I rarely enjoy anything that Oprah picks... even when I read it before she does. This was an exception. The story of Astrid is disturbing, painful, and beautiful all at the same time. She is dealt more hard knocks then you can imagine, and starting at a very young age. Maybe she gets through it all because she really doesn't know any different. White Oleander is a roller coaster of emotions, and a book you won't be able to put down

This book was a great read from beginning to end. I loved the writing style, it was unique from other novels. You get to experience life as Astrid and every page will make you want to read more and more. Fascinating characters, wonderful story...tragic at times. You get to learn a lot about life when a child goes through group homes and how its not easy.

If you want a tragic story, a great read, view of life in a way you have never seen and imagine seeing...this book is for you.

Its one of my favorite books!

It's a nice interesting read with a good unique story. I liked it a lot.

I read the Kindle version of this, but the text is the same, so that probably doesn't matter.

White Oleander the story of a young girl named Astrid Magnussen with a mother who is...unique. If I'm being kind. A terribly sociopathic pretentious abuser would be a more accurate description. Her mother is a poet, or fancies herself as one, and lives life on a level that her skill, fame and money cannot support. None of that matters, and neither does her daughter. If her daughter can be a prop in the great play of Ingrid Magnussen's life, then Astrid will be used that way. If not? Just ignore the child.

Mom does something serious and goes to jail. Astrid becomes a ward of the state and travels from home to home, growing up and trying to figure out how she sees the world, how she wants the world to see her and with every day that passes, seeing through her mother's cloud of lies, pretense and verbal abuse. What happens is not as important as how and why it happens, and Janet Fitch spends a lot of time making sure the reader understands the thoughts that run screaming through Astrid's head. We learn a great deal about how each home and family and friend she makes or doesn't affects how she develops.

There's a bit of Nabokov in Fitch's writing, and not just because there is a Lolita-like passage. The writing - all first-person from Astrid herself - starts out clunky, awkward, like someone who wants to write like a classic master but can't. Over time, as Astrid grows up, is exposed to other people and gets distance from her overbearing, pretentious mother, the writing changes. It becomes more utilitarian and less poetic, yet just as vivid. The writing transforms into (sometimes complex) sentences made up of simple, descriptive elements instead of overly-long poorly done purple prose. You can see these people, her drawings, the houses...Fitch does a good job painting the mental picture you need to truly connect with this material.

If there is a negative to be said, it's that the first chapter is hard to get through. I think that is intentional. There are cliched metaphors, contradictory elements, badly written sentences...I think all of these things are designed to teach you what constant exposure to her mother has done to Astrid's young mind, how it shaped the way she thinks.

One other aspect that could be seen as negative is that it's pretty depressing. Ultimately you can see it as uplifting in that Astrid survives some pretty horrible things and comes out the other side stronger and smarter. Although she is (rightfully) wary of most people and still unsure of her place in the world, you get the feeling she's starting to find it.

Very interesting book. Well crafted, with strong characters and a real sense of the places and things Astrid sees and feels. If you read "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" when you were younger and you want a more sophisticated, modern version of that story? White Oleander is the book for you. If you ever spent any time in the care of the state, you will recognize the people and the situations in which Astrid finds herself.

You'll also very much identify with Astrid if you spent your youth under the thumb of a domineering, overbearing parent.

From what my wife told me about the movie, I don't know if I ever want to see it, good though it may be. I really enjoyed the experience of this book and some the things that were changed in order to make the film are things of which I could not let go. I would never give the movie a fair shake, not any time soon anyway.

I read this novel a decade ago and this well-written story and all the myriad real-life issues it canvasses stays with me still fresh. I'd recommend it to anyone.

I've read this book several times. I read it at least once a year. It is so beautifully written. It's an amazing story and Janet Fitch tells it so well. No matter how many times I've read it before, I just can't put the book down.

A moving story about a daughter thrust into "the world" as her mother is thrust into prison. A story about finding yourself, finding help, finding your way, and finding your will.

