| Title | : | If There Be Thorns (Dollanganger, #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0671729454 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780671729455 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 374 |
| Publication | : | First published November 28, 1981 |
If There Be Thorns (Dollanganger, #3) Reviews
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If There Be Thorns (Dollanganger, #3), V.C. Andrews
If There Be Thorns is a novel by Virginia C. Andrews which was published in 1981. It is the third book in the Dollanganger series.
The story takes place in the year 1982. The book is narrated by two half-brothers, Jory and Bart Sheffield.
Jory is a handsome, talented fourteen-year-old boy who wants to follow his mother Cathy in her career in the ballet, while nine-year old Bart, who sees himself as plain and clumsy, feels inferior to his brother.
Bart spends his time in his own world of pretend—often covering bad things that he does with fantasies he creates.
He also has congenital analgesia and cannot feel pain as a result, putting him at serious risk of injury or death by infection.
By now, Cathy and Chris live together as husband and wife. To hide their history, they tell the boys and other people they know that Chris was Paul's younger brother.
Cathy and Chris have a passionate and very loving relationship, described by Bart who has accidentally witnessed encounters between them.
Cathy is a loving mother to her sons, but shows some favoritism towards Jory. Unable to have more children, Cathy adopts Cindy, the two-year-old daughter of one of her former dance students who was killed in an accident.
She longs to have a girl, as well as a child that is hers and Christopher's. Initially against it, Chris comes to accept Cindy, and Jory does as well, but Bart is very upset and resentful.
Lonely from all the attention Jory and Cindy are receiving, Bart befriends the new elderly next door neighbor, who invites him over for cookies and ice cream and encourages him to call her "Grandmother."
Jory eventually goes next door as well to see whom Bart keeps visiting, only to have the old lady tell him that she is actually his grandmother.
Jory initially doesn't believe her, and avoids her at all costs. Bart, on the other hand, soon develops an affectionate friendship with the old woman, and she does her best to give Bart whatever he wants while making Bart promise to keep her gifts—and their relationship—a secret from his mother.
The old lady's butler, John Amos, also seems to befriend Bart, but soon John Amos begins to fill Bart's mind with stories about the sinful nature of women.
John Amos reveals that the old woman is truly Bart's grandmother, Corrine Foxworth Dollanganger. He also gives Bart a diary that belonged to Bart's biological great-grandfather, Malcolm Foxworth, claiming that this journal will help Bart become as powerful and successful as Malcolm.
Bart begins to pretend that he is his great-grandfather, who hated women and was obsessed with their degradation.
He becomes destructive and violent towards his parents and siblings; he kicks Jory in the privates, and even tries to drown Cindy in her baby pool.
Jory's dog, Clover, comes up missing and is later found dead with a piece of barbed wire twisted about his neck.
Bart's family notice the changes but only Jory suspects that the mysterious woman next door is responsible. At the same time, Jory starts to become suspicious of his parents' relationship.
Although amazed by their love, which he describes as intense and affectionate, he notices their family resemblance and wonders why his mother would marry Paul, who was much older than her, before Chris. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز شانزدهم ماه مارس سال 2017میلادی
عنوان: سلسله ی دولانگنگر کتاب سوم: اگر خارهایی وجود داشته باشد؛ نویسنده: ویرجینیا سی اندروز؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 20م
