My Sweet Audrina

Holy mother of god, this book pisses me off so much.

V.C. Andrews did write My Sweet Audrina, which is a pretty good book in itself (4-4.5/t stars) but she absolutely, positively, did not write Witefern, which I would give ZERO stars because it is a god damn disgrace to the VCA Legacy.

V.C. Andrews died over three decades ago from breast cancer, and so many books have been published under her name since which are clearly not at all inspired from her notes, nor do they show any respect for her work.

In MSA, it was established that Sylvia had Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Even though the disease itself was not mentioned, there were several major clues (multiple references to Lucy's drinking, as well as something being obviously wrong with Sylvia show more at birth.

But in Whitefern, the ghostwriter changes this to autism - which is NOT apparent at birth, and does not manifest itself until a child is supposed to be hitting certain milestones in toddler-hood/young childhood.

But then, what is research to Neiderman? He's proven time and time again how shitty he is at research when it comes to...

-disabilities (blindness, deafness, learning disabilities, autism)
-races/cultures (black people, Native Americans, among others, are depicted in broad, simplistic brushstrokes which rely heavily upon stereotypes)
-age and time periods - teenage girls sound like little children, scenes set in earlier time periods are anachronistic
-LGBTQ - Don't even get me started on the shitty April Shadows series.

If you want to read VCA, buy a book that has ONLY My Sweet Audrina in it, and for the love of God, avoid Whitefern at all costs. The characters of MSA are absolutely butchered in this crap-tastic sequel which is nothing more than a blatant attempt to milk a cow that dried up years ago.

Also, what is the deal with the chair on the cover? The only chair to have any special significance in the story was the rocking chair in the First Audrina's room, that the second Audrina was forced to sit in so she could channel the First Audrina. So if the publishers wanted to put a chair on the cover of this book, they should have put a rocking chair on the cover. Hell, the original cover for this book had Audrina in a rocking chair, how fucking hard can it be? show less

In the early summer of 1983, right after graduating college I visited my best friend who had recently moved to Va Beach. It rained and rained and rained. I found a used book store and picked this up. Here is the review I found in my 1983 journal "400 pages of sheer idiocy. Sheer idiocy. After the 1st chapters I knew it was going to be idiotic, but kept hoping it would pick up. It didn't." Get the feeling I didn't like it very much? I remember reading it like it was yesterday. Lord, it was humid. MTV was more or less new so this book is mixed together in mind with videos for Idol's "White Wedding" and Madness's "Our House." And with Pina Coladas. Good memories, lousy book. I was hoping for something more in the creepier Capote or Oates show more line, but this was just icky want to take a shower to wash away the icky-ness creepy. show less

VCA did a fantastic job with the Flowers in the Attic and the Heaven books, but this book is unique in its own way and tells a compelling story within one book, instead of a series.

This is the only standalone VCA book she ever published in her career, but oh what a book it is. Things are not always as they seem, and there are always enough plot twists to leave me satisfied. Every time I read it, I always notice new details.

The revelation about the First and Best Audrina was a shocker, and I shall not say what it is because I shall not spoil you! And as for who the real villain is? Well, doubtless Vera is a villain! But as you read it, you will realize that Vera is but the tip of a iceberg. So read this book, gasp and thrill at the show more secrets and twists, and enjoy!

Knowing more about VCA's life now than I did back then, I can't help but wonder if the ending of this book was a peek into how VCA felt about her own family, being unable to escape? show less

My Sweet Audrina by V.C. Andrews is a 2016 Pocket Books publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher as an XOXpert, the official street team of XOXO After Dark.

Many rabid fans of V.C Andrews describe these books as a guilty pleasure, gobbling them up at the speed of light and sound. Recently, with all the renewed interest in these books, I became curious about what is was that made these books so popular and what was the secret to their longevity.

As a teen I read ‘Flowers in the Attic’, as did nearly every girl in my school. But, while the book should have had my Gothic loving heart going pitter patter, I hated it, and vowed to never read another book by V.C. Andrews.

But, even after the death of V.C. Andrews, show more a ghost writer was commissioned to carry on her legacy, and carry on they did, to the tune of over twenty series/trilogies and several stand alone novels. Nearly all these books and series are well received with high ratings. The popularity of these books has led to big screen productions, and most recently to made for TV adaptations, prompting me to give this author and these books another look.

So, when asked to review this book, and the recently released, and much anticipated sequel, "Whitefern", I found myself feeling kind of excited. It seems this book is also the subject of a ‘Lifetime’ movie, so I was immensely curious and ready to dive into a Gothic Horror classic, which could, if I was ready to approach it with an open mind, turn me into a rabid fan, or it could remind me of why I refused to read this author for years on end.

