It really is. They could not let go of each other. As twisted as it was, how could anyone ever understand what they went through? The only shred of comfort and security they had in that nightmare was each other. It's pitiful and tragic.
It’s a part of the tragedy, the Cathy that leaned on her older brother to survive their childhood horror never truly escaped. And I hold Chris partially responsible for that, for never letting her go. Maybe she could have if he’d stayed away? We’ll never know.
@@TheEverGrowingRosey-333 That’s true but I’d still love this to be a regular thing. More because of the books are becoming harder and harder to find and audiobooks are even worse.
Cathy putting Bart's needs in front of everyone else she allegedly loves makes me so angry I can't see straight. Her refusal to protect Cindy is unforgivable.
Part of the tragedy is Cathy repeating the cycle, she lets Bart get away with abusing & slut shaming Cindy like her own mother allowed the grandmother to do to her. It’s so sad.
knowing their relationship in the book the fact the Lifetime movie made Cindy be into Bart and become his wife and partner in their televangelist show is even more fucked up
I'm not gonna lie. I boohooed at the end of this book. As soon as Cathy sees the cop car coming up the hill, I broke. And then when Bart finally admits how wrong he was and that he did love Chris.....and then poor Cathy going up to the attic to find her Christopher again. 🥺💔 This book just piled on the heartbreak. I wanted them to have a happy ending. I really, really did.
@@stevenandcarminabeedle9089 I was truly hoping for an ending where Chris and Cathy finally defeat the Foxworth "curse" and live happily in the house that tried to destroy them. They suffered so much and lost so much, they deserved to live their final years in peace. Sadly that wasn't what happened. I thought it was pretty devastating.
The worst part of The Dollenganger Series is not just how messed up it is, but how real it is in a lot of aspects. The tramua between Chris and Cathy that they cant leave the fantasy world theyve build, abuse being so normalized to Cathy she keeps ending up with abusive partners, religion being almost like a drug to people like Olivia who use it as an escape and Malcome and Amos who use it as a reason to justify their abuse and misogyny. And even the completely bonkers plots of Joel and Bart makes sense in how insecure he is and is constantly looking for a father figure and Joel using it as a way into money. I've heard Flowers in the Attic called 'the Twilight of the 80s' but it's actually really well written if very, very dramatically.
It is unfortunately, a window into the very real, and much more prevalent than we'd ever care to admit, widespread family abuse -- even in families who look good on from the outside looking in.
i also love how they show cathy and chris’ traits in jory and bart, like cathy’s desire for vengeance and chris’ tendency to smooth things over to keep peace in jory
You wanna know what's especially hilarious about this book? Jory and Melody's original career plans. Your average ballet dancer retires by age 35. Ballet is HARD on the body, and enacts perminant changes to the skeletal structure. "Ten years at the top"? Those twits had MAYBE six good years left, assuming they didn't land a jump wrong and screw up their ankles and knees.
Jory & Melody’s career in the time period they live in maybe yes would’ve only lasted that amount of time. I follow a lot of ballet dancers, a lot of them have said today the standards for their bodies are more lenient & careers are lasting longer. Though there are still typical long term effects of being a dancer, but that is normal for any sport career.
Garden of Shadows is probably my favorite of the series. I felt so bad for Olivia. She and Cathy are much more alike than either of them would want to admit.
Thank you. I always assumed she committed suicide. "She knew what she had to do" sounds active not passive. I refuse to believe she died of a broken heart.
You know when I saw your other videos about these books I half depression watched them because my cat was missing and I needed to hear of someone’s life who was worse than what I felt in that moment And now I’m here again my black kitty boy back on my lap purring his little head off here because I want to know how this train wreck ends
The ending made me cry so much. It is so sad that Chris and Cathy never escaped the attic. It was always a part of them no matter how far away they were from it. It makes me so sad for those who experienced deep trauma in their childhood. It leaves an imprint that can never be fully healed.
Ok, so, heres my huge fan theory. Joel wasn't their uncle. He was a townie that grew up hating the Foxworths, worked at the platform the orginal siblings used to catch the train, then potentionally lived out of town for a period. He says something in the chapter Chris dies in that catches Cathy off guard because she only ever heard that phrase from the worker on the platform the night they escaped. I think this fake Joel only wormed his way into Bart's life to get ahold of the trust. Small town gossip would have let him know the details about Corinne losing her mind, the fire, the grandkids' trust, and Bart rebuilding the house. Then he dips almost immediately after figuring out he won't get control of Bart's money.
I never thought of that. But I do know one thing: Joel is gay AF. No man who hates women that much, and himself even more, hiding it behind the Bible behaves that way. Shame he’d never know how much more happier he could have been had he come out the closet and lived his best life.
@@stevenandcarminabeedle9089one thing I liked about Flowers in the Attic the Origin is how they explored this. Reading the books as a child, a young man being called “artistic” and “sensitive” was code for “gay” in the 1980s when VC Andrews wrote the book.
@@stevenandcarminabeedle9089 Given the era he was born in and the absolute melodrama of the series, coming out of the closet would have resulted him being buried in a shallow grave in the back yard, with his family making up a story about him moving to Europe to be a musician.