Well thought out character scenarios and character personalities. Incredibly well written. Highly intelligent narration by Astrid. Although naive in some instances, she's incredibly intelligent for her age and situation.

Makes you wonder about your own situation, who shaped you 'whether loving or cruel' (as quoted in the book) and how one incident can change your life forever.

I re-read it at least twice a year. I love revisiting the characters, looking at the reading list Ingrid gives to Astrid, trying to see the importance of each book. She's a facinating character to explore and try to get inside. Although I see the story from Astrid's point of view (the daughter), I relate to her more. But Ingrid has an edge that is intriguing.

Interesting story, intriging characters, a must read if you haven't yet.

I loved this book. I've read it at least four times already and love it more every time I read it. It's hard to imgaine having a mother like Ingrid but even harder to imagine the life Astrid had once she was gone. I was glued to every page from beginning to end. Can't wait to see what Janet Fitch comes up with next.

Honestly - I didn't want to read this book. I had heard about the subject matter and wanted to shield myslef from it. But it kept beckoning me. I'm glad I read it. It's chilling, and made me think, which very few contemporary books do anymore.

White Oleander is incomparable to any other book; Janet Fitch is an astronomical writer! I have read this book 5 times now and every time I fall in love with it just a little bit more... From Ingrid's strong, feminist personality to Astrid's need of love, this book could not have been written any better! The writing is so descriptive and unique it is almost poetic, breathtaking! One of the first paragraphs is what sucked me in, "The Santa Ana's blew in hot from the desert, shriveling the last of the spring grass into whiskers of pale straw. Only the oleanders thrived, their delicate poisonous blooms, their dagger green leaves. We could not sleep in the hot dry nights, my mother and I. I woke up at midnight to find her bed empty. I climbed to the roof and easily spotted her blond hair like a white flame in the light of the three-quarter moon." If that excerpt alone doesn't make you want to read this then I am not sure anything else I could say will.

This is my favorite book of all time and I have read it four times. It is so beautiful and inspirational. I recommend it to anyone.

makes us strong, and young Astrid Magnussen has survived enough to achieve almost superhuman strength. As the story opens she is a twelve year old, already wise beyond her years as she parents her free spirit, poet mother, Ingrid. The two had already drifted from California, where Astrid was born, through Mexico to Europe and back to California. Astrid longs for a more conventional life, a stable home, a father, a chance to have her own life rather than a secondary role in the drama of Ingrid's. But even that chaotic existence is taken from Astrid when Ingrid completely loses control and murders a former boyfriend and is sentenced to life in prison. Soon Astrid finds herself plunged into the foster care system, going from one horrific situation to another, being used as unpaid labor, a source of help or income to be discarded when no longer convenient. Through it all Ingrid manages to continue to manipulate Astrid even from behind bars, not willing to see Astrid find any sort of safe haven for herself, even to the point of not allowing Astrid or the state to locate Astrid's long absent father.

How Astrid manages to triumph in the face of such overwhelming odds makes for compelling reading, in many ways reminisent of A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN. Bit by bit she figures out a way to survive and even grown in each new environment she finds herself in and gradually begins to puzzle out her own life, particularly her relationship with her mother. At the end of the novel Astrid is at a crossroads, and while we are not certain as to which road she will ultimately take, we know that somehow she will survive.

This is a thoroughly engaging book, one that will leave the reader with much to think about long after the last page. It is a book that is worthy being read several times, one that should be shared and discussed.

It is easy to see why 'White Oleander' received so many positive reviews on amazon.com. The plot, about a teenaged girl is left to foster care after mother is convicted of murder, is brought to life through extremely rich prose and characterizations. The overall story is very believable, and very depressing. However I'm not giving this book five stars because:

- the author somewhat overcooks the story with too many psychotic characters and minor plot embellishments. Some careful editing could have saved a hundred pages and would have been greatly beneficial.

