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    White Oleander
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    White Oleander
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    White Oleander
    Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

    White Oleander

    Written by Janet Fitch

    Narrated by Oprah Winfrey

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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. Oprah Winfrey enjoyed this gripping first novel so much that she not only made it her book club pick, she asked if she could narrate the audio release.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateSep 18, 2006
    ISBN9781594835711
    Unavailable
    White Oleander
    Author

    Janet Fitch

    Janet Fitch is the author of the novels Paint It Black and White Oleander. She is a third-generation resident of Los Angeles, where she lives in the Silverlake district. Currently, Fitch teaches in the Masters of Professional Writing program at the University of Southern California.

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    Reviews for White Oleander

    4/5

    3,445 ratings107 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      I didn't think this book was bad, but I also didn't feel that it lived up to the hype surrounding it. It was a captivating storyline that kept me interested although it sometimes seemed repetitive.
    • 4/5
      white Oleander by Janet Finch 1999 Little, Brown & Co.4.8 / 5The lives of Ingrid and Astrid Magnussen are disturbing and gritty. Ingrid, a poet raising her daughter alone, is sent to prison for murder. Her, daughter, Astrid is sent to the first of four foster homes in the Los Angeles/ Hollywood area. Each new foster home is more dysfunctional and hard-boiled than the last. Astrid's story is one of losing yourself, finding yourself and the resilience of the human spirit- Astrid rebuilds her life as a survivor and finally, as an artist.This was inspiring and profound, but very disturbing in parts. Beautifully written, it reads like prose, the diction and wording wonderfully done. Fantastic moving novel.
    • 5/5
      White Oleander is dark and depressing, but beautifully written. My opinion of Ingrid flowed with Astrid’s feelings that changed as more time passed. You miss her, you hate her, you wish she would go away then suddenly it becomes you want to know shes at least not worst mother in the world and surprisingly she does care somewhat, Ingrid is just very flawed. Astrid goes though a lot of homes with different dynamics and Astrid working through them to find her place. She discovers who she really is when she is away from her mom and its heartbreaking at times because she can be in a hopeless state of mind thinking she doesn’t deserve to have hope and a future then she actually accepts there are options for her out there only for it to come crashing back down. I felt frustrated at first at the ending, Astrid still wanting to be with Ingrid, but she struggled with that the entire book so it only makes sense for her to want to be back with her mom, but has reservations (rightfully so too). There are parts that are uncomfortable, but that is what makes the novel feel good to read as well as the flow of the words. Highly recommend.
    • 5/5
      Heartbreaking story that I can somewhat relate to. I loved the movie so I thought I'd give the book a try, and I was not disappointed. The movie was pretty true to the text. Astrid's character really enlightened me to the mind of an artist, which as someone who has no artistic ability but great appreciation for its mastery, I appreciated. The diction is beautiful - very high language, but still able to communicate the social issue that is foster care. Aesthetically pleasing, yet sincere.
    • 3/5
      growing up with a crazy mother, and then moved from one foster home to the next
    • 3/5
      I didn't think this book was bad, but I also didn't feel that it lived up to the hype surrounding it. It was a captivating storyline that kept me interested although it sometimes seemed repetitive.
    • 3/5
      mother-daughter relationship
    • 1/5
      It was confusing
    • 5/5
      My favorite.
    • 5/5
      This book was probably the most touching i have ever read. The reader can feel the pain written into each page, the severe hardships of a young girl. This book is somewhat a coming of age story, but in the darkest sense. It was very relatable, in that I understood the sense of hopelessness, and giving up. It showed that every time one overcomes one hardship, the next is around the corner. It makes the reader feel better. It puts all problems into perspective, because it shows that what you are going through is not as bad as it could be. It was depressing, but so well written that i felt as if i was right there next to Astrid, feeling her pain, going to each new home by her side. This is one of my all time favorite books. It gives all aspects of life and many varied characters, and shows the tragedy in life and the silver linings. It is the ultimate "loss of innocence" story, far more effective than the classics, such as To Kill a Mockingbird or Catcher in the Rye. It is modern and realistic. It has left me with an unshakable feeling, one that i cannot identify, but is always there. Reading this at a young age, during a personal crisis, aided me in maturing faster. It displayed the horrors the world can hold. If Astrid could get through it, so could I.
