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Dollanganger #8
Secret Brother
The most unexpected Dollanganger story of them all, new from the author of Flowers in the Attic and Petals on the Wind —both now major Lifetime movie events.
A young boy suffers amnesia from a trauma he suffered in what feels like must have been another life. He’s adopted into a wealthy family—but what will happen when he learns the truth about his past?
A young boy suffers amnesia from a trauma he suffered in what feels like must have been another life. He’s adopted into a wealthy family—but what will happen when he learns the truth about his past?
369 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 26, 2015
464 people are currently reading
6410 people want to read
About the author
V.C. Andrews
369 books9,003 followersBooks published under the following names - Virginia Andrews, V. Andrews, Virginia C. Andrews & V.C. Endrius. Books since her death ghost written by Andrew Neiderman, but still attributed to the V.C. Andrews name
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 1960s, 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 bestseller 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 bestseller 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 bestseller 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
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 1960s, 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 bestseller 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 bestseller 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 bestseller 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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 267 reviews
September 14, 2015
Why do I keep reading this garbage?
January 12, 2025
This is part of a series where a ghost writer has taken over from the original writer. It can be read as a stand alone. In this one we visit a teenage girl who lives with her brother and her grandfather. Tragedy strikes and we see how it is handled.
This is a really weird one to read and rate. If you loved the original books and believe this is a serious continuation from those books you are going to be severely disappointed. The ghost writer never captures the vibe of the original books and does a retcon of what happened in them. Truth be told this retcon stinks. I hate it as it diminishes events from the original book. The weird part is that this book is loosely tied in with the originals. This is a story about a family that really has nothing to do with the Dollanganger family. And that is where this book could have been so enjoyable because there is a story here. A story about how a family handles a tragedy and the subsequent grief that follows. I could get behind this. The problem is the author doesn't handle it exactly with self aplomb. There were parts that I enjoyed but parts I did not. It sort of felt like he was scratching the surface and was afraid to do a deep dive into the characters and their actions. They were there but I never felt that pull to get me to truly care all the time.
Honestly this book does not belong to be part of this series. If the author decided to write about the new family and their tragedy and leave the connection out of it I believe this could have been a better book. The author should have just concentrated on this aspect and the reason I am giving this two stars instead of one like many other reviewers. There is substance to this book but the forced connection to the original books really took away from it.
This is a really weird one to read and rate. If you loved the original books and believe this is a serious continuation from those books you are going to be severely disappointed. The ghost writer never captures the vibe of the original books and does a retcon of what happened in them. Truth be told this retcon stinks. I hate it as it diminishes events from the original book. The weird part is that this book is loosely tied in with the originals. This is a story about a family that really has nothing to do with the Dollanganger family. And that is where this book could have been so enjoyable because there is a story here. A story about how a family handles a tragedy and the subsequent grief that follows. I could get behind this. The problem is the author doesn't handle it exactly with self aplomb. There were parts that I enjoyed but parts I did not. It sort of felt like he was scratching the surface and was afraid to do a deep dive into the characters and their actions. They were there but I never felt that pull to get me to truly care all the time.
Honestly this book does not belong to be part of this series. If the author decided to write about the new family and their tragedy and leave the connection out of it I believe this could have been a better book. The author should have just concentrated on this aspect and the reason I am giving this two stars instead of one like many other reviewers. There is substance to this book but the forced connection to the original books really took away from it.
September 9, 2020
This.... This made me angry. The whole story was completely pointless. It ruined Flowers In The Attic for me. It's lucky I can just go back and read that because the plot holes in this were ridiculous.
The worst part is that none of our questions from the previous two books were answered. This whole series was a giant disappointment and this one was the worst. I just... I don't even know where to begin. If Cory remembered his siblings, he'd never have abandoned them. He loved them. The basic mistakes made in this story is ridiculous. Did the asshole who wrote this just... not bother reading the Dollanganger Saga? At all? There are so many mistakes.
Corinne actually admitted to Cathy that Cory was dead. She admitted that SHE had driven a car, taking Cory to a hospital, but he stopped breathing on the way and its heavily implied that she dumped his body in a ravine even though she didn't say it directly. So where did this MAN come from? Why did this man drop Cory at the hospital? This is just one of many errors that prove this guy didn't proof read his work or check his sources. I could go on, but I have better things to do with my life. I just wasted three hours and £5.99 reading this crap. I never thought I'd say this, but this was worse than Twilight.