So, which side did I come down on?

Strangely enough, this novel, which was originally published in 1982, is exactly what a ‘modern’ Gothic horror novel should be. The writer, (Andrew Neiderman), did an excellent job of picking up the original author’s distinct cadence, in order to create an atmospheric tale of family secrets, lies, manipulations, and grotesqueries. I was sucked into the story from the very beginning, and ended up reading its over five hundred pages in one night.

Looking at it through distance and time, I have to say the pacing and mood is quite creepy, with a heavy atmosphere of foreboding hanging in the air, which works quite effectively, and kept me morbidly fascinated all the way through.

Audrina was her father’s favorite, but she died, leaving him bereft. But, he was blessed with another daughter, also named Audrina, who lived in the shadow of her deceased sister, forced to channel her sister’s spirit in order to help her father maintain the wealth and lifestyle that means more to him than all else. Also living under the same roof with Audrina and her parents, is her aunt and cousin, Vera.

The dynamic between the family is very odd, lurid, and extremely unhealthy for all concerned, but Audrina suffers more psychological abuse than any other family member, as she is treated as a fragile, sensitive girl unable to cope with the world at large, all while the accident prone Vera, taunts and teases her cruelly, as Audrina struggles to understand why her memory is full of holes and what secrets her family is keeping from her and why.

Rounding out the cast is a neighbor boy named Arden, who becomes Audrina’s best friend and sole link to the outside world.

As the story progresses the reader is left to wonder about Audrina’s memory gaps, about Vera’s paternity, what really happened to the first Audrina, and the family’s financial situation. Who do we trust? Who is telling the truth, who is lying? Will Audrina ever discover the mystery about herself and the first Audrina death?

Overall, this book is much more than I expected, and certainly does appeal to my Gothic fascination. While I had no trouble deciphering the great mystery, for the most part, I had no idea how it would all play out or come together in the end. I read furiously and frantically, racing to find out if Audrina would ever discover the truth and how she would deal with it.

The story is lurid, strange, dark, and oppressive, like many Gothic horror novels are, but the suspense comes more from a psychological approach, as the reader is drawn helplessly toward a truth we want to know, need to know, but dread the knowledge, all the same.

At the end of the day, I see why so many people consume these books so voraciously and I am really looking forward to read the long awaited sequel! show less

My Sweet Audrina by V.C. Andrews is the mysterious story of a young girl named Audrina, who spends most of her time being a shut-in with her parents, aunt and cousin. Because of something that happened to her older sister (the First and Best Audrina), she (the Second and Inferior Audrina) cannot go to school or be around boys. Eventually Audrina starts to have somewhat of a normal life, with piano lessons, school, and a friendship with the neighbor boy, Arden, which turns into love. Yet she cannot shake her sister's death from the shadows, and realizes there is something about the First Audrina she must know.

This is the only stand-alone novel penned by Andrews. While I didn't care for the romance between the Arden and Audrina, her show more cousin Vera is by far the best villain ever written in the Andrews books to date. This was a book actually written by Andrews (and not her Ghostwriter), so it has that authentic sense of Gothic horror and sick, twisted family relationships her fans have come to know and love. A guilty pleasure for sure, but sometimes we all need easy reading. show less

This book was without doubt the most terrifying thing I read that year. Horror really ain't my thing, but damn she is just so subtle; I didn't know it was a horror story 'til I was done reading it and started having nightmares.

I have not read V.C. Andrews since high school and Flowers in the Attic (didnt everyone read this one!) And since I have been in a small reading slump lately and what better than V.C Andrews to pull me out.

These books had me engrossed from the very start. Between the eerie house with the locked doors and strange places, to the weird characters like Vera with her brittle bones and her Femme Fatale ways…this is V.C Andrews at its best. The way these characters interact are unique and bizarre. Their deviant behavior just amazed me from the very first word.

The family is exactly what you expect from one of these books, weird, strange and downright creepy especially with their family secrets and lies! It is psychological drama that lures show more the reader in with the expectations for more darkness and creepiness. And did I mention the house…yes…I did…the house..I want to explore so badly!!

I did find Whitefern a little less enchanting than My Sweet Audrina. I don’t know if I read them too close together or if my expectation was too much. But, I found that Audrina was a little more strange than in the first book, almost too whiney for my taste. I also caught a few errors and the story and the characters were a little flat and did not capture my attention like the first book.

What a psycho, abnormal gothic horror series. The foreboding atmosphere create a strange, odd world to totally get lost in. I cannot wait to see what weirdness the next installment will take.

I received these novels from Simon and Schuster as part of XOXperts show less