Rating: 
Summary: Pure genius
Review: This book is pure genius. There is no other way to describe it. The story is engaging and fascinating, not to mention edge-of-your-seat gripping. The characters are brilliantly plotted and exquisitely constructed. The language is poetic and lyrical, at time more poetry than prose. It is reminiscient of Francesca Lia Blcok in its lyricism. The conclusion is not so much satisfying as appropriate. No one can help but find a bit of themselves in these pages. Finally, one cannot read this book without being left with much to think about.This book is genius.
Rating:
Summary: Too good to put down!
Review: White Oleaner is quite possibly the most absorbing read I've picked up in years. With Fitch's ethereal, dreamy and vibrant descriptions her words come to life like watching a painting in progress. It is at once frustrating and hearbreaking to see Astrid thrown into a world of chaos and despair because of her mother Ingrid's indulgent, impetuous behavior. That is, however, what makes Ingrid who she is: an intense, compulsive poetess who shuns convention at any measure. It is painful to observe Astrid shuffled from foster home to foster home; each journey calls to the surface a need for cries of help. In the tangle and rot that is modern Los Angeles, it is a reader's joy to watch Astrid cross into her rightful adulthood. Fitch has woven a tale so stunning and powerful that I soaked it up in one whole day. I recommend this novel heartily to any one who has ever felt lost, the desperate need for attention, the ache of evasive womanhood, or the confusion that is L.A.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, Sensory, Captures California
Review: This is a brilliantly-written book. The adoring teenaged daughter of a narcissitic and destructive mother is thrown into the foster care system when her mother is arrested for murder. A series of catastrophic things happen to her, fortunately none of them the predictable. Instead Fitch stretches as a writer to weave a fresh story of a young woman who at times is her own worst enemy, betrayed by sheer loneliness and long-thwarted need for affection from a father figure, though mostly a victim of the system. The great flaw of this book is the last chapter, which seems tacked on, ...and annoying. Far better if she had just left the book to end with the final scene between the mother and daughter, which was powerful, without the nonsensical chapter about Paris. But I have nothing but praise for the marvelous writing. Fitch beautifully describes Southern California down to every leaf--only missing in the passage about the producer's wife who with the heroine must suffer through a heat wave in underwear and misery. It wasn't credible that a prosperous LA couple such as this would not have air-conditioning against Southern California's sometimes intense heat. It was a story device marring an otherwise moving and compelling part of the book. Still this is a book I would recommend to anyone, and Fitch an author I greatly admire.
Rating:
Summary: An Experience
Review: I fell in love with the book, the characters, the writing...and I was crestfallen that there ever had to be an end. Finally, a book that was able to mold a unique and inherently interesting story with words that were worth reading. If you are looking for a quick read, a just-get-to-it story...this isn't for you. It's not a simple action flick, although it moves quickly and dramatically. Fitch takes time to explore every sensation surrounding the characters, somehow managing to avoid the verbose and often lofty grandeur of other authors. I could smell the oleander, know just the shade of white their petals reflected...I was there. Thus far, I've given my dedicated copy to my Mother (still sorry I had to part with it) and have purchased three more copies for friends. Since reading it (yes, while seated at the dinner table during a visit!), she too has bought many copies for friends and family.
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Summary: Great Book About Struggle and Emotional Ties
Review: I am no literary expert so I cannot say anthing about the "poetic prose", but I must say that this book definitely kept my attention, and frankly that is all I care about when reading a book. I enjoyed and appreciated the differences between Astrid and her mother. It touched me to watch the young Astrid struggle to keep her mother close, only later to push her so far away. I found the intricacies of their relationship to be fairly typical in that although it was a painful one, their bond was undeniably strong. The sordid details of what inevitably sends Astrid's mother to jail were eerily titillating. And finally, and for me the most interesting and moving parts of the book were the many different lives Astrid has to live while being bounced from foster home (trauma) to foster home (trauma). What keeps this book on a high note though, is that despite the turbulence and pain, we learn that Astrid survives and that life goes on.
Rating: 
Summary: I liked the book overall, but...
Review: Well, I loved the strength of ol Astrid. Her mother was nothing like her, but her mother was lyrical and powerful. This book is real. One of the relationships Astrid had in the story was filthy and I thought that could have been discluded, but I guess things like this happen in reality sometimes, so I don't really want to go over the rights and wrongs. I borrowed this book, you can decide whether or not you want to buy it. I might buy it one day.
Rating: 
Summary: Forced and annoying
Review: Unfortunately, I paid cash for this book. I wish I would have borrowed it from the library. The language is not poetic and beautiful. It is forced and too long and the similies are profuse. I found myself skipping over all the "lyrical" language just to get through the story. I found the mother's hold on the daughter unrealistic and I really didn't get to know Astrid at all. I vaguely hoped she would come out okay, but I didn't care that much. The last scene with her mother and Astrid's attempt to get at the "truth" didn't have the impact with me I guess it was supposed to have. The business about Annie and her mother leaving her for a year didn't really surprise me. Nor did I care that much. The whole scene was contrived and the importance of it escaped me. I don't think the mother would have given up that easily. The ending was abrupt and ridiculous. I am disappointed by this book! If you want to read *good* literature with truly lyrical language, check out Barbara Kingsolver or Margaret Atwood.
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Summary: NOT ABOUT FLOWERS!
Review: Not going to say anything that hasn't been said before (515 previous reviews.) But . . . this book is more than just a childhood tradegy. It make me think about what is important and what is not. A lot of values clarification activities, if you are into that. Some life lessons availabe as well. Rena, the Russian business woman summarizes with "So you want remember, just remember." And, then Fitch has a gift for beauty. She is an artist with words. You can get lost in her mesmerizing enviroments. A recommended book!!!
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Summary: A simile lover's dream
Review: The story itself is interesting and somewhat engaging. However, the writing style drove me nuts. You really get a lot of similes and metaphores for the money. I mean a lot. So many similes that I felt compelled to drag out some old reference books to remember what a simile was.
Rating:
Summary: uneasy story about childhood today
Review: While their stories may begin and end differently White Oleander by Janet Fitch is the story of many American children. Too many children spend their childhood's in foster care, like Astrid Magnussen. Astrid is placed in the foster care system when her mother Ingrid murders her boyfriend by poisoning him with oleander. Astrid suffers through one bad placement after another while her mother attempts to bully and direct her life from prison. Throughout the book Astrid maintains an inner strength and a degree of niceness that is surprising given her circumstances. This is an uneasy story about childhood today. Janet Fitch presents a multi- layered tale of a troubled and difficult mother daughter relationship. Ingrid admits to her that she feels that Astrid was like a spider weaving her webs around her and suffocating her. Astrid views a Kandinsky in the art museum and sees a picture of grief and abandonment. While this book provides insight and complex relationships, it is a quick riveting read. The reader is quickly drawn into Astrid's story. It is easy to root for her and hope she finds her way through her difficult childhood.
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