Rating: 
Summary: GO OPRAH !!
Review: This was a breath of fresh air for a pick by Oprah's panel. such a departure from the usual treacle. These gals are bad news, both mom and dotter, and set out in such subtle terms it looks like most readers don't even get it. Poet/murderess Ingrid especially is so righteously upfront offing the hapless Barry on whom she doesn't even hold papers - it's a cleansing experience after the convoluted psychophenophobia that passes as motivations for Lecter and the auxiliary monsters of HANNIBAL - and the meticulous arts&craftsing toward executing the perfect crime by A CAT'S FULL NINE's Virgil ... Ingrid just was pissed - that spreading her legs had failed to throw open the Gates to Heaven and Barry in perpetuum - and throwing caution and logic to the wind - effects a wholesome homicide, for God and all the angels to take in, and to then take her lumps almost unflinchingly . I LOVED HER! Just below the surface little Astrid throughout her travels and travails is scarcely more than a burlesque of the "poor little me" syndrome, going through the motions, but underneath by book's end as manipulative as mumsy, though clearly not as guileless. I LOVED HER EVEN MORE!!
Rating: 
Summary: While the writing can be lyrical, the book is immoral.
Review: This book is about a mother so self-absorbed that she does not nurture her young child. She fulfills her need for revenge and, in so doing, abandons her child to a world for which she is not prepared. And the child becomes bitter and tainted and unable to fit into the world as it really is. "Search for self"? I don't buy it.
Rating: 
Summary: exquisite book... a must read for lovers of tragic life tale
Review: I have read a few of the oprah suggestions and this is by far the best. She calls it liquid poetry and I have to agree. Rarely, in modern fiction do you get to know the characters as well as Fitch allows you to know hers. You are made to feel, touch, smell, and taste everything that she describes. The ending is the best part. Too often I am disappointed in the drop-off manner new authors end their tales. This is the only beleiveable one I have read in a long time. Tragic and telling... READ THIS BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and unforgettable
Review: This was a beautifully written book. The book was very uplifting in that it shows how someone can bring a positive result from even the most negative of circumstances. It gives hope and inspiration. This book has given me a much deeper appreciation for my own children and an insight to just how powerful an influence I am for them. I see the importance of making them feel secure in my love for them. The writing was so wonderfully descriptive; it forces you to ponder the beauty in the ordinary, as Astrid did in her artwork. This book has certainly changed the way I view life now; I see my many blessings. This was truly one of the best books I've ever read in my 44 years, and there have been many. Thank you Janet Fitch.
Rating: 
Summary: so...what happened to her......
Review: After seeing the author and hearing her interview on the Oprah show, I couldn't wait to run out and buy the book. As much as I hate to say it, I was very disappointed. I kept reading because I know that you have to really get some pages behind you before some books really "catch" you but upon finding myself at the end of the book I felt like I had wasted my time. Sorry.....
Rating:
Summary: I did not want the book to end!
Review: I loved this book's plot and characters. I never wanted it to end! I cannot wait for Ms. Fitch's next novel. I will reread this book to catch parts I know I must have missed, because I went through it so quickly! This is a great novel.
Rating:
Summary: Best Novel I've Read in a Long Time
Review: I am so touched by everything about this incredible book - by Janet Fitch's poetry and storytelling, by the images/smells/feelings of my home - Southern California, by the portrayal of a complicated mother/daughter relationship and the process of that relationship, by Fitch's unsentimental yet poetic descriptions of situations. I eagerly await Janet Fitch's next work.
Rating:
Summary: The most captivating poetic prose I have ever read.
Review: Where has Janet Fitch been hiding?! I am disapointed there are not more of her books to gobble up. White Oleander is pure poetry about real life agony, despair, acceptance, and survival. Fitch uses words to tantalize your senses to every experience of every character. You see, hear, taste, smell, and feel every move they make and every thought they have. One of the most marvelous, wonderful, and moving reading experiences I've had - I still find myself drifting back into the scenes and feeling the feelings.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written
Review: I loved the majority of this book and the way the writer wove her words, however I thought the ending was terrible. There could have been a thousand other ways (better ways!) Astrid could have turned out. But reading the rest of the book is definatley worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent use of language; horribly offensive
Review: This book has so many great qualities such as great character development, amazing imagery, use of simile, and interesting plot. I wanted to fight for Astrid and I wish she had said more sooner to her mother. I mean, I wish she had given her mother a piece of her mind earlier on. It was hard to believe a mother could be that way. Perhaps, that is why it held my attention. It was out of the ordinary for me. The characters were so interesting and developed, that I felt I knew them. Everything within the story was so vivid and colorful! I loved Fitch's use of language. However, (here comes my disappointment) I was highly offended by the time I got less than half way through the book. I had to put it down and I almost didn't pick it up again. The sexual descriptions were too much to bare. I found them disgusting and unneseccary to fill my mind with. But, I'm glad I continued to read and finished the book, ignoring the offensive.
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