- the book starts off much better than how it ends. The beginning focused on the strange relationship between the girl and her mother, and the prose is magnificent and sensual. Yet this all fizzles as the book progresses. The last third of 'White Oleander' is really just ordinary, nothing special.


Bottom line: certainly an enjoyable, thought-provoking read. Recommended.

This book is a real thought-provoker and if you've ever seen the movie this is about ten times better

I read this book and fell in love with it at first. But it all soon fell apart when when I realized what a sociopathic, conniving, harridan of a woman Ingrid turned out to be. I truly despised the woman and grew even more appalled at the way she truly wrecked her daughter's life for her own selfish reasons. Throwing your daughter to the wolves because of a bruised ego and then never regretting your actions despite the fact that your daughter is bouncing from foster home to foster home is just unacceptable to me. Truly unacceptable. I work at a residential/group home facility myself. And have read plenty of ICMP'S and psychiatic assessments in my day. I despised the careless and abusive parents of the kids that I work with. But Ingrid reached a whole new level with me. I could not stomach the book. And reading her letters to Astrid showed me what a truly despicable woman she was. Having to read of Astrids experiences made me want to put the book down and walk away. I did not mind the long winded descriptions but the book got to me. And don't mean that in a good way. I literally wanted to jump into the book and to flence the woman myself. And please oh please don't get me started on Astrid. There was nothing I could feel for her. It was only because she did not feel real to me. In real life I work with children in the system but none of them are like Astrid. She was not emotionally scarred like the real kids at my facility. Of course some of the kids that I work with are intelligent and much stronger than Astrid herself. I know of real stories of survival from the children that I work with. Astrid does not come even close. She did not strike me as a survivor because she is not real and was crafted by the imagination of the author. I truly felt nothing. I slowly plodded on until the end of the book and was very frustrated by then. I felt as if nothing was resolved. And even worse Ingrid gets released from prison nine years later and cleared of all charges. When I read that, I felt the prickly stings of anger on the back of my neck. I felt duped. And as a lover of books, I was truly angered by that. She gets away with murder because she's Ingrid Magnussen, beautiful, proud and well...just because she can. Did anyone feel the wave of nausea at this story or am I alone. Judging by the rave reviews I would have to say that I am alone on this one. I can't understand for the life of me why this was such a celebrated book. The book lost it's steam and was depressing to me. I wanted to be done with it and cast it aside were it could collect dust with some my other forgotten books I was dissapointed with. Save your time and money and move on.

I loved the emotion of this book, the portrayal of the government childcare system and how the story unfolded.

This book held me utterly spellbound from the very beginning. The story, of course, was fascinating, but what was the most captivating to me was Janet Fitch's use of prose. The way the words come together on each page to paint pictures so real, so clear, so vivid....it is rare that I come across a writer with a style that is so engaging and so utterly enrapturing that you don't just feel like you are reading a story, you feel that you are IN the story. What an amazing talent...totally mind-blowing. Janet Fitch is truly a literary Renoit.

Sadly, like many movies made in the likeness of books, the screen version is extremely dilute, hollow and one-dimensional, not even beginning to hold a candle to the book. I am so glad that I read the book long before the movie came out since the book is just so much richer than the movie on so many levels. In no way am I disparaging the actors in the movie, it's just that this book is a tough act to follow...there is NO WAY that any movie would EVER be able to live up to this book - it really is THAT well-written.

Rare and amazing book. Fitch has a way with words that makes you completely lose yourself in the story. Her character development is amazing, and her storytelling is perfect. Seriously recommended!

White Oleander is what the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series wants to be. This book presents a true coming of age story in the midst of the worst circumstances- child abuse. Ingrid Magnussen, sociopathic poet, warps her daughter, Astrid, to the point of isolation. Astrid's only friends are Ingrid, Ingrid's boyfriend Barry, and neighbor Michael. The catalyst for Astrid's life changes comes when she witnesses her mother's attempts at murdering Barry. Astrid knows Ingrid is a sick woman suffering from some sort of illness, yet Astrid can't quite break her attachment to her mother. Astrid wants to warn Barry about attempts on her life, but her fildelity to Ingrid wins out.