The worst part is that none of our questions from the previous two books were answered. This whole series was a giant disappointment and this one was the worst. I just... I don't even know where to begin. If Cory remembered his siblings, he'd never have abandoned them. He loved them. The basic mistakes made in this story is ridiculous. Did the asshole who wrote this just... not bother reading the Dollanganger Saga? At all? There are so many mistakes.
Corinne actually admitted to Cathy that Cory was dead. She admitted that SHE had driven a car, taking Cory to a hospital, but he stopped breathing on the way and its heavily implied that she dumped his body in a ravine even though she didn't say it directly. So where did this MAN come from? Why did this man drop Cory at the hospital? This is just one of many errors that prove this guy didn't proof read his work or check his sources. I could go on, but I have better things to do with my life. I just wasted three hours and £5.99 reading this crap. I never thought I'd say this, but this was worse than Twilight.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2021
I see a lot of people here gave the book a chance and gave it 1 star based on how crappy the book actually is but I'm here as a fan of the original VCA books and I'm admitting up front that I'm giving this book 1 star based on the blasphemous premise.
I wasn't looking forward to Neiderman giving us "new details" about the Dollanganger family BECAUSE THAT'S NOT HIS PLACE TO DO SO. He is FINISHED with the Dollanganger and Casteel series. Everything after that is original characters and original (lol) plots. Fine by me. Write under her name if you must. But stop fucking with Virginia's original stories and characters, she held them close to her heart, fyi. The "unknown" details died with her. The best they could do is release her notes about the series. Which would still be shaky, as anyone who's heard the plot of "Where the Greener Grass Grows" would know. (The title of the first draft of the sequel to "Flowers" which was scrapped, rewritten and ultimately became "Petals").
I don't care if this book was a masterpiece of storytelling and prose. How dare Neiderman bring Cory back to life!? He has no right to screw with her story. He has no right to retcon her books to such a giant extent. Talk about taking liberties... Fans accepted his Garden of Shadows prequel well enough (Probably because they kept her death a fucking secret for the next 4 books, so they could transition in the ghostwriter's novels with no trouble) but the Diary series is utter bullshit. It's obvious the publisher, the ghostwriter and VCA's nieces and nephews are beating a dead horse for profit. I don't care what anyone says, those books are NOT canon. Cory is dead. This is "fan" fiction for profit (at best) to me.
How does the family defend themselves anymore? They should just admit they like living off the royalties from their aunts name and don't give one fuck about the integrity of it. I bet they still print that one thing on the publication page: "Following the death of Virginia Andrews her family worked with a carefully selected writer to organize and complete Virginia's stories and to expand upon them by creating additional novels inspired by her storytelling genius."
...if I roll my eyes any harder they just might fall out of my head.
EDIT to add that they *don't* have that little blurb anymore because they are trying HARD lately to hide the ghostwriter and pass off the books as being written by VCA. They just outright lie nowadays and print "by the author of Flowers in the Attic!" on the cover of these new books.
I wasn't looking forward to Neiderman giving us "new details" about the Dollanganger family BECAUSE THAT'S NOT HIS PLACE TO DO SO. He is FINISHED with the Dollanganger and Casteel series. Everything after that is original characters and original (lol) plots. Fine by me. Write under her name if you must. But stop fucking with Virginia's original stories and characters, she held them close to her heart, fyi. The "unknown" details died with her. The best they could do is release her notes about the series. Which would still be shaky, as anyone who's heard the plot of "Where the Greener Grass Grows" would know. (The title of the first draft of the sequel to "Flowers" which was scrapped, rewritten and ultimately became "Petals").
I don't care if this book was a masterpiece of storytelling and prose. How dare Neiderman bring Cory back to life!? He has no right to screw with her story. He has no right to retcon her books to such a giant extent. Talk about taking liberties... Fans accepted his Garden of Shadows prequel well enough (Probably because they kept her death a fucking secret for the next 4 books, so they could transition in the ghostwriter's novels with no trouble) but the Diary series is utter bullshit. It's obvious the publisher, the ghostwriter and VCA's nieces and nephews are beating a dead horse for profit. I don't care what anyone says, those books are NOT canon. Cory is dead. This is "fan" fiction for profit (at best) to me.
How does the family defend themselves anymore? They should just admit they like living off the royalties from their aunts name and don't give one fuck about the integrity of it. I bet they still print that one thing on the publication page: "Following the death of Virginia Andrews her family worked with a carefully selected writer to organize and complete Virginia's stories and to expand upon them by creating additional novels inspired by her storytelling genius."
