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Summary: "white Oleander"
Review: Good books are hard to find. The best ones are the ones that are recommended. "White Oleander,"by Janet Finch, is 390 pages long, but with the excellent writting, it will be time well spent! This book is about a little girl named Astrid, who lives in California with her feminist mother Ingrid. Her mother doesn't like to get too close to man, she fears heartbreak. Ingrid finally lets a man into her heart, and he ends up breaking it. In revenge, she poisons him with a white oleander flower, thus getting the title, "White Oleander."Ingrid goes on trial, gets convicted , and is sent to life in prison. The rest of the novel is about Astrid going from foster home to foster home, the good and the bad ones. On the cover, there is an image of a girl stripping down naked. My interpritation of the meaning of the cover, is Astrid being stripped or robbed of a normal childhood. This is truely a great book, I would recommend it to a sensitive person and I give it a ten out of ten!
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Summary: very cool book
Review: this book is the moving and poignant tale of what happens to a girl after her mother is arrested for murder. it is a gripping tale told with literary flare and just the right amount of poetry i highly recommend to anyone looking for a book that they cannot put down and will tell a tale that haunts them even after the book is read. it is an amazing book and if you miss this, you will missout.
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Summary: A generous writer...
Review: This is a writer who gives all of herself, no holds barred. That is very inspiring to another writer, and I'm grateful. What Fitch does is to burrow deeply into the feelings of the narrator instead of just telling us about them. I appreciate that. She's a master already - a genius with words. I'm much older and writing novels myself, but I don't think I'll ever write with the fluidity - and self confidence - of this young woman. Bravo!
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Summary: Fiction?
Review: This book is beautifully written. It is hard to believe that this is Janet Fitch's 1st novel. The author paints a picture you can clearly see in your mind. Very poetic, but easy to read. In other words...the book "flows". The storyline is so touching when you begin to realize that there are so many "throw away" children out there.
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Summary: EXQUISITE!
Review: White Oleander was one of the most exquisite novels I have ever read. It read like a poem, the beauty of the language juxtaposed with a most depressing existence. Astrid is a definitely a heroine and positively human. If, at times, the situations strained credulity, perhaps it is because we have not walked in the same pair of shoes. Janet Fitch's writing style is graceful and elegant - even when it includes profanity. I found nothing that she included in her novel gratuitous or without merit. It speaks volumes about the potential of the inner spirit that resides in us all. "White Oleander" is a superb novel - one of the best novels I've read - and I read alot! It's nearly impossible to put down once you start because you are immediately transported into Astrid's unconventional amd heartbreaking existence. This is definitely a novel written by the soul for the soul.
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Summary: Poison Pen
Review: A powerful, gripping book that is ab-so-lutely poetic! Should be read twice to appreciate the author's beautiful images.
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Summary: It was great til the ending
Review: I enjoyed this book a lot but... the ending was completely over the top unrealistic. I'm not going to give anything away here, and I know that the book is not pretending to be factual. However, the last few chapters felt disjointed from the rest of the story.
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Summary: I'm A Prisoner Of This Tape.
Review: I am listening to this novel on audio cassette in my car and am riveted by Fitch's writing. I am engrossed and find myself wanting to reach out to this teenage person as if I were her father. My heart goes out to her. I am a prisoner of every graceful description of this teenager Astrid's tortured journey with a variety of parents. Sometimes Fitch's writing just flows like music. She manages to put pure feelings in your head without making you conscious of her words. My heart pounds and I have to stop short of my destination in my car to listen to the writing. The reader, Oprah Winfrey is astonishing as she captures every subtle feeling and nuance in the story without letting the actress be seen or felt, just the character. I'm driving much slower hoping it doesn't end.
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Summary: Tragic and Triumphant
Review: I loved the easy style the author possessed. Her writing was not overly basic, yet not pretentious. The plight of Astrid made me sad, but her survival skills were admirable. Her emotional yo yos were frustrating, but I related to her attempts at keeping toxic people out of her life, even when they were family. It's a difficult decision we are all faced with at one point in our lives. It was an excellent novel and an unfortunate reality check on the fate of some of our forgotten children.
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Summary: White Oleander: an amazing and thought-proking novel.
Review: In one word, this book was awesome. The writing style alone was oustanding as well, mostly because of the vivid metaphors. You get to know each character so well that you hurt for them, are happy for them, etc. I definitely recommend this to anyone above the age of 15 who doesn't mind reading a "girl book" (I say this because the book is from a girl's perspective). And even if you do mind (I did too), try it, because you'll get sucked in. The only reason I gave this book 4 stars is because it tends to get the tiniest bit slow-paced towards the end.
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