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The Unwelcomed Child: Library Edition
My mother had looked into the face of evil so many times she knew what it was. It was me. I was born without a soul. . . .
Elle Edwards grew up believing that because of her mother’s sinful ways she was born without a soul; that’s why she was abandoned and left in the care of Grandmother Myra and Grandfather Prescott, who try to ensure her evil will not infect them—by raising her in a virtual prison. Because her days are occupied with homeschooling, strict religious studies, and vigorous housekeeping in their upstate New York home, Elle knows practically nothing of the outside world, even as she emerges as a young woman with impressive artistic talent. But when she makes a secret, forbidden connection to vacationers at the nearby lake—a handsome boy and his precocious twin sister—Elle’s world will shatter. Will discovering the truths about her past send her future plummeting to hell?
Elle Edwards grew up believing that because of her mother’s sinful ways she was born without a soul; that’s why she was abandoned and left in the care of Grandmother Myra and Grandfather Prescott, who try to ensure her evil will not infect them—by raising her in a virtual prison. Because her days are occupied with homeschooling, strict religious studies, and vigorous housekeeping in their upstate New York home, Elle knows practically nothing of the outside world, even as she emerges as a young woman with impressive artistic talent. But when she makes a secret, forbidden connection to vacationers at the nearby lake—a handsome boy and his precocious twin sister—Elle’s world will shatter. Will discovering the truths about her past send her future plummeting to hell?
Audiobook
First published January 1, 2014
About the author
V.C. Andrews
307 books8,155 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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December 19, 2021
Elle Edwards believes she was born without a soul because of her mother's wicked ways. Least that is what her grandparents have told her since she could remember. In order to prevent evil from infecting others she spends her day in religious teachings, furious housecleaning, and prayer. She is locked behind the doors of the house she lives in majority of time only to take walks and draw. One day Elle meets the teenagers next door and she starts to become curious about what life would be like beyond her prison. As Elle struggles to free herself dark secrets from the past come home to roost. I felt like this book dragged on for some reason. It would pick up, then flatline. Overall it was an okay read.
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August 1, 2023
Aha. Here’s another shoddy book produced by a ghostwriter and a publishing company that are milking a dead woman’s name for profit. With over 70 books under VCA’s name, and only 8 books written/finished by her (including her sci-fi book) 70+ is waaaaaaaaaaaay overkill. But not when money is involved, amirite?
The characters of the grandparents are OVERKILL. Abuse and authoritarianism exist in real life and there are children worse off than Elle, and the grandparents are obviously designed after Malcolm and Olivia Foxworth, another pair of religious lunatics. However, the Flowers in the Attic series was compelling and well-written, and we’re given prequels that explain Malcolm and Olivia’s behavior (Malcolm’s diary in If There be Thorns, and Olivia’s story in Garden of Shadows)
That horrible cunt of a grandmother even starves Elle if she misses a spot in cleaning, and tortures her by making her clean in the kitchen so she smells bacon and eggs while not being allowed to have any of it. The grandfather is a wee bit nicer, but he still stands by and lets his wife treat their granddaughter like crap.
It’s easy to sympathize with Elle here, and that is something I’ve not felt in a Neiderman book in a long while. I hated Celeste, Loreliei, Amber, and Semantha for being spineless twats, and other characters I didn’t much care for like Emmie. But Elle was someone I could feel bad for given her upbringing, and her naivete can be forgiven for that reason.
What really disturbed me here is that Elle is told that when she is older, she will understand her treatment and even forgive her grandparents.
… Really? Being denied breakfast while having to smell it cooking several feet away and this ‘punishment’ wasn’t in any way warranted? Elle’s stupid grandmother even refuses to give her painkiller for burning herself with the iron. Elle is six years old.
SIX YEARS OLD. Of course, six is not too young to do chores, but definitely too young (and small) for certain chores, especially anything with something that carries a fire and burn hazard. Elle is forced to feel like trash for something she did not do, and she is expected to understand and forgive? She gets BEATEN for carrying things in from outside out of childish curiosity (who of us hasn’t carried something into the house wondering what it was and wanting to ask Mom or Dad about it?) and her grandparents think that everything will be hunky-dory?
Nope nope nope nope, HELL NO.
Even the Dollanganger and Casteel children were better off than Elle... and now that’s saying something. While I’m reading this book, I am hoping to myself that Elle doesn’t forgive them, that she lashes out against her grandparents in some way. Because if she did forgive them, that’d show what a stupid, spineless git she is, and we’ve had plenty enough of that in other recent Neiderman-written books. There are some things that just can’t and shouldn’t be forgiven, and child abuse is one of them.
I didn’t care much for Elle’s mom since she abandoned her daughter with abusive grandparents. Elle is constantly punished by her grandparents for something she didn’t do, and I don’t care what reason Grandma had, I hated her throughout the book and hoped she would just croak so that Elle could be free of that horrible old witch.
One thing that really set me on edge was that the grandparents are referred to as 'Grandfather Prescott' and 'Grandmother Myra' through the whole book. No one talks like that. It's one thing to say them once as a introduction, but to repeat it through the whole book, uggh.
Myra thinks her granddaughter is evil, but she is the one who physically, emotionally, and mentally abuses her. Myra treats an innocent child like garbage and even starves her, so let me ask you, who is the evil one here?
Elle's mother claims that Elle is a product of rape. Later in the book, Elle meets her father, and he is a nice guy, and he denies that he raped Debbie. He does not deny that he slept with her though, and his story is far more plausible than Debbie's. He did not know Debbie was pregnant, and that she was a wild child and rebellious because her parents were so religious. I'm more inclined to believe this man than Debbie, which makes this story even more awful, that Elle was being punished for something that didn't even happen (and even if it did, she didn't deserve to be punished because children don't deserve to be punished for being a product of rape) Debbie then offers to let Elle live with her and her new husband (yes, you heard right)
Well, fuck you, Mom. FUCK YOU. YOU MADE UP A STORY ABOUT RAPE AND THEN LEFT ME WITH PEOPLE WHO ABUSED ME.
I really wish Elle had screamed that at her mom.
When Myra had a stroke, I'm thinking, yeeeeeah! Good &^%*&% riddance. She had it coming to her for what she did to Elle. If I were Elle, I'd have done to her what Cathy did to Olivia in Petals on the Wind. However, Elle decides to stay with her grandparents despite what they put her through.
