Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

17 reviews

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.

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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

ceilisbookshelf's review against another edition

1.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Incest, and Religious bigotry

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.

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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

blacksnakering's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.25

I think this book grapples with a lot of very mature themes, but covers them all very well without being overly graphic. That said though, I would recommend any readers who know themselves to not have a strong stomach for horror to veer away from this story. While the book is not really horror in nature, it carries many elements from the genre. Unlike horror, there is a persistent theme of hope in this story, and of the great determination that these children are able to have. While I would call this somewhat of a survival story though, it is less similar to The Hatchet and more like Lord of the Flies.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Rape, Incest, Child abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Sexual content, Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm

Minor: Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Death of parent

kittykat398'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? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Abandonment, Incest, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape

beccammartin's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.5

So haunting, and it hurts to read~ other than the long bouts of expose it was a fantastic thriller.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Vomit

ntfconnoisseur's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

2.75

I first read this in middle school & thought hey remember how horrible that book was. What if I reread it? 

While I morally can’t give this book a good rating, I had so much fun reading it. Look, it’s compelling and engaging. Horrible material for sure………… fun to observe. Probably going to finish the series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual assault