return to home  
Join   |  Gift   |  Member Login   |  Library Login
BookBrowse Mobile
Follow Us: 
   Reader reviews of White Oleander

Read what people think about White Oleander by Janet Fitch, and write your own review.

White Oleander

White Oleander
by Janet Fitch
Hardcover: May 1999,
390 pages.
Paperback: May 2000,
400 pages.

Publication information
First book/First Novel


Author Information
Critics' Opinion:   
Readers' Rating:  
About BookBrowse Rankings
Share: 
Buy This Book
Page 4 of 11 There are currently 62 reviews
for White Oleander
Select your view:
Order Reviews by:
Click Here To Write Your Own Review
Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by alisha
All I have to say is wow. I'm fourteen years old, and I am going something very similair as Astrid. Being torn away from an unbreakable relationship with my mother, and taking on things I never thought possible. This book was true inspiration from the will of a girl to fight against all odds in what she believes in. It also exposes the life-style of a girl growing up through foster-care, and that not all unfortunate children are illiterate and cliche'. I honestly think that every female should read this book to see the will-power and tempatations of life, and how to overcome obstacles. This book also greatly illustrates the bond between two females and the path of finding out who you really are. This book is written extraordinarily. Please read it!

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Courtney Roberts
White Oleander - Utter Brilliance
i cannot believ one book can move so much. many a review will diss this book pushing it aside as they would a mills and boon. but i assure you this book is no mills and boon yet more a work of art something i will admire for the rest of my times. i am a huge reader yet not much of a writer (as one can tell from my grammer and punctuation not to mention spelling hehe) and i have read many novels although as i have grown older i have taken a fancy to auto biographys as i like to read something that i can become close to that i can attach myself to. this novel may not be an auto biog but it has the power of one. it is so descriptive and well written that it floats like a cloud in your imagination. also do not... i repeat DO NOT watch the film prior to the book, its an unwritten law and should always be followed. but on that once you've finished do watch it but do not criticise it for its lack of this and that and what it misses, yet appreciate it for what it is.... one persons interpritation of the novel, their appreciation of janet fitch;s novel.
an undying classic in my mind which should only be accepted for what it is not condemned for what it is not.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Jade
White Oleander is not only a book that can uplift those in a way that was never thought possible, but it is also a book of the brutal reality we call life. Depressing as it is, White Oleander is a truthful portrait of a young girls struggle with the cards she has been dealt in life, and during this period in Astrids life, when she feels as though she is attempting to overcome impossible obstacles that she is helplessly directed to, she finds love, friendships, and a piece of herself. I definately suggest this book to anybody who is still trying to understand the depths of life, anyone who feels all hope is lost, or anyone who has about 3 spare hours on their hands. You wont be able to put it down. :)

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Giuseppe Sciortino, Jr.
I read White Oleander far faster than I usually finish other books of the same length. I couldn't put it down. I have to admit though, one of the key reasons I would continue to read, even when my eyes were tired and burning, was to hear the next thing Astrid's mother would say. I haven't hated a character this honestly in a long time, and it was a breath of fresh air to be engaged by a character like that. I sympathized all too well with Astrid's attempt at strength, sometimes for the right reason, sometimes for the wrong. Janet Fitch, they did your book wrong by that movie they made of it. I should have know to skip seeing it by the PG-13 rating it received.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Kathleen
I want this review to say so much in the least amount of words. This book touched me. I was unable to break away from it from beginning to end. Eloquent metaphores paint the most vivid pictures. An exquisite and poignant story that I will hold close to my heart always and more than likely read again. Admittedly, I had seen the film first and would have to say the casting was impeccable. The book however, was even more gripping. Thank you Ms. Fitch for the honour of letting me share in the beauty of your storytelling.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Krysta
I think this was an excellent read. It is intoxicating and hypnotic in its descriptions while telling such a tragic story. The charcters were all controlled by believable problems and each provided the reader with something to connect to and a lesson to be learned. This book allows you to realize the beauty surrounding you by painting the landscape with words. Stunning.
«  prev   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   next »

Lists of books with similar themes


Read-Alikes


Other books by Janet Fitch
Buy This Book:

Become a Member
Click Here
Editor's Choice
  •  May 25 
  •  May 23 
  •  May 21 
The Shelter Cycle
Peter Rock

The Shelter Cycle Jacket

An American original, Peter Rock brings our strangest beliefs to vivid and sympathetic life in this haunting novel inspired by true events.
And the Mountains Echoed
Khaled Hosseini

And the Mountains Echoed Jacket

Khaled Hosseini has written a new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations
Helga's Diary
Helga Weiss

Helga's Diary Jacket

The remarkable diary of a young girl who survived the Holocaust—appearing in English for the first time.
Click Here
   Most Recent Blog Entries
Movies Based on Books: Summer 2013 (May - August)
Jewish Young Adult Books That Are Not About The Holocaust
Books to Give This Mother's Day
rss  RSS   rss  subscribe
Recent Reader Reviews
Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
A very large book - in number of pages and in content - and every page worth reading. Thoroughly enjoyed this one and her first book on the... read more
Two Lives by Vikram Seth
Two Lives is a memoir written by international best-selling author, Vikram Seth. In this interesting and engaging book, Seth writes about his great... read more
Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Fowler
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight... read more
RSS RSS feed More...  
Most Viewed This Week
1. Telegraph Avenue
Michael Chabon
2. Brick Lane
Monica Ali
3. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Rebecca Skloot
4. The Tiger Rising
Kate DiCamillo
5. Who Moved My Cheese
Spencer Johnson
More...
Book Club Recommendations
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
by Jeanette Winterson
Paperback (Mar/13)
Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell
Hardback (Feb/13)
The House Girl
by Tara Conklin
Paperback (Oct/13)
The Painted Girls
by Cathy Marie Buchanan
Hardback (Jan/13)
More...
First Impressions
Members read and review books often months before they're published. See what they think in First Impressions!
The Caretaker
by A .X. Ahmad
Four Stars            (May/13)
The Last Girl
by Jane Casey
Four Stars            (May/13)
Golden Boy
by Abigail Tarttelin
4.5 Stars            (May/13)
The Sisterhood
by Helen Bryan
Four Stars            (Apr/13)
More...
  Latest BookBrowse News
News Corp will officially split into two companies June 28 (May 24 2013)
As expected, News Corp has announced it will officially split its publishing and entertainment businesses on 28 June.
br> Its board approved the... Full Story
rss RSS feed More...
 
BookBrowse Poll
Q: Which of these Summer movies based on books would you like to see? (Info on each movie here)
The Great Gatsby
Epic
Man of Steel
World War Z
The Lone Ranger
The Wolverine
R.I.P.D.
Percy Jackson
Paranoia
The Mortal Instruments
Select Any That Apply
Search: Title or Author
Free Newsletters
The Light Between Oceans

Online Book Club
More about
The Comfort of Lies
Join the discussion!


Win This Book!
On Sal Mal Lane


"Piercingly intelligent and shatter-your-heart profound."

Enter To Win Now!

wordplay
Solve this clue:
"I Y N P O T Solution, Y P O T P"

and be entered
to win....
frame top
New Author
Interviews
Menna van Praag
Erica Brown
Helga Weiss
Kate Morton
frame bottom
HOME Book Submissions | Advertising | Library Subscriptions | Reviewing for BookBrowse | Contact Us