V.C.
ANDREWS
Synopsis
from inside jacket flap: Chris,
Cathy and Carrie have escaped the attic prison and set off with money
scavenged from the Grandmother's mansion. Two teenagers and an
eight-year-old who haven't seen the outdoors for over three years,
determined to stay together, determined to survive.
And
they are fortunate. They are taken in by a lonely, kindly doctor, who
readily shares with them his home, his love, his fortune. But even as
the three children build bright new lives, the dark horrors of the
attic haunt them. Cathy is reminded daily by the way her brother
watches her, by the way Carrie's tiny, tiny body does not grow. And
Cathy is also reminded of the other child, who didn't survive the
long years in the attic. Then she thinks of her mother, of her
mother's brutal betrayal of those who loved and needed her most. And
she vows vengeance.
While
Chris pursues his dream of becoming a doctor, even while Cathy
becomes a successful ballerina, she dedicates herself to her plans
for revenge. And as her plans become obsession, Cathy risks
everything to pay her mother back, and to show her what it's like to
suffer at the hands of the one you love most.
Stats
for my copy:
Hardback, published by Simon and Schuster, 1980.
How
acquired:
Through Book Mooch.
First
line:
How young we were the day we escaped.
My
thoughts: I
reread FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC
a couple of years ago, and enjoyed it more than I anticipated, so I
don't know why I waited so long to continue the series, other than
that I just have so many series to catch up on and so many books to
read.
PETALS
ON THE WIND picks up immediately after Cathy, Chris and Carrie escape
from the Grandmother's mansion, where they board a bus headed to
Florida. But Carrie is unwell, complaining of a stomach ache and
throwing up. They meet Henny on the bus, who takes them home with her
and introduces them to the doctor who she keeps house for. Paul takes
the siblings into his home and into his heart, giving them a stable
place to live and the semblance of a normal life.
But
Cathy aches for revenge. Chris goes off to medical school, and Carrie
is enrolled at a private school nearby. Cathy is accepted as a
student at a ballet studio while also attending high school. And
while Julian, the son of the instructors, falls madly in love with
her, as does Paul, despite the many years that separate them in age,
she makes plans to move near her mother and seduce her husband.
Despite
the melodrama, some (but not all) of the narration is beautifully
written, descriptive and evocative, yet the dialogue is clunky and
unrealistic, and I can't imagine a world where people cry out the
(sometimes lengthy) speeches these characters are saddled with. And
there is much overuse of exclamation points, as in this paragraph:
“Right! You bet I'll take you home!” he spat at me as I crouched near the passenger door he had locked. He shot me a fierce, distraught look then bore down hard on the gas pedal! We sped down all those rain-slick streets, and every so often he'd glance my way to see how I was enjoying the terrifying ride! He laughed, wild and crazy, then braked so fast I was flung forward so my forehead struck the windshield! Blood trickled from the cut. Next he snatched the purse from my lap, leaned to unlock my door, then he shoved me out into the pouring rain!
Seriously!
Way too many!
Cathy
is not a particularly likable character, despite the fact that all
the males of the species seem to fall all over themselves around her.
And the love Chris harbors for her should've been mega creepy, but I
just felt sorry for him and half the time was rooting for him over
Paul (a kind and compassionate man) and Julian (a selfish arrogant
prick).
In
the end, while it's not great literature, it is very compelling, and
as soon as I'd read the last page I immediately started the next
book, IF THERE BE THORNS.
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