این سری داستانهای «گوتیک» هستند؛ (هنر «گوتیک» سبکی از هنر است، که از سده های میانی میلادی، و در «فرانسه» آغاز شد؛ این شیوه ی هنری، در نیمه دوم سده دوازدهم میلادی، پا گرفت، و تا نیمه ی سده ی شانزدهم میلادی، دوام یافت، و در همه کشورهای اروپایی رواج یافت؛ هنر «گوتیک» شامل «معماری»، «مجسمه سازی»، «نقاشی»، «رنگ آمیزی شیشه ها»، «نقاشی با آبرنگ روی گچ» و «دست نوشته ها» می‌شد)»؛ «باغ سایه ها» پیش داستانی است، که داستان پدربزرگ و مادربزرگ، و چگونگی درگیری آنها را، روایت میکند؛ کتابهای «گلهای زیر شیروانی» و «گلبرگها روی باد (گلبرگهای باد)» روی کودکان تمرکز دارد؛ «کریس»، «کتی»، «کوری» و «کری»، که پس از، از دست دادن پدرشان در یک سانحه، توسط مادر و مادربزرگشان، در «اتاق زیر شیروانی» زندانی میشوند؛ که داستانشان کتاب «گلها در اتاق زیر شیروانی» را میآراید؛ که از زندان، و مرگ یک کودک، سخن میگوید، و در کتاب «گلبرگهای باد» فرار آن سه کودک باقیمانده بازگو شده است؛ و ...؛
کتابهای این سری: «باغ سایه ها»؛ «گلها در اتاق زیرشیروانی»؛ «گلبرگها روی باد (گلبرگهای باد)»؛ «اگر خارهایی وجود داشته باشد»؛ «دانه های دیروز»؛ «دفتر یادمانهای کریستوفر اسرار فوکس ورث»؛ «دفتر یادمانهای کریستوفر پژواکهای دولانگنگر»؛ «برادر محرمانه (پنهانی)»؛ «زیر اتاق زیرشیروانی»؛ «بیرون از اتاق زیرشیروانی»؛ و «سایه های فوکس ورث»؛
در سال 1957میلادی، خانواده «دولانگانگر»، در «گلدستون، پنسیلوانیا» یک زندگی آرام دامداری را، با هم سپری میکنند، تا اینکه آقای «دولانگانگر»، در یک سانحه ی رانندگی درمیگذرد، و همسرش «کورین» را، که دارای چهار فرزند بوده، با بدهیهای خویش گرفتار میکند؛ این خانواده مجبور میشوند، که با والدین ثروتمند «کورین»، که با آنها بیگانه هستند، زندگی کنند؛ با رسیدن به خانه ی اجدادی خانوادگی، در «فوکسورث هال»، «اولیویا»، مادر «کورین»، آنها را، در یک اتاق خواب کوچک، متصل به اتاق زیر شیروانی، پنهان میکند، و از آنها به سردی پیشواز میکند؛ به کودکان گفته میشود که باید از پدربزرگ خود، «مالکوم» پنهان بمانند، و آنها هرگز نمیتوانند، از آن اتاق خارج شوند
دو کودک بزرگتر، «کتی» و «کریس»، کوشش میکنند، اتاق زیر شیروانی را، به یک باغ افسانه ای تبدیل کنند، تا این وضعیت را، برای برادران کوچکترشان، «کری» و «کوری»، قابل تحمل کنند؛ با اینحال، آنگاه که «کورین»، پس از دیدار با پدر و مادرش، بازمیگردد، وحشت میکنند، و میبینند، که او را، به طرز وحشیانه ای، شلاق زده اند؛ «کورین» اذعان میکند، که پدر فرزندانش، که در گذشته برادر ناتنی پدرش بوده، و این محاربه به دلیل دور شدن وی، از والدینش بوده است؛ «کورین» قصد دارد، عشق پدرش را، دوباره به دست بیاورد، و امیدوار است، پس از یافتن راهی، او را به فرزندانش بشناساند؛ ...؛
رمانهای خانم «اندروز» پر است از وحشت، گوتیک، و حماسه و اسرار خانوادگی و عشق ممنوع و ...؛ ایشان در داستانهای «گلها در اتاق زیر شیروانی» و «گلبرگهای باد» روی کودکان تمرکز میکنند؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 18/01/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی -
Book Review
3+ of 5 stars to
If There Be Thorns, the third book in the "Dollanganger" series written in 1981 by
V.C. Andrews. After the first two books, I didn't think you could keep the thrills and suspense going in this series, mostly because one family can only endure so much torture over the years. Surprisingly, I actually found I liked a large part of this book; however, it was a bit excessive and drawn out at times. The story, told from the perspective of Cathy and Chris' kids, continues the saga of the torture from a wicked grandmother and mother, combining religious beliefs and family values. And it's got a Gothic ending to keep readers enthralled the the concept of "payback's a bitch!"
I love the series because it pushes the envelope. This one explores the theme of adoption, when two half brothers explore and learn who their fathers were and who they thought they were. Cathy and Chris are siblings, yet they are in a relationship and raising two kids. Jory and Bart are examples of good and bad growing up in a loving household, but tortured by the past. When Cathy and Chris' mom re-enters the picture, you know something bad is gonna go down. And it takes one of the boys on a trail of vengeance. Mostly unrealistic, the books take you on a little jaunt into the wild imaginations of a tortured family who have done nothing but brought on their own destruction. Yes, some of them are innocent; some cross a line not really intending to harm anyone else. Others are truly out to instill pain, and some are just ill. Finding the balance among the different family members is good entertainment. There really aren't any lessons in these books... just pure drama!
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at
https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators. -
Just remembered that I never wrote a review for this piece of schlock. So...here 'tis.
