Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

The tale of four children and their mother who becomes broke when the father dies in a car accident and they have to stay with their bible toting grandmother in Virginia.

Upon arrival to the grandmother's mansion the children soon learn that their mother was outcast from their grandmother's house, and in order to get her inheritance, their grandfather must believe that the children don't exist.

The grandmother then promptly locks the children in the attic where she enforced very strict rules. Lies, revenge, deceit, and secrets threatens the once happy family. Brothers and sister soon learn that the love of siblings is more stronger than any fate in this world.

Everyone has their favorite book. Whether it's a romance, a thriller, or a comedy or yet another of the many vast genres of books available, books have captivated people of all ages, race, ethnicity, and religion. Books are universal and can bring people together in some of the most craziest ways.

I believe that's why I love all things literature. When you're sitting alone and bored, picking up a good book can transport you to far away lands where people can fly and even the most unfix-able guy transforms and becomes a loving and affectionate lover.

Personally, my favorite book is Flowers in the Attic by Cleo Virginia (V.C.) Andrews, which is also my favorite series. The Dollanganger series is very suspense filled and it keeps you wanting more the more you read.

Cleo Virginia Andrews was born in Portsmouth, Virginia on June 6, 1923. She is best known as V.C. Andrews or Virginia C. Andrews. This bestselling author of many books died at the age of 63 of breast cancer. After her death on December 19, 1986, her novels were so famous that her estate decided to hire Andrew Neiderman - a ghostwriter - to write more stories to be published under her name.

Ms. Andrews' stories often were rags-to-riches stories combined usually with Gothic horror. V.C. Andrews' novels have been translated in over 15 different languages - including Portuguese, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Swedish, and Japanese.

Ms. Andres was the youngest child, and the only daughter of her parents. Because of a fall as a teenager from a school stairwell, she developed a chronic back injury. Cleo suffered from stthritis because of the surgery from the fall, so she had to use a wheelchair and crutches for most of her life.

V.C. Andrews completed a four year correspondence course from home and became a successful illustrator, commercial artist, and portrait painter. She later delved into writing. Gods of Green Mountains was her first novel. It was a science fiction novel that didn't get published until 2004 - as an ebook.

Andrews' first manuscript was called The Obsessed, but her editor claimed that she needed to extend the story and :"spice it up". In later interviews, V.C. Andrews admitted that she revised the story in one night and resubmitted the manuscript as Flowers in the Attic in 1975.

Flowers in the Attic was published in 1979 and reached the top of the bestseller list in just two weeks! Every year, until her death, Andrews published a new novel. Garden of Shadows and Fallen Hearts were majority written by V.C. Andrews, but they were finished and published by Andrew Neiderman.

The Dollanganger Series

• Flowers in the Attic (1979)
  

• Petals on the Wind (1980)
  

• If there be Thorns (1981)
  

• Seeds of Yesterday (1984)
  

• Garden of Shadows (1986)
  

Dollanganger Series Recap

The Dollanganger series was published from 1979 to 1986. The first two books of the series concentrates on the Dollanganger children: Cathy, Cory, Chris, and Carrie. While trapped in an attic, the four children wait for their grandfather to die so their mother can inherit the family fortune, but while in the attic their mother decides to just get rid of them and laces their food with arsenic.

With promises that they'll get out soon, the children trusts their mother until Cory dies from poisoning and their grandmother's strict rules. They soon learn that their mother is about to be married and her father died a long time ago, but she never told them and never tried to take them out of the attic.

Flowers in the Attic covers their arrival at their grandparent's mansion in Virginia to their escape from the evil house. Petals on the Wind starts directly after Carrie, Cathy, and Chris' escape from the attic and how their lives were affected by their mother's fateful decision to move them to their grandparent's attic.

If There Be Thorns and Seeds of Yesterday both tell the story of Cathy's children Bart and Jory. Garden of Shadows is the prequel to Flowers in the Attic that is in the point of view majority of the grandmother of the Dollanganger children.

The Dollanganger series was published between 1979 and 1986.

Lifetime has decided to pick up V.C. Andrew's Dollanganger series and remake the Flowers in the Attic movie and it's sequels. Lifetime's Flowers in the Attic (FITA) movie remake actually was very close to the book's plot - which was what the first FITA movie viewers complained about as it didn't stick very close to the story, like it's ending.

