I'm really conflicted with this story. I'm a huge huge fan of Flowers in the attic. There were definitely some issues. I guess I will see what the next book brings. Thanks Netgalley for the Arc

I swear, I never get tired of anything to do with the Flowers in the Attic series! It completely captivated me when I was way too young to be reading these type of books! I came across Flowers in the Attic when I was probably 11 or 12. We were there for Christmas or Thanksgiving, and on those days we would be at their house for at least 12 hours. I ended up reading all but the last couple of chapters that day, and I was hooked. I've read every singe one of the VC Andrews books up to The Broken Wings series. I had stopped reading VC Andrews at that time, because it seemed like it was so predictable anymore. Same storyline, different characters. The first books that were written by the actual VC Andrews were by far the best. I've read them all at least 3 times each.
Anyways, Beneath the Attic was another great book in this series. I had always seen the grandmother as a terrible, evil person, so it was really interesting to see where she came from and what she dealt with. Basically how she ended up the way she did, and what drove her. I'm not the same person I was when I was obsessed with reading the Flowers in the Attic series, but I did get into this novel, and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who is a fan of the series.

I was such a fan of the Flowers in the Attic series, so I was hopeful when I saw that Beneath the Attic (and Out of the Attic coming out in 2020) was going to tell us more about Corrine as part of the fortieth anniversary celebration. I had been disappointed by the ghost writing of the V.C. Andrews brand after her death, but I really wanted to give this special addition to the Flowers in the Attic series a try.

Historically speaking, there are many, many problems and inconsistencies. So I decided to enjoy it on a character personality exploration. We never knew that much about Corrine Dixon and her marriage to Garland Foxworth, so learning more about Corrine as she was growing up was quite interesting. There were many things that were not what I imagined her to be like. Such as her "womanly talks", her confidence in her looks and pull she had over men, Her desire to be dressed in the latest fashions and her need to grow up so fast. As you learn more about her thinking, you try to match that up to her role in Flowers in the Attic and things become much more interesting.

This book had an abrupt ending, so I'm glad that the front matter told us that there was another book coming out in 2020. I will read that book as well to continue learning the back story of Corrine and Garland. This is an easy to read book, so if you love the Flowers in the Attic series, I invite you to give it a try.

It's been thirty-two years since I first 'met' the Foxworth family. For me, the most mysterious member of the family was the first Corrine (whose namesake did terrible things for the sake of the family fortune). Very little was said about her, and what information readers do have came from a character whose knowledge may not be wholly accurate. This novel presented an opportunity to (finally) know who she was, and I was unable to resist it. Despite being disappointed by a previous title, I was cautiously optimistic about this novel.

I was excited to read about the enigmatic Corrine and young Garland. My need to know more demanded it, and for that reason I'm glad to have read this book. Unfortunately, Beneath the Attic is plagued with problems that left me feeling frustrated.

The blurb states that Corrine and Garland get married, but the book ends before the marriage takes place. It's an understatement to say I was perplexed that they were still in preparation mode for the wedding when the book ended. No indication is given that this is the first in a series of books, so it felt like the book ended abruptly. I'm sure the final version of the book will inform readers that it's part of a series, but it should have been made clear to early reviewers, as well.

This most maddening, shove-you-right-out-of-the-story problem came when Corrine thinks to herself that she is just as spoiled as Scarlett O'Hara. Gone with the Wind was published in 1936—but this book is set in 1890! If I had been reading a physical book, I would have thrown it across the room. I had to stop reading, and spent the next ten minutes ranting about stupid it was, and seriously considered DNF'ing the book right then and there. How is it possible to make such a ridiculous error?! Google it, for goodness' sake!

Another issue I had is that this doesn't always read like a book set in the late nineteenth century. If you removed all mention of carriages and clothing, it would easily seem to be set in a more modern era. Characters don't address one another or use etiquette consistent with the time period, which is glaringly obvious to anyone who reads historical fiction regularly.

When reading a book that tells the backstory of a maligned character such as Corrine, they are usually portrayed in a favorable light. The youthful version of them is drastically different from the person they became, and the reader can find themselves feeling unexpected sympathy for the character in question. (The young Olivia Foxworth in Garden of Shadows is an excellent example of this.) Corrine, however, is arrogant, spoiled, and selfish—unlikable from the start. It falls in line with how Malcolm (her son) will eventually describe her, and it was not at all what I expected or hoped.

Garland was an imitation of Malcolm, minus the religious fanaticism. Characters in these books are always shown to go through dramatic change, but Garland's character felt completely wrong. He was a nice person in Shadows, but in this book he was a complete jerk. For both main characters to be this unlikable seems a poor choice., and I'm hoping one of them will be redeemed at some point in the series.

Final Thoughts

Despite serious issues I had with certain aspects of the story, I still want to know what happens next. I'd like to see better historical research done (no more references nearly 50 years too early!), with characters behaving in historically-consistent ways regarding their speech, manners, and behaviors.

I've decided to give this book a two star rating, though I was tempted to drop it down to one star due to historical inaccuracies. Being curious about what happens next convinced me to bump it up to two stars.

I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of Gallery Books via Netgalley.

