Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

78 reviews

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

turpial23's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

1.0

Basically a narrative of many types of child abuse, in graphic detail. No actual plot, no character growth, not even exceptional writing - just misery and terror. Not apt for children. I would never recommend this series to anyone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Body shaming, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Grief, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Rape

cecypdel's review against another edition

dark sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, Incest, and Abandonment

mhh831666's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child death, Confinement, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Child abuse, Death, Incest, and Sexual content

mdefazio's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Abandonment

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

alylentz's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

On one hand I can see where if you had read this at a formative age, it would set a standard for thriller or horror novels that would be difficult to measure up to as an adult. So much evil shit goes down in here! On the other hand, it's definitely a book of it's time and the awkward writing style reflects that. The first half was slow going for me, but once I got used to it, it became a page turner. Tempted to continue in the rest of the series just so I can

watch the mother die a horrible death

. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Incest, Abandonment, and Confinement