Ashley+A

=Ashley A's 9th Grade Book Review=

Flowers in the Attic by V. C. Andrews is a heartbreaking tale about four children facing terrors at the hands of their grandmother and mother while locked away in one room for over three years after the death of their father. The children are told they must hide for only a little while. Believing that their mother would let them out soon, they tried to follow their grandmother’s strict rules. During the course of their imprisonment Momma stops visiting, they are beaten, starved, and poisoned. When a child dies, the narrator realizes they can only depend on themselves an they make plans to escape even if it means giving up on the goals that has helped them find comfort during the last 3 years. This is well written; however, V. C. Andrews tended to draw this out a bit at times. You are left wondering the motives of the grandmother, Mother’s motives are easier to understand but her actions don’t always make sense. You are often frustrated with the naivety of the 2 older children and their failure to act sooner. However, you must remember these are only children of 15, 12, and 5 who believe their mother loves them and will protect them. Those wanting the “bad guys” punished and the “good guys” to live happily ever after will be disappointed as there is little confrontation in this book. The good news is this is only the first book in a series and answers will be given in V. C. Andrews’ subsequent novels (Petals on the Wind, If There Be Thorns, Seeds of Yesterday, and Garden of Shadows) I would recommend these books to others that enjoy this type of horror story that causes the reader to argue with the characters and themselves, but I feel compelled to warn about the incestuous relationships and the lack of any true happy ending which may be too disturbing to some readers.