And you know the kicker? Grandpa even admits that he suspected Elle was not a product of rape. That's right, he lets his loony wife tell Elle that she is evil, evil, evil, evil, evil, when really, it's Myra who is the evil one. Grandpa apologizes to Elle near the end of the book for how he and Grandma have treated her, but for me, it was waaaaay too little, too late, especially with what we learn through the book.
Fuck you, Grandma and Grandpa. FUCK YOU.
The best characters in the book were the twins, because they are the only ones who do any right by Elle, and treat her with the respect and kindness she deserves. I didn't care much for the uncle character (Elle's uncle) because he was absent for much of the book, where he could have stepped in and rescued Elle. So basically Elle can't trust her own family at all (aside her father, but he didn't know of her existence so I will give him a pass on that) and her best friends and the only ones who have never judged her is a pair of twins that are possibly incestuous.
Like, really, what the hell.
The characters of the grandparents are OVERKILL. Abuse and authoritarianism exist in real life and there are children worse off than Elle, and the grandparents are obviously designed after Malcolm and Olivia Foxworth, another pair of religious lunatics. However, the Flowers in the Attic series was compelling and well-written, and we’re given prequels that explain Malcolm and Olivia’s behavior (Malcolm’s diary in If There be Thorns, and Olivia’s story in Garden of Shadows)
That horrible cunt of a grandmother even starves Elle if she misses a spot in cleaning, and tortures her by making her clean in the kitchen so she smells bacon and eggs while not being allowed to have any of it. The grandfather is a wee bit nicer, but he still stands by and lets his wife treat their granddaughter like crap.
It’s easy to sympathize with Elle here, and that is something I’ve not felt in a Neiderman book in a long while. I hated Celeste, Loreliei, Amber, and Semantha for being spineless twats, and other characters I didn’t much care for like Emmie. But Elle was someone I could feel bad for given her upbringing, and her naivete can be forgiven for that reason.
What really disturbed me here is that Elle is told that when she is older, she will understand her treatment and even forgive her grandparents.
… Really? Being denied breakfast while having to smell it cooking several feet away and this ‘punishment’ wasn’t in any way warranted? Elle’s stupid grandmother even refuses to give her painkiller for burning herself with the iron. Elle is six years old.
SIX YEARS OLD. Of course, six is not too young to do chores, but definitely too young (and small) for certain chores, especially anything with something that carries a fire and burn hazard. Elle is forced to feel like trash for something she did not do, and she is expected to understand and forgive? She gets BEATEN for carrying things in from outside out of childish curiosity (who of us hasn’t carried something into the house wondering what it was and wanting to ask Mom or Dad about it?) and her grandparents think that everything will be hunky-dory?
Nope nope nope nope, HELL NO.
Even the Dollanganger and Casteel children were better off than Elle... and now that’s saying something. While I’m reading this book, I am hoping to myself that Elle doesn’t forgive them, that she lashes out against her grandparents in some way. Because if she did forgive them, that’d show what a stupid, spineless git she is, and we’ve had plenty enough of that in other recent Neiderman-written books. There are some things that just can’t and shouldn’t be forgiven, and child abuse is one of them.
I didn’t care much for Elle’s mom since she abandoned her daughter with abusive grandparents. Elle is constantly punished by her grandparents for something she didn’t do, and I don’t care what reason Grandma had, I hated her throughout the book and hoped she would just croak so that Elle could be free of that horrible old witch.
One thing that really set me on edge was that the grandparents are referred to as 'Grandfather Prescott' and 'Grandmother Myra' through the whole book. No one talks like that. It's one thing to say them once as a introduction, but to repeat it through the whole book, uggh.
Myra thinks her granddaughter is evil, but she is the one who physically, emotionally, and mentally abuses her. Myra treats an innocent child like garbage and even starves her, so let me ask you, who is the evil one here?
Elle's mother claims that Elle is a product of rape. Later in the book, Elle meets her father, and he is a nice guy, and he denies that he raped Debbie. He does not deny that he slept with her though, and his story is far more plausible than Debbie's. He did not know Debbie was pregnant, and that she was a wild child and rebellious because her parents were so religious. I'm more inclined to believe this man than Debbie, which makes this story even more awful, that Elle was being punished for something that didn't even happen (and even if it did, she didn't deserve to be punished because children don't deserve to be punished for being a product of rape) Debbie then offers to let Elle live with her and her new husband (yes, you heard right)
Well, fuck you, Mom. FUCK YOU. YOU MADE UP A STORY ABOUT RAPE AND THEN LEFT ME WITH PEOPLE WHO ABUSED ME.
I really wish Elle had screamed that at her mom.
When Myra had a stroke, I'm thinking, yeeeeeah! Good &^%*&% riddance. She had it coming to her for what she did to Elle. If I were Elle, I'd have done to her what Cathy did to Olivia in Petals on the Wind. However, Elle decides to stay with her grandparents despite what they put her through.
And you know the kicker? Grandpa even admits that he suspected Elle was not a product of rape. That's right, he lets his loony wife tell Elle that she is evil, evil, evil, evil, evil, when really, it's Myra who is the evil one. Grandpa apologizes to Elle near the end of the book for how he and Grandma have treated her, but for me, it was waaaaay too little, too late, especially with what we learn through the book.
Fuck you, Grandma and Grandpa. FUCK YOU.
The best characters in the book were the twins, because they are the only ones who do any right by Elle, and treat her with the respect and kindness she deserves. I didn't care much for the uncle character (Elle's uncle) because he was absent for much of the book, where he could have stepped in and rescued Elle. So basically Elle can't trust her own family at all (aside her father, but he didn't know of her existence so I will give him a pass on that) and her best friends and the only ones who have never judged her is a pair of twins that are possibly incestuous.
Like, really, what the hell.
February 13, 2014
I really enjoyed this book, but wish that the ending would have had more of a punch--it was...boring, though the rest of the story was amazing, and kept me hooked until the end. I wish there was more of this content, and hope the author realize the potential this material has.
Moving on, however, I have a question I want to ask you fellow readers: What was the real deal with Claudine and Mason?