Meet Jory:
Jory is Cathy's elder son. He's a ballet dancer. He's got a girlfriend. He likes dogs, dancing, & being normal. Jory is a fairly balanced individual, all things considered, which means he's frequently befuddled by the flaming bag of crazypants that is his family.
Now, meet Bart:
Bart is Cathy's younger son, 9 years old & already a sociopath. He abuses animals, threatens his parents at knifepoint, crawls in the dirt, plays with animal shit, & thinks a toddler is trying to seduce him. (No, I'm not kidding.) Bart is absolutely painful to read about, because somehow we're expected to feel sorry for him. Nope. I've got a soft spot for unreliable narrators, but there is NOTHING sympathetic about his whining creepitude. Bart's narration is like American Psycho: The Formative Years.
Approximate reaction to anything Bart says, ever:
The highlight of the book was Cathy's confrontation with her mother & the butler. That was campy, soapy, lolzy gold. The description of her ballet-born kung-fu was brilliant -- you can't find that bizarro randomness anywhere but VC Andrews, & when she's on her game it brings the house down, complete with Charlie's Angels disco musak in the background. Freakin' fabulous.
Alas, the 'villains' were lost in the muddle; an evil butler, cougar grandma, & psycho diary lose their luster compared to the immediacy of Bart's unpalatable nastiness. He's a shining example of someone who needs his spoiled, tantrum-flinging ass smacked to the dirt -- yet none of the other characters are capable of recognizing this simple solution except Jory's austere grandmother (who is awesome in her commanding bitchitude). Truly, the only route to a satisfying conclusion involves Bart being punched in the face.
(Peter has correctly labeled you a loser. GTFO.)
This was a buddy read with Rabbit, & I wouldn't have finished it otherwise -- though part of me was hoping Bart would get hit by a bus, so that propelled incredulous interest to the bitter end. But hey. VICTORY IS OURS! FUCK YOU, BART -- YOU CAN KILL ALL HAPPINESS IN A TWENTY MILE RADIUS, BUT WE SURVIVED!!
...And then it's revealed that he's back in Book 4.
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I saw a quote this week where VC Andrews had said if a book didn't hold her interest she was quick to DNF it and how she made sure her books held the readers attention and I have to say she does achieve this. I'd describe her writing style as frantic, you are literally in a whirlwind of family drama for 400 pages and you can't look away.
Book three in a series and you really do need to read the previous two to have any idea what's going on here, without the back story this will read way weirder than the weird its meant to be.
As per the previous two books this one is filled with every drama and trope possible and its very chaotic but i'm enjoying the craziness, its easy reading that makes you feel like you're on acid and definitely takes you away from real life. -
No matter how chaotic one’s life can be, running away can sometimes only make things worse. Chris and Cathy have tried to do this, fleeing the horrors of South Carolina and Virginia for the wonders of California. With Bart and Jory alongside them, Cathy’s boys are ready to enjoy a quieter life. While both know their fathers have passed on, neither Bart nor Jory realise that Chris is not their true step-father—the story they have been told—and that their mother has been fostering numerous secrets from her past. When a wealthy woman moves in next door, both boys develop an interest in learning more about their neighbour. This veiled and elderly woman seems to have a full complement of staff, including a curt butler who keeps them away from the wall separating the properties. Never one to let a wall deter him, Bart develops a relationship with the woman, who asks that he call her ‘grandmother’, seeking gifts and promises at every turn. When Bart is not in the presence of the mistress of the house, the wily butler seeks to advise Bart that this woman is actually his mother’s mother and that the Foxworth family has many secrets about which the boys ought to know. Bart is presented with a journal from his great-grandfather, Malcolm Foxworth, the patriarch from the original novel in the series who started much of the chaos that has created issues for the past few decades. Bart begins to exhibit highly troubling behaviours, at times thinking himself Malcolm reincarnated. As Chris and Cathy become concerned about Bart’s behaviour, they welcome a new addition to the family, adopting young Cindy, creating a new and interesting dynamic in the household. When Jory and Bart are told the truth about Chris and Cathy’s connection, the understanding that the incestuous relationship has been building for years. Torn about how to feel about the revelations, Jory must help extract Bart from the clutches of their grandmother and keep the Foxworth past from tainting their bucolic life in California. However, as the series fan will know, when it comes to the Dollangangers and Foxworths, nothing is done smoothly or without dramatic flair. As the narrative builds and all secrets are revealed, someone will have to pay as both sides wrestle for control of Jory and Bart and the blood history coursing through their veins. Another interesting addition by V.C. Andrews that presents some interesting loose threads for the final novel chronological novel in the series. I’ll have to see how it ends, if only to quell my curiosity. Series fans may enjoy this one, though some may begin to wonder if things have stretched past their plausible limits.