Beneath the Attic by author V.C. Andrews is one of my top anticipated books in 2019! Flowers in the attic series was a fun, deep read for me and now I’m excited to know what happened before Flowers in the Attic that made the series what it is! Full review to come!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I was a fan of the original Flowers in the Attic series. I've tried a few of the newer titles and have been disappointed. From the blurb this book was meant to be a sort of prequel to the original series. It was TERRIBLE! The whole thing was more of a trailer for books sure to come. There was no real completion or satisfaction at the end. If I am going to read a trilogy or series I want the first book to have some resolution and sort of a tease to read more. I also noticed in this book the author found every possible excuse to use the words "Flower" and "Attic." It felt like a cheap ploy to make you nostalgic that just fell flat.

Actually, I read the original series MANY years ago. This book triggered vague memories of those stories.
I most likely will return to the originals - now that I have read Beneath the Attic.

The plotline is a bit shallow but it is easy to follow and a very fast read. The characters were played out well, I thought. However, I do not understand why Corrine did not question Garland as to why he had not tried to contact her in 2 1/2 months. I pretty much chalked that up to him thinking that Corrine didn't want to have anything to do with him.

Reading this brought back many memories for me. Although an easy read, it was quick enough and detailed aptly to make the book both enjoyable and interesting. Flowers in the Attic, anyone?

Many thanks to Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books and NetGalley for a good read!

I just recently re-read the original Dollanganger series after being away from it for several decades, so I was interested to see how Neiderman would construct Malcolm's mother's story. I read that there are to be two more books after this one and it did feel a bit like this book was more setting the scene for the others than it was shedding light on many secrets since this book ends before Malcolm is even born.

First, the strengths: I remember having a soft spot for Garland when I encountered him as an older man in Garden of Shadows and it was interesting to see him as a young man, charming, a bit arrogant, and possibly not to be trusted. I'll be interested to see how his character develops in the next two books. I also always like walking back through Foxworth Hall in my mind, so I did enjoy the descriptions in this book as well.

There were some errors, especially with respect to the 1890 setting, that I truly hope an editor will fix before the final release. Please get rid of the mentions of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O"Hara as these characters will not exist in literature for over 40 years after the setting of the book. Also, I hope someone will remove the use of the term "homeschooled" in reference to the family members who were taught in the attic classroom. That term would not have been used in 1890. And the use of the word "sexy" by Corrine would not have happened at that time, either.

Andrew Neiderman has destroyed V.C. Andrews legacy.

Beneath the Attic is riddled with inaccuracies and the lack of research or even thought that went into the novel is absolutely disgraceful. There was obviously no editorial oversight and that is to the detriment of the novel, the reader, V.C. Andrews, and the books that Andrews wrote herself. The books that Neiderman first wrote under Andrews, when working with Andrews original editor, were of far higher quality. Since they have parted ways, we are left with what can only be described as trash.

The book is set in 1890, but although that is stated, there seems to be no effort to actually adhere to the time period of 1890. Corrine visits her former nursemaid at home--which she owns herself and where she lives alone--and the nursemaid opens the door fresh from a shower, dressed in a robe, while drying her hair. When visiting her aunt, her aunt's elderly, long time servant, presumably previously enslaved, speaks with her familiarly and addresses her as Corrine, not Miss Corrine. Corrine and her mother, although wealthy, fix their own meals and do not appear to employ any servants themselves. At one point, Corrine comes downstairs in the morning, clad only in her robe, and fixes herself some scrambled eggs. None of this would have happened in 1890!

The most glaring mistake of all, Corrine compared to herself to Scarlet O'Hara from Gone with the Wind. This book is set in 1890. Gone with the Wind was published in 1936. FFS do a modicum of research!

The opening chapter has Corrine spending so much time fixated on her beauty that I had to set it down and walk away multiple times. Even a narcissist would have been embarrassed. Then Corrine's "womanly talks" with the neighbor girls where she educates them about sex--absolutely ridiculous. Again, ill suited to the time period. Any time period, really. The opening chapters only served to make Corrine hateful. The only purpose those could possibly serve was to make it seem as if she "deserved" to be raped when Garland drugged and raped her. For a man who writes books for a primarily female audience, it is apparent that Neiderman is not a fan of women.

This is lazy writing and insult to his readers. This is not the polished result of a craft that is honed and perfected. This is something that was banged out for a paycheck.

This was not good. I have fond memories of the hilarity of Flowers in the Attic, but this book, about the orginial Corinne's grandmother Corinne, just sets up a lot of unresolved mysteries about her weird husband. Corinne is spoiled and hilarious but ultimately this book felt like set up, and it didn't really shed any light on the sequels that's actually interesting.

Fans of V. C. Andrews’ Flowers in the Attic will grab this one in the hopes of understanding why Corinne did the things she did, but most will stop reading befor they get any answers. The quality of the writing is poor and only seeks to titillate readers and isn’t even very success at that. Although in all honesty, I didn’t read much.

I didn't like this book. I was a big fan of the flowers in the attic series. This one didn't line up even though it was supposed to be Corrine's story. I don't remember the original set so far back in time. I don't recommend this book.