Book Review: Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have no idea what made my pick this book off the library shelf...I read it when I was in high school. I guess I wanted to see if I still thought it was as racy as I did then. I don't.

The story itself is still gripping- circumstances force four children to become locked in a bedroom, at the mercy of their unloving grandmother. The moments of happiness they eke out are sweet, and the tragedies become even sadder as their mother withdraws farther into her new life.

I remember this book being thoroughly shocking when I was teenager, filled with sex and ongoing incest. From an adult and parental perspective, the abuse and neglect seem more shocking to me now. The "constant" sex is, in reality, one brief scene that is not described in detail.

The entire story is presented as being written by one the children as an adult- a memoir of sorts. So before the horrors even begin, the reader knows at least someone survived to tell the tale. I'll be picking up the next book in the series- Petals on the Wind- to see how they fare after an unbelievable childhood.

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