...if I roll my eyes any harder they just might fall out of my head.
EDIT to add that they *don't* have that little blurb anymore because they are trying HARD lately to hide the ghostwriter and pass off the books as being written by VCA. They just outright lie nowadays and print "by the author of Flowers in the Attic!" on the cover of these new books.
September 12, 2015
I enjoyed this one, but I thought it was going to be focused on Cory or to give us more details about the Dollangangers. Good story, but so many unanswered questions.
June 8, 2015
The sequel that wasn't.
This could have been such a great story had they focused on " the poisoned boy" and let him tell his tale. Instead, we are treated to a pointless book about a spoiled girl and her uninteresting life. Too many of us waited over 35 years for this book. I have read ( with the exception of about five) EVERY book our ghost writer has written for Ms. Andrews since her death. This will be my last.
This could have been such a great story had they focused on " the poisoned boy" and let him tell his tale. Instead, we are treated to a pointless book about a spoiled girl and her uninteresting life. Too many of us waited over 35 years for this book. I have read ( with the exception of about five) EVERY book our ghost writer has written for Ms. Andrews since her death. This will be my last.
June 4, 2015
Okay, sue me, I liked it! I have loved the Flowers in the Attic series since the '80s, reread them countless times, and I like this latest installment. I think the original storyline did leave enough room for Cory to have survived. I think it was never plausible that his body was left to rot in a trunk. The smell of death could not have been contained that way. A servant would have found it. So.. I believe that Cory lived and I am glad of it.
This book isn't told from Cory's point of view. Instead, we meet Clara Sue (again with this name?) who loses her own little brother on the very same day Cory is dropped at the hospital. Her grandfather takes him home to help him recover and Clara Sue is deeply resentful. At times she borders on annoying with her immaturity and rage. The ghostwriter. Neiderman, at times writes so much like VC Andrews it is startling... others he sounds like a cheap imitation. But for some reason, in this book, if you open your mind, it works.
I really hope that we see more of Cory. I want to see him grow up. I want to know how his life goes. I want one of the Dollanganger children to find happiness.
This book isn't told from Cory's point of view. Instead, we meet Clara Sue (again with this name?) who loses her own little brother on the very same day Cory is dropped at the hospital. Her grandfather takes him home to help him recover and Clara Sue is deeply resentful. At times she borders on annoying with her immaturity and rage. The ghostwriter. Neiderman, at times writes so much like VC Andrews it is startling... others he sounds like a cheap imitation. But for some reason, in this book, if you open your mind, it works.
I really hope that we see more of Cory. I want to see him grow up. I want to know how his life goes. I want one of the Dollanganger children to find happiness.
March 22, 2017
the most disappointing book of the year.
I do not ask for much when reading these books. I mean, it has been a ghost writer since the Heaven series but some if the stories are fun in a twist sort of way. some people read pulp fiction others romance novels, these have always been my guilty pleasure.
I read the first two with a come in let's get to the bitty gritty meat if this tale. I loved the attic series and have used it for show how to add layers in story telling. not only are they half uncle and niece but 3/4ths brother and sister! no one remembers that though. but I digress... I heard about this series and was intrigued as to what this twist would be...
when it appeared that it was going to tell Cory's story I was excited to read about this twist. we know of Corrine was not mother of the year and would have said anything to cover her trails back then and delusional at the end. I bought the idea that John Amos would have taken Cory to a hospital and left him there. being sure Cory wouldn't talk was a stretch but he was little and poisoned and who could believe such a story. I'd even accept some retcon.
this however was a complete waste of time and money.
not only are we left wondering about unresolved pieces of the first two books in this series but this book which one would assume would be about Cory barely has anything with Cory. he was more developed in FitA than here. it is an insult to the Cory in that novel. not only does the new family figure out the story and KNOW of the other siblings... and he was being poisoned and pro ably the others too and the new family does nothing.
nothing.
and the glimpse we get of older Cory he's rebuilding foxworth hall and never saw it outside the walk up to attic and the attic which they were omitting. what is he remembering to guide the design? why did he not ever look for his siblings especially his beloved Carrie? it makes no literary sense whatsoever.
what a complete disappointment on so many levels
I do not ask for much when reading these books. I mean, it has been a ghost writer since the Heaven series but some if the stories are fun in a twist sort of way. some people read pulp fiction others romance novels, these have always been my guilty pleasure.