Thus begings Astrid's descent into abusive foster homes, an excellent satire of the American social service system. We start with born-again stripper Starr, druggie Carolee, and perv-o Ray. It is in this trailer that Astrid goes through a series of firsts: chess games, bras, Jesus, molestation. Astrid desparately clings for love... whether it's from Starr, Davey, Ray, or Jesus. (FYI: Jesus is viewed as a fictional character in this book, rather than the Christ. Thus, I will describe her relationship with Jesus the man.)

After narrowly escaping with her life, Astrid goes through a series of other foster homes, each with its own set of abuse. From running flea markets to being starved for profit... to working as a domestic servant to being a suicidal woman's "babysitter"... Astrid experiences so many heartbreaking, disturbing things: drugs, neglect, prostitution.

Who will liberate Astrid from her dysfunctional life? Will she ever break free from her mother's twisted hands? When will Astrid gain the courage to tell off her mother? Will Astrid ever understand true love?

This is a beautifully written book narrated by the ever-profound Astrid Magnussen. Fitch does a superb job of satirizing social services, abusive deluded mothers, and modern feminism. I love the contrast between Astrid's true self and Ingrid's. Astrid is seeking to be part of this world- romantically, spiritually, intellectually. Ingrid will have nothing of the sort, especially when it comes to spirituality. Ingrid cannot fathom Jesus, but she also seems to misinterpret polytheism. (She says that her people, the Vikings, hung their "gods from trees".) She cannot even connect with her tarot cards because she no longer wants to know the future. Although she sticks up for Eve, she cannot connect with a goddess figure. (Astrid can; she interprets the screams of "mother" in a maternity ward as cries for the Great Mother Goddess.)

Finally,
RECOMMENDATION: Watch the movie first. It is a great summary of this deep tome.
BUYER BEWARE: Although the protagnonist is a teenager, please do not buy this book for a teen girl UNTIL YOU READ IT FOR YOURSELF. Some parts are not appropriate; make sure she is mature. I'd say it's best for sixteen and up.

You know how it is when you pick up a book you expect to be good (in this case an Oprah Book Club® Selection). Your hopes are high, so you read the opening: a 12-year-old follows her mother to a California rooftop at night in oleander time. It's a page and a half dotted with poison, a dagger, lovers who kill each other, a knife, gods hacked to pieces, flesh hung from trees, flames and traitors. Oh, my! Such strong foreshadowing! Do you advance? Retreat?

I advanced. By page 40, the larger-than-life mother, poet Ingrid Magnussen, is in jail where she will serve time for the murder of her lover. Fate flings Astrid, the daughter, onto the mercy of the foster care system. This propels the book, a coming-of-age story, into motion.

The abandoned girl moves somewhat predictably from foster home to foster home, each with a significant flaw. In the first home, Astrid, now 14, leaves after an affair with the boy friend of her foster mother. In the next home, her foster parents hate their Afro-American neighbor, Olivia, and reject Astrid for their friendship. The state removes Astrid from the third home when she becomes so hungry she eats school garbage. The fourth home, wealthy and loving, seems ideal until the foster mother commits suicide.

Interwoven with these calamities is Astrid's continuing relationship with her mother, Ingrid. White Oleander comes to a head with Astrid's refusal to help her mother's release from jail.

Even at this point, I could not make up my mind about this book. I found it appealing but not gripping; however, I rarely decide that a book is not worth reading before I finish the last page. Some books seem to creak to a halt, but in others, the final words tie varied parts together. White Oleander ended quietly, but I was able to stand on Fitch's last sentence and witness the way the book's diverse parts blend. The ending left me happy. I understood that despite her domineering mother and her hellish homes, Astrid had indeed come of age and in quite a commendable way.

Marilyn Coffey is an award-winning writer of poetry and a widely published author of prose. Visit her website, http://www.marilyncoffey.net for a sampling of her work.

