White Oleander

By: Janet Fitch

Narrated by: Oprah Winfrey

The unforgettable story of a young woman's odyssey through a series of Los Angeles foster homes on her journey to redemption.

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.

Check out more selections from Oprah's Book Club.©1999 by Janet Fitch (P)16 9; 1999 Time Warner AudioBooks (Packaging Elements Only), A Division of Time Warner Trade Publishing

Critic reviews

• An Oprah Book Club selection

"...[an] impressive first novel.... her startlingly apt language relates a story that is both intelligent and gripping." (The New York Times Book Review)

This is an abridged version of the book

White Oleander is the best poetic, magical and enthralling book I've ever read. I've owned a copy of this for about twenty or so years now, not because it was one of the novels on Oprah's Book Club but because of the movie my mother had dragged me to as a child.

The movie is based on the abridged reading here, which is fine and dandy to someone who knows only about the movie. However, there are large sections that are missing to someone who has the unabridged/complete version, and cutting these areas out were unexpected for me. I didn't enjoy it any less but I do have to dock this one star for incompleteness.

Enjoyed listening - but not a favorite

The story was interesting and has the classic love/hate partental relationship. The abridgement made the story a bit scattered but I liked it. Characters are realistic, no super human fiction here.

A Beautiful and Compelling Novel

Janet Fitch tells the story of a 14 year old girl, charming and tough, who through impossible circumstances undertakes a journey to liberate herself from a domineering mother, most beautiful and dangerous, by a maturing process that enables her to challenge her mother's way of life. In a seductively believable plot with interesting characters, the author centers everything on Astrid who is given the task of narrating the events of her life with remarkable frankness. This review will limit itself to the dialogues Astrid has with her obsessively manipulating mother, Ingrid, including her life transforming experiences in the foster home of Starr Thomas. It is here that Janet Fitch seems to make her contribution to the conflicts of our day dividing our cultural and moral traditions from the claims of of the emergent self, embodied in Ingrid who chooses to think for herself. Janet appears to be a mediating peace-keeper appealing to the combatants to be reasonable, and to respect each other's point of view. The subtle manner in which she reveals this in the conversations Astrid has with members of Starr's family suggests the author has had intimate relations with the church Starr attends. When Ingrid notices the cross Astrid is wearing on a visit to the prison, she explains In the Assembly of God you're baptized when you accept Christ as your personal Savior. Not only is Fitch secure enough to name the church, but remarkably bold to put Astrid's confession in her mother's mouth: And have you accepted Christ as your personal Savior? When Astrid responds with a mild defense: But they are good people, Ingrid protests: How could this happen; I made you to think for yourself...they are the enemy! Janet seems to know all the rhetoric; and how Rev Thomas' preaching led Astrid to feel her own guilt in Barry's murder, repent and be saved by the blood of the Lamb. Janet knows that saved people begin to witness, so Astrid prays for her mother's redemption, rebukes young Davey for trumpeting knowledge; Does it tell you the difference between good and evil, right and wrong? She goes on: You know, my mother didn't kill him alone; I could have stopped it! Now Astrid faces a moment of crisis when she is confronted by Starr about her growing intimacy with Ray. She responds to the threat of being sent away with a plea :We're not doing anything; It's just that I never had a father. Starr unrelenting, Astrid pleads as a Christian: Jesus would give me a second chance....in vain. Now desperate, she discovers that part of her still in thrall to her mother's way of doing things; Ray won't like it if you get rid of me because you're jealous. Astrid is also discovering that her beauty, powerful as it is, is dangerous. As things turned out, Starr's instincts were better and safer. The final encounter Astrid has with her mother in prison leads to ultimate humiliation and despair, her perfect daughter painted and dressed up as a hooker...Do you like what you see, mother, this is what belonging to you looks like!. Ingrid's agonizing response: If only I could do it all over again!. We can assume Janet Fitch want's to leave us with the challenge Astrid puts to her mother: Will you let me go,, and spend your life here.. so I can become myself again? (Perhaps something she heard about loosing your life to save it?)

one of my all time favs!

Janet Fitch captures and describes like no other author! Astrid and Ingrid are a mother/daughter duo that will pull at your heart strings!!

Captivating

every year I read this book. I dimply love it!!
A story of loss and the twisted versions of love some people have.

Excellent!

Love the book.Love the movie.Now? I love the recording.Well done and the reader keeps it alive!

Missing parts of the story

I’ve loved this book for years. Read it many times. I didn’t realize it was the “abridged” version. What’s the point of cutting out a large section of the book? Not impressed

Chapters are missing

I read this book when it originally came out. The Audible version is missing entire chapters!!

Beautifully written, wonderful performance!

I read this book some years ago when it first came out, then read it again. It is poetically written and a complex and interesting storey about a daughter's relationship with her insane and controlling mother. I feel I know these characters. I was born in LA and lived West Hollywood until I was twelve...the author is right on target. Oprah's reading of this book is absolutely the best. Her beautiful voice and the way she rounds out the words make this experience like a 6 hour poetry reading. I have hundreds of audible books in my library and this is now in my top 3 favs. Rum Diarys read by Campbell Scott and Raveling read by Eric Stoltz are the other two.

Glad I read it.

I had seen the movie several years ago and decided to read the book. Excellent story.