I'm surprised more of you haven't commented on this aspect of the book--yes, it's something typical of V.C. Andrews, but there was never a climax concerning the twins and their relationship. At one point, I thought that the twins and Elle were going to have a threesome for all that was going. Claudine also mentions seeing Mason having his first climax if I'm not mistaken, and during one scene she's jealous in the way that a girlfriend would, which makes me wonder just how far their relationship has gone.
Thank you in advance.
Moving on, however, I have a question I want to ask you fellow readers: What was the real deal with Claudine and Mason?
I'm surprised more of you haven't commented on this aspect of the book--yes, it's something typical of V.C. Andrews, but there was never a climax concerning the twins and their relationship. At one point, I thought that the twins and Elle were going to have a threesome for all that was going. Claudine also mentions seeing Mason having his first climax if I'm not mistaken, and during one scene she's jealous in the way that a girlfriend would, which makes me wonder just how far their relationship has gone.
Thank you in advance.
March 11, 2014
First I was like, oh eww how mean they are to her, how isolated.
Oh, ok now shes found people to hang out with? K, cool.
Uhhhhhh why does that boy keep kissing her, is this supposed to be romantic that a flirt is hitting on someone thats really inexperienced?
Oh, shes evil because her mom got raped and had her? Huh. Logic.
Hey, look her ma's just came with her new husband. Neat. Oh, she takes pity upon the poor child and offers to let her live with them. AS IF. THROWS PHONE DOWN! No, wait that was only in my imagination.
Girl, your boyfriend|sexaddict|friend is creeping. Not cool.
And speaking of which, WAVES FROM YOUR BREASTS? What kind of horrific being are you?!
Yeah lets go see my moms rapist, good idea guys, lets go! What, my mom LIED? GASP. SHOCK. HORROR.
Man, good thing my grandma had a stroke so we could do this, highfive guys!
Its weird they talk about taking her to public school and them preparing her to brave the horrible cheerleaders and such, yet the book ends without her entering one. HUH.
Oh, ok now shes found people to hang out with? K, cool.
Uhhhhhh why does that boy keep kissing her, is this supposed to be romantic that a flirt is hitting on someone thats really inexperienced?
Oh, shes evil because her mom got raped and had her? Huh. Logic.
Hey, look her ma's just came with her new husband. Neat. Oh, she takes pity upon the poor child and offers to let her live with them. AS IF. THROWS PHONE DOWN! No, wait that was only in my imagination.
Girl, your boyfriend|sexaddict|friend is creeping. Not cool.
And speaking of which, WAVES FROM YOUR BREASTS? What kind of horrific being are you?!
Yeah lets go see my moms rapist, good idea guys, lets go! What, my mom LIED? GASP. SHOCK. HORROR.
Man, good thing my grandma had a stroke so we could do this, highfive guys!
Its weird they talk about taking her to public school and them preparing her to brave the horrible cheerleaders and such, yet the book ends without her entering one. HUH.
March 15, 2016
(SPOILERS and rants too) When I read Flowers in the Attic as a naive teenager, I was completely unprepared for all the aspects that I now consider "typical V C Andrews" tropes: horrible abuse on children by their parents and guardians, the sexualizing of young charcters, and the disturbing propensity towards incest. In fact, prior to reading that novel, I don't think I had even heard the term "incest" or imagined that it was a thing that actually happens. The most disturbing thing about the incest in that series was that I rooted for Cathy and Chris as a couple, despite how wrong I knew it was and how freaked out I was by the whole concept.
Shortly after completing that quartet, I tried a few other V C Andrews novels, ones I learned were written by a ghost writer following Andrews' death. I'll admit, grudgingly and with no small amount of shame, that I like a good old damsel-in-distress story, especially one with romance and dark secrets. But eventually, the incest-y nature of those novels became too much for me, and these days I'm quite vocal in my criticism for all V C Andrews novels. However, I couldn't deny that I was curious to see if this new book was anything like the old ones, so I decided to give it a chance.
(HERE THERE BE SPOILERS) My expectations greatly colored my experience reading this book. I had my suspicions that incest would play some pivotal role, whether in the identity of Elle's father or between the twins that Elle befriends in secret. The twins were my best bet; when we first meet them they're skinny dipping together. However, despite a single hint that the twins experiented with each other sexually (something I'm sure was contractually obligated), there were no actual instances of "keeping it in the family." To my immense relief.
Other than that, there's some pretty severe child abuse Elle suffers at the hands of her grandparents, especially her grandmother, and while I sort of understand that she loves them, the ending is wrapped up too neatly, and her grandparents suffer no consequences for how severely they mistreated her. For all of her life, Elle is made to feel like she is the product of something evil. That if she has a soul, it is tainted. She is either evil herself or will be weaker to the temptations of evil, because her mother was a wild girl who claimed to have been impregnated during a rape. Her grandparents make her live in a small, windowless room with no door, and cover the walls with religious iconography. They suspect her of ill intent no matter what she does. They have physically beaten her, starved her as punishment, kept her locked in their house in complete isolation, twisted her mind so much that even though she doesn't feel evil, she struggles every day with thinking that she is, and they used her as a kind of Cinderella. She helps cook, she does all the cleaning and all the laundry. She is homeschooled and has literally never been allowed out of the house on her own until the beginning of the book when she is 15.
I raged - RAGED - when she decided to stay with her grandparents in the end. It was completely implausible that all could be so neatly forgiven and forgotten. In the real world, those two old psychopaths (ok, one old psychopath and her doormat husband) would have gone to prison for everything they put that child through. Instead, the old lady has a stroke, her grandfather lets her move into her mothers old room and she gets to go to public school and have friends and boyfriends and freedom, so she's totally cool with everything that happened before, after all her mother was kind of a bitch, so her poor grandparents were practically victims themselves.
I'm sorry, no.
Shortly after completing that quartet, I tried a few other V C Andrews novels, ones I learned were written by a ghost writer following Andrews' death. I'll admit, grudgingly and with no small amount of shame, that I like a good old damsel-in-distress story, especially one with romance and dark secrets. But eventually, the incest-y nature of those novels became too much for me, and these days I'm quite vocal in my criticism for all V C Andrews novels. However, I couldn't deny that I was curious to see if this new book was anything like the old ones, so I decided to give it a chance.
