Rating: 
Summary: This just fell apart.....
Review: A first I couldn't put this book down, then I couldn't pick it up. A good read till midway though it simply fell apart. Too implausible, the ending seemed like a good reason to throw in some unrelated overglorified instances that had no bearing on Astrid's life. It tried to tie up loose ends but got lost in it's own language. I got bored. I wanted to see a solid ending...this one was not only unthinkable for this girl Astrid that I came to like--but unimaginable, and silly. Oprah, what were you thinking? Just because a story is about an abused foster child doesn't make it a "must read". Give us something with tooth!
Rating: 
Summary: Starkly Written
Review: Beautiful yet searingly harsh at times (like Astrid), the writer does an amazing job of conveying the confusion underlying Astrid's life. The writer is remarkably versatile in painting each chapter with distinctly different hues, and in providing detail on the very diverse communities in Southern California. A wonderful read.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not to the last drop!
Review: I first found the book to be irrisistible, couldn't put it down. Then I began to feel like she was beating a dead horse. The last two chapters for me were sooo dispointing. I am sorry I finished it.....I should have made up my own ending.
Rating:
Summary: In depth, depressing, however, hard to put down
Review: White Oleander was a great book to read. It was slightly depressing as you followed a young girl in search of herself. Often, you see this young girl "fail," which makes the reader feel terrible for her. The writing is supurb -- Janet fitch used her intense writing capability to enhance the reader. It isn't the most cheerful book in the world, but a definite one to read!
Rating:
Summary: Very depressing, way too long, somewhat unbelievable story.
Review: I looked forward to reading this book, found it only in hardback and paid the high price for it at a local warehouse store. What a mistake. It was totally depressing, a very hard read and was not of interest to me at all. I have now read at least 5 of Oprah's best picks and this one is by far the worst. I still have a hard time believing Oprah or anyone 'recommends' this book....ah well, to each his own!
Rating: 
Summary: Powerfully poetic with a strong story line that delivers.
Review: Janet Fitch has accomplished with her first work what I have been trying to do for 25 years. Her work is one of the most masterful pieces I have ever read. The characters are bits and pieces of all of humanity.She has managed to create metaphors that not only nail the moment but transcend any author I've read. Having read thousands of books, both classical and ordinary stuff, I'd have to say Janet should feel free to take her place among the finer works of our century. Thank you Janet for opening up my past and freeing my demons.
Rating:
Summary: This Is, By Far, The Best Read of The Last Twenty Years!!
Review: First-time novelist, Janet Finch, has pulled out all of the emotional, psychological, and imagery stops to create, in my opinion, the best "read" of the last twenty years. Oprah, on her show introducing this wonderful book and this most-promising author, deemed this book "...liquid poetry...". I would go even further and call it a trip into the very soul of each and every woman who reads the first twenty pages of "White Oleander." Engrossing from page one, the characters are drawn with such an artful brush that I found the mother, Ingrid, and the daughter, Astrid, to be two of the most exciting and intriguing "new friends" I had ran into in many, many a year. This novel is so, so powerful, and at the same time touching, that one simply cannot put the book back on the bookshelf when the last page is turned without telling all of your best friends about it (who, by the way, praised "White Oleander" just as I did!!). Great read, great characters and setting, and yes, Oprah, pure "...liquid poetry..." for the soul on each and every page!! NOTHING SHORT OF SENSATIONAL!!! A new "Angela's Ashes" -- just in novel form!!! Buy it today, read it over the weekend, and then pass it along to your best friend -- you nor your friend shall be sorry!!!!
Rating:
Summary: I was disappointed after hype.
Review: I read a lot and looked so forward to this highly reviewed book. Sorry, but it just didn't do it for me. I found it depressing to the extreme. And once the plot was set, there just wasn't enough challenge of interest.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating characters, captures the feel of Los Angeles
Review: I have not finished a novel for years. Since I have been in a travel job this year, I have picked up and thrown away many novels that are single dimensioned, trite and cliched. This novel grabbed me from the start. I could not leave it unfinished and HAD to know more about Astrid and her world. I would typically not read a "downer" that included a victim foster child and the oppresive circumstance of being forced to live in the depraved world of her foster families. But, this novel beautifully describes how a human spirit responds and tries to rise above such depravity rather than wallowing in describing the depravity itself. This allows the reader to easily put themselves in the circumstances and completely understand and empathize with all the characters. AND, on top of it, this novel includes the sights, sounds, and smells of Los Angeles that I never thought could be put into words so accurately. Although I travel, I always know what time it is in California. Bad things can happen here, but there is solace in basking in the landscape that IS paradise.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully written.
Review: I could not put this book down, but felt like I was being sliced by knives with every page I read. I bled right through to the end.
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