Reading order

Dollanganger reading order

V. C. Andrews

Flowers in the Attic1979
Petals on the Wind1980
If There Be Thorns1981
Seeds of Yesterday1984
Garden of Shadows1986
Christopher's Diary: Secrets of Foxworth2014

7.47.4 / 10
694 ratings
Score: 6 volumes
Volumes: 1979–2014
Published: about 45 h
Reading time: Completed
Status: Horror#15
Genre

Quick answer

Start withFlowers in the Attic1979 · Volume 1 of 6

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Publication order

6 volumes1979–2014Completed

Flowers in the Attic (1979) is the book nearly everyone knows: four children locked away in their grandmother’s attic.
Expect disturbing content, including abuse and incest.
The sequels follow the family for decades; Garden of Shadows, a prequel, was completed by a ghostwriter after V. C. Andrews’s death in 1986.

A plan for the whole series

6 volumes, 2,364 pages, about 45 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 8 weeks.

Per day: 45 min

Stages

3 stages, with 2 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around January 2, 2027, 7 days later than in one go.

1
Stage 116 h21 daysby November 19, 2026
- 1. Flowers in the Attic1979 · 411 pages · 8 h
- 2. Petals on the Wind1980 · 439 pages · 8 h
Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 23, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
2
Stage 214 h19 daysby December 12, 2026
- 3. If There Be Thorns1981 · 374 pages · 7 h
- 4. Seeds of Yesterday1984 · 408 pages · 7 h
Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 15, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3
Stage 313 h18 daysby January 2, 2027
- 5. Garden of Shadows1986 · 376 pages · 7 h
- 6. Christopher's Diary: Secrets of Foxworth2014 · 356 pages · 7 h
The end of the series
January 2, 2027

In one goDecember 26, 2026about 8 weeks

In stages, with breaksJanuary 2, 2027about 9 weeks · +4 h of other books

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

How this plan is calculated

The plan comes from the pages and ratings of each volume: we split the series into stages of about three weeks’ reading, size each break to the stage before it, and read the chance of finishing from how many readers rate the last volume compared with the first. How we work out the plan →

Every volume in order

Read: 0 of 6

Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 29, 2026

Frequently asked questions

Which Dollanganger book is the longest?

“Petals on the Wind” is the longest at 439 pages; the shortest is “Christopher's Diary: Secrets of Foxworth” with 356 pages.