Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

45 reviews

mistyknights's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

3.75

 don't remember how old I was when I first read this, but it was too young to properly process the religious horror, physical/sexual/psychological abuse, misogyny, and whole lot of other trauma themes littered throughout the text. Add a poltergeist and a small town in Maine and this would be a Stephen King book. Not saying it was a mistake for me to read it as a pre-teen but I still would not jump up and offer it as an option to pre-teen as an adult woman.

That said, everything that made this a classic is still there. It's better written than I expected it to be, though it does meander in the middle and could have been 100 pages shorter

. Also, the incest is at times romanticized by the main character ( it's first person and intentionally mirrors her parent's experience) and shown as twisted because it is always manifested within violence and mental abuse.

But trigger warnings for that and for a brief moment of spontaneous racism just in case you forget this book was published in 1979.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child death, Incest, Rape, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, and Toxic relationship

doryjodoryjo's review

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest and Religious bigotry

kaitlynleigh's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? No

4.0

I liked this so much more than I thought I would! Once the time started picking up in the book, I was truly captivated and wanted to know how it ended! I'm excited to read the rest of the series ! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Murder, Misogyny, Death, Incest, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Torture, Emotional abuse, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Abandonment, and Grief

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.

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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

books_hay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

I first read this book some where around 8th grade and just now 30ish years later. 
I'm 8th grade it seamed a bit of a love story. This time is was a tale of horrible abuse and imprisonment.

This book takes on shocking turns. It's a good read, but it's horrifying at times. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Child death, Incest, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Blood, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Torture, Religious bigotry, and Physical abuse

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

tegs_russell's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Incest, Religious bigotry, and Child abuse

fe_aye's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

2.5

I have extremely mixed feelings on this one. Andrew’s is clearly a good writer and their skill shows very plainly in the text and was the main reason I read all the way through despite knowing I wouldn’t like where the story was headed. 

There’s a sense of complete bleakness here, no escape just a constant headfirst plunge into the depravity and darkness of the world. Even the lightheaded scenes are tainted with this horrible oppressive feeling, and Chris and Cathy’s ‘relationship’ only makes things worse. I am also not a fan of how Andrews chose to portray any of the relationships in this book beyond the bond the siblings share as siblings. Their family bond was precious to see and kept me going through the slog of selfish decision after selfish decision that the adults around them kept making. 

I am extremely disturbed by how casually incest is portrayed in this, the only person who ever speaks out against the incest is an utter bigot and only revealed to have some semblance of a conscience  right at the very end of this book. The mother is deified for her ‘brave relationship despite all odds’ with her uncle, which is never corrected by any of the children. Chris and Cathy also struggle with this until it escalated to him raping her, and yes he does rape her she is fighting him off, I don’t care what the conversation afterwards says. In that moment she was telling him no. And she blames herself for it too. I think that that whole plot thread really could have been left in the first draft and didn’t need to be here at all.

 

All in all wasn’t an fan and don’t recommend this to people unless they know what they’re getting into. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Confinement, Death, Abandonment, Animal death, Child abuse, Grief, Incest, and Child death

Moderate: Blood, Sexual content, Violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail

agameofbooksblog's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

“Flowers in the Attic” by V.C. Andrews is a mesmerizing literary gem that effortlessly earns its five-star rating. The story delves into the lives of the Dollanganger family, tragically hidden away in their grandmother’s mansion, and exposes the depths of family bonds, greed, and forbidden love. Andrews’ writing skillfully weaves a haunting narrative, unraveling dark secrets and hidden desires, making it utterly impossible to put down.

What sets this book apart is its profound allegorical depth, brilliantly captured by the author. The characters’ struggles are portrayed with raw intensity, showcasing the complexities of their relationships and the harsh realities they face. Even going into this story knowing the twists, the impact of the story remains shockingly palpable, a testament to Andrews’ mastery in creating a suspenseful and emotionally charged experience.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Rape, Death of parent, and Child death

hue's review against another edition

dark

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

3.25

Well, that was truly something huh. Not sure how I'll melt that but I'm glad I picked it up. One twisted telling of a seemingly perfect family that implodes the moment the Father falls into the hands of death. A lot of topics that aren't easy to melt are delt with in this book, what about child abuse and gaslighting, incest born children doing incesty things, kids being deprived from the contact of other human beings aside from their siblings and their grandmother, as well as an occasional visit from their fairly narcissistic mother. Definitely as horrid as been told.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Body shaming, Car accident, Emotional abuse, and Incest

ehamlett's review

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Confinement, Child death, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Incest

Moderate: Sexual content and Death

Minor: Death of parent