As V.C. Andrews continues to spin the web that is this series, she seeks to add depth for her readers. While one must understand that the series remains part of the ‘young adult horror’ genre, the plots have not been too vapid, nor are they as sexually shocking as in the previous two novels. Still, Andrews seems to branch out and create storylines for two characters from the next generation of Dollanganger offspring. Jory and Bart take the reins of narrative control in this piece, permitting the reader to explore their lives as the struggles they both possess. Jory has some understanding of his past, but was duped into believing that his mother was mostly virtuous after his own father’s death years ago. He is also the moral compass as he tries to steer clear of the woman next door, who gives off a vibe of awkwardness and eerie darkness. His own life is that of a dancer, though he can see his younger brother becoming more and more troublesome. Bart, on the other hand, knows little about the torment that his own conception and birth brought to the family. Series fans will know that Bart’s birth was part of a complex tug-of-war between Cindy and her mother, trying to lure the same man into their own lives. Now, Bart seems highly susceptible to the wiles of both his maternal grandmother and her sadistic butler, who wants to create a new Malcolm Foxworth. As Chris and Cindy remain staples in the story, other than the revelation of their ongoing incestuous actions, they play a smaller part of the overall plot. Still, there are some struggles they face with their three children. Many others make appearances throughout to thicken the plot, though much of the story relates to learning more bout Malcolm’s past, which may shed a great deal of light on the highly religious and strict moral code that Chris and Cindy faced as children. Perhaps the least dramatic or shocking of the three books to date, Andrews still takes readers on a rollercoaster ride throughout and tries to plant new and interesting offshoots in the major plot of her series. With some of the drastic goings-on towards the end of the book, there is no doubt the final novel in the chronological aspect of the series will have much to solve, keeping curious readers enthralled and wondering. In a series that seems to spark much nostalgia for many readers, I am interested to let my adult sensibilities act as a literary sieve to offer some modern sentiments.
Kudos, Madam Andrews, for keeping me wondering throughout this piece. I know some feel things have gone too far off the rails to be plausible, but some suspension of reality is surely expected by you to keep the plots fresh and surprising.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... -
I'm going to copy and paste this to all of them!!!! I feel like I have to justify this and all of the other V. C. Andrews books on my list!! I read these when I was young and loved them! My sister and I poured through them- they were obviously trashy for our age (probably the appeal) but mom let us read ANYTHING- as long as we were readung she was ok with it! And that paied off- because both my sister and I still read for pleasure daily. You can't beat it! Hey- and why be a book snob???
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I made a V. C. Andrews' meme jpg today!
(Link:
https://vampirekiki.deviantart.com/ar...)
Too bad I can't make a colored version.
I always think the Dollanganger series and My Sweet Audrina are Ms. Andrews' best works, still I was afraid I wouldn't enjoy If There Be Thorns much because the summary makes the story sound so over-the-top melodramatic.
However, I'm delighted to find I enjoy the story, though the story is still quite melodramatic (you can't escape melodramas when you're reading Ms. Andrews' works) but it is a melodrama exercised in a good way, the part I like best is how the brothers react to their parents' scandalous past and secrets after they slowly learn those secrets. 4 stars. -
I couldn't wait to start part 3 of the series. It was really different because this book is written out of the eyes of Jory and Bart (the children of Cathy) and so we see the story in a another way, then part 1 and 2. After I got used to this way of writing, I started to love this book. It was a good sequel and it had a good ending. It is a good story even though it is over a very controversial subject (incest). I do however hope Bart will turn a little more normal in the next book, but we will see. You never know with VC Andrews. I give it a well earned 4 points up to part 4.
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I'm not going to rate this, because I couldn't finish it - it's not like the previous two in the series. I just don't care about Cathy and Christopher's children.
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"If There Be Thorns" is the third installment in the Dollanganger series and, in my opinion, the weakest link of the saga.
My main problem with the book is not so much the storyline, but the fact that the story is told from the perspectives of fourteen-year-old Jory (Cathy's son with Julian) and nine year-old Bart (Cathy's son with Bart Winslow). While it's easy to sympathize with Jory - - his confusion over finding out his parents' true identities and the true character of his biological father, it is almost impossible to relate to Bart. His character is nothing short of depraved.