I read White Oleander twice. The first time I really appreciated the insight Fitch seemed to have into the minds of foster kids. After the movie came out, I read it again, and was impressed as much by the poetry in her writing. I highly recommend it. I'd also suggest it as a good choice for mature teens.

I read White Oleander twice. The first time I really appreciated the insight Fitch seemed to have into the minds of foster kids. After the movie came out, I read it again, and was impressed as much by the poetry in her writing. I highly recommend it. I'd also suggest it as a good choice for mature teens.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I couldn't stop turning the pages to see what happened next. The story of Astrid came to life in my mind as if it were actually happening. Janet Fitch does a wonderful job with explaining almost everything in great detail. Although this book was great for me, some may see it as depressing and too sad. Astrid's life is definitely not easy and the things she has to go through are anything but typical. I read this book after I saw the movie, but I wish I hadn't. The movie is great, but I think the book was better.

An absolutely outstanding novel. Beautifully written. I read it in four days because I just could not put it down. This is a definite must read. I usually do not write reviews for books, but this one deserves a standing ovation.

This is such a beautifully written book, full of pathos and half truths, telling the story of a beautiful girl and her equally beautiful mother. Scandinavian blondes, with startlingly blue eyes, the women attract attention from everybody, but the mother, Ingrid, is mentally flawed, living in a world of her own creation and writing poetry, which makes her a kind of cult figure. She poisons her lover after he is unfaithful to her and is sent to jail for a long sentence so that her daughter, Astrid, is placed in foster homes until she is 18 and able to fend for herself. Some of the foster parents are kind and well meaning while others who are in the program purely for the money they recieve, are mean, selfish and cruel, emphasising the aloneness and loneliness of the little girl. It's a stark read which points up the dangers facing a girl child alone in the world without a protector and the ease with which a child is able to slip into a world of squalor, sex and crime.

I was inspired to read White Oleander as the literary pick of the year on Oprah in 1999, its year of publication. I can see why she picked it, a girl's story, and a woman's, about the human condition and the pain of growing up, rage, estrangement, loneliness and loss. The book wrapped together many themes that would be of interest to Oprah.

White Oleander was beautifully written, the deft hand of a master craftsmistress evident throughout. The narrative was so rich with the five senses and perfect metaphors it felt like an endless literature class with the professor. I surely felt humbled to be able to ever aspire to such heights of literary craftsmanship, as the author massaged the English language as surely as a sculptress massages her clay.

While I had no actual disappointment in the story, I felt it did drag just a bit from time to time, especially, the series of letters from mother Ingrid to daughter Astrid, always superior and carping, which became tedious and repetitive after awhile. The sequence of foster homes Astrid went through was a bit wearing as well, and as my husband pointed out, gives a poor impression of the quality of foster care in general, or in Southern California in particular. It makes it look like all foster parents are in it for the money, not the desire to give an orphaned or abused child a good home.

Overall, I thought there wasn't quite enough of a story to sustain a book of White Oleander's length, like a movie one feels would have benefited by cutting out half an hour. I also thought many times the character of the young girl, Astrid was too wise and overly philosophical for her years, clearly the 40-something author speaking through a teenager's mouth. To Fitch's credit, she did capture the nuances of an intelligent young woman's maturation process under the most difficult circumstances, as she experiments with sex and drugs, loses her trust in adults, deals with disappointment, cruelty, and anger, and ultimately becomes a strong young adult herself, not consumed by her cynicism.

The men in the story always played second fiddle to the women, even the more positive male characters -- Ray and Paul, who I felt was kind of tacked on at the end. Perhaps that is the author's view of the male of the species. The most believable characters were Olivia, Claire, and perhaps, Rena.

Recommended reading for sure, but not a rave review.