(HERE THERE BE SPOILERS) My expectations greatly colored my experience reading this book. I had my suspicions that incest would play some pivotal role, whether in the identity of Elle's father or between the twins that Elle befriends in secret. The twins were my best bet; when we first meet them they're skinny dipping together. However, despite a single hint that the twins experiented with each other sexually (something I'm sure was contractually obligated), there were no actual instances of "keeping it in the family." To my immense relief.
Other than that, there's some pretty severe child abuse Elle suffers at the hands of her grandparents, especially her grandmother, and while I sort of understand that she loves them, the ending is wrapped up too neatly, and her grandparents suffer no consequences for how severely they mistreated her. For all of her life, Elle is made to feel like she is the product of something evil. That if she has a soul, it is tainted. She is either evil herself or will be weaker to the temptations of evil, because her mother was a wild girl who claimed to have been impregnated during a rape. Her grandparents make her live in a small, windowless room with no door, and cover the walls with religious iconography. They suspect her of ill intent no matter what she does. They have physically beaten her, starved her as punishment, kept her locked in their house in complete isolation, twisted her mind so much that even though she doesn't feel evil, she struggles every day with thinking that she is, and they used her as a kind of Cinderella. She helps cook, she does all the cleaning and all the laundry. She is homeschooled and has literally never been allowed out of the house on her own until the beginning of the book when she is 15.
I raged - RAGED - when she decided to stay with her grandparents in the end. It was completely implausible that all could be so neatly forgiven and forgotten. In the real world, those two old psychopaths (ok, one old psychopath and her doormat husband) would have gone to prison for everything they put that child through. Instead, the old lady has a stroke, her grandfather lets her move into her mothers old room and she gets to go to public school and have friends and boyfriends and freedom, so she's totally cool with everything that happened before, after all her mother was kind of a bitch, so her poor grandparents were practically victims themselves.
I'm sorry, no.
March 9, 2018
What an incredibly boring book. Here’s how it went:
Internal reflection by Elle
Talking about abusive childhood
Talking about wanting a real childhood
Talking about chores
Talking about wanting friends
Internal reflection by Elle
Talking about limited childhood
Talking about limited experiences
Angry and abusive grandmother
Angry and abusive grandmother
Angry and abusive grandmother
Meet people! Maybe things will happen!
Nope.
Talking to incestuous twins about childhood
Talking to incestuous twins about angry and abusive grandmother
Creepy twin groping the hell out of Elle despite her having no experience whatsoever and usually never actually saying she wanted it
Talking
Talking
Talking
Talking
Talking
Mom shows up!
Talking
Talking
Talking
Talking
Angry and abusive grandmother is angry
Find Elle’s father!
Talking
Talking
Talking
Talking
Medical emergency!
Talking
Talking
Talking
Internal reflection by Elle
Internal reflection by Elle
Internal reflection by Elle
Happy Ending
Andddddd scene.
Internal reflection by Elle
Talking about abusive childhood
Talking about wanting a real childhood
Talking about chores
Talking about wanting friends
Internal reflection by Elle
Talking about limited childhood
Talking about limited experiences
Angry and abusive grandmother
Angry and abusive grandmother
Angry and abusive grandmother
Meet people! Maybe things will happen!
Nope.
Talking to incestuous twins about childhood
Talking to incestuous twins about angry and abusive grandmother
Creepy twin groping the hell out of Elle despite her having no experience whatsoever and usually never actually saying she wanted it
Talking
Talking
Talking
Talking
Talking
Mom shows up!
Talking
Talking
Talking
Talking
Angry and abusive grandmother is angry
Find Elle’s father!
Talking
Talking
Talking
Talking
Medical emergency!
Talking
Talking
Talking
Internal reflection by Elle
Internal reflection by Elle
Internal reflection by Elle
Happy Ending
Andddddd scene.
February 27, 2014
I have to say, I get more and more disappointed with V.C. Andrews books as time goes on. This particular book gave the illusion that there was going to be some mysterious story like the classic family saga books. However it's a stand alone novel therefore it lacked to deliver any kind of in depth storyline. It seemed like they were leading up to several plot twists that they never followed through on. Just such a let down. After this I think I'm done with V.C. Andrews books for good.
February 3, 2014
Another thing that needs to end: Andrew Neidermeier publishing novels as VC Andrews. (I'm sure I spelt his name wrong and I don't even care.) VC passed away in 1989, it's time to put her name to rest. Stop being greedy asshats by cashing in on her name. It pisses me off.
February 25, 2014
I really liked the beginning of this book, and it was hard to not feel bad for Elle and the extremely (and I do mean extremely!) strict upbringing she has been raised in, and I kept hoping she would stand up to her grandparents and find peace for herself. She makes friends with a pair of twins who give her a taste of normalcy, and then later on she meets her mother and her father, separately.
This is when the story starts to fall apart. Elle has been raised to believe she was the product of rape, but her father says that the sex was consensual. We never do find out the truth, and the ending was very... boring. I ended up really disliking Elle's mother for abandoning her daughter with a pair of whack-ass fundamentalist grandparents.
This is when the story starts to fall apart. Elle has been raised to believe she was the product of rape, but her father says that the sex was consensual. We never do find out the truth, and the ending was very... boring. I ended up really disliking Elle's mother for abandoning her daughter with a pair of whack-ass fundamentalist grandparents.
January 21, 2014
Author V.C. Andrews died in 1986 with only seven novels to her credit. Since her death several manuscripts have been uncovered and finished giving this author more notoriety in death than she experienced in life. The latest book from V.C. Andrews, The Unwelcomed Child uses Andrews' tried and true pattern of children with parental issues as a theme. Readers will find this psychological horror story hard to put down. With everything from young love to suppression and religious domination, this book packs a punch as most of Andrews' work does. An intriguing new addition to the V.C. Andrews collection.
What I liked:
I was a fan and read V.C. Andrew's book, Flowers in the Attic when I was a young girl. It was the kind of book that gave you an eerie feeling but you still couldn't seem to put it down. The Unwelcomed Child is much like that in the sense that it will definitely give readers the heebie-geebies. The horror element in this book is just in thinking that this could really happen. The conditions that this child lived in were hardly normal. With super religious grandparents who believed Elle was essentially the spawn of Satan there is ring of truth in to it that is disconcerting as you read it. Psychological horror at it's best!