When you cannot relate to your narrator, you know you're going to have problems.
Overall, the story is passable. Chris and Cathy are now in their late thirties, some years after leaving South Carolina, at the end of "Petals on the Wind". They live in California, under the guise of a doctor and his wife, raising her two children. One day, the lights in the abandoned mansion "next door" go on and a mysterious woman in black appears. This is where the story seems to go downhill.
It's obvious that the woman is the much hated mother of Chris and Cathy - - and why neither of them figure it out until the end is questionable. Having the character of John Amos Jackson reappear from "Flowers in the Attic" as working for the mystery woman seems just an excuse to bring more lunacy into the story.
Jory seems to be the only grounding in the story, but how much excitement can a fourteen-year-old generate?
I think the story might have been better served if it had been told from Cathy and Chris' viewpoints, as the previous tales were.
I have to give it three stars for the effort and for continuing a beloved series. But compared to the previous two books, it's somewhat of a letdown. -
I love this Book 3. It's narrated by the son of the protagonist. As usual, like what the title suggests, his life is filled with thorns.
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ETA (11/21/16): Buddy Read with Sarah!
ETA (11/23/16): Read Sarah's review
here.
My re-read of this book was interesting, and not always in a good way. There were some really hilarious lolzy scenes that were fucked up. (It's VC, so you get what you know is coming). I think the most flawed part of the book was Bart- I mean the kid was a little shit. If they were trying to go for the sympathetic for the villain trope, they should have toned down his character more.
I feel so bad for Cindy, Jory, and Apple, and all the other animals tbh.
Bart, get thee to a hospital. (Honestly why didn't Chris hospitalize him, he's a Dr and should have seen the signs).
^^^^
Sarah and I the whole entire book in our txts. LOL
I (probably) won't be re-reading this one.
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[Original review]
Review to come. Wow...
EDIT: This book was cracktastic. I mean we have everything from scheming butler, to a narcissistic personality child. We also have Chris and Cathy still rocking their incest love. Carine showed up because she can't get off this crazy train. I will be reading the next book soon enough. This series is so bad it's awesome.
Can we give this series a round of applause. -
I didn't think this series could get more disturbing, but it most certainly does. Unlike the first two installments of this tragedy, this volume is told from the point of view of Cathy Dollanganger's two sons, to an eerie effect. We see from the outside how Cathy struggles with the traumas of her childhood and how PTSD has affected her decision-making abilities. It's really heartbreaking.
The other theme of this novel is how family secrets will surface no matter to what lengths people go to hide them. Those secrets are a poison and children are very susceptible to its ingestion -- I actually related a lot to this aspect of the story since I went through a very similar thing in my own life.
Though these books aren't offering me much in the way of inspiration for my novels, I'm absolutely captivated and can't wait for the final two books in the series to arrive. Although, I do also have a morbid sense of dread to finish out this saga. I don't imagine there's a happy ending in any of these characters' futures. -
This book was a hot mess....And I loved it!
I read a review that said this book "went off the rails"
but come on y'all!
The Dollanganger series was never on the rails, so how could it go off them.
Nothing in If There Be Thorns is realistic but that's what makes it great!
Who wants to read about real life during these times we're living through?
I want to read some messy shit!
I want to laugh out loud at how wild this family is.
If There Be Thorns is book 3 in The Dollanganger series which started with Flowers in the Attic. That book is about 4 siblings who are forced to live in their grandparents attic and its a wild ride y'all!
V.C. Andrews isn't for everyone. Her stories are dark and usually include abuse and/or incest. But Andrews sure knew how to tale a story.
No rec because either you're a V.C. Andrews fan or you're not! -
3.5 ⭐️
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*3.5*
Sinceramente no sé como sentirme con respecto al libro.
De verdad.
Es oscuro de una manera diferente a los otros dos.
La familia francamente esta enferma.
Mi único rayito de luz es Jory.
Cathy yo siempre te voy a apoyar con Chris.
BART... Bueno.... maldito niño, ojalá te mueras -
Eramos pocos, y parió la abuela.
(Nunca mejor dicho) -
Didn't like this one.
This story felt like it was all over the place a far cry from flowers in the attic. -
This book doesn't have the same feel as FitA or PotW, but is still a wonderful book, and it helps to explain some of the shit that happened in the previous books, through the introduction of Malcolm Foxworth's diary. People wonder why Malcolm was the way he was, and Bart's reading of his journal helps to shed some light in why the Foxworth bloodline became so twisted and why Malcolm treated/saw women the way he did.
