Dollanganger Boxed Set: Flowers in the Attic / If There Be Thorns / Petals on the Wind / Seeds of Yesterday / Garden of Shadows(Dollanganger, #1-5)

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Garden of Shadows (Dollanganger #1-5)

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 2,211 ratings · 105 reviews

Including a free poster of the family tree for the Dollanger Saga, this set features Flowers in the Attic, If There Be Thorns, Petals on the Wind and Seeds of Yesterday.

Boxed Set

Published August 15th 1991 by Pocket Books (first published 1979)

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Dec 14, 2012 Bernie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was griped by the story when I read the first book Flowers in the Attic. After that I had to read the rest of the series. It is not a heart warming tale and shows how dark some religious people's souls are to children by treating them with such indifference. By regarding them as the "Spourn of Satan" and locking them in an attic for years shows how dark it gets. It has a few sub-stories such as the mother and father's relationship. The background to the mother's life and the grandfathers influ...more

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Dec 01, 2010 Jessica B rated it 5 of 5 stars

Imagine having a great life and having it taken away from you in the snap of a finger. In the book, Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews, Cathy, Chris, Cory, and Carries lives are ruined when a tragic car accident kills their father and leaves them with their now widowed mother. Join the journey of four kids trying to stay alive while watching their mother turn on them. You’ll feel their pain, struggle, and lust as you read along.

Chris, Cory, Carrie, and Cathy are four siblings who love there l...more Imagine having a great life and having it taken away from you in the snap of a finger. In the book, Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews, Cathy, Chris, Cory, and Carries lives are ruined when a tragic car accident kills their father and leaves them with their now widowed mother. Join the journey of four kids trying to stay alive while watching their mother turn on them. You’ll feel their pain, struggle, and lust as you read along.

Chris, Cory, Carrie, and Cathy are four siblings who love there lives. They are not rich or poor but they’re middle class. They have a family who loves them and food on the table. Yes, they have they’re ups and downs, they’re happy and sad moments, but besides that, they’re life is pleasant. Until, there father dies in a tragic car accident. Their mother can’t take care of them alone so they are forced to go live with their rich grandparents with their mother. Their mother is forced to earn the dying grandfathers respect back because he took her out of his will because she married and fell in love with his young cousin. The children are locked in a room struggling for survival because the grandfather can’t know about the kids until he dies because he hates kids now, so they have to be hidden away until he is gone. As the months go by, the mother stops visiting the children and she stops bringing them toys and food. They begin to hate her because she has turned on them and now they have to take care of themselves. Struggling to stay alive and healthy, they learn many hidden secrets and they realize they can trust no one.

Reading this book was a really good idea. I am really happy that I listened to my friend’s advice about finding it. As I read on, I felt as if I was experiencing the characters lives with them. For example, when the two younger kids, the twins, Carrie and Cory, began to cry because there mother hasn’t came in days, the older siblings, Cathy and Chris felt very upset and bad for the two twins. There was such detail that it made understanding their emotions easy. Passion, hurt, struggle, its as if it all happening to you. This whole book was amazing. When the kids father is killed in a car accident, there whole lives turned upside down. This reminded me of how when my grandfather died, mine and my parents world became sad and scary so I understood what they were going through. There is not one thing I would change about it. The author described everything so thoroughly and perfectly that it was hard not to fall for this right away. It was like you were right next to them, feeling there pain and seeing the tears dripping from there eyes once they realize there mother had betrayed them. From a 1 – 5 rating, this book deserves a 5. READ IT!
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Feb 20, 2012 debbie vowell added it

ok, In flowers in the attic the mother came back to get back into her fathers good graces. The reason being is she had married her uncle. YOU NEED TO READ GARDEN OF SHADOWS! I though it explained everything! Anyway yes she married her uncle but, her mother did not want her father to know about the kids or her would not take the daughter back into the family. the father would have though the children (even though they turned out perfect) were devil's spawn. Don't want to give to much of it away i...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reading-again-and-again

I can't help but love these books so much, out of every book I've read in my life time, these have been the only ones I just can't put down, the drama, the love, the hate, and the passion, the lies, and the truth finally coming out during the prequel. So great, I love the setting, I love the plot, I CRIED when I finished the first four books because I felt like I actually got to know Cathy, and be with her for awhile, I think about these books DAILY, it's such a haunting story, one you can never...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Alexa rated it 5 of 5 stars

I stumbled upon these books when I was ten or eleven. My poor mother had nooooo idea! I was immediately obsessed with V.C. Andrews, and devoured every series. This one is the best, though. Even now, more than twenty years later, I can remember the mood of the novels, the dread, the longing, the forbidden passions.

Now, since reading these, I have gotten a degree in literature, so I can in no way endorse these as life-changing or intellectually stimulating. But they are perfectly 'what they are' -...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Suzanne Stewart rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-series

These books I read long ago. The whole series is so gripping and I couldn't put them down! I love 90% of all the VC Andrews books and she's again, another of my favorite authors. When I found out shed passed away. I never thought there would be another as good as VC Andrews! But her daughter took over. I believe, and they're still my "go to" books...for old times sake!

