History Literature / CutlerSeries

The Cutler series is a GenerationalSaga series of novels published under the name of Creator/VCAndrews, but written entirely by ghostwriter Creator/AndrewNeiderman, who had been chosen by her estate to write sequels for the ''Literature/DollangangerSeries'' and ''Literature/TheCasteelSeries''. This was the beginning of a [[FranchiseZombie long, LONG line of ghostwritten series]].

** Philip also comes off as being a younger [[Literature/TheCasteelSeries Tony Tatterton]], complete with SanitySlippage and [[spoiler:an unhealthy obsession with certain female relatives.]]
** Laura Sue is basically a somewhat younger variation of [[Literature/TheCasteelSeries Jillian Tatterton]].

The Cutler series is a GenerationalSaga series of novels published under the name of Creator/VCAndrews, but written entirely by Andrew Neiderman, who had been chosen by her estate to write sequels for the ''Literature/DollangangerSeries'' and ''Literature/TheCasteelSeries''. This was the beginning of a [[FranchiseZombie long, LONG line of ghostwritten series]].

* CoolLoser: Dawn.

* IllGirl: A cystic fibrosis afflicted Eugenia in ''Darkest Hour''.
** Sally Jean Longchamp is older than most examples, but otherwise fits.
** Laura Sue posits herself as one, although much of her "illness" is either faked or psychosomatic.
** Jefferson becomes an Ill Boy towards the end of ''Midnight Whispers'' after contracting tetanus.
** In addition to SanitySlippage, Georgia in ''Darkest Hour'' gets stomach cancer.

* BastardBoyfriend: Michael Sutton is one for abandoning a pregnant Dawn and later trying to extort money out of her.

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Dawn Cutler says that her sister-in-law Betty is very plain compared to her so it makes it easy for Philip to pretend that Betty is Dawn. Once she has the twins, however, Dawn soon changes her mind when motherhood becomes very good to Betty's figure.

* [[FirstGirlWins First Boy Wins]]: Jimmy is the first of Dawn's love interests that appears (and the second character to appear in the series, even), and they end up HappilyMarried [[spoiler:and subsequently TogetherInDeath]].

* [[HonoraryUncle Honorary Aunt]]: Trisha, Dawn's best friend from NYC.

* CinderellaCircumstances: Dawn's punishment for her illegitimate pregnancy is being pulled out of school and sent to Emily, who works her like a slave in the run-up to the birth, believing that physical labor is good for the baby. In ''Darkest Hour'', Lillian is also treated as a slave to force her to atone for her perceived "sin" with Niles (even though Jed and Emily know full well by this stage that nothing happened).

* YourCheatingHeart: Initially, Dawn is told that her real father was a touring lounge singer that had a fling with Laura Sue. [[spoiler:That's a lie, and Laura Sue was raped by her father-in-law.]]
** However, Clara Sue's real father is Bronson Alcott, who really did have an affair with Laura Sue.
** Lillian caught her father with another woman during a party.

** Charlotte[[spoiler: was born when Jed Booth raped his adoptive daughter Lillian]].

* FirstEpisodeSpoiler: Dawn doesn't find out she's a Cutler until a quarter or two into the first book. Of course, even the back covers of the sequels don't keep mum about it, especially with referring to Jimmy as her love interest despite being called her brother in the first.

* ReplacementLoveInterest: Philip remains so madly obsessed with Dawn, even when he learns that they're brother and sister, that he tries marrying another woman and having her dye her hair blond and wear Dawn's nightgown and perfume to mold her into a substitute for Dawn. Later, when Dawn's daughter Christie comes to live with him after her parents' deaths, he begins to confuse her with her mother and eventually rapes her one night.

* ReplacementGoldfish: Philip remains so madly obsessed with Dawn, even when he learns that they're brother and sister, that he tries marrying another woman and having her dye her hair blond and wear Dawn's nightgown and perfume to mold her into a substitute for Dawn. Later, when Dawn's daughter Christie comes to live with him after her parents' deaths, he begins to confuse her with her mother and eventually rapes her one night.