My Sweet Audrina
Table of Contents
My Sweet Audrina
My Sweet Audrina is the latest novel to be checked off my to be read list, which grows faster than I can keep up with. Anybody else have that problem?
My wife is an avid V.C. Andrews fan, and she is the one who suggested her books for me, and I decided I would give them a try. Her goal is to read all of them by the end of the year, which is no small task! My goal is to read all of Joyce Carol Oates’ books. Do you have an author where your goal is to read everything they’ve written? I’d love to hear who it is!
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I love the fact that my husband and my wife are both avid readers just like I am. It makes time spent reading with them a ton of fun.
“I stopped off in the village and they told me you really did marry Arden Lowe. I never thought you’d ever be adult enough to marry anyone. Congratulations to him, the fool, and my best wishes to you, the bride who should have known better.”
My Sweet Audrina, V.C. Andrews
Have you read My Sweet Audrina? Come on in and let me tell you about it!
About My Sweet Audrina
A haunting story of love and deceit, innocence and betrayal, and the suffocating power of parental love from V.C. Andrews.
The idea of her sister hovered above them all.
Audrina fiercely desired to be as good as her sister. She knew her father could not love her as he loved that other girl, for her sister was so special, so perfect—and dead.
Upstairs in a locked room awaited her sister’s clothes and dolls, her animals and games—and her sacred rocking chair. Now Audrina will rock and rock and rock to reclaim all of her gone sister’s special gifts.
And then finally she’ll learn the secrets everyone else knows but her.
Thoughts on My Sweet Audrina
“… And now I’m going to tell you something perhaps you don’t know. You are very proud of your papa. Even when you think you dislike him, you dislike him regretfully. Darlin’, don’t feel bad about loving and hating your daddy. None of us is all good or all bad. People come in all shades of gray. No out-and-out devils, and no true angels and saints.”
My Sweet Audrina, V.C. Andrews
My Sweet Audrina is the first novel in a two part series from V.C. Andrews. It is the first of her writing that I’ve ever read. Many times I’ve heard people absolutely raving about Flowers in the Attic, and I had to look it up, and decided to give reading her books a try.
I will be the first to admit that I had no real expectations going into reading My Sweet Audrina, because I had no real information about it. Which I had done on purpose, because I didn’t want anything to spoil my first impression of V.C. Andrews’ writing.
I read this book from beginning to end, and friends would ask me what I was reading or if I was enjoying my latest book, as I am an avid reader. Throughout the book, I struggled to answer if I was enjoying My Sweet Audrina. Because it was almost unbelievable at times. I was at a loss past thinking, “what the actual fuck?” Which I found myself asking quite often throughout this book.
This is my first V.C. Andrews novel, so I’m not sure if the WTF style is normal for her or not. I’m certainly curious, to be completely honest, and that is likely what will drive me to read more of her writing, because I need to know.
I found myself often despising the characters in this book, and it was almost impossible to like any of them. This was a story about lies, deception, family betrayal, smothering and controlling love, mistakes, and so much more.
I’m also very curious about the staircase. If you’ve read this and have an opinion, please comment! I really want to know if the staircase in the house was dangerous, if it was just really easy to throw people down the stairs, or if it was something else that was causing so many to fall down the stairs. Why didn’t the police become suspicious? One, I get it. But two, three, maybe more? How does that not throw up a red flag or two? Am I the only one who thought this?
I thought I was going to like the ending, when all of the truth came out and Audrina decided to leave. But no, it just ended up frustrating me even more. I really hope that in the second and last book of the series, Audrina really develops and gains her own identity. She was so close in this book, and yet didn’t quite make it there.
Final Thoughts on My Sweet Audrina
“No! Let me do something I’ve been trying to do most of my life! When I lay on that bed and heard you and Vera plotting to end my life, do you know what bothered me the most? Well, I’m going to tell you. There’s a secret about me that I’ve got to find out. It’s more important than you, than anything else. So leave me alone and let me finish something that should have been finished a long time ago. And maybe when I see you again, I can bear to look at your face… for right now, I don’t think I ever want to see you again.”
My Sweet Audrina, V.C. Andrews
I’m still struggling hard to articulate how I feel about this book. I felt the same way when I read Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates. It was a good book, but it was dark, to say the least, and very disturbing. Still a good story, just not my usual style or genre of reading.
I’m going to rate it at four stars, because it was interesting and definitely different, and very memorable. I can easily say this book is nothing short of memorable. I didn’t hate it, I actually enjoyed reading it, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how Whitefern, the sequel, turns out. But I can’t give it five stars because I’m not raving about it, nor will I buy it for others I know.
I’ve heard a lot of people who rave about V.C. Andrews and her books end up raving about one specific book or series, and I think that is how she has become so well known. It may or may not be because she writes quality novels every single time. It’ll be interesting, to say the least, to read more of her work and continue developing an opinion about it as time goes on.
