Rating: 
Summary: DEFINITELY ONE OF THE BEST MODERN NOVELS EVER...
Review: WHITE OLEANDER will unquestionably become one of the modern classics...it still haunts me since last Christmas when I first read the review copy for this book. I don't agree with some of the readers that find the book very depressing. To me, the book is about LIFE. I don't really care for anything Oprah..but I'm very pleased that she picked this topaz for her book club.
Rating: 
Summary: Still wondering why I bothered!
Review: I decided to start keeping up with the Oprah books because there were so many that she had picked that I thought we worthwhile. The Pilot's Wife was very good and I also enjoyed "What looks crazy on an Ordinary day." But this book I must admit was really super horrible. I am usually pretty open minded about books that I have read but this one was by far the worst book I have ever read. I was so confused that it was a struggle to finish the book. I have a theory that if I wait long enough something will come up that will keep me reading the book. Sad to say I think I wasted a lot of my time on this book. I had to laugh because I don't believe there is anyone in this life that talks the way Ingrid does. I was waiting for something wonderful to happen to Astrid but was sadly dissapointed when it didn't. I think Oprah needs to start picking some books that can be uplifting without being so tragic. I look forward to reading the new one and hope it is better than this one
Rating: 
Summary: Are you reading to cry or be entertained?
Review: If it's the former, then this is the book for you (and I assume you find crying entertaining). ORLEANDER is a contrived heart plucker. If you're reading to be entertained, read something with some kick to it, something to get your adrenaline flowing instead of your tears--read Kleier's THE LAST DAY or Salinger's CATCHER IN THE RYE. Don't just coast on this stream of brine, get your brain in gear!
Rating:
Summary: A good book, but definitely not a great book.
Review: The book does indeed contain a lot of flowery prose that is at times poetic and very beautiful. But it is also completely unrealistic and predictable. The main character is supposed to be a teenager, and in reading her conversations both within herself and with other character, you wonder if the author was ever a teenager herself. She either has no concept of realistic dialogue or just doesn't care enough to make Astrid a real person in the reader's mind.The plot basically consists of one depressing episode after another, and the mother is portrayed in the beginning as this somewhat sad and confused person who becomes an ordinary horror-movie stock villain towards the book's end. Earlier reader reviews suggested the author attended writing workshops or classes, and that's exactly what this book feels like: an extended creative writing lesson. It's a pretty little knickknack, but instantly forgettable. You know how when watching some movie trailers, you think, "I'll wait for the video"? Well, wait for the paperback on this one. In the meantime, let's hope the author aims for a less lofty and more realistic approach on her next work.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: I find it hard to believe that there are people out there who did not enjoy this book. I couldn't put it down once I had started reading it! I've told all of my friends to buy this one!
Rating:
Summary: I would have rather poked my eye out with a sharp stick.
Review: I thought this book was one of the most depressing books I have ever read (and I have read a few). The writing style was elegant and poetic, but the story was extreme and contrived. The only reason I kept reading was to see what other horrific event would befall the protagonist. By the end of the book I was ready to get a gun and shoot her myself just to put her out of her misery.
Rating:
Summary: The most amazing piece of fiction of our decade...
Review: As an avid fan of contemporary women poets and writers, I was eager to read this highly acclaimed freshman work. I was not ready, however, for it to be so irresistable, liquid, moving, and utterly amazing. The characters were so well developed, and pliable, interesting. The narrator and heroine of this tale, Astrid, was so real, I forgot it was fiction. You want to cheer her on, cry for her pain, wash the badness away. Janet Fitch wrote fiction that mirrors real life. A huge feat so astoundingly accomplished. If only we all looked through Astrid's eyes.....
Rating:
Summary: Squaw Valley is the Secret
Review: My best friend recommended this book and told me the reason it's so good is because the author took writing courses at Squaw Valley with a guy named Oakley Hall who also made best sellers out of people like Michael Chabon and Whitney Otto and whose latest new find in this vein is a book I read called One of the Guys, by Robert Clark Young, which is definitely a book I recommend to everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Fictional poetry
Review: It's the best piece of writing I've read in years. It's fictional poetry really..as seamless as uncut silk. I can't wait to finish it and start it again.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliantly contrived.
Review: White Oleander was exquisite. A must read for lovers of contemporary fiction. The insight of the main character Astrid was remarkably profound.Fitch ingeniously portrayed Astrid's resilience. Astrid's mother Ingrid possessed a unique insight into the human condition and her intelligence was abundantly evident by the manner in which she was immersed in abstract thought. Fitch's presentation of Ingrid was nothing short of phenomenal. White Oleander redefines the very notion of beauty. If you liked Where the Heart is by Billie Letts, you'll love White Oleander.
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