This seems likely especially since the whole fire and brimstone thing feels way off for a person who wanted to ESCAPE all of that… plus being a monk which is a totally different take on religion
On Samson and Delilah. She wasn't bribed, she was threatened with watching her family be burnt alive, their home razed into a dung hill before she herself would be gr*ped and killed. This is what happenend to Samsons first wife who could not convince him to tell her the truth. She gave false information and was burned alive for it. More modern Bibles state that they offered Delilah money for the secret. Which they did, but she was also acting on the knowledge of what happened to Samsons first bride.
Pray tell where you got this information from? I've just looked at the verse in question in 52 versions of the bible as well as basic run downs on both Jewish and Christian inturpertations. Yes, his first wife is threatened in Chapter 14. What gaurentee is there that Delilah should know of the fate of his first wife 20 years before, unless told. Yes she may well have felt the possbility of threat to family by the Philistines if she didn't take the bribe as they would perhaps resort to that as a next tactic. But I'm not seeing evidence that she had the knowledge you speak of.
Yeah he was incredibly jealous, but he’d never do anything to physically hurt him. He just thought it was his “good luck” that Jory was no longer “perfect”.
While I don’t personally mourn Chris (he like nearly all the men in this series were trash) in the end, I do feel for Cathy’s grief. And I mourned her when she died up in that damned attic. I don’t like Bart but looking back at the story now as an adult I feel his hate for Chris was warranted. I think he had an intuitive sense of Chris’s true character, that we the readers know to be true cause we read about Chris raping Cathy, not leaving her alone once they’d escaped the attic until she caved into marrying him, coercing her to be sterilized to remove his own guilt in potentially getting Cathy pregnant, & then NOT TELLING HER THEIR MOTHER MOVED IN NEXT DOOR! Again Bart behaved monstrously, and I’ll always feel sorry for the little boy he used to be. I don’t agree with the people who think he was disturbed from the beginning & was doomed to turn out nasty. That sentiment frankly strikes me as ableist & conveniently sweeps any responsibility Cathy & Chris had under the rug. Obviously it’s not all their fault, but no one can convince me they didn’t contribute to anything in how he turned out. Them getting together at the end of Petals in the Wind particularly, but I mostly hold Chris at fault for that. Does anyone else actually worry that evangelizing might not actually be good for Bart? Particularly because I know a lot about the notorious abuse scandals evangelical Churches tend to cover up & enable (also the huge amounts of fraud). Bart being in a respected position of power in such an institution does not give me good vibes.
I had forgotten so many details of this series, but as your narrative wound on, I kept thinking "Oh YEAH I remember THAT!!" What a wild, wild ride this series is. However it's definitely a gothic series --reminds me of the old TV show Dark Shadows. Reading this series taught me that if you really want to affect your readers, rip their guts out on the regular by killing/whumping everyone they like, thwart everyone's plans, and basically never ever give any of your characters what they want. It's a formula that has since served me well; I adore reviews like "I hate this!! Where's the next chapter??" My BFF and I devoured these books back in the day. My mom thought they were trashy (and she was right) but didn't ban them--probably because she herself had been banned from reading Peyton Place, her generation's trashy novel (and I might argue gothic-adjacent since the town was a central character that no one could escape from) and yet she used to get it out of my grandma's closet and sneak reads while my grandparents were out. Speaking of: Have you done Peyton Place? If not, you totally should!
I appreciate the deep dive you've done on these so far -- VC Andrews and this series was a huge part of my teen years and too often the deeper threads of trying to survive abuse & trauma get lost in the "salaciousness" of Chris & Cathy's relationship. Looking forward to "Garden of Shadows" and hope you take a look at "My Sweet Audrina" and the Heaven series. I know there are more VC Andrews books, but for me the original 1980s Dollanganger books, Audrina, & the Heaven series are the ones that Viriginia actually wrote or had direct influence on/came from her notes & outlines. Thanks again for looking at these with a serious eye. Muchly appreciated.
Yes, I agree that this series should cover all of the REAL Andrews books, and only the REAL Andrews books. The Niederman books are all cookie-cutter formula roughly based on the Casteel series - there’s always a secret rich family that treats the heroine like crap, an initial boyfriend who turns out to be a jerk, and a bitch sister who gets repeatedly slut-shamed by the text.
@@Sailormac2 I've read a few of Neiderman's books under his own name and while they aren't necessarily my tastes -- he does mix it up from book to book. I wonder how much of the Neiderman Era books are the publisher/estate mandates. I gave up half-way thru the Ruby series and other than the Christopher Diaries (read more out of curiosity than actually expecting a good story) haven't read any of the Neiderman books since.
I can't wait to hear your analysis of Garden of Shadows. These videos remind me of how much I loved VC Andrews and this series in particular, as a teenaged reader in the late 90s. Hearing you talk about it's virtues as Gothic lit, makes me realize that all the stuff that's dark and uncanny which I love as an adult, was already percolating in my brain. Young me loved the Dollanganger series, so adult me could love the Shining.
I've only read the first book, many years ago but I saw the lifetime series, and I don't care if he redeems himself. I wanted Bart to have a garden statue fall on him. Repeatedly.
