Gemini Rising

Full Book Review for The Woman in the Attic

Book Review for: The Woman Beyond the Attic, The VC Andrews Story

B0984242H9

Author: Andrew Neiderman
Published by: Gallery Books
Overall rating: 3.5 Stars



PLOT: (3.5 Stars)

This is a biography of VC Andrews, a popular author in the 1980’s. After finding success in her 50’s-60’s, it was short lived as she passed away from cancer in 1986. She was born in 1923 to a middle-class family and lived a normal life until she had an accident in her teenage years on a staircase that would eventually making walking difficult. She was considered disabled, she used a wheelchair, and was dependent on family.

The book talks about her early years, her influences, her struggles, and her desires to be a painter and an author. The author takes you through her life, to her success with Flowers in the Attic, and how she responded to that success.

The end has a rough draft of a story she was working on when she died which is a real treat.


CATAYLIST: (5 Stars)

Growing up in the 1980’s, I was big fan of VC Andrews and her books. I loved Flowers in the Attic. Why? Because it dealt with topics that people just didn’t talk about. Her books were suspenseful, psychological, gothic, and blended all those elements equally. I heard she had died in the 1980’s and her stories were being ghost written, but didn’t know much else. When I heard this book was coming out, I wanted to read it to discover more about one of my favorite authors.

THOUGHTS: (3.5 Stars)

I loved learning about her background, what her influences were and about the accident that crippled her. There was a lot of referenced material which was shared, but the writing comes off a bit stilted, and not conversational. The writing style, while understandable, is lacking that familiar intimacy which Andrews’ books all shared. Yes, I learned about her life, but it felt mechanical.

I did enjoy the rough draft that was shared after the biographical story. It was reflective of all her work, how she could draw you into that novel’s world, ease you into her rooting for the main character, and unfold a story that is suspenseful and unnerving at the same time.


WHAT WORKS: (4 Stars)

I learned information about Andrews that I didn’t know before, and for me, that was a treat.

WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME (WHAT WAS ‘OFF’): (2 Stars)

What was off for me was the writing style of the material. The biographical story lacked a certain intimacy that her books had.

WHY 3.5 STARS:

The book is put together and presented well. Just because the biographical chapters are dry, they do reveal a lot about VC Andrews. There are pictures which are shared, and I liked learning that Virginia did get a chance to enjoy her fame, even if it was for a little bit. She was determined to accomplish certain things, paint and write, and be successful, and that was certainly inspirational, especially knowing her limitations.


EXTRA: COVER SIDE NOTE:

The cover is VC Andrews in a pose with a cover that is reflective of her Dollanganger series. It’s the perfect cover for this style of biography.