I read the first two with a come in let's get to the bitty gritty meat if this tale. I loved the attic series and have used it for show how to add layers in story telling. not only are they half uncle and niece but 3/4ths brother and sister! no one remembers that though. but I digress... I heard about this series and was intrigued as to what this twist would be...
when it appeared that it was going to tell Cory's story I was excited to read about this twist. we know of Corrine was not mother of the year and would have said anything to cover her trails back then and delusional at the end. I bought the idea that John Amos would have taken Cory to a hospital and left him there. being sure Cory wouldn't talk was a stretch but he was little and poisoned and who could believe such a story. I'd even accept some retcon.
this however was a complete waste of time and money.
not only are we left wondering about unresolved pieces of the first two books in this series but this book which one would assume would be about Cory barely has anything with Cory. he was more developed in FitA than here. it is an insult to the Cory in that novel. not only does the new family figure out the story and KNOW of the other siblings... and he was being poisoned and pro ably the others too and the new family does nothing.
nothing.
and the glimpse we get of older Cory he's rebuilding foxworth hall and never saw it outside the walk up to attic and the attic which they were omitting. what is he remembering to guide the design? why did he not ever look for his siblings especially his beloved Carrie? it makes no literary sense whatsoever.
what a complete disappointment on so many levels
May 27, 2015
Secret Brother (Diaries, #3)
Andrews, V.C.
This is an interesting deviance from the original Flowers in the Attic story line. What if their mother has told the truth that they had left Cory at the hospital? Caroline Sanders has not had an easy life. She lost her parents in a horrific accident. Living with her Grandparents she faced morning again when she lost her Grandmother Arnold. Then a final tragedy to top her pyramid of pain and loneliness, she loses her younger brother in a freak accident. In the rush of emergency care in an attempt to save her brother’s life, Caroline and her grandfather rush to the hospital. There is nothing they can do for her brother, but contrary to Caroline’s needs and wishes her Grandfather takes pity on an abandoned child who has been dropped nameless and poisoned in the emergency room. The book shows how Caroline views this betrayal by her only living family, and how she learns to mature and understand the opportunity given to her. The Grandfather spends the novel trying to find out what happened to the poor child, and care for his needs. This book is a great divergence from the original tragedy of Flowers in the Attic, and a lesson of how acceptance can bring change and growth even in the face of tragedy.
June 15, 2015
Secret brother is supposed to be about just that. A secret brother.
There was nothing secret about it. People that are true fans of the "Flowers in the Attic" series - will realize who this brother is right away... and maybe like me, go back to the original and verify your curiosity. This book has the means to be fantastic, but falls quite short. Again, like I did for "Forbidden Sister", I ended up skimming most of the book. I was waiting for that build up to something fantastic and when I was well passed page 200, I knew it wasn't going to deliver.
Sorry V.C. Andrews, but unless you're going to step up your game ... I can't read your new stories anymore.
There was nothing secret about it. People that are true fans of the "Flowers in the Attic" series - will realize who this brother is right away... and maybe like me, go back to the original and verify your curiosity. This book has the means to be fantastic, but falls quite short. Again, like I did for "Forbidden Sister", I ended up skimming most of the book. I was waiting for that build up to something fantastic and when I was well passed page 200, I knew it wasn't going to deliver.
Sorry V.C. Andrews, but unless you're going to step up your game ... I can't read your new stories anymore.
May 27, 2015
I do not know where to begin.
First, I know that a majority of what is written by "V.C. Andrews" has been written by the ghostwriter. The original premise, as I recall, had to do with finishing Andrews outlines, putting content to her ideas and such that she had left at the time of her death.
So, by that, for all intents and purposes, the end of the Dollanganger saga should have been with Seeds of Yesterday, with the Garden of Shadows prequel.
I think there was a lot more that we could have learned about the Foxworth/Dollanganger outside of the original five novels. When it was announced that there would be three additional books to the Dollanganger saga--I was a skeptical. I think it was met.
As another reviewer stated, it wasn't so much about the Foxworth / Dollanganger families, but two other characters; Kristen in the first two "Secrets" and Clara Sue (gads, the name abuse from these books). As someone who reads this series just about every year--I really wanted to see more.
Secrets--what secrets. Oh, sure there were elements that had a different take on for instance, Cathy. But did we really learn anything new from this series? Sure--Foxworth burned down--again. Where was Jory, Toni & the Twins? About Bart? Cindy? Surely there could have been an obituary or something more about Cathy and her cause of death (for fiction--we know she supposedly died of a broken heart). There was so much more that could have been told, but we never got a glimpse.
