and Child death

bashsbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Honestly, My Sweet Audrina will always be the darling of my VC Andrews heart. But I still greatly enjoyed Flowers in the Attic, and I completely understand why people love it. Andrews is a master at the gothic novel, and even when she is predictable, it's just so compelling that you have to keep reading. Cathy is a fascinating narrator, and I could write a dissertation on the impact of her first-person perspective alone - and then a whole second one about Christopher's character development.

I am interested to see how much Andrews' writing will hold up outside of a confined space in Petals on the Wind.

Also, what the fuck is up with how Simon & Schuster reprints are marketed? The covers suck and the tagline for this book -"The Classic Story of Forbidden Love" - seems wildly off-target. Yes, there is sibling incest, but I wouldn't say that's the primary thing that this about.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Incest, Murder, Physical abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Minor: Eating disorder, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Cursing, Fatphobia, and Racism

hez30's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense 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

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Rape, Self harm, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Physical abuse, Animal death, and Car accident

mbryo's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The author wrote so passionately in defense of incest you'd think they were incestuous themself 😭 VERY well-written though, and a compelling (albeit nauseating) read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Violence, Emotional abuse, Incest, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Rape, Child abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Child death, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Torture, Abandonment, Murder, and Cannibalism

Minor: Ableism, Medical content, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Death of parent, Excrement, Pregnancy, Sexism, Body shaming, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment