Customer Reviews

Flowers in the Attic (Dollanganger, Book 1)

5 star:		(367)
4 star:		(68)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

Okay, I realize that this novel is nothing resembling great literature. But that just doesn't matter nor does it affect my pure enjoyment of this series, as it is a well-written, completely engrossing story.

Flowers in the Attic is a *fairy tale*. A dark, twisted fairy tale, but a fairy tale all the same. This means that the characters and situations within the story should NOT be expected to be realistic in any form. Anyone complaining about the lack of realism is not seeing it as it should be seen. It takes place in some strange, imagined land that almost mirrors our world but not quite. It starts out all shiny and happy, describing the perfect, blessed existence of this beautiful family, and then it descends into a nightmare. Many of the complaints about the shallow characters are accurate but in my opinion it fits with the theme. The characters here can be silly and melodramatic and stereotypical. Nobody in this book talks like a real person would. Some of the older male characters are never developed at all but just kept shadowy, sometimes sinister figures who want to prey on Cathy and other women. And Cathy...she is the ultimate fragile blond-haired fairy tale princess. Only the twisted, upside-down version. Others have pointed out that she is not a likeable character. This is true, especially if you have read the rest of the series. But I don't believe that she was meant to be likeable. The abuse she has suffered has made her too messed up to be likeable, and her increasingly selfish, cruel behavior makes it very hard to have any sypmathy for her. So how did the author manage to make me care so much about a character's story when I so dislike the character? It all lies in the telling of it, the subject matter, the horror that goes beyond evil villains and straight into the human psyche. The incest, for example, lends a deeply unnerving, disturbing, and tragic element to the series that no fairy tale monster could have inspired. I can't believe some people think this book would have been better off without it? Some need to gain a wider perspective.

I've read this series countless times and I hope VC Andrews knew how much her stories touched people. That ghostwriter tries pathetically to copy her style and fails. His novels are all the exact same, and they are boring and tame to boot. He is scared or just unwilling to go to the places she explored. At my local bookstore they still keep his novels under Horror which is quite laughable. Andrews' books belonged there; his would be more at home under general young adult fiction.

FitA is a story meant to get under your skin. It has been condemned in churches and to this day still brings about strong reactions in people, whether they are positive or negative, and so I think the story succeeded in its purpose. Love it or hate it, I doubt you'll ever forget it.

I was introduced to this spellbinding saga when I hired the film Flowers in the Attic (about 5 years ago). When I learned that there existed a book about this story, I just went to look for it and bought it. It is a shockingly true book, a pure example of greed and selfishness. When I read it for the first time I could not stop thinking that I might turn out to be a bad parent since the mother in the story was so normal in the beginning but then she changed... But to understand the whole reason of such cruelty one has to read the whole series starting with Flowers in the Attic, then Petals on the Wind, If there be Thorns, Seeds of Yesterday and finally the prequel of all the series: Garden of Shadows (the start of all the deceit) When I read Garden of Shadows, dealing with the early misfortunate life of Olivia, I thought that after all she was not as bad as she turned out to be. Ill treatment from her husband and the death of her two sons made her search for something to console herself into, which unfortunately turned out to be hypocritical religious teachings by the horrible and perverse John Amos, a distant cousin of Olivia and butler of the Foxworths. Unfortunately, the creator of such vile actions (the grandfather) suffers the least whilst the mostly innocent (the children) suffer the most. After reading this book, whenever I happened to pass by a large mansion, I used to ask myself if there might be someone hidden in one of the rooms of the uppermost floor, waiting to come out... My only regret is that this story is based on a true story.

This is not fine literature, nor will anyone ever mistake is as such. The plot is better than that of the average bodice-ripper, with some interesting twists and a hint of mystery. The characters are a little one-dimensional, but Andrews throws in just enough lust, smut and violence to keep it interesting.
If books were foods this book would be a big bag of potato chips. You really should eat better, but sometimes you just have to cut loose and indulge.

I read this novel several years ago-when I was about 15 or 16-for the first time. It has remained my favorite since then. I have often thought that this story, more than any other, exemplified the dark shadows in the human heart. The story speaks volumes-if the reader can put aside their own paranoia about incest and abuse and the other things that go on in society that most people want to sweep under the rug and pretend it doesn't exist. The story speaks to the vulnerability of children, how every child is really at the mercy of their parents. What happens in childhood reverberates throughout one's life. I thought Cathy was the most painfully real heroine-all of her emotions poured out on the pages-enough to fill your eyes with tears for all she could have been and what, you knewm she would become. She is full of justifiable hate, yet racked by guilt, desperate for love, consumed with desire, but at heart a good person. The incest was disturbing, but written so well, that even the most cold-hearted reader couldn't help but pity Chris and Cathy. Circumstances forced them to make choices that they might otherwise not have made. The story is haunting, the kind of thing that keeps you thinking long after the book is finished. Wondering if the children's horror were yours, how would you have turned out?