@@BeckyMa9482 I know right he was such a dickhead to Jory and Melody was such a bitch I loved it when Cindy slapped her, honestly I'm kind of amazed Cathy didn't slap her
i read all of the Dollanganger series when i was a freshman in high school and having watched your videos on them you did an amazing job.I hope you go into Garden of Shadows or My Sweet Audrina
Bravo! Very well done! I hope you continue to indulge us with your wonderful and thorough examinations of the work of V.C. Andrews (who, I agree, is a master wordsmith!) I can't wait for the next one! My box of pins is ready!
Wow. I've been hearing about Flowers In The Attic for decades, but never read it or looked too deeply at what it was about. I had the impression it was a gross and cheap book from those who had read it in their youth. Seems now it was written by somebody who understood how trauma really haunts people and leads them to unintentionally hurt their own children, no matter how badly they want to make a better life for them.
I really enjoyed listening to all of these in the series. But I noticed you didn't mention the part where Cathy discovered Cory's body in the wall in the attic.
Im so excited. Ive been thinking about this series non stop since your first video. I love the way you talk if that makes sense. Really feels like my bestie is talking to me all about a book we've both read! Anazing work!
1) With each successive video, I am more and more gobsmacked that I read these books in MIDDLE SCHOOL. 2) This booked especially sounds like a prequel to The Haunting of Hill House. A house that was born bad.
Excellent work on the trilogy!! Thank you for bringing this to YT. My older sister had these books; I was and am an avid reader; the cover and title were intriguing--for those who don't know, each book's cover had shiny floral depictions with 'peek-a-boo' windows that would open to a very colorful while foreboding scene. I was early teens (perhaps 13-15?) when I read them. Albeit probably inappropriate for my age (also watched a lot of horror movies back then), I have never forgotten them...and have also never wanted to read them again, as so much of the family's drama and outright horror were difficult, especially after coming to care for the characters. Not to highjack the thread, but a part of me was able to relate on some level. I grew up in a large middle-class home in the country (an 'estate' some might say), 5 acres of yard + 5 acres of farmland, rented to a neighbor. The assumption by friends, other family and partners when they saw the house was that we were rich. I suppose we were by some accounts. The bad part of that assumption is that people also assume that you have to be starving, in poverty and living in a trailer park for bad things to happen behind closed doors. You have to have police knowing your entire family by first name; you have to have an alcoholic or drug addicted parent. Good, church-going Christian families don't abuse their children. This book, and many other tomes, movies, stories since then are proof that they can. My own life is proof that it can, and does happen, to the 'best of' families. Thank you for treating all with kindness and compassion, even those portrayed as villains. In my and my love's case, we 'acted' like villains because we were set up to believe lies about others and about one another. In my mother's case (perhaps due to generational trauma?), she was a villain for her own personal gain and entertainment. We are not the same. Thank you.
I have literally no ... connection to these books (being German and them only just vaguely registering as something on my radar), but goshdarn these deep dives are so, so GREAT to listen to. your analysis is so thoughtful and fun :3
I've been waiting for this for so long - every day I checked my RUclips to see if you've posted and today was finally the day!!!! I've had the other 3 videos on a constant loop and I cant wait i watch all 4 back to back
The first book of this series was always on one of our family bookshelves growing up. I can't remember whether I've ever read it but having to listened to all your videos I feel like I now have. Great job.
yayy so excited for this!! I've really enjoyed your coverage of these novels, you've provided great insights and commentary for this wild ride of a series!
I love your channel! Because of you I’ve read the first three books and have fallen into obsession. I’m getting a little burnt out with the reading but you do an excellent job of recapping everything so I was so excited to see this!
@@Natalie_11188 The Heaven movies were good? I tried to watch the first one and couldn't make it through more than 20 minutes. It was completely unlike the book.
@@Natalie_11188 I never knew there was a movie on that one! But I also was 12 years old when I read Flowers and had to wait for the next releases in the series...but never read another VC Andrews book again after 2001. I saw the Flowers movie, but was tragically let down, but I really hate reading a book before I see the movie 🍿
When I read this book and learned about Chris's death I was crying so hard, I have cried every time I read it again, because he died doing what he did all his life: helping people, and now that you are telling the story and the summary of the book and got to his death I cried again. Definitely my favorite character of this saga and also one of my favorites of all time ❤
Wow. Ive never read any of these books but a summary by you was the best way I could ingest them cause this was a wild ride in a nice communicated way:3
Right! Like I couldn’t read the first book and gave up on the audiobook despite knowing all the crazy shit that goes down. I enjoy these recap videos 😊
Oh that was wonderful, thank you. Please tell me you'll do Garden of Shadows when you have time. It gives such an important foundation to the whole series!
I really like the covers of the books. They are simple, but also haunting with the cut outs. I didn't know that they were these books until a few years ago, but I always remember seeing them in my childhood.
So excited for this!!! Can’t wait to watch this while I draw. I’m hoping you branch out in this format for other books as well, your analysis is SO fucking good
this is the only one in the series i didn’t read so i was absolutely SAT for this. i love the angle of the house being its own entity, like the amityville horror. someone could make a really good movie series of this if they really leaned into the gothic horror angle IMO
Chris and Cathy let his behavior slide because they lost their facade of moral authority with him. It's unfortunate but true. If you're going to sleep with your sister/brother, then you can't call your kids to heel when they step out of line. They'll never listen to you. And why should they? If their "parents" won't respect healthy boundaries, why should their kids?
