White Oleander: Summary and book reviews of White Oleander by Janet Fitch, plus links to an excerpt from White Oleander and a biography of Janet Fitch.

Astrid is the only child of a single mother, Ingrid, a brilliant, obsessed poet who wields her luminous beauty to intimidate and manipulate men. Astrid worships her mother and cherishes their private world full of ritual and mystery-but their idyll is shattered when Astrid's mother falls apart over a lover. Deranged by rejection, Ingrid murders the man, and is sentenced to life in prison. White Oleander is the unforgettable story of Astrid's journey through a series of foster homes and her efforts to find a place for herself in impossible circumstances. Each home is its own universe, with a new set of laws and lessons to be learned. With determination and humor, Astrid confronts the challenges of loneliness and poverty, and strives to learn who a motherless child in an indifferent world can become. Tough, irrepressible, funny, and warm, Astrid is one of the most indelible characters in recent fiction. White Oleander is an unforgettable story of mothers and daughters, burgeoning sexuality, the redemptive powers of art, and the unstoppable force of the emergent self. Written with exquisite beauty and grace, this is a compelling debut by an author poised to join the ranks of today's most gifted novelists.

Media Reviews

The New York Times Book Review - Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina [An] impressive first novel.... her startlingly apt language relates a story that is both intelligent and gripping.   Publishers Weekly Thirteen-year-old Astrid Magnussen, the sensitive and heart-wrenching narrator of this impressive debut, is burdened with an impossible mother in Ingrid, a beautiful gifted poet whose scattered life is governed by an enormous ego. JRobert Olen Butler, author of A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain Janet Fitch writes with breathtaking beauty about the central theme of our age the search for self. White Oleander is a remarkable debut novel. Elizabeth Berg, author of Durable Goods and Range of Motion This is what you're after when you're browsing the shelves for something good to read. White Oleander is a siren song of a novel, seducing the reader with its story, its language, and, perhaps most of all, with its utterly believable (and remarkably diverse!) characters. The narrator is particularly memorable-there were times she made me want to cheer and weep simultaneously. Finishing this book made me feel gratefully bereft, and I look forward to Janet Fitch's next work.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Zee Krstic
Relationships 101 - White Oleander
A relationship between a daughter and her mother is hard to describe. It can be one of hate, of discord, of strain, of deep love. An Oprah’s Book Choice in 1999, White Oleander by Janet Fitch is a tale of love; deep, twisted love, and the...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Annie
Janet Fitch's unique style of writing
The book White Oleander was very interesting but at times was very hard to read. The beginning of the book was the most challenging because it didn’t get off to a good start. It was very boring and I had to force myself to keep reading but after a...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Lauren McCoy
A Poisonous Romance
White Oleander portrays a beautiful story of a mother-daughter relationship,and the search for feminine identity. Ingrid, the selfish, irresponsible mother of Astrid, is a famous poetry writer in California. She drags her thirteen year old daughter...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Christin
White Oleander
Janet Fitch’s beautifully written novel White Oleander is the story about the agonizing and obscure journey that is Astrid Magnussen’s life. Shaken and destroyed by her mother Ingrid’s imprisonment for the murder of her boyfriend, Astrid is...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Michelle L
Amazing
This is quite possibly the most amazing book ever written. I have read it over and over again, and it never gets old. The language is so magnificent, I just want to hold onto every word. The characters are portrayed perfectly and you truly feel...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Steph Halligan
White Oleander
This book, White Oleander, was awesome. The writing style and theme of the story was so well written, it drew you into the book, made you feel as if you were a part of it, once I started reading it I ust didn't want to put it down! The words the...   Read More

...56 More Reader Reviews

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