Flowers in the Attic - Virginia Andrews

Normally I don’t have much time for reading books “for fun” as I’d put it, doing a degree in English Literature means that most of the books I read are for academic purposes and not always the most enjoyable. However over Christmas I decided to treat myself and read something simply because I wanted to and not because I had to! Being too lazy to actually go and buy a book or borrow one from a library I had a root around in my friend’s room and came across “Flowers in the Attic” by Virginia Andrews. As it was either this or some trashy chick lit with the oh so typical story of girl meets boy, girl falls in love, etc. I decided this was the best bet to stop me becoming ...  Read the complete review

Virginia Andrews, Queen of all things melodramatic and secretive, was sadly never the kind of author to gain much in terms of accolades. The intellectual snobbery so often present in literary circles has meant that her work has been deemed too trashy to merit any real praise. To that, I say ‘bollocks!’…‘scuse my French. ‘Flowers in the Attic’, as the first novel in the five part Dollanganger series, begins the journey of Christopher, Cathy, Cory and Carrie; the four ill-fated Dollanganger children. Based loosely, and I stress loosely, upon a true story, this novel tells the tragic tale of children sacrificed by their mother in the name of greed. In short, ...  Read the complete review

'Flowers in the attic' is a book written by Virginia Andrews and is the first in a trilogy of books that she has written. I read this one when I was younger but found it on the shelf when we were on holiday. It was so compelling that I read the whole thing within 24 hours! The story tells of a fairy tale family, the Dollanganger's who have a lovely home and a lovely life until one day the father doesn't return home. Eventually two police officers knock on the door and inform the family that he died in a tragic accident. The perfect family life comes crashing down and the mother, Corrine decides to leave the family home with the four children and return to live ...  Read the complete review

When my friend told me that Virginia Andrews novel send chills through the spine, I had to laugh at the dramatic expression on her face. But when I finally picked up her first book, I have to admit that chilling is the rightful expression for this novel. This book is the first in the Dollanger Series, and the very first novel Virginia Andrews ever wrote. In all the books I have read and studied, I have never, ever encountered one such as Flowers in the Attic. The story is about The Dollanger family who is quite happy with the addition of twins to their family until the father dies. The mother decides to go and live with her own mother, a rich old and ...  Read the complete review

This book is apparently based on a true story and begins the journey of the Dollanganger family through the horror of the death of the father, to their move to Foxworth Hall (the home of the mother's family). For financial reasons the mother, Corrine, decides to relocate her 4 children, Christopher 12, Cathy 10 and twins Carrie and Cory 4, to Foxworth Hall. Upon their arrival the children are shepherded to a room near the attic by their grandmother (a tremendously scary and deeply religious woman). It turns out the mother, Corrine hasn't told her father that she has 4 children, because their father was her half uncle, so they stay in the ...  Read the complete review