Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

104 reviews

kates_cupcakes's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I went into this book blind and I enjoyed it so much. The story behind it is incredibly bleak and honestly so sad. Not being able to trust your own flesh and blood is an absolute nightmare. Add to that being hidden, going through the onslaught of puberty and becoming a parent to your own siblings is horrific. Don’t parentify your kids!!! I can only imagine the amount of therapy these kids would need after this. The ending was a complete shock that had me gasping at my phone. It truly shocks me that anyone could be as cold and heartless as the grandmother. I don’t know why she is like that but I hope she would heal! The descriptions of the space the children have to live and play in are so vivid that you can imagine yourself in the attic and on the roof with them. I cannot believe how immersed I became in this book when I would listen to it, it was like being in a new world. It’s hard for to recommend because of the content but it is a great classic book! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Abandonment

pricebubbline's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, and Death of parent

Moderate: Child abuse

casparquarius's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

dark, emotional, and challenging are hardly strong enough to explain the feelings it gave me to read and man was it good. intense, mind the content warnings, but I am definitely glad I read it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Vomit

mx0dd's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Incest, Death of parent, and Abandonment

sourday's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i didn't know this book was THIS sad. If i find the story melancholic, i won't read the sequels, but damn, i'm hooked.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

2busyreading's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, and Death of parent

Moderate: Child death, Rape, and Sexual content

Minor: Animal death and Car accident

elisalasater's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, and Abandonment

Moderate: Incest, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Car accident

homebodynate's review against another edition

dark emotional sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

I read this as an adult to see what the hype (i guess???) was about 😑

I feel like this book brings up a lot of heavy topics and interesting ideas - religious trauma, toxic parents, abuse, misogyny etc - only to fumble them so badly. Like Cathy has her entire life uprooted, experiences her mother slowly turning negligent and abusive, finds out about this generational trauma that effects every woman in her family, loses her younger brother and all this other stuff; but the book is so caught up in old school misogyny that it can't really conceptualise an ending for her that isn't still wrapped up in patriarchy and these conservative ideas of how men and women in relationships ought to behave. Like she enters into and then escapes this horrible abusive family but her "happy ending" is just her ending up with another horrible abusive man anyways 😐 and the abuse is like immediately forgiven and excused by the narrative I can't with this.
Also all the incest shit was fuckin weird.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Abandonment

Moderate: Child death, Self harm, and Death of parent

Minor: Car accident

morgue666's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

absolutely devoured this after watching the same 4 and a half hours long youtube video as everyone else. had to dock 0.5 for the rape scene that was much better (imo) as the consensual sex scene in the lifetime adaptation 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Blood, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Rape and Death of parent

Minor: Car accident

giu_lia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I never felt this unconfortable and at the same time enthralled by a novel. I legitimally couldn't stop reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Incest, Rape, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent