White oleander is a novel by american author janet fitch. It tells the tale of astrid a young girl and her complex intense relationship with her mother. Oct 11, 2002 for revenge, ingrid murders barry with the deadly poison of her favorite flower. After ingrid magnussen, a stunningly beautiful poet with hair so blond it seems a white flame, dispatches a faithless lover with poison from. White oleander is an exquisitely written story, and i loved seeing each event from astrids eyes. Her mother is the kind of beauty who turns peoples heads. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. If there is a white oleander sparknotes, shmoop guide, or cliff notes, you can find a link to each study guide below. It was very boring and i had to force myself to keep reading but after a few chapters the book began to get interesting. She sees herself stronger and tries to live her life in simple elegance. Im reading this for the second time, and it remains one of my favourite books ever. Since her father left before she was old enough to remember him, astrid depends heavily upon the care of her passionate but largely selfcentered mother. For revenge, ingrid murders barry with the deadly poison of her favorite flower.
Lovers who kill each other now will blame it on the wind. It was later made into a movie in 2002 titled white oleander plot. Astrid is a twelveyearold girl who lives with her beautiful mother, ingrid, a poet. Ingrid and barry had a perfect relationship, you wouldnt think anything would ever go wrong. White oleander is the unforgettable story of astrids journey through a series of foster homes and her efforts to find a place for herself in impossible circumstances.
In a perverse way, i was glad for the stitches, glad it would show, that there would be scars. Ingrid is a poet who falls in love with a man named barry kolker. Despite melodramatic plot twists, the foster homes provide a nicely eclectic panorama of late. Astrid magnussen, the teenage narrator of janet fitchs engrossing first novel, white oleander, has a mother who is as sharp. I came across white oleander by few quotes which i loved, which made me curious to read this book to know what was it about. The book white oleander was very interesting but at times was very hard to read. We could not sleep in the hot dry nights, my mother and i. An oprahs book choice in 1999, white oleander by janet fitch is a tale of love. White oleander is a 2002 american drama film directed by peter kosminsky. The beginning of the book was the most challenging because it didnt get off to a good start. Given a life sentence, the mother had murdered her love with the beautiful but deadly oleander flower. Her father long gone, astrid ends up in foster care, moving through dysfunctional households across southern california. White oleander by janet fitch goodreads share book.
The white oleander looks so beautiful but is so deadly. The cast stars alison lohman in the central role of astrid magnussen and michelle pfeiffer as her personalitydisordered, murderous, manipulative mother, ingrid, with robin wright, noah wyle and renee zellweger in supporting roles. A new york times bestseller astrid is the only child of a single mother, ingrid, a brilliant, obsessed poet. After barry cheated on ingrid, she was shattered, enraged and then planned on revenge.
The book is so frank and shrewd that it just breaks something in the reader. Deranged by rejection, she murders the man, and is sentenced to life in prison. In each of the homes astrid is exposed to a new female influnce as she builds an identity for herself, apart from the woman whos shadow shes walked in all her life. Relationships 101 white oleander a relationship between a daughter and her mother is hard to describe. White oleander is not the usual motherdaughter novel.
Each home is its own universe, with a new set of laws and lessons to be learned. Astrid magnussen is a teenager who is forced to go into the california foster system after her mother is. She planted the oleander flowers sap all over his house to symbolize caution and beware. It is a comingofage story about a child astrid who is separated from her mother ingrid and placed in a series of foster homes. Each door a new world, each house a new life, a new story and a new lesson molding her into an artist that her mother wanted to be. Thirteenyearold astrid magnussen, the sensitive and heartwrenching narrator of this impressive debut, is burdened with an impossible mother in ingrid. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of the book and why its important. The white oleander community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. The cast features alison lohman in the central role of astrid magnussen, and michelle pfeiffer as her temperamental mother ingrid, alongside robin wright, renee zellweger and billy connolly in supporting roles. White oleander by janet fitch this strange, and, at times, overpowering novel tells the story of a daughters tortured struggle to understand herself outside.
Ingrid sees herself as a valkyrie who would rather rule in hell than serve in heaven. Sep 19, 20 a harrowing, comingofage story based on the best selling novel by janet fitch. White oleander summary ingrid magnussen, who is an artist, brings up her teenage daughter astrid alone. It is as beautiful and dreamy as it is bleak and raw. This detailed literature summary also contains related titles and a free quiz on white oleander by janet fitch. Everywhere hailed as a novel of rare beauty and power, white oleander tells the. Deranged by rejection, ingrid murders the man, and is sentenced to life in prison.