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Aug 10, 2011 Allison rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Allison by: a school friend

Read these books whilst still in high school and have gone back to read them countless times. At the time I was reading mainly Danielle Steel and this ws something of a shocking read to me then. Something in me was really touched by the characters of Catherine and perhaps Christopher even more. The last book made me cry so hard. Absolutely loved these book.

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Dec 12, 2010 Stacey Speers rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the switch in perspectives from the boy to the mother, but the boy (Bart) seemed unrealistically disturbing and the contrast to Julian surprising. I guess I just didn't like the story as much.
Im impressed I still remember the names though, seeing as it was a few years ago I read it!

Certainly a memorable book.

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Jun 04, 2013 Tan300 rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this series years ago and enjoyed them. I was interested to know that it actually was inspired by a true story. The motion picture adaptation of Flowers in the Attic was terrible. The series is a fast read and very entertaining and I love how the last novel ties everything together.

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Dec 05, 2012 Kelli Davis rated it 3 of 5 stars

Totally consider VC Andrews book as a "guilty pleasure." While they are not exquisite masterpieces of literature and I often despise the main characters, they are fun books to read- full of drama, crazy life situations and scandalousness. Books that are just entertaining and don't make me think.

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Oct 21, 2012 Victoria rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was captivated from the minute I opened Flowers in the Attic and could not stop reading it. I remember finishing in a day a rushing 2 the library 2 get the rest of the series. V.C. Andrews was a truly gifted author and is one of my top authors of all time. All of her books are a must read

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Aug 19, 2009 Amyself rated it 4 of 5 stars

I learned how to engage an audience with uncomfortable situations. What a read...If There Be Thorns is the best...but I read them all in Junior high and then again as an adult. Although rugged when it comes to writting the seductive parts, the plot is thick and rich.

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Jul 31, 2012 Rachel Butler-myatezh rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have read this series at least three times and by far it is my favorite VC Andrews series!! It's a captivating story that keeps your attention from beginning until the ending!!

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Apr 26, 2013 Tanny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Am growing out of fiction to a degree now but found this series a great read when I was younger. First book I'd based on a true story though I don't know how closely...

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Apr 18, 2013 Haidi rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read these books along time ago, I don't really remember much of the stories but I do remember how obsessed I was with them, so as a teenager, I must have loved them.

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Sep 24, 2012 Emma Thompson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Some books are better than others but I love that the set explains from everyone's point of view and leaves no stones unturned. Literally couldn't put them down.

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Mar 20, 2012 Tara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Read these years ago & loved them but really could do with reading again now....just to refresh the memory & see if they're as good now as I thought they were then

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Mar 19, 2010 Melanie Perkins rated it 5 of 5 stars

This series of books are awsome , but old,if anyone has them or knows where to get them locally,please let me know...i would love to read them again! Thankyou.

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Mar 16, 2013 selimaandthemerfolk rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read Floweres in the Attic first. My sister begged me to read it. After, I bought the series as well as the Cutler series in one shot. Excellent. Al of them.

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Jul 07, 2012 Laniece added it

I'm a huge VC Andrews fan!! Yes, I realize every single VC Andrews book is the same as every other VC Andrews book...but that's kinda what I like!

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Sep 12, 2010 tina michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

the first set of 'trash' novels i remember reading as a teenager. i was enthralled! i'd never read things like that as an adult, life is too short!

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Jul 11, 2010 Sally Bisbee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dawn, Flowers in the Attic (first three books). I'm sure you've all heard of this series of books. I think Andrews got a little crazy and carried it out too far. After the first three books, I got bored with them. The first three were great though.

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Jan 20, 2010 Debbyanne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Very intense reading, as with all her books, on the side of horror and mystery, with always the search for love and exceptence, as well as revenge!

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Oct 09, 2009 Marti rated it 5 of 5 stars

I re-read this series after almost 25 years. This is hardly "literature" but these stories are still as creepy and disturbing as I remember.

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Nov 25, 2008 Liz rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this book when it first came out. It's a good series to read while in high school. Out of date for adult viewers.

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Apr 03, 2008 Laurie rated it 2 of 5 stars

I liked them, & I didn't.
I read these when I was a teenager. I don't think the twisted nature of these books was good for a young naive mind. I felt bad for the children, no-one should have to live like that.

I still remember the smut that I read that upset me, yet kept me wondering about what else was in the next book.
I don't think these are books that young minds should read.

Actually, are they really good for anyone to read? I wonder why the author would write books like this? It certainly...more

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Apr 13, 2011 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars

Soooooooooooooooooo good!!!!!!!!!! A little wrong and grown uppy, but rly good And sad, I loved it!!!!!!!!!$!!＼(^o^)／

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Mar 01, 2009 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this whole series in High School. It was somewhat entertaining then...not sure if I would read this now.