The whole premise that Cory survived is a bit much. I feel that many long-time Andrews readers will agree that the idea alone that Cory never made it out of the house and was sequestered into a unknown room in the attic to slowly die and rot... his death, along with the agony suffered by Carrie was the catalyst for Cathy bringing down Foxworth Hall and its inhabitants in the first place. Long-time readers knew that Corrine was not about to let anything squeak out of that mansion, let alone a sick little boy.
I would like to see this revisited but with some realistic portrayal of Christopher's Diary, and maybe a book that "is it cory, or not"
Fast read, but I would love to see more thought thrown in for S***s and Giggles.
First, I know that a majority of what is written by "V.C. Andrews" has been written by the ghostwriter. The original premise, as I recall, had to do with finishing Andrews outlines, putting content to her ideas and such that she had left at the time of her death.
So, by that, for all intents and purposes, the end of the Dollanganger saga should have been with Seeds of Yesterday, with the Garden of Shadows prequel.
I think there was a lot more that we could have learned about the Foxworth/Dollanganger outside of the original five novels. When it was announced that there would be three additional books to the Dollanganger saga--I was a skeptical. I think it was met.
As another reviewer stated, it wasn't so much about the Foxworth / Dollanganger families, but two other characters; Kristen in the first two "Secrets" and Clara Sue (gads, the name abuse from these books). As someone who reads this series just about every year--I really wanted to see more.
Secrets--what secrets. Oh, sure there were elements that had a different take on for instance, Cathy. But did we really learn anything new from this series? Sure--Foxworth burned down--again. Where was Jory, Toni & the Twins? About Bart? Cindy? Surely there could have been an obituary or something more about Cathy and her cause of death (for fiction--we know she supposedly died of a broken heart). There was so much more that could have been told, but we never got a glimpse.
The whole premise that Cory survived is a bit much. I feel that many long-time Andrews readers will agree that the idea alone that Cory never made it out of the house and was sequestered into a unknown room in the attic to slowly die and rot... his death, along with the agony suffered by Carrie was the catalyst for Cathy bringing down Foxworth Hall and its inhabitants in the first place. Long-time readers knew that Corrine was not about to let anything squeak out of that mansion, let alone a sick little boy.
I would like to see this revisited but with some realistic portrayal of Christopher's Diary, and maybe a book that "is it cory, or not"
Fast read, but I would love to see more thought thrown in for S***s and Giggles.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2015
If you are now or hope to be a writer, this series should be a lesson to you - stipulate, in a will, that your family cannot milk your fans and run your name into the ground.
Horrible. The first two Cristopher diaries promised a new take on FITA. Those books failed to honor the original series and definitely did not offer anything of interest. That section of the series ended on a cliffhanger, changing the entire being of an original character. So as mad as I was after the two books, I felt I had to see where book three would take Cory. But like the rest of the series, it's not about the original characters. It's about a horribly written teen girl dealing with the death of a loved one and wondering if she should sleep with a popular boy all while treating her family and friends horribly. Or books 1-2 of the Christopher diaries recycled using a different girl and different FITA character in the background totally irrelevant to the boring story at hand.
These books make me regret rebuying the original FITA series on kindle because her family doesn't deserve any more money after what they've let be published in her name.
Horrible. The first two Cristopher diaries promised a new take on FITA. Those books failed to honor the original series and definitely did not offer anything of interest. That section of the series ended on a cliffhanger, changing the entire being of an original character. So as mad as I was after the two books, I felt I had to see where book three would take Cory. But like the rest of the series, it's not about the original characters. It's about a horribly written teen girl dealing with the death of a loved one and wondering if she should sleep with a popular boy all while treating her family and friends horribly. Or books 1-2 of the Christopher diaries recycled using a different girl and different FITA character in the background totally irrelevant to the boring story at hand.
These books make me regret rebuying the original FITA series on kindle because her family doesn't deserve any more money after what they've let be published in her name.
Read
July 15, 2015Astonishingly bad, not amusingly so. I figure that the trademark skewed the story to YA in hopes of inspiring a new generation to read the original books.
There were a few of indicators of the canonically correct time -- Troy Donahue, a nanny whose fiancé survived WWI only to die of flu -- and some howlers of anachronisms, including a fist bump and an answering machine.
Spoiler: Cory survived! The medical science of 1960 was enough to save his life, though not without permanent damage. He didn't even have amnesia, so why he never found his siblings later, say, when Cathy was a world-famous ballerina, who knows!