I know this is legit how some people think, but it’s such a stupid way to live your life. My mom was a terrible person who did terrible things. She also sometimes told me things which were important for me to learn. It’s not hard to sift through the nonsense or ignore hypocrisy to find the genuinely good advice at the bottom.
To be fair they didn't have the average upbringing, their circumstances were so extreme and in their formative years, the moral compass was shifted by their abuse and neglect. I have empathy for them.
Thank you so much for these videos I REALLY enjoyed them, probably more than i would have actually reading the books! lol cant wait for more of your vids! also i would have also fought bart in the street what a prick
I read all the books in this series except for this book. I was a young teen when reading the books and the relationships never bothered me as they probably should have. I think I read 'Flowers' when I was 12 or 13. I am not so sure if I was too young to be reading this series. I had childhood trauma of my own. I forget how big these books were. All my friends were reading these books. I forgot how much I enjoyed these books. I forgot so much about what was in the stories. It is great to hear this commentary.
Hell yeah! *I'll just have to wait until evening to actually watch the video since I'm having a busy afternoon, but regardless I'm sure it'll be pretty good❤*
Okay this was really good. Though after hearing all this I find Bart unforgivable. I didn’t know him taking revenge on all the business ended up with one of them killing themselves. I had forgotten that one. We don’t know what kind of person the guy was (and if he was a horrible men like a rapist etc okay but for all we know that might have been a kind person driven into desperation ). I don’t know if Bart truly can make up for his sins, though at least he isn’t hurting anyone anymore in the end and trying to be better
Skip to 32:45 and 1:04:36 to avoid passages from the book that deal with ableism
@@elizabethlyons1066
@@elizabethlyons1066there ABSOLUTELY is a such thing as ableism. You stop the stupidity. -signed a disabled person
Oh brother. Blocked for stupid.
Honestly Cathy explaining to Bart that she can't leave Chris because of the fantasy world they had to build to survive was heartbreaking.
It really is. They could not let go of each other. As twisted as it was, how could anyone ever understand what they went through? The only shred of comfort and security they had in that nightmare was each other. It's pitiful and tragic.
It’s a part of the tragedy, the Cathy that leaned on her older brother to survive their childhood horror never truly escaped. And I hold Chris partially responsible for that, for never letting her go. Maybe she could have if he’d stayed away? We’ll never know.
Grab your pins! There's a new Dollanganger book summary! So help me God, I sincerely hope you do the other series V.C. Andrews wrote.
I’m stocked up on pins for this one!!!
Me too!! I've really been enjoying this sordid trip down memory lane. 😂
How much she actually wrote her other series is up for debate sadly. 😔
@@TheEverGrowingRosey-333 That’s true but I’d still love this to be a regular thing. More because of the books are becoming harder and harder to find and audiobooks are even worse.
@@ashleightompkins3200 Why? Are the physical copies banned?
Cathy putting Bart's needs in front of everyone else she allegedly loves makes me so angry I can't see straight. Her refusal to protect Cindy is unforgivable.
Part of the tragedy is Cathy repeating the cycle, she lets Bart get away with abusing & slut shaming Cindy like her own mother allowed the grandmother to do to her. It’s so sad.
She's the definition of a toxic boy mom in this book. 😢
Agreed.
knowing their relationship in the book the fact the Lifetime movie made Cindy be into Bart and become his wife and partner in their televangelist show is even more fucked up
I was wondering why I thought this ending seemed more wholesome than memory 😮💨
OH NO! NO NO NO!
Didn't he try to kill her and then degrade her every chance he got in the last book?
@@akinaneon-xz6ojpretty sure he pushed her down the stairs at one point
@lynnanderson1538 in the book they did reunite on Barts televangelist show as brother and sister. Not husband and wife
I'm not gonna lie. I boohooed at the end of this book. As soon as Cathy sees the cop car coming up the hill, I broke. And then when Bart finally admits how wrong he was and that he did love Chris.....and then poor Cathy going up to the attic to find her Christopher again. 🥺💔 This book just piled on the heartbreak. I wanted them to have a happy ending. I really, really did.
In a sense, they did. It just couldn’t be in this life. 😢
@@stevenandcarminabeedle9089 I was truly hoping for an ending where Chris and Cathy finally defeat the Foxworth "curse" and live happily in the house that tried to destroy them. They suffered so much and lost so much, they deserved to live their final years in peace. Sadly that wasn't what happened. I thought it was pretty devastating.
The worst part of The Dollenganger Series is not just how messed up it is, but how real it is in a lot of aspects. The tramua between Chris and Cathy that they cant leave the fantasy world theyve build, abuse being so normalized to Cathy she keeps ending up with abusive partners, religion being almost like a drug to people like Olivia who use it as an escape and Malcome and Amos who use it as a reason to justify their abuse and misogyny. And even the completely bonkers plots of Joel and Bart makes sense in how insecure he is and is constantly looking for a father figure and Joel using it as a way into money. I've heard Flowers in the Attic called 'the Twilight of the 80s' but it's actually really well written if very, very dramatically.