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May 30, 2013 Jayme Stahl rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read the first two....I liked petals in the wind cause of the revenge. I'm not interested in
reading the others?!

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Feb 24, 2013 Pisila Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars

LOVE this book! sick and twisted but it definitely got my attention to the point where I couldn't put book down...

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About V.C. Andrews

Virginia Cleo Andrews (born Cleo Virginia Andrews) was born June 6, 1923 in Portsmouth, Virginia. The youngest child and the only daughter of William Henry Andrews, a career navy man who opened a tool-and-die business after retirement, and Lillian Lilnora Parker Andrews, a telephone operator. She spent her happy childhood years in Portsmouth, Virginia, living briefly in Rochester, New York. The An...more Virginia Cleo Andrews (born Cleo Virginia Andrews) was born June 6, 1923 in Portsmouth, Virginia. The youngest child and the only daughter of William Henry Andrews, a career navy man who opened a tool-and-die business after retirement, and Lillian Lilnora Parker Andrews, a telephone operator. She spent her happy childhood years in Portsmouth, Virginia, living briefly in Rochester, New York. The Andrews family returned to Portsmouth while Virginia was in high school.

While a teenager, Virginia suffered a tragic accident, falling down the stairs at her school and incurred severe back injuries. Arthritis and a failed spinal surgical procedure forced her to spend most of her life on crutches or in a wheelchair.

Virginia excelled in school and, at fifteen, won a scholarship for writing a parody of Tennyson's Idylls of the King. She proudly earned her diploma from Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth. After graduation, she nurtured her artistic talent by completing a four-year correspondence art course while living at home with her family.

After William Andrews died in the late 1960's, Virginia helped to support herself and her mother through her extremely successful career as a commercial artist, portrait painter, and fashion illustrator.

Frustrated with the lack of creative satisfaction that her work provided, Virginia sought creative release through writing, which she did in secret. In 1972, she completed her first novel, The Gods of the Green Mountain [sic], a science-fantasy story. It was never published. Between 1972 and 1979, she wrote nine novels and twenty short stories, of which only one was published. "I Slept with My Uncle on My Wedding Night", a short fiction piece, was published in a pulp confession magazine.

Promise gleamed over the horizon for Virginia when she submitted a 290,000-word novel, The Obsessed, to a publishing company. She was told that the story had potential, but needed to be trimmed and spiced up a bit. She drafted a new outline in a single night and added "unspeakable things my mother didn't want me to write about." The ninety-eight-page revision was re-titled Flowers in the Attic and she was paid a $7,500 advance. Her new-generation Gothic novel reached the best-seller lists a mere two weeks after its 1979 paperback publication by Pocket Books.

Petals on the Wind, her sequel to Flowers, was published the next year, earning Virginia a $35,000 advance. The second book remained on the New York Times best-seller list for an unbelievable nineteen weeks (Flowers also returned to the list). These first two novels alone sold over seven million copies in only two years. The third novel of the Dollanganger series, If There Be Thorns, was released in 1981, bringing Virginia a $75,000 advance. It reached No. 2 on many best-seller lists within its first two weeks.

Taking a break from the chronicles of Chris and Cathy Dollanganger, Virginia published her one, and only, stand-alone novel, My Sweet Audrina, in 1982. The book welcomed an immediate success, topping the sales figures of her previous novels. Two years later, a fourth Dollanganger novel was released, Seeds of Yesterday. According to the New York Times, Seeds was the best-selling fiction paperback novel of 1984. Also in 1984, V.C. Andrews was named "Professional Woman of the Year" by the city of Norfolk, Virginia.

Upon Andrews's death in 1986, two final novels--Garden of Shadows and Fallen Hearts--were published. These two novels are considered the last to bear the "V.C. Andrews" name and to be almost completely written by Andrews herself.

Her novels were so successful that after her death her estate hired a ghost writer Andrew Neiderman, to write more stories to be published under her name.(less)

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title link	preview: Dollanganger Boxed Set: Flowers in the Attic / If There Be Thorns / Petals on the Wind / Seeds of Yesterday / Garden of Shadows
avg rating	preview: Dollanganger Boxed Set: Flowers in the Attic / If There Be Thorns / Petals on the Wind / Seeds of Ye Goodreads rating: 4.00 (2211 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2270120.Dollanganger_Boxed_Set?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1332555295l/2270120.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2270120.Dollanganger_Boxed_Set?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Dollanganger Boxed Set: Flowers in the Attic / If There Be Thorns / Petals on the Wind / Seeds of Yesterday / Garden of Shadows by V.C. Andrews[/url]

Dollanganger Boxed Set: Flowers in the Attic / If There Be Thorns / Petals on the Wind / Seeds of Yesterday / Garden of Shadows (Dollanganger #1-5)

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