    • 2/5
      Interesting story, irritating prose.
    • 5/5
      Powerful. Poetic.A book that speaks to my soul.
    • 5/5
      my own bible
    • 5/5
      A coming-if-age fiction, White Oleander is beautifully written, hypnotic and haunting.
    • 5/5
      I think that Janet Fitch is one of the most poetic writers alive today. This book was extraordinary. It is told so truthfully and.... Words just can't express how I feel about this novel. Read it, and you'll understand.
    • 4/5
      This was a gut-punch of a novel. Super literary. So tragic and cruel. Lengthy. Dense.
    • 4/5
      A beautifully written emotional bat. This book is savage in the ups and downs of story about a girl left alone after her mother is convicted of a crime. A wonderful read, but strange in that some days I could only read 3-4 pgs and other days 50-60pgs. Well worth the effort and emotion this book is sure to inspire.
    • 4/5
      After Astrid's mother Ingrid is sent to jail for killing her former lover, Astrid is left to navigate the foster care system and try to fit in with new families. As if this doesn't provide enough difficulties, Ingrid and her influence reappear periodically, usually detrimentally for Astrid. She must learn who she is and how to maintain an individual identity.Interesting to read consecutively with "Choke" by Chuck Palahniuk; both books deal with relationships between children and their mentally ill mothers.
    • 5/5
      Reading this book when I did was a turning point in my life, therefore I do not believe I can offer an objective review of it. It was totally absorbing to me; I was completely fascinated by Astrid and her mother and I plugged myself in directly to the experience. I can recommend reading it that way, but that's about all I can tell you. So basically, this entire review is useless. Sorry.
    • 5/5
      This book is extremely well written, detailed and heartbreaking. Astrid goes through unimaginable pain and circumstances, all while dealing with a psychopathic controlling mother (who is currently stuck in jail). It can be a bit over the top in terms of word usage at times, but considering the part that art and poetry play in the novel, it makes sense to have that language.
    • 4/5
      Really enjoyed this book. Well written, captivates you from the beginning.
    • 4/5
      Coming of age for the painter daughter of a poetess, raised in California's foster-care system as her mother does jail time for murder. It's a harsh life, with bits so mean I almost stopped reading, but wanted to see even a glimmer of happy at the end, so I stuck with it.
    • 5/5
      By far one of my favorite books I've ever read. It is so lyrical and beautiful.
    • 4/5
      Intriguing story, it's a while since I read it, but I can remember the hot dry desert and the palpable sadness
    • 5/5
      Okay so this one was a tough read not because the book is not good but because it was crafted so like a poem, and man almost everybody knows I'm not into poems but still I've read the book and it was soo good! For one I can relate to Astrid's pain from jumping to one foster home to another. Growing up without a mom to guide her through the way. And to be taken advantage even as a child.Some people who have read this may not get the book as a whole but when you really put your attention into it, you can related to it every step of the way. I myself don't know what it feels like to grow up in different homes, to be with different people, to watch out for yourself at a young age but I feel her pain of being independent. I commend Astrid for being the brave soul in spite everything she went through. I had mixed emotions with this book, you can love them or hate every person, you'll learn to praise them or condemn them. Either way, it's a beautifully crafted book, designed to captivate your heart and touch your soul. "Always learn poems by heart. They have to become the marrow in your bones. Like fluoride in the water, they'll make your soul impervious to the world's soft decay."
    • 4/5
      I would love to be able to say that I found Ingrid an unbelievable character. Unfortunately, I know someone just like her. Someone so self involved that she would destroy her own child without a thought and has. This novel is thought provoking and heart breaking. The whole book I just kept hoping that Astrid would stand up to her mother, and when she does, I don't think that she goes far enough...Overall a good read, but for some it might strike too close to home.
    • 4/5
      I read this because it was an Oprah selection back in the early days. I read it greedily, but in the end felt a bit depressed. The book does make you think about the plight of girls in foster care, single motherhood and the like, but I can't say I felt at all uplifted after reading.
    • 4/5
      A truly engrossing novel about Astrid's life before and after her mother goes to prison for murder. Fitch's style is quite poetic and adds a dreamlike quality to the narrative, yet the lessons being evinced are definitely down-to-earth and applicable.
    • 4/5
      enjoyed - a must read!
    • 5/5
      Incredible book. The love/hate relationship between a mother and daughter is spell-binding. I couldn't get enough of the angst-driven rebellion of a girl forced into foster care from a selfish murderer of a mother.