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A review by kelseyr713
Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-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? Yes
3.0
2014 review: This is a bleak gut punch of a book. I was absolutely compelled to keep reading, despite a stilted writing style that was inadvertently humorous at times. Cathy is just so earnest about everything. ("Golly-lolly!") I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series. I unfortunately went in knowing what I thought was the twist, but there was so much more to the book than that. I worried and rooted for the Dollanganger children the whole way through.
2024 review: Re-read for book club. I honestly can't believe I forgot so much of the plot of this book. All I retained was the incest (but I forgot it was non-consensual), the attic, and the scary grandma. I forgot they had a bedroom, I forgot that Cory dies, I forgot all the twists during the ending. I feel like the incest overshadows this book and its public perception SO MUCH when the actual moment is a single page. I do agree with my 2014 review that the writing is stiff/stilted, but when you consider that Cathy is writing the events years later looking back, and that she lost a lot of schooling time, it makes sense. Does a fantastic job of making you flip the pages as fast as possible while your skin is crawling.
2024 review: Re-read for book club. I honestly can't believe I forgot so much of the plot of this book. All I retained was the incest (but I forgot it was non-consensual), the attic, and the scary grandma. I forgot they had a bedroom, I forgot that Cory dies, I forgot all the twists during the ending. I feel like the incest overshadows this book and its public perception SO MUCH when the actual moment is a single page. I do agree with my 2014 review that the writing is stiff/stilted, but when you consider that Cathy is writing the events years later looking back, and that she lost a lot of schooling time, it makes sense. Does a fantastic job of making you flip the pages as fast as possible while your skin is crawling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Incest, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit, Medical content, and Pregnancy