If you like dark and disturbing mysterious books, then My Sweet Audrina is the one for you.
Discussion
Have you read My Sweet Audrina or any other writing from author V.C. Andrews? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
About the Author
V. C. Andrews (Cleo Virginia Andrews) was a twentieth century American novelist. Her forte was gothic horror fiction blended with family saga. She is famous for her notoriously bestselling work Flowers in the Attic (1979).
Andrews was born on June 6, 1923 in Portsmouth, Virginia. She was the only daughter and youngest child in the Andrews household. As a child she had a falling accident and she suffered from crippling arthritis in the aftermath of her surgery. However, she had not lost hope as she completed her studies from home. She then started her career as an illustrator and an artist.
She made an attempt at writing with a science fiction novel, named Gods of Green Mountain but failed to have it published. Then she penned a novel, titled The Obsessed for which the publishers suggested her to develop the plot and make it more electrifying. Overnight she edited her work and resubmitted it with the title Flowers in the Attic. Its publication in 1979 brought her huge praise and success as a fiction writer as it instantly became bestselling debut novel of hers.
Subsequently, Flowers in the Attic became the Dollanganger Series owing to its raging success. The first book is a psychodrama centered on the Dollanger family whose head of the family dies in an accident which leaves the mother and her four children financially helpless.
Andrews’ idea of a good novel was that it be fast-paced. She was of the view that she only finishes those books that hold her interest long enough and keeps her guessing till the end. Therefore, while writing a book she minded the fact that her readers do not feel lost in the details but it incited the urge in them to find out what was about to happen.
V. C. Andrews’s other famous works include, The Casteel series (1985), The Cutler series (1990), The Landry series (1994), The Logan series (1996), The Orphans series (1998), The Wildflowers series (1999) and many more. Her works have been translated into many other languages. She suffered from breast cancer in her last days and died on December 19, 1986 at the age of 63. The success of her career had her estate hire a ghostwriter after her death. Andrew Neiderman ghostwritten numerous stories under her name.
Purchasing My Sweet Audrina
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More from V.C. Andrews
Did you enjoy my review of My Sweet Audrina? Need another great V.C. Andrews novel to read? Here is a list of hers in order, by series.
Audrina Books
My Sweet Audrina
Broken Wings Books
Broken Wings
Midnight Flight
Casteel Books
Heaven
Dark Angel
Fallen Hearts
Gates of Paradise
Web of Dreams
Cutler Books
Dawn
Secrets of the Morning
Twilight’s Child
Midnight Whispers
Darkest Hour
De Beers Books
Dark Seed
Willow
Wicked Forest
Twisted Roots
Into the Woods
Hidden Leaves
Delia Books
Delia’s Crossing
Delia’s Heart
Delia’s Gift
Dollenganger Books
Flowers in the Attic
Petals on the Wind
If There Be Thorns
Seeds of Yesterday
Garden of Shadows
Secrets of Foxworth
Echoes of Dollenganger
Secret Brother
Beneath the Attic
Out of the Attic
The Shadows of Foxworth
Early Spring Books
Broken Flower
Scattered Leaves
Eden Books
Eden’s Children
Little Paula
Gemini Books
Celeste
Black Cat
Child of Darkness
Heavenstore Books
The Heavenshore Secrets
Secret Whispers
House of Secrets Books
House of Secrets
Echoes in the Walls
Whispering Hearts
Hudson Books
Rain
Lightning Strikes
Eye of the Storm
The End of the Rainbow
Kindred Books
Daughter of Darkness
Daughter of Light
Landry Books
Ruby
Pearl in the Mist
All That Glitters
Hidden Jewel
Tarnished Gold
Logan Books
Melody
Heart Song
Unfinished Symphony
Music in the Night
Olivia
Orphans Books
Butterfly
Crystal
Brooke
Raven
Runaways
Secrets Books
Secrets in the Attic
Secrets in the Shadows
Shadows Books
April Shadows
Girl in the Shadows
Shooting Stars Books
Cinnamon
Ice
Rose
Honey
Falling Stars
Storms Books
Family Storms
Cloudburst
Sutherland Books
Losing Spring
Chasing Endless Summer
The Forbidden Books
Forbidden Sister
The Forbidden Heart
Roxy’s Story
The Girls of Spindrift Books
Corliss
Donna
Mayfair’s Dangerous Escape
Spindrift
The Mirror Sisters Books
The Mirror Sisters
Broken Glass
Shattered Memories
The Umbrella Books
The Umbrella Lady
Out of the Rain
Wildflowers Books
Misty
Star
Jade
Cat
Into the Garden
Standalone Novels
Gods of Green Mountain
Into the Darkness
Capturing Angels
The Unwelcomed Child
Bittersweet Dreams
Sage’s Eyes
The Silhouette Girl
Becoming My Sister
The Woman Beyond the Attic
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