There were a few of indicators of the canonically correct time -- Troy Donahue, a nanny whose fiancé survived WWI only to die of flu -- and some howlers of anachronisms, including a fist bump and an answering machine.
Spoiler: Cory survived! The medical science of 1960 was enough to save his life, though not without permanent damage. He didn't even have amnesia, so why he never found his siblings later, say, when Cathy was a world-famous ballerina, who knows!
June 28, 2015
An utter travesty of injustice to Virginia Andrews and her original Dollanganger Series,Simon & Schuster and Andrew Neiderman should be ashamed of this book it has no real value to the Dollanganger saga it doesn't enlighten the reader to new facts about Cory or his siblings and has no connections to Christopher's diaries the entire story revolves around Clara Sue if the writer had used the diaries as a back front for this novel and telling Cory's story then he has failed miserably
June 20, 2015
Um... what was the point of this book? We already knew who the secret brother was after the diaries, so why spend an entire book "discovering" who it is? I thought this was going to be through his point of view, and I was excited to see how he moved on and when his memories came back. Instead, it's told through the POV of a spoiled, selfish girl and focuses completely on her own boring life. And then it just ends, and we learn absolutely nothing.
Seriously, what was the point of this book?
Seriously, what was the point of this book?
June 23, 2018
If I could give this negative stars I would. I just came across this series of 3 books and sat down to read all three. Oh my. There’s some hours of my life I’ll never get back. The only reason I continued was because I was hoping there would be something new about Chris, Cathy, Carrie and Cory. Ummmm. NOPE. The writing is horrible and the storyline is ridiculous. All three are more about a young girl and her “boyfriend”. Who cares? Not I.
June 6, 2015
awful, nothing about Corys life really. pointless and full of plothole
November 12, 2015
Okay, so I had to return this book to the library before finishing it because I was moving. But, even if I'd stayed put, I don't know that I would've renewed it instead. Rather than a continuation of the Dollanger saga, Corey's survival is used to introduce a new (ultra-rich, obvs.) family, who, though touched by tragedy, are really pretty boring. I mean, someone dies in an accident and it's sad (although not really because it happens in the first chapter so we don't know the characters at all so who cares?), but there are no twisted family secrets or incest or anything. It's like when they tried to spin Models, Inc. off of Melrose Place, but nobody was interested in Amanda's strained relationship with her mother. And why would we be? What matters is that she was a bitch, not how she got that way.
Anyway, this book is boring, but, to its credit, is does do a good job of keeping the time frame generic. Which doesn't sound like a compliment, but that's pretty tricky so good for them.
*****
Listen, as excited as I am to revisit the glorious trash of my youth, I have to say that I am extremely disappointed that this entry in the Flowers in the Attic series doesn't have any kind of floral allusion in the title. Especially since it literally took me zero seconds to think of "Twisted Roots". Step up your game, ghostwriters.
Additionally, it seems like the premise of this book is that Corey didn't actually die from the arsenic poisoning, but managed to recover due to some heroic efforts of emergency hospital staff. Which, okay; it's not like Corrine's plan to slowly poison her children so she could secretly smuggle them out of a house where no one knew they were living made a lot of sense, but to then abandon Corey in an emergency room so that he could. . . uh, what again? Survive on his own? I'm not saying this makes it make less sense, but it does not make more sense. Although it does make one wonder if it makes Corrine more of a monster, which is fun if you thought she'd already topped out at maximum monstrosity.
ALSO, if Corey didn't die, then Carrie killing herself with poisoned donuts so that she could die just like him is just even more sad.
ANYway, I am sure this will be nothing short of tremendous, and I am very glad that I stumbled upon it in the library yesterday.
Anyway, this book is boring, but, to its credit, is does do a good job of keeping the time frame generic. Which doesn't sound like a compliment, but that's pretty tricky so good for them.
*****
Listen, as excited as I am to revisit the glorious trash of my youth, I have to say that I am extremely disappointed that this entry in the Flowers in the Attic series doesn't have any kind of floral allusion in the title. Especially since it literally took me zero seconds to think of "Twisted Roots". Step up your game, ghostwriters.