At some point, Janet Fitch must have taken a creative writing class that urged students to cram an awkward simile into every single sentence. For example, when one character tosses a pen to, she writes "The pen stuck in the tabletop like a javelin." I tried tossing a pen across the room to see if this comparison fit. Sure enough, my little ball-point grew to the size of a telephone-pole and smashed through the table's surface, sticking out at a crazy angle. I had never noticed that phenomenon before. Kudos to Janet Fitch for her keen powers of observation!

This book is so captivating. It is beautifully written and I can say it is one of the best books I have read in a very long time. The characters really develop throughout the book and Finch does a wonderful job of making the reader feel the emotions of Astrid. You'll love this book! I cannot stress enough the power of Finch's words.

I read this because it was one on Oprah's booklist so I wanted to check it out. This book is about a goofy mother and her goofy daughter's relationship with each other. The mother committed murder so the daughter was put into foster care and lives with a variety of goofy people. I won't tell you how it ends because I don't want to spoil it for you. I found it to be pretty unbelievable and exaggerated, but maybe that's just me. Not one I would recommend.

I really liked White Oleander. This was a fast paced interesting book almost all of the way through. The author could have left maybe the last 50 pages or so out. The book was great up until the last few chapters, and then it became repetetive. I would recommend this book though, and did pass it along.

Enjoyed this dark read very much. I actually bought it for my younger sister who wants "gripping" and "tabu", but with resolution.

This novel tells the story of Ingrid, a poet who knows how to manipulate those around her, as well as the English language. Ingrid, much like the flower of the story, is beautiful but deadly. Overcome with passion one night, she murders her lover and ends up in prison.

This is when the real heart of the story takes over: her daughter Astrid, abandoned to a series of foster homes because of her mother's imprisonment, must learn the rules of each new household while trying to find her own way in the world. Each time she hopes to find a loving family and the nurturing she needs, but instead encounters circumstances that force her to become a toughened survivor, a person very different from her mother.

This is a beautifully written, heart-breaking novel that I recommend heartily to anyone who loves a good story and appreciates wonderfully poetic writing. Fitch uses all the elements of the Los Angeles setting to bring the despair of her characters to life. As readers, we yearn for Astrid to find happiness, but Fitch has a bleaker cast to her tale, which makes it all the more engrossing. This is the author's true strength; she can write about circumstances such as manipulation, torment, and estranged feelings between a daughter and her mother and make them absolutely riveting.

In "White Oleander," Fitch has written a wonderful first novel. Don't miss her great follow-up, "Paint It Black: A Novel." It's clear from Fitch's writing that she is no one-hit wonder, but instead a wonderfully talented writer, who's sure to be on the literary scene a long time.

I really enjoyed this book and go back to re-read every so often. It offers so much, complex at times and sometimes beautifully lyrical - you just want to go back and re-read passages that are worthy of savour and deep thought. At times, the main character can be a tad victimised (you wonder what else can happen to one person?!) but there wouldn't be a story without the struggle and the emotional demands. A great read!

I really, really liked the beginning of this book, and as much as I loved the premise of this novel as explained by the author (to paraphrase, what if Sei Shonagon had been dropped into the 20th century?) I felt that this novel went awry. At some point the author lost her self-control. I think the part where the narrator recounts Ingrid's list of nasty things to do to people is where I felt the book had truly lost all hope and reference to the book's own reality.

I also don't know if the author realized exactly how closely her main character (Astrid) came to resemble the mother that she hated so much (Ingrid) - perhaps an unintended irony, and especially evident when Astrid rejects a set of foster parents for seeming too middle-class, normal, and capable of love. I agree with another of the reviews that felt that the author depended on (class-dependent, snobbish) stereotypes to serve as a contrast to a main character who was loved so well by her creator that her true flaws were never presented or explored. The author hit the mark so well here and there though that I felt compelled to finish.

I would add that this book reminded me of She's Come Undone in the sense that the story was too wildly big and uncontrolled - to agree with another review, how much does a character have to take? - in this case, statutory rape, a shooting, maiming in a dog attack, forays into prostitution, drug use, starvation, financial exploitation.