Andrew's had a way with writing about the human condition that would make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. I often wonder if she had some traumatic experiences in her own childhood that made her write the way she did. She had some kin of affinity with these characters that was unexplained. Elle is such an interesting protagonist. She is a young girl that has basically been taught that she is evil, yet she is becoming a young girl experiencing love for the first time and wondering what makes her so bad.
Andrew's keeps you wondering through most of the book which direction she will take Elle. Will she prove that Elle truly was the daughter of Satan or will she show that she was just a young girl who was falsely accused even before her birth. I loved the fact that Andrews continued to write stories about children in circumstances beyond their control. This was a real niche for her and it worked again with this book.
I have to wonder though if perhaps this manuscript was a pre-cursor to Flowers in the Attic or in fact written after it's success. I find it interesting that she stayed with the theme she was famous for and didn't branch out at all. I think it amazing how someone else could have taken her work and re-worked it and changed it and still retained the essence of her writing.
What I didn't like:
There is of course some repetition in this book, because it bears some resemblance to the Flowers in the Attic books. But really the only thing that is eerily similar is the fact that Andrews was writing about children with parental issues. In this case Elle's grandparents are keeping her conditioned against letting her evil get out. I loved this book in spite of the fact that there are similarities. It was still very good.
Bottom Line:
If you've read any of this writer's other work, you certainly won't want to miss this one. It's an excellent psychological horror novel. It is true to V.C. Andrews writing style and voice and has enough horror in it to make you not want to read it after dark. Fantastic new book!
What I liked:
I was a fan and read V.C. Andrew's book, Flowers in the Attic when I was a young girl. It was the kind of book that gave you an eerie feeling but you still couldn't seem to put it down. The Unwelcomed Child is much like that in the sense that it will definitely give readers the heebie-geebies. The horror element in this book is just in thinking that this could really happen. The conditions that this child lived in were hardly normal. With super religious grandparents who believed Elle was essentially the spawn of Satan there is ring of truth in to it that is disconcerting as you read it. Psychological horror at it's best!
Andrew's had a way with writing about the human condition that would make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. I often wonder if she had some traumatic experiences in her own childhood that made her write the way she did. She had some kin of affinity with these characters that was unexplained. Elle is such an interesting protagonist. She is a young girl that has basically been taught that she is evil, yet she is becoming a young girl experiencing love for the first time and wondering what makes her so bad.
Andrew's keeps you wondering through most of the book which direction she will take Elle. Will she prove that Elle truly was the daughter of Satan or will she show that she was just a young girl who was falsely accused even before her birth. I loved the fact that Andrews continued to write stories about children in circumstances beyond their control. This was a real niche for her and it worked again with this book.
I have to wonder though if perhaps this manuscript was a pre-cursor to Flowers in the Attic or in fact written after it's success. I find it interesting that she stayed with the theme she was famous for and didn't branch out at all. I think it amazing how someone else could have taken her work and re-worked it and changed it and still retained the essence of her writing.
What I didn't like:
There is of course some repetition in this book, because it bears some resemblance to the Flowers in the Attic books. But really the only thing that is eerily similar is the fact that Andrews was writing about children with parental issues. In this case Elle's grandparents are keeping her conditioned against letting her evil get out. I loved this book in spite of the fact that there are similarities. It was still very good.
Bottom Line:
If you've read any of this writer's other work, you certainly won't want to miss this one. It's an excellent psychological horror novel. It is true to V.C. Andrews writing style and voice and has enough horror in it to make you not want to read it after dark. Fantastic new book!
January 31, 2014
This is possibly the worst book I have ever read. For the life of me I don't understand the good reviews? I won't put up a spoiler I will just say I found this book so stupid and feel dumber by just reading it?
Complete garbage!
Complete garbage!
February 19, 2014
I mean no disrespect to the memory of V.C. Andrews but this book was so lackluster and depressing.....not what I expected because I've read most of her books. This for me though didnt do it and I'm kinda mad I spent 7.99 on it. :/
February 17, 2014
From the cover copy: Elle Edwards grew up believing that because of her mother's sinful ways she was born without a soul...
Yet in the prologue we are informed that Deborah was raped, resulting in Elle's conception. Because rape victims are "sinful"? (NOTE: I choose to believe all the shaming in these novels is to show that the characters doing the blaming are awful people. Authors are separate from their characters.)
From page 21: I gathered that my mother was far from the perfect child in their eyes and that the man who had raped her was obviously pure evil, if not the devil himself. But if she were a better person, he wouldn't have been so drawn to her [...] Not only was I fathered by a rapist, but I also had a mother who was more evil than most girls her age.
On the bright side, at least the rapist is blamed somewhat. On the bad side, THIS IS STILL VICTIM-BLAMING.
Look, I don't know much about the mindset of strict, conservative parents, but... Why would you home-school someone when they're YOUNGER, instead of when they are most likely to "sin"? Sending someone to school-outside-the-home for the first time when they're fifteen doesn't make sense in this context.
From page 238: "There are rapes, and there are rapes."
AW, HELL NO! There are rapes. Period. Full-stop. Rape is rape, whether it's by a stranger or someone you know. Whether you've flirted with them or not. Whether you're sober or unconscious. RAPE IS RAPE. The scenarios may differ, but the end result is the same.
From page 250: "...but my parents have always been active professionals, my father the lawyer and my mother with her decorating business."
Mason and Claudine Spenser are Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield! (I realised this post-midnight, and it was hilarious at the time.)
From page 261: "Men don't sin so easily with ugly women, and women don't sin easily with ugly men."
I take that to mean consensual sex, and not rape. Either way, it's still pretty-blaming.
I spent January catching up on all the VCA books I didn't read when they were first published (from Celeste onwards). The quality varies from quite good (Secrets in the Attic) to particularly cringe-worthy (Forbidden Sister). So how does The Unwelcomed Child fare, read within a month of its release?
Like most of those books, it's middling. It stands alone, but the main problem (other than the obvious victim-blaming) is that it has plenty of opportunity for drama and chaos that never eventuates. The grandparents are religious, and since they think Elle has an evil in her... An exorcism would've been the logical move.