The previous 2 books were told entirely from Cathy's perspective, and not including the prologue of FITA, or the epilogue of POTW, covers about 15 years (1957 to 1973, said prologue covered the early 50s, the epilogue touched on the late 70's/early 80's) and it made sense to have Cathy narrate these two books, but for this one, the narrative shifts to her two sons.
The storyline focuses on Jory and Bart and the narrative alternates between them, and how they come to know the old lady next door - and her dark secret, and how Malcolm's madness continued to live on. Bart can be a real brat at times, but considering his place in the family and how inferior he feels compared to his handsome, talented older brother, or the little girl his parents adopt later in this book, one can see how he could be tempted to the dark side, so to speak. Fans will have mixed reactions to this book, but I think it was worth telling and the fact that the boys, instead of Cathy, narrating this book made sense given the content and story. -
Începe să mă plictisească foarte, foarte rău seria asta, în special Cathy, care este în continuare plină de ură, deși este înconjurată de iubire. Dacă la început nu m-a deranjat ideea de incest deoarece Chris și Cathy erau doar niște copii lipsiți de norme și constrângeri sociale, acum mi se pare bolnavă ideea și nu pricep cum poate fi considerată dragoste.
,,Și un secret dezvăluit nu avea nici cea mai mică valoare.''
,,Deci așa era dragostea veșnică, distrugea tot ce-i stătea în cale.''
,,Răul nu putea să supraviețuiască în lumina puternică a adevărului nepătat, oricât de neverosimil ar putea părea cei care nu cred.'' -
The third book in the Dollanger series. I always promise myself that if there is a series of books, i will read them all, no exception. There is one more book in the series, but i think i will take a break from incest and rape. Virginia Andrews obviously knew how to turn something that is obviously revolting into some kind of love story. No matter how bad your childhood was, no excuse for incest.
Having said that, the book is not too bad. It focuses now on Cathy's children, Jory and Bart, from their point of view. The previous book ended with Cathy and Chris's mother ending up in a mental institution, this is how i would picture her
Poor thing, well deserved for trying to kill her children.
We begin with Bart, the son of Cathy and her mother's second husband Bart Winslow. By getting pregnant with her stepfather, she tries to get revenge on her mother for locking them up in the attic in "Flowers in the attic" But he turns out to be a little monster with no conscience, or just really confused. He tries to ruin and sabotage the family. But i do not entirely blame him. I mean karma is a bitch. He has a strange ailment with his skin, which makes him clumsy, and breaks everything in his path, well, mostly. He may be misunderstood, but at the end of the book, it turns out he is really evil like his great grandfather. I don't know if i should feel sorry for him, but i would stay away from someone like him. He seems confused, and obviously he was influenced a lot by his grandmothers butler/husband. He is awkward and shy, which is more dangerous. maybe "devils issue" LOL. Religion is a big theme here, which i will get to later. He is brainwashed, and repeatedly told how bad his mother and "stepdad" or rather uncle is.
Then there is Julian "Jory" Janus Marquet, the bright, talented older brother of Bart, fathered by Julian Marquet, a famous ballet dancer and Cathy's first husband. He is the darling child of the family, who is a gifted dancer and following in his mother and father's footsteps. He cares for his family and loves his brother. He is the sanest, in my opinion, in this family. He is caring, loving, compassionate. A complete opposite of his brother. This is what he more or less would like in my opinion. Basically just a good person.
The grandmother in black. She is back. Released from the institute, Cathy and Chritopher's mother decides to live next to them, she feels remorse and needs redemption from what she has done. Things get tangled when she befriends Bart, her grandson. She takes care of him, and gives him everything he wants. She wants to be forgiven and be part of the family. Eventually there is a confrontation, it does not end well with her.
A very interesting read, i liked it, but the subject of rape and incest needs a break now. I still cant understand how a brother and sister can live a married life, but i guess Virginia wanted us to think, and and debate. But obviously this reminds me of Jerry Springer, sorry. But all in all a good book, with interesting turns.
PS: My first time using pics, will somehow learn how to incorporate GIF Images.....
You learn every day :-)
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I read the VC Andrews Flower in The Attic series as a young teenager. After reading the other reviews I was struck by the fact that so many people had commented that they weren’t allowed to read these books or had to hide them from their parents and/or teachers.
I don’t remember my mother ever having a problem with me reading these books, in fact, I’m sure she must have purchased them for me. As long as I was reading, she was fine with it. I don’t however remember them being quite as scandalous as people are making them out to be. There were certainly some plot twists and turns, and some scandal – but that’s what makes them a good / cheap thrill read. Maybe if I’d had to hide them I would have thought they were far more scandalous.
