Rating: 
Summary: Exceptional reading
Review: Janet Fitch did an excellent job writing this novel. Thoroughly descripitive and definitely a page turner. I guess out of all the characters I liked the most, it had to be Astrid. For her to endure the wrath of her mother when the path of her own life was uncertain, left me with sorrow in my heart. Filled with so many different mixed emotions, Astrid was undoubtedbly the clay that was molded.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible!
Review: Like lookinfg into a mirror that you thought was smashed long ago, Fitch seems to capture the heart of lonliness and survival. I couldn't put it down!
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful imagery but little substance.
Review: Having read a review of this book in the daily newspaper, I quickly purchased it. I was interested in reading it first, as someone who has been through an abandoned children system, and second, because it was highly recommended. For the first reason, I wanted to see if she'd gotten it right. She didn't. The story never touched on what really happens to kids who have this experience. None of them come out like Astrid, the main character. They are scarred for life, frightened of their own shadows. They grow up the same way. The scarring takes many forms; I know. I've seen the wounds on many friends. Mental hospitals, for example. Homes where they've been molested. Children don't fight these experiences back so easily. Some become felons, societies' nightmares, liabilities to the families who take them on. Others are slaves to the families who take them in for the money. As for the book itself: it's lovely to read. the author has a beautiful ear for language and music and imagery. Her next book should be about something she knows and will be an even better story. I wish her well. she just shouldn't write about something she's not familiar with. It deeply hurts those of us who've been there. I don't expect this 'review' to be helpful to anyone. I just wanted to put in my two cents. Best of luck, Janet. You've got the talent.
Rating:
Summary: Page Turner
Review: I couldn't put this book down. I found every event fascinating, especially the various foster home settings. Great symbolism, very meaningful.
Rating:
Summary: Quite a Satire
Review: This was supposed to be a sad story, but I find it quite Satirical. The story was very sad in some parts, but it had amusing parts. The only thing I didn't like was Astrid's promiscus attitude, and i thought that a 14-year- old girl having sex with some guy in his 40's was digusting. The characters all help to make this story amazing, and I recommend 'White Oleander' to anyone that has read anything in Oprah's book club.
Rating:
Summary: A favorite
Review: I found this book to be amazing. Probably the best part of the book was Astrid's mother, Ingrid. Her character was developed so well, it made me wonder how Fitch could think up all of her narcissistic qualities. The absurd things Ingrid wrote in her letters to Astrid made me want to laugh and cry at the same time. Although the book starts out a little slow, it quickly picks up with a captivating plot line and diverse characters.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book!
Review: I work for CPS, and this was such an insightful look into the life of a foster child. Heartbreaking and honest, the author did a great job. I would recommend this book to everyone!
Rating: 
Summary: POV Problems
Review: As I read this book -- which was highly recommended to me by a friend who loaned me her copy -- I kept thinking something was wrong. Then I realized it was the point-of-view of the narrator. Just how old is the narrator supposed to be anyway? The story begins when Astrid is a young girl, and yet the voice and observations never shift as she matures into a young woman. If this story is told as reflection (from the older girl's POV) then the narrator has learned nothing from her experiences. But I got the sense that we were supposed to be going through the horrible incidents with Astrid, which is more problematic because despite her poet-mother and her experiences, I really doubt a twelve year old would talk is this mature manner. (her actions clearly show us how immature she really is) Writing from the POV of a twelve year old is difficult and the tendancy is for the writer to put words in their young narrators' mouths. I think this is what happened in this novel. For me, it ruined the credibility of the narrator and made me feel duped; hence I stopped caring about the characters. I'm glad I didn't buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding novel
Review: This is a truly awesome book - Ms Fitch's searing use of the English language grabs your senses and throws them right where she wants them - right in the soul of all her characters and situations. This foster child subject is one that could easily have turned out into some wishy-washy kind of novel, with lots of weak characters, and loose unsatisfying paragraphs and unrelated incidents all hanging around. Instead, Ms Fitch has made it an omni-potent book, with passages that just 'have it' making me voluntarily put the book down several times while I pondered on what she had just written. I came to understand and really feel for all the characters .. its just a great book, and one I will definitely add to my book collection. This one will not be going to the second hand book shop.
Rating:
Summary: White Oleander
Review: I was completely blown away by this book. The author leads you through the very sad life of Astrid with beautiful, lyrical prose. Even though most of Astrid's life was tough and horrible for a child to go through, it was expressed with a harsh tenderness that broke your heart as you read about her experiences. She went through a myriad of foster home experiences, most of which were not pleasant. However, she learned to survive, which, in the end, is her final triumph. She survives in spite of a witch of a mother, who is truly without conscience. The interplay between the mother and daughter was truly mesmerizing. Janet Fitch is a unique storyteller, with a knack for character development.
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