Elle befriends some older twins, a male and a female. They hang around naked together. They kiss on the lips. The girl acts like a jealous lover. This is a VCA book; I'm surprised they aren't incestuous.
Elle's mother comes to visit with her new husband. They don't stay for long. There's a big vocal disagreement, but that's it. Really? This is a VCA book, and no one pushes anyone down the stairs?
The reason we read VCA is because the characters and storylines are so over-the-top - bonkers and entertaining. I kind of hate to say it, but The Unwelcomed Child is...well, a bit boring. Even the big climax was Deus ex machina, rather than Elle gaining agency. And because the villain can't fight back, life becomes much easier. I mean, really - instead of winning due to your own power, you win because your opponent loses theirs? A little convenient, don't you reckon?
Yet in the prologue we are informed that Deborah was raped, resulting in Elle's conception. Because rape victims are "sinful"? (NOTE: I choose to believe all the shaming in these novels is to show that the characters doing the blaming are awful people. Authors are separate from their characters.)
From page 21: I gathered that my mother was far from the perfect child in their eyes and that the man who had raped her was obviously pure evil, if not the devil himself. But if she were a better person, he wouldn't have been so drawn to her [...] Not only was I fathered by a rapist, but I also had a mother who was more evil than most girls her age.
On the bright side, at least the rapist is blamed somewhat. On the bad side, THIS IS STILL VICTIM-BLAMING.
Look, I don't know much about the mindset of strict, conservative parents, but... Why would you home-school someone when they're YOUNGER, instead of when they are most likely to "sin"? Sending someone to school-outside-the-home for the first time when they're fifteen doesn't make sense in this context.
From page 238: "There are rapes, and there are rapes."
AW, HELL NO! There are rapes. Period. Full-stop. Rape is rape, whether it's by a stranger or someone you know. Whether you've flirted with them or not. Whether you're sober or unconscious. RAPE IS RAPE. The scenarios may differ, but the end result is the same.
From page 250: "...but my parents have always been active professionals, my father the lawyer and my mother with her decorating business."
Mason and Claudine Spenser are Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield! (I realised this post-midnight, and it was hilarious at the time.)
From page 261: "Men don't sin so easily with ugly women, and women don't sin easily with ugly men."
I take that to mean consensual sex, and not rape. Either way, it's still pretty-blaming.
I spent January catching up on all the VCA books I didn't read when they were first published (from Celeste onwards). The quality varies from quite good (Secrets in the Attic) to particularly cringe-worthy (Forbidden Sister). So how does The Unwelcomed Child fare, read within a month of its release?
Like most of those books, it's middling. It stands alone, but the main problem (other than the obvious victim-blaming) is that it has plenty of opportunity for drama and chaos that never eventuates. The grandparents are religious, and since they think Elle has an evil in her... An exorcism would've been the logical move.
Elle befriends some older twins, a male and a female. They hang around naked together. They kiss on the lips. The girl acts like a jealous lover. This is a VCA book; I'm surprised they aren't incestuous.
Elle's mother comes to visit with her new husband. They don't stay for long. There's a big vocal disagreement, but that's it. Really? This is a VCA book, and no one pushes anyone down the stairs?
The reason we read VCA is because the characters and storylines are so over-the-top - bonkers and entertaining. I kind of hate to say it, but The Unwelcomed Child is...well, a bit boring. Even the big climax was Deus ex machina, rather than Elle gaining agency. And because the villain can't fight back, life becomes much easier. I mean, really - instead of winning due to your own power, you win because your opponent loses theirs? A little convenient, don't you reckon?
August 16, 2016
This was a bit sedate for me. At times I found myself distracted, bored and yes, there were a few times I was engaged in the story but not often enough. I just felt there wasn't enough drama, or danger to keep me on a knife edge. I wish the GW would include that. I know that the GW wanted to convey a positive message with the character of Elle to the fans and tried to show her as more stable although she had come from a dysfunctional family. I applaud that bit of positivity in a way. However it made it a dull and boring read. I was craving some excitement and it never emerged. I was bitterly disappointed.
Life isn't stable. It isn't a flatline:- that only occurs when we are dead. It's a heartbeat of lows and highs, a roller-coaster. We as humans go through trials and tribulations so we can overcome adversities. Virginia Andrews put her protagonists through extra-ordinary circumstances as defined in her Faces Of Fear interview with Doug Winters "I like to place ordinary people--some with extraordinary talents--in bizarre circumstances. Once, when I was given an award, I was introduced as the writer who fires life at you like bullets. My characters do have life's calamities fired at them like bullets when they are helpless and can't dodge. They are wounded, but live to struggle on, and before my book is over, they have suffered perhaps, grown, become stronger undoubtedly, and have learned to cope, no matter what the circumstances."
With the Unwelcomed Child, I missed that. Elle seemed to have challenges yes, but not bullets fired at her. The novel also too long for the predictable and less than engaging plot. The characters arcs lacked belief at times. The sexual content just felt gratuitous. This could have been a better story if there was more effort, conviction and belief invested in those characters.
Life isn't stable. It isn't a flatline:- that only occurs when we are dead. It's a heartbeat of lows and highs, a roller-coaster. We as humans go through trials and tribulations so we can overcome adversities. Virginia Andrews put her protagonists through extra-ordinary circumstances as defined in her Faces Of Fear interview with Doug Winters "I like to place ordinary people--some with extraordinary talents--in bizarre circumstances. Once, when I was given an award, I was introduced as the writer who fires life at you like bullets. My characters do have life's calamities fired at them like bullets when they are helpless and can't dodge. They are wounded, but live to struggle on, and before my book is over, they have suffered perhaps, grown, become stronger undoubtedly, and have learned to cope, no matter what the circumstances."
With the Unwelcomed Child, I missed that. Elle seemed to have challenges yes, but not bullets fired at her. The novel also too long for the predictable and less than engaging plot. The characters arcs lacked belief at times. The sexual content just felt gratuitous. This could have been a better story if there was more effort, conviction and belief invested in those characters.
August 5, 2014
I have memories of reading VC Andrews as a teen so I have her latest book a try. This book rambled and lacked a plot. It has mine of the intrigue or excitement that the author is know for. It was a huge disappointment and not worth the time.
Shelved as 'dnf'
June 4, 2021This book could not hold my attention. I became annoyed with the main in the first chapter and that never went away. So, after 50 pages, I am done.