With the great success of Lifetime's Flowers in the Attic movie remake, Lifetime decided to continue with the Dollanganger series and make the sequels to the books as well. Flowers in the Attic was aired on January 18, 2014 and Petals on the Wind was aired on May 26, 2014. The next two sequels, If there be Thorns and Seeds of Yesterday are set to be released some time in 2015. There is no talk of the Dollanganger series' prequel Garden of Shadows - which follows Cathy's grandmother before everything began - movie, so let's see what happens in the future.

V.C. Andrews' Casteel series is about a family from West Virginia. Heaven is primarily in the viewpoint of Heaven. Heaven's mother died when she had her at the age of fourteen. Her father sold her and her half-siblings for money. The books then shifts to Heaven's daughter, Annie, then to Leigh, Heaven's mother. The Casteel series books were published between 1985 and 1990.

The Casteel Series

• Heaven

• Dark Angel
  

• Fallen Hearts
  

• Gates of Paradise
  

• Web of Dreams

The Cutler Series

• Dawn
  

• Secrets of the Morning
  

• Twilight's Child
  

• Midnight Whispers
  

• Darkest Hour
  

The Cutler series was published between 1990 and 1993. The first three books of the series follows Dawn from her childhood to marriage. The fourth book, Midnight Whispers, centers around Dawn's daughter, Christie. Darkest Hour is about Lillian, Dawn's grandmother.

The Landry series is set in Louisiana and centers around Ruby Landry, her daughter named Pearl, and Ruby's mother, Gabrielle. The novels in the Landry series were publishied between 1994 and 1996.

The Landry Series

• Ruby

• Pearl in the Mist
  

• All that Glitters
  

• Hidden Jewel
  

• Tarnished Gold
  

The Logan Series

• Melody
  

• Heart Song
  

• Unfinished Symphony
  

• Music in the Night
  

• Olivia
  

The Logan series was published from 1996 to 1999. The first three books follow Melody Logan from a trailer park in West Virginia as she helps her relatives with their problems. Music in the Night is in the point of view of Melody's cousin, Laura. The fifth book is a prequel of the whole series and the protagonist is Melody's great-aunt.

The Orphans series revolves around the lives of four teenagers: Janet, Crystal, Brooke, and Raven who are sent to the Lakewood House foster home after becoming orphans. The Orphan series was published between 1998 to 2000.

The Orphans Series

• Butterfly

• Crystal
  

• Brooke
  

• Raven
  

• Runaways
  

• Orphans
  

The Wildflowers Series

• Misty

• Star
  

• Jade
  

• Cat
  

• Into the Garden
  

• The Wildflowers
  

The group of girls in the Wildflowers series are in a court ordered group therapy and each book tells their stories. The fifth book tells of what happens after the therapy session. The novels were published from 1999 to 2001.

The Hudson Series

• Rain

• Lightning Strikes
  

• Eye of the Storm

• The End of the Rainbow
  

• Gathering Clouds
  

The Shooting Star Series

• Cinnamon

• Ice

• Rose

• Honey

• Falling Stars

• Shooting Stars

The DeBeers Series

• Willow

• Wicked Forest

• Twisted Roots

• Into the Woods

• Hidden Leaves

• Dark Seed

The Broken Wings Series

• Broken Wings
  

• Midnight Flight
  

The Gemini Series

• Celeste

• Black Cat
  

• Child of Darkness
  

The Shadows Series

• April Shadows
  

• Girl in the Shadows
  

The Early Spring Series

• Broken Flower
  

• Scattered Leaves
  

The Secrets Series

• Secrets in the Attic
  

• Secrets in the Shadows
  

The Delia Series

• Delia's Crossing

• Delia's Heart

• Delia's Gift

The Heavenstone Series

• Heavenstone Secrets

• Secret Whispers

The Kindred Series

• Daughter of Darkness (2010)

• Daughter of Light (2012)

The March Family Series

• Family Storms (2011)

• Cloudburst (2011)

The Forbidden Series

• The Forbidden Sister (2013)

• The Forbidden Heart (2013)

• Roxy's Story (2013)

  Stand alone works

  • Gods of Green Mountain (1972)

  • My Sweet Audrina (1982)

  • Into the Darkness (2012)

  • Capturing Angels (2012)

  • The Unwelcomed Child (2014)

  Short stories (Inspired by Andrews' artwork)

  • Cage of Love (2001)

  • The Little Psychic (2001)