It is unfortunately, a window into the very real, and much more prevalent than we'd ever care to admit, widespread family abuse -- even in families who look good on from the outside looking in.
i also love how they show cathy and chris’ traits in jory and bart, like cathy’s desire for vengeance and chris’ tendency to smooth things over to keep peace in jory
You wanna know what's especially hilarious about this book?
Jory and Melody's original career plans.
Your average ballet dancer retires by age 35. Ballet is HARD on the body, and enacts perminant changes to the skeletal structure. "Ten years at the top"? Those twits had MAYBE six good years left, assuming they didn't land a jump wrong and screw up their ankles and knees.
Jory & Melody’s career in the time period they live in maybe yes would’ve only lasted that amount of time.
I follow a lot of ballet dancers, a lot of them have said today the standards for their bodies are more lenient & careers are lasting longer. Though there are still typical long term effects of being a dancer, but that is normal for any sport career.
They both admit they were living in a fantasy.
Wow. 😮
I cannot WAIT for Garden of Shadows!!!! BTW: These 4 have been fantastic. You are reminding me exactly as I remember reading them.
Garden of Shadows is probably my favorite of the series. I felt so bad for Olivia. She and Cathy are much more alike than either of them would want to admit.
Definitely 😢 @@ladyrazorsharp
Her passing in the attic is so sad I cried
NGL, I always thought she comitted suicide. Chris might not have been able to live without Cathy, but the reverse was also true.
@@thedorkone1516 She didn't want to live without Chris so in a way maybe she willed herself to die so she could be with Chris.
@@MdnightWndits the classic "died of a broken heart"
Thank you. I always assumed she committed suicide. "She knew what she had to do" sounds active not passive. I refuse to believe she died of a broken heart.
You know when I saw your other videos about these books I half depression watched them because my cat was missing and I needed to hear of someone’s life who was worse than what I felt in that moment
And now I’m here again my black kitty boy back on my lap purring his little head off here because I want to know how this train wreck ends
So glad he’s back!
I’m so glad he’s back, safe and sound. 💕💕💕
The ending made me cry so much. It is so sad that Chris and Cathy never escaped the attic. It was always a part of them no matter how far away they were from it. It makes me so sad for those who experienced deep trauma in their childhood. It leaves an imprint that can never be fully healed.
Cathy always being made the villain by these people pisses me off every time!!
Ok, so, heres my huge fan theory.
Joel wasn't their uncle. He was a townie that grew up hating the Foxworths, worked at the platform the orginal siblings used to catch the train, then potentionally lived out of town for a period. He says something in the chapter Chris dies in that catches Cathy off guard because she only ever heard that phrase from the worker on the platform the night they escaped. I think this fake Joel only wormed his way into Bart's life to get ahold of the trust. Small town gossip would have let him know the details about Corinne losing her mind, the fire, the grandkids' trust, and Bart rebuilding the house. Then he dips almost immediately after figuring out he won't get control of Bart's money.
I always got the feeling he was an imposter too.
I never thought of that. But I do know one thing: Joel is gay AF. No man who hates women that much, and himself even more, hiding it behind the Bible behaves that way. Shame he’d never know how much more happier he could have been had he come out the closet and lived his best life.
@@stevenandcarminabeedle9089one thing I liked about Flowers in the Attic the Origin is how they explored this. Reading the books as a child, a young man being called “artistic” and “sensitive” was code for “gay” in the 1980s when VC Andrews wrote the book.
@@stevenandcarminabeedle9089 Given the era he was born in and the absolute melodrama of the series, coming out of the closet would have resulted him being buried in a shallow grave in the back yard, with his family making up a story about him moving to Europe to be a musician.
This seems likely especially since the whole fire and brimstone thing feels way off for a person who wanted to ESCAPE all of that… plus being a monk which is a totally different take on religion
On Samson and Delilah.
She wasn't bribed, she was threatened with watching her family be burnt alive, their home razed into a dung hill before she herself would be gr*ped and killed. This is what happenend to Samsons first wife who could not convince him to tell her the truth. She gave false information and was burned alive for it.
More modern Bibles state that they offered Delilah money for the secret. Which they did, but she was also acting on the knowledge of what happened to Samsons first bride.
Pray tell where you got this information from? I've just looked at the verse in question in 52 versions of the bible as well as basic run downs on both Jewish and Christian inturpertations. Yes, his first wife is threatened in Chapter 14. What gaurentee is there that Delilah should know of the fate of his first wife 20 years before, unless told. Yes she may well have felt the possbility of threat to family by the Philistines if she didn't take the bribe as they would perhaps resort to that as a next tactic. But I'm not seeing evidence that she had the knowledge you speak of.
@@coyoteartistisn't it funny how people love to boast secret info on the Bible events when the source of that secret info us their own imaginations?
I don't think I've ever considered before that Bart wasn't responsible for the accident 🤯
Yeah he was incredibly jealous, but he’d never do anything to physically hurt him. He just thought it was his “good luck” that Jory was no longer “perfect”.
I wouldn't put anything past Bart
I always thought the accident was Joel. That old man was evil.