Flowers in the Attic is about four children (Chris, Cathy, Cory, Carrie) who are locked away in their grandparent's northern room and attic to secure their mother's (Corrine) chance at inheriting her dying father's fortune. You see, her father's will states Corrine must not have had any children from her first marriage (which recently ended when Corrine's husband died in a car accident, leaving them penniless and heartbroken), or she would be disinherited. The reason for the grandfather's disdain of Corrine's marriage: Corrine had eloped with her half-uncle (who is actually not her half-uncle; read Garden of Shadows and you'll find out who he really is). Now, the grandparents are highly religious people and they believe any children that would result from that marriage would surely be deformed and evil. Therefore, Corrine creates a plan to hide her children "safely" away in her parent's enormous mansion (Foxworth Hall)--with the help of the grandmother--and sets out to win back her father's love and acceptance and, in short, his money.

The book is told from the point of view of Cathy Dollanganger, who is probably one of my favorite heroines in all of V. C. Andrews' books. She is a strong, smart 12-year-old whose main focus is to become a world-famous ballerina. Her older brother Chris is more intellectual and eventually wants to become a doctor. They are tolerant, at first, of being kept in a room with no sun or friends, but the days soon begin to drag on and still no word of their grandfather's death. Yet they hold on for their mother and try to rationalize their sacrifice of freedom for those millions of dollars.

Before long, the abuse starts: the grandmother's cruel punishments begin with whippings and escalates to starvation. The children have nobody to turn to since they've been alienated from the world and even their mother has grown more absent from their lives, too busy traveling all over Europe and flirting with a man who will eventually become her second husband. So, they turn to each other instead for solace, which soon becomes complicated when Chris and Cathy hit puberty and start experiencing unsettling yearnings for each other. This attraction is obvious to the grandmother and gives her more reason to punish the grandchildren she believes are the spawn of Satan.

By the end of the book, one of the Dollanganger children dies from food poisoning and the remaining three promise to somehow escape Foxworth Hall. Also, the mystery of who poisoned the children's food is discovered--and it's not who you would immediately assume.

Flowers in the Attic is V. C. Andrews' first and most popular book. It's also the first in the Dollanganger series; Petals on the Wind, If There Be Thorns, Seeds of Yesterday, and Garden of Shadows follow.

The book was later made into a movie in 1987 and starred Kristy Swanson, Louise Fletcher, Victoria Tennant, and Jeb Stuart Adams. V. C. Andrews even had a small cameo as the window washer/maid. The movie isn't exactly like the book (which is true for most movie adaptations), but it's still one of my favorite movies. I strongly recommend anyone who read the book to see the movie, if not to at least say you have seen and read both. If you saw the movie without reading Flowers in the Attic, you'll probably like the book much better. There are more things that are revealed in the book that were excluded from the movie, like several intimate moments between Cathy and Chris, which weren't included for obvious reasons. Plus, the ending of the movie is very different from the book. It would have been nice if it had ended appropriately so a possible sequel could have been made.

In short, I loved Flowers in the Attic and I would recommend it to anyone who can read. There are certain topics, such as incest and child abuse, which might be offensive to more sensitive readers, but for those that it doesn't offend: definitely find a copy of this book and read it.

I was first introduced to "Flowers in the Attic" through the 1987 film starring Kristy Swanson. Now, these many years later I have finally read the book. I started out of order, reading "Garden of Shadows" the last book in the series, but prequel to "Flowers in the Attic" first. I have to say that this book is very good! You will be glued to the book from start to finish.

The story revolves around the Dollanganger family. One evening Christopher Dollanganger dies in a car crash and his family, consisting of his wife and four children, must go back and live with their family in Foxworth Hall. Both Christopher and his wife, Corrine, grew up in this mansion. It is because of their incestuous marriage that they were both banished from their home and their family.

Wanting to recapture her father's adoration and love, Corrine comes home and hides her children, so that she may inherit his vast fortune. She asks her mother to watch over the children, who are confined to the North wing of the house. They are not allowed to leave this area and can only go up into the attic. Soon their mother pretty much abandons them and leaves them to rot in the attic while she lives her life without them. Their evil grandmother does everything in her power to make them feel as bad, horrible, and dirty as possible, wanting to punish them for what their parents had done nearly 20 years prior. Soon the children discover that they are slowly being poisoned and why they are trying to be killed.

This book is an excellent tale of deceit, love, hate, pain, and triumph. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone! You won't be disappointed!

This book is one of the best books that I have ever read, it kept my attention the whole way through and I never wanted to put it down. "Flowers in the Attic" is the story of a selfish mother who locks her four children in an attic with the hope that they will be let out in less than a month. Corrine, the mother,loses her husband and can barely support her four kids so she moves in with her parents. Her parents are rich and her father is very sick, but Corrine was written out of his will when she disgraced the family, so her goal is to please her father so she can be written back into the will and inherit everything. Cathy and Chris, the two eldest children are supportive until the months turn into years, and their mother stops visiting, and the younger children become sick. The kids find out the mother has been planning to leave the children in the attic forever and all hell breaks loose. Even with the hardships that the children face, the eldest are heroic in standing up to their mom and being parents to their younger siblings. This book is extremely exciting even though it takes place in only a attic. With a little bit of incest and a evil grandmother looming, this book will definately grab your attention.

