Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

36 reviews

dodger's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Blood, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Murder, Animal death, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child death, Death, Child abuse, Gore, and Incest

tiiiger35's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.75

I can see why, when published in 1979 ‘Flowers in the attic’ had shock value. It certainly makes for uncomfortable reading with its dark topics, including the underlying theme of incest. 

I assumed a story about four children locked in an attic for years on end, would offer dull & lethargic pacing but V.C Andrews writing was compelling. I’d never read anything quite like it before. 

Taboo subjects aside, there’s betrayal, tragedy, tension & constant twists and turns. I was enthralled by the mother, how she turned from damsel in distress to villain. Poisoned by greed, her powers of manipulation & guilt were truly horrific. The Grandmother was evil incarnated, with her extreme religious views, her demonic, callous nature & sadistic tendencies for brutality, she made the ultimate evil sidekick. 

As is natures way, where there is dark, there is light to be found. The creativity of the children was magical, they turned that dingy attic in to a safe place full of colour and play. Their determination to survive despite their daily horror, gave them a sense of purpose. 

I wondered if Cathy & Chris were pushed in to a scenario that would never have occurred if they weren’t prisoners? or if their parents relationship & the shared bloodline, made it inevitable they were doomed to repeat family history?

I’m definitely reading the next book in this series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Confinement, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Sexism

kira20'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? It's complicated

3.75

I was surprised how much this reminded me of classic Gothic novels, Jane eyre, wuthering heights, poe... that dark tension,  secrets everywhere and sexual desire. Definitely still shocking today.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gaslighting, Bullying, Child death, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Incest, Rape, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Violence, Animal death, Car accident, Classism, Death of parent, Excrement, and Vomit

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 

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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

stars_and_stags's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

I really enjoyed this book. I understand why it is controversial, but the main characters were making the best of a horrific situation. 

Generational trauma is a curse that plagues so many families. 

Overall, well written and very accurate to how teenagers would speak. I am glad I read it though parts were hard to get through. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Animal death, Death of parent, Blood, Grief, Incest, Confinement, Death, Abandonment, Child death, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Violence, and Torture

ariannay111's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Car accident, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Grief, Gaslighting, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, and Abandonment

anemonima's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Incest

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Gaslighting, Animal death, Death of parent, Blood, Child abuse, and Child death

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

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

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