Here’s what I remember – Flowers in the Attic was far and away the strongest book in the series, but the fact that the story continued into other books was appealing. I was curious to find out what happened to Chris and Cathy and the evil grandmother. The “creep” factor is what kept the pages turning – the number of times Cathy is raped, the incest, the arsenic poisoning, the escape, etc.
Maybe they are really scandalous and I’ve just been tainted by real life for the past decade or so. Back then, you just didn’t hear about kids bringing guns to school or murdering their parents. Back then Michael Jackson wasn’t a child molester, the twin towers were still standing and Bin Laden wasn’t a household name. When I consider it like this I think perhaps now would be the time to reread them, and get lost in the escapism that they offer.
But there’s another part of me that thinks rereading them now would be a big mistake. It doesn’t sound like the writing is all that great – what with overly descriptive paragraphs, and the piles of long flowing golden hair and all. I’m afraid that I’d end up hating them and I’d like to keep VC Andrews as one of my not-so-guilty childhood pleasures. So I’m basing my ratings on what I thought of them back in the early 90’s, as an impressionable tween, who’s biggest ‘real world’ problem was getting out of washing the dishes, or passing a math test. -
I read through about 70% of this book and finally gave up, feeling my brain starting to daze and hurt, like I was having a mental diarrhea from stuffing my face with too much VC Andrews in too short of a time. Teaches me to read so much garbage.
This book was nowhere near as consuming as the first two. The writing is about the same - bad, but at least not abysmal, and is easy to read. But none of the characters were compelling; I tried and tried to like Bart, since he's the only character that has any hope of capturing my interest and sympathy, but Andrews's treatment of him didn't help at all. His narrative was dry and, honestly, mildly retarded. Anyway, I finally felt my brain starting to vomit and decided I had to quit before my brain cells died of malnourishment. Still I wanted to know what happens; thank god for Wikipedia. For the rest of the series, I simply read the plot summaries.
That said, a part of me wish I'd read the last book, which focuses on the grandmother - the most interesting character in the first book. I had always suspected that she had a compelling backstory, and it was good to finally know what happened to her.
All in all, the first book was good, the second book was a true page-turner, and the third book failed to keep my interest, as much as I hate to give up a book I was so close to finishing. I don't think I'd read VC Andrews again, but I did really enjoy most of what I read. -
3.5 stars
“If we could survive the worst, doesn’t it stand to reason we should be able to bear the best?”
Of course there's tragedy with this series, but there's also something bizarrely beautiful. It's a mesmerizing series, not perfect but hard to get out of once you dig in. It would be a shame to just read Flowers In The Attic and not continue the series - even if the original was the best, the sequels feed into each other, making the story richer.
I went back and forth between 3 and 4 stars. Sometimes it was as fascinating as the others, impossible to put down, but other times it felt a little repetitive and some magic was lost through the brother's points of views. While the weakest of the original four, it's still worth reading and makes the garden that much more haunting.
Bart goes from adorable when he pretends to be cowboys and animals, funny when he hates everything, pitiful when he feels like the loner and sore thumb of the family, to obnoxious when he keep repeating his bad behavior, until finally downright creepy - especially that last page with the potent final paragraph.
Jory is the good brother but rather boring. It makes sense he'd be drawn to dance, but he doesn't stand out much otherwise.
Since it's not through Cathy's viewpoint, she and Chris seem a little less real and sympathetic. She came across more of a harpy Chris was rooted to half the time, deranged with a vicious mouth, but the attic lure was intriguing in the beginning. Chris just kind of seems there - I always loved him in the other books but he's kind of a shadow on the wall this time. I didn't sense the depth of their affections as deeply.
I'm trying to place the maid Emma. It seems she may have been in Petals or something with how familiar she is with the situation, but I can't place her. The grandmother - dare I say I actually felt bad for the mother in this book. I believe she's finally repentant and realizes how horrible she was. Sometimes the small manipulation comes out, especially talking to Chris, but I felt for her parts of the time. John is sinister, sure, but he's also a cartoon cardboard, bringing to this book more of a cheap feel.
The book doesn't have as much melodrama as some of the others, but it is more unconvincing. The parents should have been more curious about the neighbor after Jory's first slip. They did seem rather oblivious and didn't investigate as they should have. Also, Chris didn't follow up with Bart enough after he knew about the neighbor's real identity. He told her to keep him away, he told Bart to stay away, but Bart still kept going over there and Chris basically ignored it.