The first V.C. Andrews book I ever read was "Heaven". But when I read Flowers in the Attic when I was 14, I couldn't believe how enthralling it was. Every word drew me into a deep spell, that I wished the book would continue on forever! The characters of Cathy and Chris are so heroic, yet so sad. It's amazing what being shut up in an attic for four years can do. Chris and Cathy were locked up during a person's most vital years, when one is a teenager. Their incestuous relationship is not a thing to be disgusted about in a sense. They had no choice but to love eachother. Chris did not rape Cathy. She even said afterwards that she could have stopped him if she really wanted to. I was cast into such a spell by this book that I really thought that I was in that attic with them. The grandmother is a truly powerful, complex, and interesting character. I have read all of her books, except for the Orphans series which I intend to read soon. I am in love with every book she has written and am so happy to find others who share in my love. V.C. Andrews was a writer that should never be forgotten.

"Flowers in the Attic" was one of those books I read in high school when it was relatively new and an underground (so to speak as it was a major seller!) guilty pleasure for a teenager to read. How does it hold up with time? Does it matter? This book has everything that a teenager - both boys and girls - crave in a book: sex, evil parents, violence, wicked grandmothers, and a deep dark attics. This book was so disturbing to my 15 year old brain...but a pleasure as well.

If you don't know the story, here is what you need to know...Dad dies, mom picks up and returns to the mansion of her rich parents with her kids. Mom was disowned when she married her dad, and now must get back into their good graces. Grandma hates the kids and locks them in the attic. Mom rediscovers her local social life. The kids must entertain themselves and take care of themselves. Anything more would give away meat and the juice of book - which you have to read for yourself.

Come on...you know you want to...hide with a copy of it back in a dark corner of Barnes & Noble...give into your dark side and read this guilty pleasure. But, don't bother with the rest of the series.

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A Guide to my Book Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.

Bottom line, I've been alive 28 years on this earth and I've seen thousands and thousands of stories in the mediums of film, television, anime, books, and comic books, but they all pale in comparison to this. And I do not say that lightly.

I enjoy horror and thought nothing more could scare me. Nothing has in years but `Flowers In The Attic' caused me to lose two full weeks of sleep. I never thought a book could affect me so much. VC Andrews' writing style in very emotional. I really believed I was one of those children being tormented in that attic.

Most of what I knew about `Flowers In The Attic' was from the fans reminiscing on how they first read it as a teenager and it was their first "trashy book". A guilty pleasure of vulgarity.

`Flowers In The Attic' is vulgar, but far too disturbing to be classified as a "pleasure" or "trash." "Sick, depraved, disgusting, depressing, vile, and horrific," are better words. I could never have even envisioned that the darkest demon in hell could concoct such an atrocity. Were these the missing chapters of `The Necrnomicon' Satan removed because they were too offensive?

What's truly scary about the book is the way the children are tortured and destroyed mentally not just physically. The physical would be just a mere description of pain. The mental is evident in 12 year old Cathy's narration. We are not just seeing her pain we are feeling her emotions. Feeling her mind become twisted.

VC Andrews really gets into the reader's mind and soul so that like Cathy we share her insanity of thinking. When people think of incest they are typically disgusted and or amused. "Ewww West Virginia." "Ha ha, Jerry Springer." Instead we end up cheering them on! Andrews makes us feel such empathy for the children that we are thrilled that anything (no matter what) has put a smile on their faces. The romance between the two is so intense.

The drama of their love comes not from sex, that could simply be attributed to the raging hormones of teenagers, but rather the romance and how they are truly in love with each other. Cathy and Chris holding hands and staring into each others eyes is far more powerful and demented than anything they could have done in bed.

In the sequel `Pedals In The Wind', Cathy and Chris agree that their love is no doubt only a result of the trauma they suffered. The reality is that they did suffer the trauma and they do feel this way.

How did this come to rate as my ALL TIME FAVORITE EPIC? First and foremost is undoubtedly VC Andrews' writing style. She can make paint drying seem fascinating. The conflict between good and evil could not be more intense. Children make the best heroes because they are innocents and when they achieve courage it is more rewarding. The villains being adults is effective. They are far more evil than any dictator on a throne because they are victimizing their own children simply for sadistic pleasure. There is no logic to it.

In the attic the children experience everything, pain, the struggle to survive, exploration, and forbidden love which of course is the sweetest fruit in the garden.

`Flowers In The Attic' is not a guilty pleasure or a "hard read". I would recommend it because I was truly enthralled by the characters and really cared about what would happen to them next.

I highly recommend the sequel, `Pedals In The Wind', where we see how their bodies have left the attic but their minds still remain.

My depression from reading this book still remains weeks later. I feel at every moment of my life in the verge of tears. All I can ever think about is the horror of the attic just like the characters must feel. The story was so powerful, the drama is very very real.