November 24, 2019
This was not good.
January 8, 2022
Enjoyed the story but I found some things to be just weird .... like why was the twins swimming naked??? why was their dad slapping his daughters ass ?? I mean cant just one story go without any weird shyt happening. Why were they both always kissing her?? like WTF was going on with these kids so they felt so comfortable being naked and touching each other at SEVENTEEN years old?? They were the weirdest part of this story. Honestly the Grandmother had nothing on this weirdly touchy touchy no boundaries family!
February 1, 2018
I choose this book bc I read all available VC Andrews books as a teenager. I'm not sure if this was as good as they used to be or if I'm just at a different place in life... I remember reading her books as a child/teen and them being so extremely engrossing. I think I'll leave that to my memories now and not try to recapture it.
September 16, 2017
Wow. Such an amazing book! I absolutely loved it. I cried at the end of this one.
July 11, 2023
The twins were unusually close. There seemed to be more going on between them, but nothing was ever revealed. The twins' dad was also unusually weird with his kids. I mean, smaking his daughter on the butt. The brother and sister are always being together naked. The brother had an erection in front of his sister, and his sister told Elle she was with her brother when he had his first orgasm.. I thought for sure there was incest when the brother told Elle that he and his twin sister shared a bed for more than just sleeping at times, but nothing was solidified, so that just left everything weird.
The story as a whole was slow and uninteresting. Even the ending and epilog were both anticlimactic.
Would not recommend.
The story as a whole was slow and uninteresting. Even the ending and epilog were both anticlimactic.
Would not recommend.
March 20, 2014
I'm usually obsessed with anything by VC Andrews (or Andrew Neiderman if we're getting technical) but this book had me scratching my head and going "What?" If her name hadn't been pasted on the cover bigger than the actual title then I would never have guessed this was supposed to be a VC Andrews book.
And why might you ask? Mostly due to the fact that nothing really happens. The book is supposed to follow the story of a young girl, Elle, who was raised by her grandparents to believe that she was implanted with evil because she was conceived from a rape. Taking reign of her strict upbringing is none other than the over religious grandmother who despised her own daughter from birth. When Elle is finally allowed out of her house she meets her man-whore neighbor, Mason, and his nosy, bitchy twin sister Claudine. The summary is supposed to suggest something awful will happen when Mason and Claudine learn of Elle's home life when actually there's nothing that turns them off. The only development in this story is that Elle discovers that the mom who abandoned her never grew up after her birth and her father didn't actually rape her mother (or so he claims. His argument was just as flawed as every rapist's claim to consensual sex) Evil Grandma has a stroke which suddenly makes her not see Elle as evil, and Elle is free to live a normal life.
There was hardly any suspense and Neiderman skipped over everything that could have made it interesting. Also, a lot of people hated the abuse situation, but...have you read other VC Andrews books? This is mild compared to the abuse typically shown in these novels. While psychologically it was up to par physically there has been worse. This was a poor attempt to copy Flowers in the Attic right down to the suggestive incest between the twins that never gets confirmed or denied. It was vague, confusing, and boring and I've never been so angry about spending 7.99 on a book. Can I please forget this book even exists?
And why might you ask? Mostly due to the fact that nothing really happens. The book is supposed to follow the story of a young girl, Elle, who was raised by her grandparents to believe that she was implanted with evil because she was conceived from a rape. Taking reign of her strict upbringing is none other than the over religious grandmother who despised her own daughter from birth. When Elle is finally allowed out of her house she meets her man-whore neighbor, Mason, and his nosy, bitchy twin sister Claudine. The summary is supposed to suggest something awful will happen when Mason and Claudine learn of Elle's home life when actually there's nothing that turns them off. The only development in this story is that Elle discovers that the mom who abandoned her never grew up after her birth and her father didn't actually rape her mother (or so he claims. His argument was just as flawed as every rapist's claim to consensual sex) Evil Grandma has a stroke which suddenly makes her not see Elle as evil, and Elle is free to live a normal life.
There was hardly any suspense and Neiderman skipped over everything that could have made it interesting. Also, a lot of people hated the abuse situation, but...have you read other VC Andrews books? This is mild compared to the abuse typically shown in these novels. While psychologically it was up to par physically there has been worse. This was a poor attempt to copy Flowers in the Attic right down to the suggestive incest between the twins that never gets confirmed or denied. It was vague, confusing, and boring and I've never been so angry about spending 7.99 on a book. Can I please forget this book even exists?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2014
I read this 400 page book in one night. ONE NIGHT.
I confess…I turned those pages so fiendishly because I was waiting for the crazy to happen. Secret, forbidden connection? Oh, yes please. To that end, the book builds wonderful tension. This poor girl who knows nothing of the world learns of it–ironically enough–from a couple of wealthy kids whose idea of the real world almost certainly differs from what most of us know, but there’s a certain beauty in that. It’s one extreme to another…from Elle’s windowless room to kids who know few boundaries and tend to ignore the rest. Which is not to say they’re wild–not by any means–but there’s a certain recklessness that opens Elle’s eyes in a way that couldn’t happen with just any kid next door.
Believe it or not, Elle’s grandparents are sympathetic characters. Her grandfather in particular pushes for her relative freedom, but it’s her grandmother with the biggest fight. After a terrible falling out with their daughter, this woman is left to raise her grandchild–a child she believes to be evil…a child she could have given up but would not–who is a constant reminder of the daughter she considers lost. What this book does so well is portray the grandmother’s struggle to overcome this. She’s wrong–so wrong–but as the pieces fall into place you see she’s not the hardened creature she fronts to the world. She’s broken, and it’s that shell that keeps the pieces from falling every which way.
The path through this story is bittersweet. As the remaining pages dwindled, I worried for what wouldn’t happen…and what would. But this isn’t the kind of book that ends on a breathless moment. It ends quietly, serenely. And for the unwelcomed child, that’s just as it should be.
