White Oleander Kindle Edition

Two things about this book really bothered me.1. Sex between a 14 year old and a 50-something. Abuse is terrible, and some of the most important books out there tell heartbreaking, awful stories. Thankfully, I can't begin to understand 14 year old Astrid's situation, but Fitch's presentation of the situation as "consensual" is incomprehensible to me. Astrid's 14--she's a child and cannot consent.2. Overwriting. There's a line between beautiful and overwritten prose, and in my opinion, this writing crosses that line by far.I trudged through the whole thing because I wanted to try to understand why people have such strong reactions to it. I did appreciate that Astrid's character develops over time. Overall, this one just wasn't for me (two stars).

One of the most extraordinary works of modern literature I've ever had the pleasure of reading. The characters are so raw, gripping and effortlessly mysterious, I was lost after I finished this book for a very long time as I could not find another story that sunk its hooks into me like White Oleander. So I read it again. It is one of those rare masterpieces that will stick with you forever.

I wanted to read this because Oprah recommended it at some point in time but it left me feeling depressed. I couldn't wait to finish it, and only because I must always finish a book. There's so much sadness in this world and injustices too, but this book had more than its share. I've reached a point in my life when I find myself looking for good things along with the less than desirable. So many children, so little good parenting, leaving so many people with problems. God help us.

From the lyrical sentences, to the 10 dimensional characters, this story is not only intriguing but quite unforgettable.We follow Astrid as a child, clinging on to her toxic mother, hanging on her every narcissistic word. "BEAUTY IS POWER ! "She is ultimately put in foster care after her mother murders her boyfriend and is sent to prison.Although she is 100's of miles away from her mother she feels the constant tug of her, pulling her back to the chaos she so desperately wanted to leave far behind.Astrid find herself repeating the same patterns, seeing her mother when she looks in the mirror whispering "BEAUTY IS POWER !"

This much acclaimed novel is almost 20 years old and I'm finally getting around to reading it-- fortunately, it still reads as quite contemporary. This is a story about the coming of age of a young girl with mommy issues...on steroids...and a story of a mother whose enmeshed attachment to her daughter is both sadistic and addicting for both involved. The toxicity of this familial bond thrusts the daughter, Astrid, into a multitude of conflicted relationships with both the men and the women she encounters in foster home after foster home when her mother, Ingrid, is imprisoned for murder. A murder that young Astrid had witnessed in the making. Yet the prison bars prove no barrier for the dangerous hold this complex mother has on her impressionable daughter who is battling her own demons in the revolving-door world of foster care. And finally, as has been said elsewhere (everywhere!), Fitch's prose are a delight to read.

I saw the movie years ago and just decided to read the book. Very seldom do I prefer the movie over the book but this was one of those times. Don't get me wrong, it is very well written and I love her descriptions that are comparisons we've never heard before and it makes for great reading. For instance, at one of her foster homes, Astrid was coloring the hair of her foster mother and the mother wanted a certain blonde color that just didn't look good on her. Astrid's description? "The color of Easter cellophane wrapping paper you find in kids' baskets." Not the exact words but close. And you could just picture it in your mind. The first half of the book moved right along but the second half dragged. I could hardly get through the part after the Russian foster home. Too many foster homes. The three in the movie were enough. Did not like the ending, either.

“It's such a liability to love another person.” - White Oleander.White Oleander tells the unforgettable story of Ingrid, a brilliant poet imprisoned for murder, and her daughter, Astrid, whose odyssey through a series of Los Angeles foster homes--each its own universe, with its own laws, its own dangers, its own hard lessons to be learned--becomes a redeeming and surprising journey of self-discovery.I remember watching this movie a long time ago and enjoying it, but I recently remembered it was a book, so I had to read it. Thankfully I remembered next to nothing about the movie, so the book was almost like going in fresh. This is a hard-hitting, emotional read about Astrid who is sent from foster home to foster home after her mother is sent to prison. It examines the relationships between mother and daughter and also Astrid’s individual relationships and experiences with each home she is put into. The writing was amazing and the plot was so well done. I was definitely invested in Astrid and her story and could easily read more of it. I especially loved how introspective and human-like Astrid was in her thoughts and decisions. I felt that this brought a lot of depth and complexity to her character. If you enjoy books that follow a character throughout a large part of their life, are character-driven, or explore the complexities of familial relationships, definitely pick this up!