I read some reviews complaining that all the male characters in this book were unsympathetic, even abusive. I would add that the female characters also were uniform in their cruelty and willingness to exploit. The narrator seemed sympathetic in contrast only because she was the target of the abuse, not because of any positive qualities she exhibited; her own behavior was, at times, pathological. Further, the narrator seemed solely a reactive individual, existing only to reflect to the readers the abuse she experienced. I felt that this mirrored tbe psychology of our times more than anything, a validation of the cult of victimhood and the idea that we are only products of the dysfunction around us. I was sad at the end when thinking of what an author with better focus and self-control could have done with these characters and this story.

I actually read this book a few years ago. Because I study adolescent psychology, this title has appropriately come into several conversations with friends and colleagues. Fitch has remarkable insight into all the intracacies of the mother/daughter relationship. She explores issues of abandonment, love, sexuality, and strength as discovered by the main teenage character. This book is painful on many levels (especially for a woman who has had a tumultous relationship with her mother) but, it also demonstrates the exhilaration of a young woman's self discovery and the realization of "what she is worth". The only part of this novel I didn't care for was the author's notes at the end of the book for "how to discuss this title in book club meetings". I thought these suggestions vain and presumptuous. This is a great book Fitch: Let us explore your work and draw our own conclusions...

I completely agree with whoever said that it was disturbing to see Janet Fitch romanticizing sexual abuse. I have no doubt that some people enjoy it. I understand. But I am not religious, and I still think it's kind of trashy. It's dishonest. I think that was what was nagging at me. I just felt like the author was one of those people who is impressed with sadists. The author is writing as if it were a straight person's idea of what sadomasochistic lesbians are into. It's totally stereotypical and offensive. And made up. Even if it all really happened or happens.

People in foster homes don't romanticize themselves like that. This woman is probably a rich kid living in the valley and is so bored and boring that she imagines being a foster kid.

Well, it's just a little too much for me. Also, I agree with another reviewer who said that Astrid is a neutral character. She doesn't change.

Seriously, who cares?

Beware of overhyped books. They always hit the trash can five years later. Like Snow Falling on Cedars. I don't really read big critical book reviews anymore. I like the amazon opinions. And I always read the 1 star reviews first. It's important to know the bad stuff if you're going to try and like something. If you can't deal with it, get out of the kitchen.

This book is very vivid and I remember a lot of it, years later, but it just sort of disturbs me. Kind of like She's Come Undone -- you KNOW she's gonna get raped, so why do you have to sit there all tense and wait for it? Ugh.

"White Oleander" is the most recent selection for my book club. I was the one to pick it, basically because I didn't want to have to buy a new book and I had this on my bookshelf. I had bought it a few years ago and kept putting off reading it because I knew it was going to be depressing.
And it is very depressing. However, it is one of the best written books I've read in a long time. Janet Fitch's writing is comparative to Michael Cunninghams', who wrote "The Hours", which was an equally depressing yet gripping tale of the lives of woman.
In "White Oleander", the protagonist is Astrid Magnussen, the daughter of Ingrid. Their relationship is rocky and not completely stable. After Ingrid is sent to prison for murdering her ex-boyfriend, Barry, Astrid becomes a foster child. A great deal of the book is her experiences in several different homes and the myriad assortment of 'foster parents', hardly shape her for her future.
She and her mother keep in contact through letters and have very few visits. Ingrid is hardly a likable character, yet she infuses something in you to want to know what her outcome will be in life. It's sad to see a mother/daughter relationship shrivel away like this. It made me think about the relationship I have not only with my mother but with my children. As Astrid sprials downward she gets involved in drugs, and her first lover is the boyfriend of Starr, one of her foster parents.
One woman she lives with for quite a long time, Claire, is the best of all the 'parents', but she turns out to be suicidal. That should tell you just what a group of losers she has to live with. It was heart wrenching to read, yet, Fitch's lyrical pose makes this book one of those you don't want to put down. It is not lighthearted and often times I was disturbed by what I was reading, but I got to know the character of Astrid so well, I couldn't help in wanting to know how things turned out for her.
Highly recommended for a deeply intense read!