**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review**
I confess…I turned those pages so fiendishly because I was waiting for the crazy to happen. Secret, forbidden connection? Oh, yes please. To that end, the book builds wonderful tension. This poor girl who knows nothing of the world learns of it–ironically enough–from a couple of wealthy kids whose idea of the real world almost certainly differs from what most of us know, but there’s a certain beauty in that. It’s one extreme to another…from Elle’s windowless room to kids who know few boundaries and tend to ignore the rest. Which is not to say they’re wild–not by any means–but there’s a certain recklessness that opens Elle’s eyes in a way that couldn’t happen with just any kid next door.
Believe it or not, Elle’s grandparents are sympathetic characters. Her grandfather in particular pushes for her relative freedom, but it’s her grandmother with the biggest fight. After a terrible falling out with their daughter, this woman is left to raise her grandchild–a child she believes to be evil…a child she could have given up but would not–who is a constant reminder of the daughter she considers lost. What this book does so well is portray the grandmother’s struggle to overcome this. She’s wrong–so wrong–but as the pieces fall into place you see she’s not the hardened creature she fronts to the world. She’s broken, and it’s that shell that keeps the pieces from falling every which way.
The path through this story is bittersweet. As the remaining pages dwindled, I worried for what wouldn’t happen…and what would. But this isn’t the kind of book that ends on a breathless moment. It ends quietly, serenely. And for the unwelcomed child, that’s just as it should be.
**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review**
January 24, 2015
The Unwelcomed Child
by V. C. Andrews
The dynamic start of this book, its stark description of the treatment and rearing of this beautiful talented child in the aster home of her unloving, angry grandparents, makes you immediately long with this destitute and disillusioned child. The quick hopeful return of her mother shows that despite the anger of her grandmother, she is better off with her grandparents who only want to make up for their mistakes with their own child. The pages of this book have plethora of life lessons that make me want to share this book with not only my daughter but other students, to give warning of what price there is to pay in life, and sometimes that your story is better than it could be.
by V. C. Andrews
The dynamic start of this book, its stark description of the treatment and rearing of this beautiful talented child in the aster home of her unloving, angry grandparents, makes you immediately long with this destitute and disillusioned child. The quick hopeful return of her mother shows that despite the anger of her grandmother, she is better off with her grandparents who only want to make up for their mistakes with their own child. The pages of this book have plethora of life lessons that make me want to share this book with not only my daughter but other students, to give warning of what price there is to pay in life, and sometimes that your story is better than it could be.
January 26, 2014
I don't know--I found this story severely lacking. I feel like it was too rushed. I was left with far too many questions. This is another stand alone book, but it would have been a lot better if the story could be continued in at least one other novel to wrap up a lot of loose ends.
While it does have a lot of similar story-lines as previous books from this author, I felt like the author re-read all of the books and crumpled them all up into one story far too quickly and harshly.
I found it not satisfying and left me craving more of the story, what happens next?
I guess I shall never know.
I suppose, you can't write a great novel every time and sometimes one comes out--not so great.
While it does have a lot of similar story-lines as previous books from this author, I felt like the author re-read all of the books and crumpled them all up into one story far too quickly and harshly.
I found it not satisfying and left me craving more of the story, what happens next?
I guess I shall never know.
I suppose, you can't write a great novel every time and sometimes one comes out--not so great.
February 10, 2014
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I hate to be harsh but, honestly--not so great. At times the book just dragged on and was rather boring. Plot and storyline seemed to be recycled from previous novels by this author, Andrew Neiderman, the ghost-writer using the V.C. Andrews name. (Andrews died in 1986 and her estate hired Neiderman to carry on her novels.) The ending was rather disappointing and left too much hanging unanswered, which was frustrating. Overall, I’d give it a rating of 2.5 to 3, so I’ll be generous and give it a 3.
I want to wish Andrew Neiderman much luck with future novels.
I hate to be harsh but, honestly--not so great. At times the book just dragged on and was rather boring. Plot and storyline seemed to be recycled from previous novels by this author, Andrew Neiderman, the ghost-writer using the V.C. Andrews name. (Andrews died in 1986 and her estate hired Neiderman to carry on her novels.) The ending was rather disappointing and left too much hanging unanswered, which was frustrating. Overall, I’d give it a rating of 2.5 to 3, so I’ll be generous and give it a 3.
I want to wish Andrew Neiderman much luck with future novels.
November 23, 2014
Elle Edwards grew up believing that because of her mother’s sinful ways she was born without a soul; that’s why she was abandoned and left in the care of Grandmother Myra and Grandfather Prescott, who try to ensure her evil will not infect them—by raising her in a virtual prison. Because her days are occupied with homeschooling, strict religious studies, and vigorous housekeeping in their upstate New York home, Elle knows practically nothing of the outside world, even as she emerges as a young woman with impressive artistic talent.
Starts out ok but becomes just boilerplate with cardboard characters soon. Waste of my time to have read this.
Starts out ok but becomes just boilerplate with cardboard characters soon. Waste of my time to have read this.
January 4, 2016
This book is not really the kind of thing that I would read normally, while I found the story interesting it really didn't grip me. I don't think I went into this with any real expectations but this still wasn't what I had imagined. From reading the back of the book I was thinking more along the lines of Carrie. More of a mystery thriller novel.
Elle's family was wonderful but I did struggle with the twins, their oddness took away from the story. There personalities were good it was more the... unsettling statements/ innuendoes that I felt were really unnecessary. Almost like the author wanted to write something more profound but didn't?
Elle's family was wonderful but I did struggle with the twins, their oddness took away from the story. There personalities were good it was more the... unsettling statements/ innuendoes that I felt were really unnecessary. Almost like the author wanted to write something more profound but didn't?
February 16, 2014
a Brand new book by VC Andrew's writing team...back of book reads like a really good movie trailer but once you start it drags a little in the "description" of the setting and am hoping that it picks up....all the VC Andrew's books follow one particular theme...but not even sure if this one will too; taboos about sex....hmmm?
Once you get past the basic setting of the book and the history of the character it picks up...and turns into a really great read....
Once you get past the basic setting of the book and the history of the character it picks up...and turns into a really great read....
February 23, 2014
i dont know why I torture myself. every singletime a new book comes out, i think omg maybe this is the one that will redeem all the other flakes! then read it,and I'm disappointed all over again. i could see the original vc Andrews writing something similar to this, but taking it in a new direction, i kept waiting for her to get raped and knocked up and the evil grams locking her up in a basement while feeding her food from the Bible or something..not this happy go lucky book.
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