Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Flores en el ático by V.C. Andrews

11 reviews

hue's review against another edition

dark

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.25

Well, that was truly something huh. Not sure how I'll melt that but I'm glad I picked it up. One twisted telling of a seemingly perfect family that implodes the moment the Father falls into the hands of death. A lot of topics that aren't easy to melt are delt with in this book, what about child abuse and gaslighting, incest born children doing incesty things, kids being deprived from the contact of other human beings aside from their siblings and their grandmother, as well as an occasional visit from their fairly narcissistic mother. Definitely as horrid as been told.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Body shaming, Car accident, Emotional abuse, and Incest

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.0

I decided to read this cult classic because my mom told me several years ago that it was the first book she remembers really enjoying. I was skeptical, because like many, all I had ever heard about this book was that there was an incestuous relationship depicted in it. However, what I actually read wasn't simply a story about a brother and sister hooking up. That is a thing within the pages, but it is truly a small, small aspect. It is a book that explores child abuse, trauma bonds, and asks the question: just how cruel will a person be in the name of fortune? how far will they go? what makes the world go 'round, love or money? I honestly think that this book is a haunting example of just how cruel humanity can be and there are so many discussions to be had.

Having said that, the writing itself isn't that great. The story itself had me hooked from page one though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Animal death, Body horror, Car accident, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Confinement, Incest, and Animal cruelty

bookrecsanddnfs's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

2.0

At first, after seeing that my library only had the first book on Libby and not the entire series, I was sad. I wanted to re-read the entire series that I loved so much at 11 years old. 

After re-reading the first book as an adult, I am very grateful that my library only had the first book on Libby. 

Marked safe. 2 stars for nostalgia.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Incest, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Child death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Death of parent

Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, Medical content, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Rape, Torture, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

4.0

This was a really interesting book to read and imagine young gals reading this years ago. Because god, is it intense. I was prepared for the incest, but not for the

assault </>, and I think it's really interesting to consider the author kind of excusing it and the time and ideas in which she was raised. I'm probably going to keep reading this book series, but def f Christopher. He can fall off a cliff.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Rape, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Classism, Incest, Child abuse, Confinement, and Abandonment

Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Cancer, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcohol, Body shaming, Animal cruelty, Murder, Pregnancy, Animal death, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, and Self harm

bashsbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-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? No

4.5

Honestly, My Sweet Audrina will always be the darling of my VC Andrews heart. But I still greatly enjoyed Flowers in the Attic, and I completely understand why people love it. Andrews is a master at the gothic novel, and even when she is predictable, it's just so compelling that you have to keep reading. Cathy is a fascinating narrator, and I could write a dissertation on the impact of her first-person perspective alone - and then a whole second one about Christopher's character development.

I am interested to see how much Andrews' writing will hold up outside of a confined space in Petals on the Wind.

Also, what the fuck is up with how Simon & Schuster reprints are marketed? The covers suck and the tagline for this book -"The Classic Story of Forbidden Love" - seems wildly off-target. Yes, there is sibling incest, but I wouldn't say that's the primary thing that this about.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Incest, Murder, Physical abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Minor: Eating disorder, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Cursing, Fatphobia, and Racism

ceilisbookshelf's review against another edition

1.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Incest, and Religious bigotry

mbryo's review against another edition

dark tense medium-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

3.5

The author wrote so passionately in defense of incest you'd think they were incestuous themself 😭 VERY well-written though, and a compelling (albeit nauseating) read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Violence, Emotional abuse, Incest, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Rape, Child abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Child death, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Torture, Abandonment, Murder, and Cannibalism

Minor: Ableism, Medical content, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Death of parent, Excrement, Pregnancy, Sexism, Body shaming, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment

blacksnakering's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.25

I think this book grapples with a lot of very mature themes, but covers them all very well without being overly graphic. That said though, I would recommend any readers who know themselves to not have a strong stomach for horror to veer away from this story. While the book is not really horror in nature, it carries many elements from the genre. Unlike horror, there is a persistent theme of hope in this story, and of the great determination that these children are able to have. While I would call this somewhat of a survival story though, it is less similar to The Hatchet and more like Lord of the Flies.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Rape, Incest, Child abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Sexual content, Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm

Minor: Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Death of parent

kittykat398's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Abandonment, Incest, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape

beccammartin's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

So haunting, and it hurts to read~ other than the long bouts of expose it was a fantastic thriller.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Vomit