While I don’t personally mourn Chris (he like nearly all the men in this series were trash) in the end, I do feel for Cathy’s grief. And I mourned her when she died up in that damned attic.
I don’t like Bart but looking back at the story now as an adult I feel his hate for Chris was warranted. I think he had an intuitive sense of Chris’s true character, that we the readers know to be true cause we read about Chris raping Cathy, not leaving her alone once they’d escaped the attic until she caved into marrying him, coercing her to be sterilized to remove his own guilt in potentially getting Cathy pregnant, & then NOT TELLING HER THEIR MOTHER MOVED IN NEXT DOOR!
Again Bart behaved monstrously, and I’ll always feel sorry for the little boy he used to be. I don’t agree with the people who think he was disturbed from the beginning & was doomed to turn out nasty. That sentiment frankly strikes me as ableist & conveniently sweeps any responsibility Cathy & Chris had under the rug. Obviously it’s not all their fault, but no one can convince me they didn’t contribute to anything in how he turned out. Them getting together at the end of Petals in the Wind particularly, but I mostly hold Chris at fault for that.
Does anyone else actually worry that evangelizing might not actually be good for Bart? Particularly because I know a lot about the notorious abuse scandals evangelical Churches tend to cover up & enable (also the huge amounts of fraud). Bart being in a respected position of power in such an institution does not give me good vibes.
I completely agree. He was probably like Jim Baker...
Yeah, Bart becoming an evangelist strikes me as, “He didn’t reform, he’s just a different flavor of evil now.”
Cathy Dolleganger...golly lolly, Lemony Snicket would blush at your life.
He sure would. 😮
I had forgotten so many details of this series, but as your narrative wound on, I kept thinking "Oh YEAH I remember THAT!!" What a wild, wild ride this series is. However it's definitely a gothic series --reminds me of the old TV show Dark Shadows. Reading this series taught me that if you really want to affect your readers, rip their guts out on the regular by killing/whumping everyone they like, thwart everyone's plans, and basically never ever give any of your characters what they want. It's a formula that has since served me well; I adore reviews like "I hate this!! Where's the next chapter??" My BFF and I devoured these books back in the day. My mom thought they were trashy (and she was right) but didn't ban them--probably because she herself had been banned from reading Peyton Place, her generation's trashy novel (and I might argue gothic-adjacent since the town was a central character that no one could escape from) and yet she used to get it out of my grandma's closet and sneak reads while my grandparents were out.
Speaking of: Have you done Peyton Place? If not, you totally should!
I was so happy to see this pop up in my feed. I've had THE crappiest day, and this was just what I needed to take my mind off it 💓
Love that last statement about breaking generational traumas
I appreciate the deep dive you've done on these so far -- VC Andrews and this series was a huge part of my teen years and too often the deeper threads of trying to survive abuse & trauma get lost in the "salaciousness" of Chris & Cathy's relationship. Looking forward to "Garden of Shadows" and hope you take a look at "My Sweet Audrina" and the Heaven series. I know there are more VC Andrews books, but for me the original 1980s Dollanganger books, Audrina, & the Heaven series are the ones that Viriginia actually wrote or had direct influence on/came from her notes & outlines. Thanks again for looking at these with a serious eye. Muchly appreciated.
Yes, I agree that this series should cover all of the REAL Andrews books, and only the REAL Andrews books. The Niederman books are all cookie-cutter formula roughly based on the Casteel series - there’s always a secret rich family that treats the heroine like crap, an initial boyfriend who turns out to be a jerk, and a bitch sister who gets repeatedly slut-shamed by the text.
@@Sailormac2 I've read a few of Neiderman's books under his own name and while they aren't necessarily my tastes -- he does mix it up from book to book. I wonder how much of the Neiderman Era books are the publisher/estate mandates. I gave up half-way thru the Ruby series and other than the Christopher Diaries (read more out of curiosity than actually expecting a good story) haven't read any of the Neiderman books since.
I can't wait to hear your analysis of Garden of Shadows. These videos remind me of how much I loved VC Andrews and this series in particular, as a teenaged reader in the late 90s. Hearing you talk about it's virtues as Gothic lit, makes me realize that all the stuff that's dark and uncanny which I love as an adult, was already percolating in my brain. Young me loved the Dollanganger series, so adult me could love the Shining.
I can finally stop obsessively checking to see if you’ve uploaded a video on this book 😂
I'm 54. Read this series when I was 9 . Yeah it's stayed with me all these years and have touched my heart differently each decade.
Damn, there is so much damage in this family.
RIP Jory’s grandmother ?? More like RIP Freud you would have loved this book
I've only read the first book, many years ago but I saw the lifetime series, and I don't care if he redeems himself. I wanted Bart to have a garden statue fall on him. Repeatedly.
@@BeckyMa9482 I know right he was such a dickhead to Jory and Melody was such a bitch I loved it when Cindy slapped her, honestly I'm kind of amazed Cathy didn't slap her
i read all of the Dollanganger series when i was a freshman in high school and having watched your videos on them you did an amazing job.I hope you go into Garden of Shadows or My Sweet Audrina
Bravo! Very well done! I hope you continue to indulge us with your wonderful and thorough examinations of the work of V.C. Andrews (who, I agree, is a master wordsmith!) I can't wait for the next one! My box of pins is ready!
