02 May 2010

Flowers in the Attic

It is ridiculously hard to accurately gauge a book that attracts you (family secrets!! salaciousness!! incest!! kidnapping!!) and also repels you (salaciousness!! incest!! kidnapping!!) because, hell yes, I read this cover to cover in about three hours and, hell yes, I am STILL creeped out by this book even though I am twenty years older (my twelve-year-old self can't quite believe that last statement).

Flowers in the Attic gave me a fear of attics and creepy old houses, far more than Rebecca ever did along with scary materialistic moms, whippings, fundamentally religious grannies, and creepy twins. There's also blood drinking, HOW did I forget that?  Did I mention the incest thing?  There's a lot of that going around in there, too.  Twelve-year-old me wants a flashlight again.  I don't remember reading anymore in this series probably because I had the feeling the incest thing was going to keep popping up and that's one of the things that I draw the "gross" line on.  Not sure if I would read anymore of the Dollanganger series now as an adult, either.

Flowers in the Attic was a fantastically crazy way to kick off my nostalgia project. Now to find something that doesn't make me want to check in all the nooks and crannies!
 
*Edit: Read the plot summaries of the remaining Dollanganger books, don't think I care to read anymore.

2 comments:

  1. eep. I remember reading this as a teen on a summer day when I was stuck in the house sick, and everyone else was outside playing in the pool. eeep!!!! :-)

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  2. You reminded me why I never read that one as a teenager!

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