You are reading a book and your can't keep up with your brain making orders for "more, more, and more", "fast, fast,and faster", until you flip the last page and all you are left with is wanting more. You turn around and do it again. It's like love-lost-and-found. You read again. But this time, it's better,deeper,with more meaning, and truth. Sky blue and "gas tanks marked FULL".Enjoy.

This is my favorite book ever. It is beautifully written with amazing imagery and feeling. I absolutely love it.

Janet Fitch's novel is one of the most brilliant portrayals of mother-daughter relationships I've ever read. I first came across the movie adaptation on tv and was so impressed with it that I immediately had to read the book.

Fitch flawlessy captures the different stages of adolescence as Astrid, with the help of an array of uniquely influential women, winds her way toward self-discovery. She adapts to her new environments and learns from them, but the aspiring artist always manages to retain pieces of herself, no matter how difficult.

I think this is one of those rare books that can truly be understood at any age. (Okay, more like teens and older.) Your mother doesn't have to have been an ingenius sociopath for you to relate to the deep bond that Astrid still feels toward Ingrid, even after coming to terms with her selfishness, instability, and lack of compassion. The book's aimed primarily at women, but I've known men who enjoyed it as well or showed interest upon hearing the premise, so, guys, don't be afraid to check it out.

NOTE: There is sexual, drug, and alcohol content, all involving teens. There are also murder/suicide situations; however, they are not very graphic and most of these scenes are not described in detail. I'd say that the average 15-year-old is mature enough to read it.

This novel will break your heart into a thousand tiny little pieces then stitch it back up with chicken wire and give you a tar cigarette to ease the pain.

Everyone should read it. Love.

This is a beautifully written novel. I read this book while feeding my newborn and didn't want to put it down. I finished it in a week and a half.

It has definitely been a while since I've read such a good book. I absolutely loved it...very poetic in her writing along with putting the reader right there in the moment. Can't wait to read another Janet Fitch book.

I love this author! Much better than the movie, but the book always is!

I love this author! Much better than the movie, but the book always is!

Janet Fitch's debut novel is absolutely bewitching and I recommend it to any person of any age. Although the main character is young, I think everyone has a great deal to learn from Astrid's personal journeys and philosophies on life. A work of absolute magic!

I enjoyed the book. I didn't even know that it was an Oprah's Book Club book until after I was done with the book. I enjoyed it like many of her choices. I do think that it is a little wordy with descriptions, but I suppose that is her style. Once the plot got going, I didn't really notice it any more. I was thinking that her foster care experience was pretty cliche', but then I was never in foster care, so maybe the bad one's outnumber the good ones. The last one was a joke though. Good read all in all.

I read chapter 1, and that was it. I couldn't go any further.

My belief that Oprah's club books get over-hyped is once again confirmed. Maybe I would like have liked this book when I was in my later teens. But, I found, as others have mentioned, that the writing had so many overdone descriptions it was distracting (Every mundane point that has nothing to do with moving the story forward or painting a clearer picture required a simili--- sometimes a string of them. Sunsets screamed, dawn was strained peaches, a random cat purred like truck going into heavy gear, and the same cat ran off her like white milk --- when it was just jumping off of her). I felt as if Janet Fitch was herself a poet --- and didn't want to leave out any lines from some of her favorite pieces... regardless of how well that went with the story.
The characters were cliched, and I never felt moved even for Astrid. Just not type of book. But, if you're a big fan of all of Oprah's book choices - you'll probably love this one too.

I am not a fan of reading, but I tried this book out anyway. I immediately fell in love with White Oleander and the characters. They were described so perfectly to a way which I could see them in my own mind. The work of it was so realistic to a way which teenagers act in situations dealing with sex, drugs, ect. With the plot uniquely set, this book is my all time favorite book. This was the first book to inspire me on reading and it has still been my favorite since.