Wow. I've been hearing about Flowers In The Attic for decades, but never read it or looked too deeply at what it was about. I had the impression it was a gross and cheap book from those who had read it in their youth. Seems now it was written by somebody who understood how trauma really haunts people and leads them to unintentionally hurt their own children, no matter how badly they want to make a better life for them.
I really enjoyed listening to all of these in the series. But I noticed you didn't mention the part where Cathy discovered Cory's body in the wall in the attic.
I love the series. You did a great job through out this entire saga, Kudos!
Im so excited. Ive been thinking about this series non stop since your first video. I love the way you talk if that makes sense. Really feels like my bestie is talking to me all about a book we've both read! Anazing work!
Omg finally! I've been checking for this one. Love this series and your work!
1) With each successive video, I am more and more gobsmacked that I read these books in MIDDLE SCHOOL. 2) This booked especially sounds like a prequel to The Haunting of Hill House. A house that was born bad.
Cathy's story is more tragic than Cathy from Wuthering Heights 😢
Both Cathy Earnshaw and Cathy Dollanganger had nothing but tragedy and misery in their lives. Only their children got to be happy.
I’ve got a whole pile of pins at the ready. Let’s goooooooo!!!!
Excellent work on the trilogy!! Thank you for bringing this to YT.
My older sister had these books; I was and am an avid reader; the cover and title were intriguing--for those who don't know, each book's cover had shiny floral depictions with 'peek-a-boo' windows that would open to a very colorful while foreboding scene.
I was early teens (perhaps 13-15?) when I read them. Albeit probably inappropriate for my age (also watched a lot of horror movies back then), I have never forgotten them...and have also never wanted to read them again, as so much of the family's drama and outright horror were difficult, especially after coming to care for the characters.
Not to highjack the thread, but a part of me was able to relate on some level. I grew up in a large middle-class home in the country (an 'estate' some might say), 5 acres of yard + 5 acres of farmland, rented to a neighbor.
The assumption by friends, other family and partners when they saw the house was that we were rich. I suppose we were by some accounts.
The bad part of that assumption is that people also assume that you have to be starving, in poverty and living in a trailer park for bad things to happen behind closed doors. You have to have police knowing your entire family by first name; you have to have an alcoholic or drug addicted parent. Good, church-going Christian families don't abuse their children.
This book, and many other tomes, movies, stories since then are proof that they can. My own life is proof that it can, and does happen, to the 'best of' families.
Thank you for treating all with kindness and compassion, even those portrayed as villains. In my and my love's case, we 'acted' like villains because we were set up to believe lies about others and about one another. In my mother's case (perhaps due to generational trauma?), she was a villain for her own personal gain and entertainment. We are not the same.
Thank you.
Trilogy? Isn’t there five in both this series and the Heaven series?
Was waiting for this. I'm dyslexic so it's hard to fully comprehend long videos about story lines, but yours are super easy to follow along with.
I love these VC Andrew series reviews!! Do more of her books! I really like the Dawn Cutler and Heaven series
That series is SOOOO depressing and I agree.
I have literally no ... connection to these books (being German and them only just vaguely registering as something on my radar), but goshdarn these deep dives are so, so GREAT to listen to. your analysis is so thoughtful and fun :3
Never apologize for the length of your videos! I absolutely loved this series you did!!!
*Thank you SO much for doing this series!*
Thank you for these videos that go in depth in the series.
I've been waiting for this for so long - every day I checked my RUclips to see if you've posted and today was finally the day!!!! I've had the other 3 videos on a constant loop and I cant wait i watch all 4 back to back
The first book of this series was always on one of our family bookshelves growing up. I can't remember whether I've ever read it but having to listened to all your videos I feel like I now have. Great job.
yayy so excited for this!! I've really enjoyed your coverage of these novels, you've provided great insights and commentary for this wild ride of a series!
I love your channel! Because of you I’ve read the first three books and have fallen into obsession. I’m getting a little burnt out with the reading but you do an excellent job of recapping everything so I was so excited to see this!
I love that you’re doing this series! Your coverage is amazing!
I love this, you're so witty, I'd love for you to cover the Heaven series
YESSSSS I'm here for this comment ❤ That's my favorite series
@@denisehamilton943that’s a good one. The Lifetime Movies were good as well.
@@Natalie_11188 The Heaven movies were good? I tried to watch the first one and couldn't make it through more than 20 minutes. It was completely unlike the book.
@@MdnightWnd the missed it on hair color but the acting was good, movies 2-4 were better.
@@Natalie_11188 I never knew there was a movie on that one! But I also was 12 years old when I read Flowers and had to wait for the next releases in the series...but never read another VC Andrews book again after 2001. I saw the Flowers movie, but was tragically let down, but I really hate reading a book before I see the movie 🍿
This series has been amazing, thanks so much for doing it!
Pleeeassse continue the series ❤ i've loved hearing your input.
When I read this book and learned about Chris's death I was crying so hard, I have cried every time I read it again, because he died doing what he did all his life: helping people, and now that you are telling the story and the summary of the book and got to his death I cried again. Definitely my favorite character of this saga and also one of my favorites of all time ❤
A wonderful series. I appreciate the time you took to break down all books.
