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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This felt like a book that I shouldn’t like as much as I did—it reveled in suffering and infused pain and beauty in a way that, at its worst moments, felt reductive, and at its best, was a gorgeously, rawly rendered view of coming-of-age with a collection of wounded women and broken, lecherous men around you. Beautiful if occasionally overwrought language, with flawed characters that will stick with me in their detail.
White Oleander is a book I recommend for every woman to read at least once in their life. There are so many words I have to describe this book but at the same time it has left me speechless.
In the beginning you are introduced to Astrid and her mother Ingrid who is an aspiring poet. You can tell that Ingrid is a bit off just from the way she talks and looks at the world around her. At times you think its genius and other times insanity.
After Astrid’s mother is sent to prison for murder Astrid has to learn to navigate the world on her own as an orphan bouncing from one foster home to the next.
There are many times while reading this book you just want to cry for Astrid, or yell out “please someone just help her!” She experiences so much unnecessary pain as a child, it’s almost hard to read, and even harder to think that there really are children in the world right now going through the same things. It breaks my heart.
The only good part about Astrid being passed around from one messed up home to the next is that she grows from her experiences into a much stronger person that she might never have been. She takes every lesson she learns and every scar she gains along the way and tattoos it on her soul and breaks free of her mother’s hold on her, but in the end to Astrid her mother will always be Home.
In the words of Astrid, “my gas tanks marked FULL”
In the beginning you are introduced to Astrid and her mother Ingrid who is an aspiring poet. You can tell that Ingrid is a bit off just from the way she talks and looks at the world around her. At times you think its genius and other times insanity.
After Astrid’s mother is sent to prison for murder Astrid has to learn to navigate the world on her own as an orphan bouncing from one foster home to the next.
There are many times while reading this book you just want to cry for Astrid, or yell out “please someone just help her!” She experiences so much unnecessary pain as a child, it’s almost hard to read, and even harder to think that there really are children in the world right now going through the same things. It breaks my heart.
The only good part about Astrid being passed around from one messed up home to the next is that she grows from her experiences into a much stronger person that she might never have been. She takes every lesson she learns and every scar she gains along the way and tattoos it on her soul and breaks free of her mother’s hold on her, but in the end to Astrid her mother will always be Home.
In the words of Astrid, “my gas tanks marked FULL”
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
slow-paced
This is an example of a book where maybe I missed the deeper meaning of something, but I found it to be a struggle to read. While I fully get that people have horrible, miserable lives, I found that this book didn't really toe the line, it was just straight up depressing. Every time Astrid had something go right, everything went catastrophically wrong.
Maybe this is meant to be a deep look at the flaws of the American foster care system - a system which definitely is flawed, but I don't know enough about to really be able to analyze it compared to this book. I just found it sad and disturbing. Parts of the book were obviously meant to illustrate Astrid's struggle, and move her plot along, but it seemed more like they were just for shock value (Ray, Marvel's racism). I think they definitely could have been better-executed (and not just kind of thrown into the plot), and really built an interesting book.
This does get a decent rating for how beautiful some of the prose is. There's a certain magical element to the way that parts of the book are written, especially the last couple of chapters.
Maybe this is meant to be a deep look at the flaws of the American foster care system - a system which definitely is flawed, but I don't know enough about to really be able to analyze it compared to this book. I just found it sad and disturbing. Parts of the book were obviously meant to illustrate Astrid's struggle, and move her plot along, but it seemed more like they were just for shock value (Ray, Marvel's racism). I think they definitely could have been better-executed (and not just kind of thrown into the plot), and really built an interesting book.
This does get a decent rating for how beautiful some of the prose is. There's a certain magical element to the way that parts of the book are written, especially the last couple of chapters.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love the way Fitch vividly describes the southern California landscape.
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I learned so much through Astrid. The way she views the world, herself, others. The way she slowly realizes a lot of her life was a lie woven together by her mother. The way that she manages to stay true in the end. All of it. Everything enlightened and taught me so much more than I could have ever expected. I am beyond thankful for this book and for the fact that I have eyes that allowed me to take it in at least once. I aged with this book, I started it when I was 17 and finished now, at 18. It's been a wonderful journey. I am going to miss Astrid's mind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Grief
I cant remember the last time I have loved a book so completely.