Petals on the Wind - V.C. Andrews

Reading Challenge Category: A Re-read

Official Blurb:

Forbidden love comes into full bloom. For three years they were kept hidden in the eaves of Foxworth Hall, their existence all but denied by a mother who schemed to inherit a fortune. For three years their fate was in the hands of their righteous, merciless grandmother. They had to stay strong...but in their hopeless world, Cathy and her brother Christopher discovered blossoming desires that tumbled into a powerful obsession. Now, with their frail sister Carrie, they have broken free and scraped enough together for three bus tickets and a chance at a new life. The horrors of the attic are behind them...but they will carry its legacy of dark secrets forever.

My Thoughts:

This is the second book in the Dollanganger series by V.C. Andrews, and it continues almost immediately after the first one ended.
Even though I’ve read this series of books too many times to count, I couldn’t recall what was going to happen as I was reading. So, this made for an exciting experience. I kept thinking I could remember bits, but I must have been thinking of another book as the story continued to keep shocking me.
Cathy isn’t a pleasant character in this book; she lets what has happened in the past affect her way too much. This means she does what she thinks is right and justified and doesn’t really care who she hurts along the way. After all the sympathy you have built up for her and her siblings during the first book, Cathy does an excellent job of evaporating your compassion.
The book moves through time at quite a fair pace. Cathy is, I think, 15 when the book starts and 27 when it ends so, a lot of things happen over the 12 years. The most heartbreaking being with Carrie. I didn’t think we were going to get the story from her perspective, to begin with. However, we are not disappointed and get to know how she feels about everything that has happened. It is truly harrowing.
The book really does lift and drop your emotions at regular intervals, and there is no break in the drama.
Another thrilling read although it didn’t quite have the same magic as ‘Flowers in the Attic’ and I’m putting that down to Cathy’s actions rather than the high level the book was written at. She was very frustrating, and all you wanted was for her to be happy and calm. Although, I suppose if she had have been there would be no need for the book at all. However, I think she could have been a little more amenable with her ways to make the book that bit more enjoyable. So due to that, this gets four stars instead of five.

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