Flowers In The Attic

Rating:
Summary: Cult classic neo-gothic trash really satisfies.
Review: When I was in High School just about every one of my female classmates read FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC and its sequels. Recently I took the plunge and found out why, it's a great read! With its young, sexually and emotionally frustrated teen heroine held captive by a selfish, emotionally childish and manipulative mother and a stern, hateful grandmother, it is easy to see why this novel resonates so powerfully with female teen readers. The horrorific themes of abuse (both phsycial and mental) and incest are handled well and the book packs a surprising emotional wallop. The writing is very uneven and immature, but whether this is a stylistic choice or simply the author's own bad writing is hard to tell. Just be forewarned, the reader may want to have the sequel Petals on the Wind close at hand. Flowers in the Attic ends on a cliffhanger and you might want to read the next volume ASAP.

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Summary: This is a spellbind tale of love, hate, and greed.
Review: I loved this book. It is a captivating tale of four innocent children locked away in one room with only an attic to play in, kept captives by a greedy mother up to inheirit a fortune.Christopher Dolanganger, husband of Corrine Dollanganger, was killed in a tradgic car accident. With nowhere else to turn, Corrine writes to her parents in hopes that they will take her and her four children in. Upon arriving at the glourious house in Virginia, the children learn they are to share one room without opening the window shades,or making loud noises or messes. But the room has hellish pictures on the walls, a list of rules a mile long, and a demonic grandmother to intimidate them. And to top it all off, they learn a that their mother has a deep dark secret that could change their lives forever. This is the horrifying tale of Christopher, Cathy, Carrie, And Cory "Doll". A story of love, hate, deception, and trust. But mostly it is a story about a mother who loved money more than her own children. Will they live through the lies, beatings, poisons and sins that their mother causes? Well, you will just have to read the book to find out! -Chelsea Turman-

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Summary: It's one of the best books you can find!!
Review: I think Flowers in the Attic is a very good book. The ending kind of left me hanging there, but I can't wait until I read the next book. If I were with the kids in the attic, I probably couldn't have survived. If you like V.C.Andrew's books, I would definately recommend this book to you. It is probably one of her best books, because it makes you feel like you're one of them, and it's really interesting.

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Summary: Such power in literature is very hard to find.
Review: When I first heard about Flowers In The Attic, in seventh grade, I thought it sounded like a trashy romance novel, exactly the kind of story I tended to stray from. But there I was, more than a year later, buying the entire Dollanganger series from a not-so-local library. The tragedy and horror that four naive children suffered alone in an attic was not what drew me into the story; rather, it was the way I felt as much a part of Cathy's world as Cory or Carrie. V.C. Andrews' writing was so deep and thought-provoking that I found myself in vintage clothing stores thinking "Oh, that looks exactly like Cathy's dress would have when...." and things like that. Of course, I had to finish the series. I found the prequel, Garden Of Shadows, shortly after starting the second book, Petals On The Wind (which, in my opinion, was the best in the series) at a used book store. But when I finished Seeds Of Yesterday, the final book, I found myself crying uncontrollably for these characters whom I had known for their entire lives. I couldn't read Garden Of Shadows, not after such a moving experience. I am glad I did not read it first, either. Such pre-knowledge would have ruined much of the books' suspenseful moments. Maybe, someday, when my visions of the Foxworth clan are not so clear as they are now, I will return again to dear old Malcolm...

Rating:
Summary: very touching, and suspencfull
Review: I thought it was a wonderful book. It started off telling how Corrine changed from the brat in Garden of Shadows to a sweet loving girl and how she and her half-Uncle have four wonderful children. Christopher Jr. Cathy and twins Carrie and Cory. Then one day a tragedy happens and they go to live with their grandmother who locks them up in a room for near to three years, there mother keeps saying she'll bring them down when their grandfather dies. and it goes on to explain how their mother tries to kill them and how they escape. They all four showed up, Chris, Cathy, Carrie, and Cory. But only three got out alive. I loved the book and I suggest to all of you who haven't read Garden of Shadows or Flowers in the Attic to read them. They seem like big books and they'll take forever, but the time just flies bye when you read them. the story was very touching you felt sorry for all of them. You hated the Grandmother, Grandfather, and Corrine cause once she got written back in her father's will and inherited all the money she goes from a sweet girl right back to the brat she started out as.

Rating:
Summary: I LIKED the grandmother!!
Review: It is probably because I read Seeds of Yesterday, first. I totally understand her personality flaws, not of her own doing.I can also understand why she hated her spoiled daughter and her inbred incestious grandchildren. Why did she have to put up with them? They proved her to be right in the latter books, they were selfish, mentally imbalanced and evil.

Rating:
Summary: Incredible Debut; One of a Kind
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Origional and Entertaining
Review: There isnt a book out there quite like this one! Flowers in the Attic is a dark, horrifying and mysterious book about four children locked away in a secret room while the await their mother's re-inheritance. These are normal children growing up in highly unusual and horrible circumstances. Although quite a bizzare novel, it deals with many real life conflicts and feelings such as love, incest,jealousy, and especially greed. The mystery of this book will keep you turning pages all night long; when you finish you'll be dying for more, so dont forget to check out the sequals!

Rating:
Summary: Flowers In The Attic
Review: This book is the best one I have read in ages! Four childeren (Christopher, Cathrine, Cory, and Carrie) are locked away by their selfish mother when their father dies of a hit and run accident. The mother writes a letter to her mother and father, and is excepted back at Foxworth Hall. When she told her childeren that they will be locked in the north wing until their selfish grandfather dies, they agreed to be loyal. Their evil grandmother has too many rules for the childeren to follow. But the attic is their sancutary to them. For Cathy has always wanted to be a dancer and Chris a doctor. Their mother spoils them, and keeps their hopes up by saying soon your grandfather will die and you will be free. But soon the childeren grow more and more mature, and the mother buys them little things still, and Cathy is horrified. Then one night the grandmother does something terrible, and mean to Cathy. For she is jealous of Cathy's beauty! Soon the childeren find ways of keeping themsleves busy, like cutting and a making a garden in the attic! They do some very sinful things, and disobey the grandmother. Their mother soon starts seeing another man by the name of Bart. They get to see their grandfather at the Christmas ball... This is a very exciting book, and will keep you reading until the end! The seires along with this excite you too! Start the horror by reading Flowers In The Attic...

Rating:
Summary: Greatest Book Ever!!!
Review: Flowers in the Attic is the best book I think I have ever read. The plot was very clever and I just couldn't put it down for even a second. I wont read anything not written by V.C. Andrews. Her books are great.