White Oleander

Reader reviewed by Annie

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 didnt get
off to a good start. It was very boring and I had to force myself to keep
reading but after a few chapters the book began to get interesting. After those
first couple of chapters, I found myself never wanting to put the book down.

White
Oleander was the debut book for author Janet Fitch. Janet Fitch was born
November 9, 1955 in Los Angeles,
California. She graduated from Reed College,
in Portland, Oregon,
and from Keele University
in England.
Fitch had wanted to become a historian, but on her twenty-first birthday she
decided to begin writing fictional books. So far she has a total of three
books, and in her spare time, she teaches fiction to students at the University of Southern California.

White
Oleander is a story of a mother-daughter relationship, and the search for
ones identity. It tells the story of
11 year old girl named Astrid Magnussen and her feminist poet mother Ingrid.
When Astrid mother is sent to jail for killing her ex-lover with poisons from
white oleander flowers, Astrid Magnussen now has to find the way to adulthood
through a series of Los Angeles foster families and juvenile homes.

Janet Fitch has a very unique
writing style. She goes into a lot of detail and makes you feel like you are there.  She also entices the readers throughout the
story with her language and twists.

The book White Oleander opened my eyes to what life was like for kids who
are in foster homes. I enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys
a good book.

 

Reader reviewed by Sandra F.

I read this book when I was sick and I could not put it down. Astrid Magnussen is a teen whose mother, Ingrid, kills her boyfriend by poison from the white oleander flower. Ingrid goes to prison and Astrid get passed around from one foster home to the next.

Ingrid is sure the mother from hell - everything is about her and she is not the least bit concerned about Astrid.

The part of the book I liked the best was when Astrid lived with Rena and spent her time making art from junk and selling it a flea markets. So much of the book was really bleak - like the descriptions of the homes she lived in surrounded by concrete, garbage and wrecked cars.

A movie was made from the book, but the book was a lot better.

Reader reviewed by Ktlyn

this book is a great look at the life of astird once her mom kills her boyfriend and is sent to prision, during this time astrid is thrown into a wirl wind of PSHYCO foster homes and deals with being beaten,shot,starveing and alot of other things that normal kids wouldnt go through i love the end you realy shold read it