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Summary: Remarkable debut Novel
Review: This book is really really really good. Don't ask just read.
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Summary: AbFab
Review: I put off buying this book for a while because I thought it would be written too flowery and wouldn't have much of a plot. I found that to be false. This is one of the best books I've ever read. It's carefully, yet beatifully written. Astrid, the main character, takes you on a tour of the hellacious life she's leading. You laugh and cry with her (the laughs are far and few between). Astrid is such a well developed, inspirational character that I still can't stop thinking about her, even though it's been weeks since I read the book.
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Summary: Honesty and candor blew me away
Review: Maybe I haven't read enough great books to know a truely great book, considering the content of some of the reviews on this page, but I absolutly loved White Oleander! I never was a foster child, but I found myself relating to Astrid more and more. The way she idolizes one of her nieghbors, even goes through her trash, I felt like someone had been watching me as an adolecent and wasn't afraid to admit what I was thinking, or even doing. The fact that she finds love in an inappropriate place was did not come across as molestation to me (as it appeared to many other readers). It was simply a young girls first brush with someone who cared for her, and he happened to be a very weak man. I also really enjoyed the humor used throughout the book, even in situations you wouldn't find funny. I felt like someone had been reading my thoughts and putting them on paper. HIGHLY recommended!
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Summary: A breathtaking read!
Review: White Oleander is a wonderful reading experience in several ways. First, the tortured realationship between the mother and daughter is brilliantly written. Second, Janet Fitch's prose is so lovely to read it is like reading poetry. Third, the ultimate triumph of Astrid's spirit, her growth into an incredible young woman of wisdom, compassion and artistic talent despite the circumstances of her life and her various relationships will leave you cheering and crying simultaneously. Who can ask for more from a book? Read it!
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Summary: A wonderful and unique story that really made me think.
Review: I was interested in this book from page one. Great writing. Great characters. Rich and moving story.
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Summary: are there mothers like this out there?
Review: Having a wonderful mother, I find it a little hard to believe and comprehend motives of women who don't respect or show love to their children. Needless to say if I was Astrid, I would be keeping clear of her mother, Ingrid! I felt great empathy for Astrid, being ripped here and there, finding unlikely allies and friends along the way, love in the wrong places with the wrong people.... and I felt despair for her when she concluded that she was scarred on the inside, so she might as well show them on her skin. I was glad when Paul returned to the story as I liked his character. This story just seemed a little too long for me, it could have easily been 50 pages shorter and arrived at the same conclusions. Still it was an interesting eye opener into the world of 'lost children'.
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Summary: Awesome Book!
Review: I could not put this book down! "White Oleander" was wonderful from the very first sentence to the very last and I have Oprah to thank for bringing author Janet Fitch to my attention. The story is narrated by Astrid - a teenage girl - who suffers through years of living in the foster care system while her mother Ingrid serves a life sentence for murdering her ex-lover. (I can just envision a younger Angelina Jolie-type playing the role of Astrid in the film version.) Each family that Astrid lives with has its own unique (yet sometimes cliched) cast of characters that are instrumental in shaping and transforming the young woman she becomes. This is a novel of self discovery the hard way. I personally cannot imagine the loneliness and terror that Astrid experienced while bouncing from home to home to home. Ingrid stays present in Astrid's unstable life through letters and occasional visits and their strained relationship is key to Astrid's development. The character are so real, the writing style is beautiful, the plot moves swiftly and the story weaves the reader through every human emotion possible. While I'm not a fan of the Oprah Winfrey show, I am a fan of her book club and this novel ranks up there as one of her best picks.
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Summary: An Extraordinary Piece of Literature
Review: Upon beginning this book, I thought it was just going to be another novel about the pathos of the human condition. I wasn't very excited about it, rather reading it as a change from murder mysteries and because of the Oprah recommendation. By the time I was halfway through it was difficult to believe that it wasn't autobiographical. I was entralled. How could Janet Fitch write so believably? The depth of characterization is remarkable and the assimilation of literary works into Astrid's outlook is envious.
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Summary: Give Me a Break!
Review: I am embarassed to say I could not put this book down. I found it to be fascinating and well-written. However, the story itself was so over-the-top, it was ridiculous. Giv me a break -- anyone who had been through what our little heroine had been through would certainly have enough sense to take the money and run. Another story of misery and heartache. I need a David Sedaris fix!
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Summary: Great Read!
Review: This book was excellant! Definitely worth the buy! It's so believable ___ the description is incredible! Buy it now!
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