Cover of White Oleander courtesy Amazon.com
The Summary:
This is Astrid’s coming-of-age story. She must struggle with the influences and relationships her poetic mother impresses upon her while discovering that she is her own person. It does not take long for the reader to understand that Ingrid, Astrid’s mother, may be bad news; especially once Ingrid lands herself in jail for murder. Astrid is then shuttled off to a variety of Los Angeles foster homes, each one offering a tough new lesson and outlook on life.
Comments:
I admit I’m a Janet Fitch fan— but not because of this book. Her novel, Paint It Black, is much better in my opinion (I’ll review that one eventually, but it’s been a while since I’ve read it so it might require a reread.) White Oleander is a good story, but the writing was too vague and diffuse for my tastes. This style worked well in Paint It Black but seemed overly done in White Oleander. I found my attention wandering through the lengthy passages describing Astrid’s thoughts. The long, poetic descriptions of the changing settings were beautiful but distracted a little from the story.
The Point:
If you’re in the mood from some lovely prose, check it out. If you want a solid story that develops at a consistent speed, save this one for a rainy day.
Related articles
- White Oleander by Janet Fitch: Book Review (condofire.com)
Tags: Books, Fiction, Janet Fitch, Paint It Black, White Oleander
Oh, one of the books on my list… This is awesome! I was just thinking the other day I should go and find a review for this book after I read your comment on, and look what you’ve posted! Thank you. (: I love your reviews.
I’ll probably adore the lovely prose in this book, since I tend to stray toward flowery writing most of the time. Your review makes me want to pick it up – too bad there’s hardly rainy days in July.
I’ll look forward to your thoughts on Paint It Black though!
Thank you so much! And yes, if you like Fitch’s style, I think the story will impress you.