Additionally, it seems like the premise of this book is that Corey didn't actually die from the arsenic poisoning, but managed to recover due to some heroic efforts of emergency hospital staff. Which, okay; it's not like Corrine's plan to slowly poison her children so she could secretly smuggle them out of a house where no one knew they were living made a lot of sense, but to then abandon Corey in an emergency room so that he could. . . uh, what again? Survive on his own? I'm not saying this makes it make less sense, but it does not make more sense. Although it does make one wonder if it makes Corrine more of a monster, which is fun if you thought she'd already topped out at maximum monstrosity.
ALSO, if Corey didn't die, then Carrie killing herself with poisoned donuts so that she could die just like him is just even more sad.
ANYway, I am sure this will be nothing short of tremendous, and I am very glad that I stumbled upon it in the library yesterday.
August 8, 2015
I don't typically give 1 star. Especially since the writing in this book was at least passable. But I felt duped, and I'm annoyed, so I'm lashing out with a 1 star rating.
This book served NO purpose. The entirety of the book, I was asking myself where it was going. What was going to happen. It just didn't go ANYwhere. If indeed this book needed to exist, it could have been a novella wrapped up in less than 100 pages. The plot of this book was completely covered in the previous book.
At the end of book two, they discover who was buying the Foxworth property and restoring it. This book was theoretically doing to be about that person. Nope. I just...I'm sorry if this review isn't making any sense. It is hard to talk about a book that had absolutely NO substance to the overall story.
I'm annoyed that I wasted so much time on it, but I kept telling myself surely something relevant would happen. Ha!
Do NOT waste your time on this terrible book. IF you are looking for a story to grow and develop, you will be deeply disappointed. It adds nothing to the universe most of us love. Waste of a book, and I don't believe I will be picking up another V.C. Andrews book even if it alludes to my favorite Doll family.
This book served NO purpose. The entirety of the book, I was asking myself where it was going. What was going to happen. It just didn't go ANYwhere. If indeed this book needed to exist, it could have been a novella wrapped up in less than 100 pages. The plot of this book was completely covered in the previous book.
At the end of book two, they discover who was buying the Foxworth property and restoring it. This book was theoretically doing to be about that person. Nope. I just...I'm sorry if this review isn't making any sense. It is hard to talk about a book that had absolutely NO substance to the overall story.
I'm annoyed that I wasted so much time on it, but I kept telling myself surely something relevant would happen. Ha!
Do NOT waste your time on this terrible book. IF you are looking for a story to grow and develop, you will be deeply disappointed. It adds nothing to the universe most of us love. Waste of a book, and I don't believe I will be picking up another V.C. Andrews book even if it alludes to my favorite Doll family.
June 24, 2015
Was very excited to see this story from a fresh perspective. I haven't been reading the books for about 10 years now, but was really looking forward to a fresh take on a story that I loved.
There are right ways to write a book like this. It can be written in such a way that it reminds you of the original story and makes you want to pick that up again.
Or you can have a book like this. It did not come close to any of my expectations. The main character is more of a contemporary character than one from the time period this was supposed to happen. I found she was really unlikeable and selfish. I was under the impression it would tell one story, but it really gave no new insite to the old series. I got to a point of the book where I was just thinking I really don't care anymore.
Very disappointed in the whole series. Cannot believe the family of V.C. Andrews still lets the ghost writer butcher her books.
There are right ways to write a book like this. It can be written in such a way that it reminds you of the original story and makes you want to pick that up again.
Or you can have a book like this. It did not come close to any of my expectations. The main character is more of a contemporary character than one from the time period this was supposed to happen. I found she was really unlikeable and selfish. I was under the impression it would tell one story, but it really gave no new insite to the old series. I got to a point of the book where I was just thinking I really don't care anymore.
Very disappointed in the whole series. Cannot believe the family of V.C. Andrews still lets the ghost writer butcher her books.
July 8, 2015
Done with the final volume of that rather lame trilogy at last! First book was so so, second was quite a bit better, but this last book was a waste of time. Certainly added ZERO to the Dollanganger story, and just was so not a VC Andrews story.
July 18, 2015
I have never come across such dislikeable self-centered spoiled selfish protagonist. The storyline was disappointingly unsuspenseful. This book's only redeeming quality was that it was a quick read.
