Why Must Read The Woman Beyond the Attic: The V.C. Andrews Story?

I was so excited to read this book, but it was such a disappointment. Part of it is a matter of personal taste, I suppose: it would seem that I really hate the Niederman's writing style. But also... it reads a lot like something a college student wrote for class. "Did Virginia's disability serve as her own personal 'attic'? We will explore this theme in future chapters." Further, it's painfully clear that the family had a heavy hand in the writing of this. There's very little in the way of facts and a LOT of conjecture. What is "known" about Virginia reads like a family Christmas letter: "Little Virginia is so precocious! At only seven years old, she is taking art classes at the local junior college" and "This year, Virginia skipped not only 4th grade, but also 6th grade." Virginia, according to this book, was brilliant and talented and beautiful and, gosh darn it, wouldn't you know it, the kids in school hated her for that. Despite the author admitting--often!--that Virginia wasn't really a fan of the truth, much conjecture or family lore is presented as fact. Supposedly, when she was recovering from surgery in her teens, and and a handsome doctor fell for one another, and he gave her the basis for Flowers in the Attic, telling her the true story of how he and his siblings were locked up for 6 months so as to secure a family fortune. Except... there's no basis for this. Virginia told a cousin who told the author. No one knows who the handsome doctor was. Of course. I get it: Virginia was reclusive. She didn't like questions about her personal life and as a result, often made stuff up. It makes it difficult to pin down any kind of objective truth about her life. But given that...I'm not sure that this book needs to exist. The last half of the book is unpublished writings of Virginia. That part is semi-interesting, at least. I'm a huge V.C. Andrews fan, but I can't recommend this book to anyone.