Search - White Oleander

I found White Oleander to be a chilling yet well written tale of a rather disturbing mother-daughter relationship. I found the determination of the daughter despite the callousness of the mother enlightening. I also appreciated the other characters that were built around the daughter such as some of the adults in here life that served as foster parents.

This was a fantastic read. Tragically beautiful descriptions and realistic relationships. Astrid's journey through the different foster homes and her struggle to fit in with each is something we can all relate to in some way. The struggles Astrid goes through with her mother are equally captivating. Anyone who enjoyed The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath will find something to love in this book.

This book is not for the faint of heart. It follows a girl a series of foster homes and what she goes through. (I won't give more detail so as not ruin the book for others)



This is an Oprah's Book Club Book, and while it tears at your heart it is a good read.

There were a few moments in the book where it gets very wordy and can be slightly boring, it only last for a page or two though. I read through it in 3 nights, where most books only take me one evening.

The character building is out of this world in this novel. I found myself attached to each character and longed to learn more about each of them. Fitch is incredibly adept at making everyone you meet memorable.

The ending was a bit disappointing I must admit, as I felt it stopped short and seemed rushed.



All in all I would recommend this book!

This book is about a young girl who is going through alot of stuff. Her mother is a very opinionated woman who, thinks everything should be her way. This story goes through the life of the young girl and tells how she bounces from home to home and trying to be accepted at them. If you like dark reads, this is for you. It is good, but a dark story.

I don't read a lot of fiction, and to be honest this one caught my eye because I had seen the movie and found the story so unusual I wanted to know more. The book does not disappoint. The movie was of course less detailed, more emphasis on the worst parts, and with more attractive characters. The book was a good read. I liked it, didn't love it, but was glad I read it. I'm probably not the best judge of fiction works, because for every book I actually complete, there are at least 12 that I picked up to read and lost interest before getting very far. I finished this one because it was weird and different, a completely different set of characters than any I've ever met in my life. In real life, I have met people who were abandoned, neglected, or put in foster care when they were younger, and nearly every one turned out to be very grounded, decent and kind people despite the nasty way they were treated as children (I've never met any of their parents). I sort of knew the ending from the movie, it was good to see more detail in the book.

This book was beautifully written and made me feel that I was a silent witness to the events described.