I'm thoroughly enjoying this series you're doing. Thank you 🙏
Wow. Ive never read any of these books but a summary by you was the best way I could ingest them cause this was a wild ride in a nice communicated way:3
Right! Like I couldn’t read the first book and gave up on the audiobook despite knowing all the crazy shit that goes down. I enjoy these recap videos 😊
Absolutely love how you have handled this story!!!
I love these videos, I'm going to be sad when they end , I will rewatch
I habe loved this series. It's been years since I have read the series and your recap series has been so much fun. Thank you for the work
i’ve been waiting for this video!! literally squealed with joy when i saw you uploaded!!!! love your series so far!!!!!
Oh that was wonderful, thank you. Please tell me you'll do Garden of Shadows when you have time. It gives such an important foundation to the whole series!
The dollanganger series review was Amazing!! I enjoyed your reviews on my absolute favourite books ever.
Can’t wait for more ❤
I really like the covers of the books. They are simple, but also haunting with the cut outs. I didn't know that they were these books until a few years ago, but I always remember seeing them in my childhood.
Thank you for this!
cant wait for you to do the pre quel!!! theres hardly any videos on youtube about it and especially no deep dives
Thank you SO much!! 🎉🎉🎉
I was thinking of you the other day, and wondering when you’d review the next book! Can’t wait to listen, commenting for the algorithm.
I would adore if you did this with the Ruby series
Thank you for uploading these books into my head ❤
So excited for this!!! Can’t wait to watch this while I draw. I’m hoping you branch out in this format for other books as well, your analysis is SO fucking good
You have no idea how long i waited for this video im so invested in this series and i love your narration of the material
I forgot the end! That absolutely broke me when I first read it as a middle schooler. Still hurts tbh
Thank you.❤
‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ Finally Watching this, I’m excited to watch this, can’t wait to see what other videos & book series you make series & videos out of 🙌
Yessss! Ive been down with a horrible migraine all day so this is perfect!!❤❤
Yes, I've been so excited waiting for this summary that I started listening to the audiobooks for the series.
Immaculate timing!!! Couldn’t wait for this one!!
this is the only one in the series i didn’t read so i was absolutely SAT for this. i love the angle of the house being its own entity, like the amityville horror. someone could make a really good movie series of this if they really leaned into the gothic horror angle IMO
OMG I am so stoked for this! Thank you!
I’m not crying you are! Poor Cathy.
Loved this series! thank you for your really thoughtful commentary
LET’S GOOOOOOOO the way in which i binged all your VC Andrews content in one afternoon 😭
Dalliance is such a great word but wholly inadequate for Kathy and Chris.
I have never been this fast to click on a video!! I was just looking for something to listen to while I bake.
Yay! Glad this video is up
so glad i found you! this has been so fun to listen to!
Ooooh I've been waiting to watch this ever since I watched you're first video.
Yessssss I’ve been waiting queen. Your commentary is the best!
Chris and Cathy let his behavior slide because they lost their facade of moral authority with him. It's unfortunate but true. If you're going to sleep with your sister/brother, then you can't call your kids to heel when they step out of line. They'll never listen to you. And why should they? If their "parents" won't respect healthy boundaries, why should their kids?
I know this is legit how some people think, but it’s such a stupid way to live your life.
My mom was a terrible person who did terrible things. She also sometimes told me things which were important for me to learn. It’s not hard to sift through the nonsense or ignore hypocrisy to find the genuinely good advice at the bottom.
To be fair they didn't have the average upbringing, their circumstances were so extreme and in their formative years, the moral compass was shifted by their abuse and neglect. I have empathy for them.
Thank you so much for these videos I REALLY enjoyed them, probably more than i would have actually reading the books! lol
cant wait for more of your vids! also i would have also fought bart in the street what a prick
Loved your whole video series !
literally checked ur page an hour ago for a possible update to this!!!!!!! YAAS
Will you be doing Garden of Shdows, Beneath The Attic, Out Of The Attic & Shadows of Foxworth
This is, again, WAY better than re-reading the books 😄
Can't watch right now, but I am very excited for this video ❤
I read all the books in this series except for this book. I was a young teen when reading the books and the relationships never bothered me as they probably should have. I think I read 'Flowers' when I was 12 or 13. I am not so sure if I was too young to be reading this series. I had childhood trauma of my own. I forget how big these books were. All my friends were reading these books. I forgot how much I enjoyed these books. I forgot so much about what was in the stories. It is great to hear this commentary.
Hell yeah!
*I'll just have to wait until evening to actually watch the video since I'm having a busy afternoon, but regardless I'm sure it'll be pretty good❤*
I’ve been waiting for this!
This was such a saga.
Okay this was really good. Though after hearing all this I find Bart unforgivable. I didn’t know him taking revenge on all the business ended up with one of them killing themselves. I had forgotten that one. We don’t know what kind of person the guy was (and if he was a horrible men like a rapist etc okay but for all we know that might have been a kind person driven into desperation ). I don’t know if Bart truly can make up for his sins, though at least he isn’t hurting anyone anymore in the end and trying to be better
This was just what I needed!