White Oleander: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Very over-rated tale.
Review: I agree 100% with the reviewers who found this book silly, filled with transparent melodrama and feeble development in plot and characterization. I suggest you take the advice of the many reviewers of this book and read something worthwhile like THE TRIUMPH AND THE GLORY, or if Oprah books are your only fictional desires, MOTHER OF PEARL, or I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE.

Rating:
Summary: A wortwhile read
Review: When I began reading this book, I found the language rather flowery and contrived. However, once I became accustomed the style, I grew to see its richness and beauty. Similarly, Ingrid is not an entirely believable character, yet she is fascinating, as is the exploration of mother/daughter relationships. While this book does have its flaws, I found it an addictive, fulfilling read. Certain passages are so beautiful and painfully accurate that I felt compelled to memorise them.

Rating:
Summary: This book was a dissappointment
Review: I have read three of the Oprah bookclub books and won't read another. White Orleander was something I kept reading thinking it would have some redeeming value otherwise Oprah wouldn't have stamped her approval to it. I heard some reviews and women raved about how the author opened their eyes to look at the world differently. To me, their coments were like saying a porno wasn't so bad because it had good music. The book was tasteless. The topic was not uplifting at all, there was no social value to be gained. It was trash.

Rating:
Summary: This book is very depressing and not very realistic.
Review: I found myself continuing to read this book just hoping something better would come along. The longer I read, the worse it got. At the end of the book, I got the feeling the author just got tired of writing and just stuck something in so it could be over. It could have been salvaged with a better conclusion. Oprah, try harder next time.

Rating:
Summary: WRITING AT IT'S MOST EXTRAODINARY
Review: To read "White Oleander" is to expose oneself to unmasked reality written in the most exquisite prose I have ever had the priviledge to read. Justification for this statement comes because I have read thousands of books, from "the greats," to the cult writers with their mass following. This was beyond a "good read." It was a journey into life at it's rawest and hope at it's most refined. Seldom does a book haunt me days after the reading but Astrid's journey is not easily shelved. Ms. Fitch delivers 390 pages of riveting descriptions, enlightened similies, and precise character developement creating unforgettable prose. That this is a first attempt; that the writing is so acutely pointed; that Astrid lingers indefintely in the reader's conscience is remarkable. "White Oleander" is a gift to all book lovers who long for stories to engross, touch, and change them. If Ms. Fitch does not receive book awards for this masterpiece, than I will no longer put credence into Pulitzer's and National Book Award's as barometers to excellence. BRAVO.....BRAVO.....BRAVO!!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Overrated and Overly Sentimental : A Major DOWNER
Review: I was more than excited to read this book once I heard Oprah rave about it the way she did. How much I have grown in these past few days. This book was (or is so far) disturbing to say the least. It is very hard to pin point EXACTLY what went wrong with it, as it had potential and was written nicely. It had an air of being overly sentimental, but the author built no real emotional attachment between the reader and Astrid. The reader's relationship with Astrid was restricted mainly to, "Dear God don't let another horrible thing happen to her." The story seemed to be written entirely around that idea. Her mother was an absolute disgrace, and every male character in the story was a villain. Characters were portrayed as complex people, but were also very one-dimensional (Ingrid, for example.) And Astrid was a very uneven character. Whomever she was exposed to in the story, she began taking on the characteristics of. When she was with Ingrid, the narration sounded very much like how Ingrid would have told things. Was this accidental or a new and so ingenius writing technique that it is beyond my understanding? Well, I couldn't give this just one star because there are some interesting ideas in it, and some of the prose are very well-written. But my mind goes back to the Oprah Winfrey show. Many said this book changed their outlook. It certainly changed mine - STOP GIVING OPRAH SO MUCH CREDIBILITY!

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic - A Must Read
Review: What a fantastic novel. I loved it! Astrid had me crying and laughing at the same time. My only disappointment was not figuring out who the girl on the bed is on the front cover. I'd recommend this to anyone!

Rating:
Summary: Very well written & hits the mark
Review: If you are someone who has a difficult and conflicted relationship with a parent, this is the book for you! Astrid shows remarkable maturity and insightfulness through her mother's imprisonment and is SO powerful when she begins releasing her anger! I was a tad disappointed in the ending, more because I was hoping for a more powerful end to this powerful book.

Rating:
Summary: I Was Hooked From Beginning to End!!
Review: I was hooked from beginning to end! I found myself wanting to meet the main character, Astrid Magnussen, throughout the book. Such realistic and poetic writing. I enjoyed many things about this story, but one thing in particular is the way this gifted child was able to hang on and develop her gift throughout her teenage life--despite tragedy. I found myself forming my own pictures in my mind as Astrid was creating her artwork throughout the story. How each foster home was a little piece of this big picture of her teenage life, and how she brought it all together with her art work. Very honest. Very realistic. At times, it was hard to understand why the teenage character, Astrid,(or even her mother, Ingrid, for that matter) did the things they did. But that's how life can be. We don't all react the same way...We all aren't a part of this "perfect mold" doing what others expect us to do. Astrid's gifted mind realizes this, even as a very young child. This story gives the reader a peek into that teenage/artist/gifted mind. This story was a definite page-turner.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent and poetic piece of fiction
Review: This was one of the best books I have read in a long time. I thought it was poetic and lyrical.