Book: Flowers in the Attic
Author: V.C. Andrews
Genre: Gothic Fiction
Page Count: 411
Personal Rating: 5/5
Beautiful. They had the perfect, beautiful life- a nice home in a wonderful neighborhood, with a beautiful set of parents who loved each other almost as much as they loved their four beautiful children. That was, until a terrible tragedy struck the Dollanganger's at their very core, forcing them to flee their beautiful life and stray into a terribly ugly reality, where children Chris, Cathy, Cory and Carrie are locked away in a tiny, cramped attic at the hands of their evil grandmother. They were promised it would only be for a night, but when a night turned into a week, and weeks started turning into years, the children began wondering if they would ever escape the dusty, dark attic they've learned to call home.
Okay guys, let me just say... WOW. I wasn't expecting to love this book as much as I did. I know I've only read 3 books so far in 2018, but Flowers in the Attic has definitely been my favorite thus far. From the very beginning, this book grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go.
There are a few key points I'd like to hit, so let's start with chapter 1. Without giving away any spoilers, I'd like to say... somebody pass the tissues! I've only cried TWICE while reading (The Fault in Our Stars by John Greene being the first...) but boy did I bawl. I always say, if a book can make somebody cry (especially somebody like me, who never cries while reading...) then they've accomplished something a lot of authors never can! From the very beginning, as tears streamed down my face while I simultaneously stuffed my mouth with chips (I'm a stress eater, okay?) I knew this book was going to be a good one. And you know what? Not only did I cry once, but TWICE (if you've read the book, you'll know the 'other' time I'm referring to.. *tear*)
The second point I'd like to talk about is about the point of view the book was written in. I LOVE how she wrote from Cathy's perspective. Her thoughts, her feelings, her relationship she had with her siblings... everything was perfectly described. The author did a wonderful job building the characters. Every person in this novel had a personality, a voice and a role that was uniquely their own!
My favorite character, you ask? That's a tough question. It's a tie between Cathy and Chris. I love how you see Chris grow from a naïve optimistic brother who wants nothing more than his mother's love, into a young man who will do anything to protect his family. Cathy, on the other hand, always seemed mature for her age. She wasn't stupid, naïve or anything in between. She had a way of seeing things for what (and who) they really were, no matter how painful or disbelieving the truth may have been. The person Chris turned into was the person Cathy was from the beginning: strong, independent and not easily fooled, but also loving and sympathetic. She carried with her the determination of someone who refused to give up, no matter how horrible or downright wrong their situation became.
My least favorite character? Oh, that's an easy one. THE MOTHER. I knew there was something off about her from the beginning. I don't care what the situation calls for, any mother who is willing to leave their children locked in an attic for weeks on end (or even days) should be ashamed of themselves. As Cathy often wondered, what if a fire broke out? Or somebody became ill, or hurt themselves? Every time she spoke, something didn't feel right, because... who would do that? She made up every excuse under the sun and it just made me dislike her even more.
Has anyone seen the movies? Are they any good? (I'm nervous about watching them because I'm so picky about book-film adaptations!) I know I will eventually, I'm just going to wait until I finish reading the series!
So here's a few questions: Do you think the butler knew about the children this whole time? (From what he said to the maid, I'm starting to believe he did.) I have a feeling he's going to have a more important role in the following books, but we'll see. Also, do you think it was the mother's, the grandfather's or the grandmother's idea to keep the children locked in the attic? (At first, they made it seem like it was all the grandparents fault, but now I'm not so sure.) PLEASE no spoilers! I haven't read any of the other books in this series, so please, don't ruin it for me :) Thanks for reading!
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