I loved this book like I haven't loved a book in a long time. The writing was beautiful,poetic and lyrical but not corny. It was just the right amount of poetry. I loved the protagonists, Astrid's, journey as much as I craved hearing from her mother, Ingrid, the way she did. There was so much in this book that must've taken years of training and a natural talent that only this writer could possess. The story of Astrid and her collection of mother's,as she goes from one foster home to another. The prose is pure magic, pulling no punches with the ugly truths as much as the artistic beauty. I loved the strong characters, and I adored so many lines in it. Beauty even in the ugliest situations, like a true artist this is how the book is portrayed to us. I couldn't recommend this more to other readers. It's beautiful.

Whilst this novel had a really good device for an interesting narrative - the journey of the protagonist through a series of foster homes, the prose too frequently felt overwritten and the imagery often somewhat clunky and overworked which led to rather a disjoint for a reader: it was as though more than one author was involved in the writing process! Fitch got into her stride when narrating her protagonist's more gritty and difficult moments in care, but the flowery descriptive passages, particularly concerning the mother character just didn't work and jerked the reader from the narrative.

There's so much to think about while reading this. The relationship you'd have growing up and the impact it had on you. Every emotions was written in a descriptive way that drowns you in sea of feelings. I would pause reading for so long just cause I didn't want it to end.I felt really close to Astrid cause this was her story and her journey, her wants, needs and questions for life. She was the sum of all of the things that's happened to her and it was wrapped so beautifully at the end. I do not recommend watching the movie for it doesn't render the whole story. Read 👏 the 👏 book 👏 only 👏

“The body is the only reality,” thinks Astrid, as she watches over her friend who is giving birth, to a baby she knows she will have to give up for adoption. “I hurt therefore I am.” This is a book filled with pain and hurt, real hurt, the kind that makes you ache in your mind as well as your body. It’s not a book you will like very much, but it is a book you won’t be able to stop reading and in the end you’ll be glad you got to read it. You want very much to come upon a phrase that tells you that the protagonist has received some balm, some safety, some calm. This is an intensely realistic book that tells you of a child and her mother. The mother is a poet – and a kind of monster of self absorption. Her mistake is to believe she can get away with murder when her boyfriend throws her out. She will not rest until she has taken revenge. Astrid is a child and she is the one who pays when her mother is taken into custody. Now begins the trial of being a foster child. In one foster home the children are housed apart from their foster parents and consider themselves lucky if they are fed once a day. In another home, Astrid is attacked by neighbourhood dogs and badly scarred. In another she is shot by the jealous mother in whose care she has been left. I’m not going to say much more about the plot because to dwell on it inevitably reduces what can be said about misfortune of this kind.Astrid’s mother is in prison throughout this book, but she is a presence who cannot be denied. Her notoriety dogs Astrid’s footsteps and poisons her life. As she grows older Astrid learns to acquiesce in what she cannot control. It is a dreadful lesson that does not always stand her in good stead. This is an unrelentingly dark book, as tense and expectant as any thriller, and as beautifully presceient and gorgeously written as a book of found poetry. Fitch never overwrites, she has a fantastic sense of how to work a story to the bone. Her prose is rich and delicate. It is hypnotic, challenging, complex, and moving. I recommend this book wholeheartedly. It takes you by the guts and makes you want to cry, but it is shorn of sentiment and self-pity. Read it.

I read this book a couple of years ago and still refer to it frequently and recommend it far and wide. For some reason, this story has stayed with me and I cite it as an inspiration for some of my own writing. Janet Fitch expertly combines raw, flawed characters and their often ugly and dysfunctional actions, with beautifully concise prose to carry the reader safely through the ups and downs of Astrid in particular.There is something incredibly powerful about the way the author weaves poetry into the story. The characterisation is excellent, every person is so well drawn and real. The close bond between Astrid and her mother is tangible, as is the distance between them too. This is not a pretty, cosy book. At times, it's an ugly book that hits you in the gut in places and then astounds you with its beauty in others. I just adored this gritty novel and still recommend it widely. Review by Vanessa Matthews, Author, The Doctor's Daughter (published May 2015)