08-11-2009, 11:15 AM
SPOILERS!
First book of late V C (Virginia) Andrews, hugely popular and ridiculously controversial Flowers in the attic (1979) is not worth of the controversy: Flowers is a Gothic melodrama, not sleazy, hardhitting every day realism (like Stephen King) or torture porn filth a´la Jack Ketchum. FITA tells about four blonde and "beautiful" children locked in the attic and terrorized by their Christian grandmother and, later, their own, weak mother. The old Gothic house, religious bigotry and voluntary incest featured in the story are all great Gothic themes, but unfortunately there is manure among roses. Instead of using her themes with full force Andrews let the story turn to the pamphlet for the - gulp - of horrific crime of being old - being over 25, and especially being old and "ugly" and lacking Arayan body standards made a person repulsive and evil, and sometimes it was difficult to tell which was worse - being old or being violent, religious bigot!
Things are not helped by the fact that the narrator Cathy is obnoxious, shallow brat. Still, 7/10.
First book of late V C (Virginia) Andrews, hugely popular and ridiculously controversial Flowers in the attic (1979) is not worth of the controversy: Flowers is a Gothic melodrama, not sleazy, hardhitting every day realism (like Stephen King) or torture porn filth a´la Jack Ketchum. FITA tells about four blonde and "beautiful" children locked in the attic and terrorized by their Christian grandmother and, later, their own, weak mother. The old Gothic house, religious bigotry and voluntary incest featured in the story are all great Gothic themes, but unfortunately there is manure among roses. Instead of using her themes with full force Andrews let the story turn to the pamphlet for the - gulp - of horrific crime of being old - being over 25, and especially being old and "ugly" and lacking Arayan body standards made a person repulsive and evil, and sometimes it was difficult to tell which was worse - being old or being violent, religious bigot!
Things are not helped by the fact that the narrator Cathy is obnoxious, shallow brat. Still, 7/10.