September 19, 2021
this was really confusing cause a lot of things were just changed from the original story.. but not to ruin the book for myself completely i really just ignored mistakes and took the story for what i think the author meant to portray
which is that Cory didn’t die, he went to another family and lived HEA
however he legit just abandoned his twin & fam? this doesn’t go with his character.. they were all too attached to each other.. he would have gone to them at some point
this def changes the whole series
and the author should have done their homework better before writing
Notes to remember story:
Willie & Clara Sue were taken in by their rich grandfather
after parents died in boating accident
Willie was hit and killed by a drunk driver soon after
grandpa adopted a boy the same age as Willie that was dropped off at hospital after being poisoned and left for dead
the boy has amnesia
so he was named William (creepy)
Clara obviously had a problem with her grandpa replacing her brother
Clara learned to love him anyway and called him Count Piro.. because no one could fill the shoes of her brother
so the boy���s memory starts to come back
grandpa looks for his family and finds out some info
the boy is Cory
grandpa tells Clara but they both keep it a secret
i guess that’s where the secret brother comes in?
which is that Cory didn’t die, he went to another family and lived HEA
however he legit just abandoned his twin & fam? this doesn’t go with his character.. they were all too attached to each other.. he would have gone to them at some point
this def changes the whole series
and the author should have done their homework better before writing
Notes to remember story:
Willie & Clara Sue were taken in by their rich grandfather
after parents died in boating accident
Willie was hit and killed by a drunk driver soon after
grandpa adopted a boy the same age as Willie that was dropped off at hospital after being poisoned and left for dead
the boy has amnesia
so he was named William (creepy)
Clara obviously had a problem with her grandpa replacing her brother
Clara learned to love him anyway and called him Count Piro.. because no one could fill the shoes of her brother
so the boy���s memory starts to come back
grandpa looks for his family and finds out some info
the boy is Cory
grandpa tells Clara but they both keep it a secret
i guess that’s where the secret brother comes in?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2022
I didn't like this one as much as the others, but I still really enjoyed the history of the otherside of things.
August 24, 2015
The Dollanganger saga continues when a family recovering from the death of a young boy takes in a mysterious boy dropped off at a hospital in terrible condition. This young boy is taken into the home, given the name of the deceased boy, given indepth medical attention in the hopes that he will heal. The older sister who is the main character of the story is initially resentful, then fixed on finding out who this boy is so that he can go back to his family. She navigates this while dealing with her first romance and the death of her brother, the young boy who died. Slowly but surely she becomes engaged with helping the boy survive the horror that he faced at the hands of those who violated his trust. As layers of the past are peeled away, the identity of the boy becomes clearer though it not confirmed because no other family members can be located though the names of several are revealed. This is part mystery, part coming of age for the older sister and just a continuation of a series that has fascinated readers and TV audiences for years. A light summer horror mystery that can be enjoyed as a stand alone story or as one of the Dollanganger titles.
July 27, 2015
What an awful story. How did anyone give it beyond a 1 star? If zero was possible then yep, that's what I would have rated it. It is officially time to retire VCA. Way past time really. I am so glad I get my books from the library because I would hate for any of my money to be spent on this series (the last few series actually) I know I'm supposed to tell you about the book, but there is nothing I can say, to make anyone want to read it. So what I will say is, the only surprise that I've found with this series is I actually finished the books in some cases, (Secret Brother especially) that was an accomplishment in itself.
June 11, 2015
Really disappointed. It was hyped up to be much more than it was. I was hoping that we'd get more from Cory's view. Clara Sue was the power that moved, but her character was never followed through all the way when it came to her interactions with other characters. Okay, as usual when it came to the "sex scenes" with Aaron, but that's typical for this ghost writer. Meh. Not sure I even want to bother reading the new book coming out if it's gong to go back to the same old stuff, which is why I stopped reading V.C. Andrews books after the Wildflowers series.
June 22, 2015
I really wanted to like this book. I didn't. Nothing happens. I kept waiting for the story show what Cory had been doing while growing up, since FITA killed him off, but we get none of that. And I kept waiting for the book to pick up from the end of the last Diaries book and takes us through the meeting with the kids who found the diary. This does not happen either. There is seriously zero point to this book.
August 3, 2015
I have long been a fan of V.C. Andrews...right from Flowers in the Attic and when this book cover said it was the long awaited sequel to the original book I had to read it! This story kept me guessing all the way to the end where you finally find the connection to Flowers in the Attic. I was completely floored and never saw it coming!! I will be anxiously waiting for book 4 to come out and see where this is heading.
March 17, 2018
Me duele decir que se merece la única estrella que le puse a este libro, el problema principal de este libro no recae en la narrativa o en los personajes que realmente están bien diseñados, el problema principal es vendernos la continuación de una saga fabulosa como lo es flores en el ático, creo que si el escritor fantasma hubiera escrito esta novela como parte del universo de vc andrews podría sentirse más digerible.
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