White Oleander
by Janet Fitch
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Book Summary Information
Author: Janet FitchEdition: Paperback
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2000-04-30
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 446
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Book Reviews of White Oleander
Book Review: Should be required reading for sociology, child development, and women's studies classes- a lovely, dark novel
Summary: 5 Stars
White Oleander is what the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series wants to be. This book presents a true coming of age story in the midst of the worst circumstances- child abuse. Ingrid Magnussen, sociopathic poet, warps her daughter, Astrid, to the point of isolation. Astrid's only friends are Ingrid, Ingrid's boyfriend Barry, and neighbor Michael. The catalyst for Astrid's life changes comes when she witnesses her mother's attempts at murdering Barry. Astrid knows Ingrid is a sick woman suffering from some sort of illness, yet Astrid can't quite break her attachment to her mother. Astrid wants to warn Barry about attempts on her life, but her fildelity to Ingrid wins out.
Thus begings Astrid's descent into abusive foster homes, an excellent satire of the American social service system. We start with born-again stripper Starr, druggie Carolee, and perv-o Ray. It is in this trailer that Astrid goes through a series of firsts: chess games, bras, Jesus, molestation. Astrid desparately clings for love... whether it's from Starr, Davey, Ray, or Jesus. (FYI: Jesus is viewed as a fictional character in this book, rather than the Christ. Thus, I will describe her relationship with Jesus the man.)
After narrowly escaping with her life, Astrid goes through a series of other foster homes, each with its own set of abuse. From running flea markets to being starved for profit... to working as a domestic servant to being a suicidal woman's "babysitter"... Astrid experiences so many heartbreaking, disturbing things: drugs, neglect, prostitution.
Who will liberate Astrid from her dysfunctional life? Will she ever break free from her mother's twisted hands? When will Astrid gain the courage to tell off her mother? Will Astrid ever understand true love?
This is a beautifully written book narrated by the ever-profound Astrid Magnussen. Fitch does a superb job of satirizing social services, abusive deluded mothers, and modern feminism. I love the contrast between Astrid's true self and Ingrid's. Astrid is seeking to be part of this world- romantically, spiritually, intellectually. Ingrid will have nothing of the sort, especially when it comes to spirituality. Ingrid cannot fathom Jesus, but she also seems to misinterpret polytheism. (She says that her people, the Vikings, hung their "gods from trees".) She cannot even connect with her tarot cards because she no longer wants to know the future. Although she sticks up for Eve, she cannot connect with a goddess figure. (Astrid can; she interprets the screams of "mother" in a maternity ward as cries for the Great Mother Goddess.)
Finally,
RECOMMENDATION: Watch the movie first. It is a great summary of this deep tome.
BUYER BEWARE: Although the protagnonist is a teenager, please do not buy this book for a teen girl UNTIL YOU READ IT FOR YOURSELF. Some parts are not appropriate; make sure she is mature. I'd say it's best for sixteen and up.
Summary of White Oleander
When Astrid's mother, a beautiful, headstrong poet, murders a former lover and is imprisoned for life, Astrid becomes one of the thousands of foster children in Los Angeles. As she navigates this new reality, Astrid finds strength in her unshakable certainty of her own worth and her unfettered sense of the absurd.Oprah Book ClubŪ Selection, May 1999: Astrid Magnussen, the teenage narrator of Janet Fitch's engrossing first novel, White Oleander, has a mother who is as sharp as a new knife. An uncompromising poet, Ingrid despises weakness and self-pity, telling her daughter that they are descendants of Vikings, savages who fought fiercely to survive. And when one of Ingrid's boyfriends abandons her, she illustrates her point, killing the man with the poison of oleander flowers. This leads to a life sentence in prison, leaving Astrid to teach herself the art of survival in a string of Los Angeles foster homes.
As Astrid bumps from trailer park to tract house to Hollywood bungalow, White Oleander uncoils her existential anxieties. "Who was I, really?" she asks. "I was the sole occupant of my mother's totalitarian state, my own personal history rewritten to fit the story she was telling that day. There were so many missing pieces." Fitch adroitly leads Astrid down a path of sorting out her past and identity. In the process, this girl develops a wire-tight inner strength, gains her mother's white-blonde beauty, and achieves some measure of control over their relationship. Even from prison, Ingrid tries to mold her daughter. Foiling her, Astrid learns about tenderness from one foster mother and how to stand up for herself from another. Like the weather in Los Angeles--the winds of the Santa Anas, the scorching heat--Astrid's teenage life is intense. Fitch's novel deftly displays that, and also makes Astrid's life meaningful. --Katherine Anderson
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