The animal stuff was tragic-sad and the hardest thing about the book to stomach.
Even though its length rivals the others, it didn't have a strong enough story to continue this long. Too much repetition with Bart's actions, confusion, and going back and forth to remorseful child and then demented monster-spawn. It grew old after awhile.
The ending was awesome, though. An art of forgiveness and coming clean, the irony of the two trapped together in the end, that act of redemption...and finally to Cathy's viewpoint for the last chapter. The ending was the best part of the book.
Overall, this isn't perfect but it's still enjoyable for a series that can never be rivaled with its pure Gothic tones, tragic family saga storylines, and inventive twists. Definitely one of the most haunting series written. -
I enjoyed this book and its craziness. I think this has been my favorite in the series so far. I like that the narration shifted to the two sons because I found Cathy's perspective pretty annoying in the last book. I found Bart hilarious. I love that he's a total psychopath and no ones seems very concerned. He may or may not have killed multiple animals because they didn't love him enough, he constantly stabs at people with his knife, he hobbles around like an old man; he is a whole lot of crazy, but it's fun because you never know what he's gonna do next. Since the mother's story arch seems to be over, I have a feeling the brothers will play heavily in the future books, which I look forward to reading.
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Como el anterior, ha sido como ver un choque de trenes. Sabes que va al desastre, pero no puedes dejar de mirar. Y sin embargo, no me ha terminado de gustar tanto como el primero, creo que si la autora lo hubiera dejado ahí, era suficiente.
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The first book to this, Flowers in the Attic gave me a good impression. Flowers in the Attic was about how a mother lost her husband in a horrible car crash. Her and her four children felt lost. Cory and Carrie were the two youngest twins and Christopher and Cathy were the oldest being teenagers. Seeking for help Corrine, their mother reaches out to their grandmother. They had lost touch for many many years all because of one reason. Corrine had married her half uncle and her parents refused to except her as their own after finding out. Corrine's parents are very rich and when she "turned her back" on her parents they no longer kept her in the will for the money that she would inherit. And let me just say that her parents are very religious. I mean VERY. They count lots of things as being a sin. So her father is on the brink of death and is supposed to be dying any day but she has to gain his trust back so her and her kids will get money. They wouldn't be able to afford anything without corrine's husband. Corrine has to hide her children/ keep them a secret in order to gain her father's trust back.
Their grandmother ends up keeping them locked up in the attic. They stay in the attic for THREE years. Their mother almost completely forgets them. She ends up lying about her father. He dies much sooner than she said and she's out having fun and buying things while are kids are in the attic. They aren't aloud to leave the attic, go by the windows, or go outside. They have to follow a series of rules or the grandmother will punish them. She is very mean and strict. She starves them to death, cuts Cathy's hair, and beats them with a whip. That's not the only things she does though. That doesn't even began to desribe what they went though. They go through so much and their mother was apart of it. She knew what was happening but yet she did nothing. She was just focused on her self. But anyways with Cathy and Christopher being teenagers in all they had hormones going and couldn't help but fall in love with each other. I know that sounds gross but the book is very good and it's really interesting. So I would definitely recommend this book.
That's not even all of it. That was just what they went though in the first book. This one was the third book. In the second book that was all about their life after they escaped the Attic. And you ask why they didn't try to escape sooner? They had their reasons. They kept believing in their mother, that one day something would happen, and they were kids they didn't have a plan or nowhere to go. But one event leads them to leaving the attic and finally escaping.
So in this current book they are 37 years old. And Cathy has three children. They keep getting haunted from the past. I was just explaining the first book to anyone who was curious and didn't read that one yet. Anyways they have to try and find a way to keep their secret of them being together away from the kids. But it ends up being really difficult. And guess who comes back? Their mother. There are lots of things in between that happen. It is described in such great detail. There are also movies that goes along with these books. There was one made in 1987 that you may have watched or there are newer ones like in 2017 it came out. But you should definitely read the books. They are worth your time. -
God these books are sick..... I love it! The way cathys sons are us like karma... i read this series about a year ago and the story is still fresh!... everything that happened keeps your head spinning in circles... as for the rest of the series, you'll be sorry if you don't finish it as well as continue on with this author. I know I am ecstatic that I did.... V.C Andrews is one of many favorite authors mostly for the fact that she writes stories that you never want to end.... if you read it let me know what you think :-D
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Dear V.C. Andrews,
What possessed you to ?
You disgust me.
Sincerely,
MissBeckaGee