I gather it includes still more colorful foster home episodes. White oleander is a siren song of a novel, seducing the reader with its story, its language, and, perhaps most of all, with its utterly believable and remarkably diverse. Only claire richards, actress wife of a wealthy tv producer, seems to offer a. White oleander quotes 37 quotes goodreads share book.
White oleander follows the story of astrid, a young girl who is shuttled from one foster home to another while her mother serves a life sentence in prison. The daughter follows many aspects of her mother astrid is beautiful, strong and freedomloving. Each door a new world, each house a new life, a new story and a new lesson molding. White oleander is a 1999 novel by american author janet fitch. White oleander is a novel about a year old girl named astrid who lives with a murderously brutal mother.
Astrid is then swept up into a series of foster homes, though she still stays in touch with her beautiful but domineering mother. Janet fitchs white oleander is yet another book that follows one. White oleander chronicles the life of astrid alison lohman, a teenager who journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother michelle pfeiffer goes to prison for committing a crime of passion. Buy a cheap copy of white oleander book by janet fitch. This study guide consists of approximately 70 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of white oleander. White oleander this book is about a girl named astrid whose poet mother ingrid got sent to jail for murder, thus starting her journey through numerous foster homes and shelters.
White oleander book chicago public library bibliocommons. White oleander summary and analysis free book notes. White oleander is 2000 drama film directed by peter kosminsky. The book is about childhood and growing up alone, when a child does not have somebody who would support and give some advices. She lives with her mother, ingrid magnussen, and what memory is left of her father, klaus. Twelveyearold astrid alison lohman the thirteenth floor, tvs pasadena. Janet fitch is the author of the novels white oleander little brown, 1999, an oprah book club selection translated into 24 languages and made into a feature motion picture, paint it black little, brown 2006, also widely translated and made into a feature film, and the revolution of marina m.
After her mother ingrid goes away for some time astrid has to adjust to a series of foster homes, each experience as life changing as the last. They live together in their independent and amazing world, separated from all other people. A harrowing, comingofage story based on the best selling novel by janet fitch. This summary of white oleander includes a complete plot overview spoilers included. Janet fitch s 1999 novel, white oleander, explores the traditional literary comingofage theme in the context of a young girl who spends time in a series of foster homes after being separated from her mother.
Set adrift in the world, astrid struggles to become her own person while coming to terms with the challenges of living life on her own. The question and answer section for white oleander is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Janet fitchs debut novel, white oleander, published in 1999, follows astrid, a 12 yearold who enters the foster care system after her mother is. The problem is that fitch attempts to pen an ending that will please all. Astrid is 12 when her beloved mother, the poet ingrid magnussen, murders a former lover and is sent to jail. Plot summary for white oleander 2002, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. Ending spoiler for white oleander 2002, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. Janet fitchs debut novel, white oleander, published in 1999, follows astrid, a 12yearold who enters the foster care system after her mother is. Sep 18, 2006 deranged by rejection, ingrid murders the man, and is sentenced to life in prison. White oleander download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi.
This book was all about this quote a phoenix astrid who burns and emerges in the end. It can be one of hate, of discord, of strain, of deep love. Oct 11, 2002 white oleander is based on a novel by janet fitch, recommended by oprahs book club, unread by me. Throughout nearly a decade, she experiences forbidden love, religion, neardeath experiences, drugs, starvation, and how it feels to be loved. She is sent to prison for life, and astrid has to go through foster home after foster home. Amy aquino plays miss martinez, the social worker who drives astrid from one foster adventure to the next. White oleander by janet fitch book club discussion. Astrid worships her mother and cherishes their private world full of ritual and mystery but their idyll is shattered when ingrid falls apart over a lover. Reading between the lines of white oleander almost 20 years. An utterly wonderful debut novel of love, crime, magic, fate and a boys coming of age, set in 1980s australia and infused with the originality, charm, pathos, and heart of extremely loud and incredibly close and the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime. The book was selected for oprahs book club in may 1999, after which. Freebooknotes found 11 sites with book summaries or analysis of white oleander. Little, brown 2017 set during the years of the russian revolution.
Oct 11, 2002 white oleander chronicles the life of astrid alison lohman, a teenager who journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother michelle pfeiffer goes to prison for committing a crime of passion. Overcoming adversity, finding ones voice or ones strength, inheriting patterns of behavior white oleander is a long, compelling story about a young girl whose mother is a poet and an artist, selfinvolved and vaguely crazy. Although astrid is with her mother, her mother acts as if she is alone. White oleander by janet fitch this strange, and, at times, overpowering novel tells the story of a daughters tortured struggle to understand herself outside of the fiery, allconsuming identity of her poetess mother. Click download or read online button to get white oleander book now. White oleander submitted by gail mooney title and author. A firstrate debut about a teenaged girls arduous sixyear journey of selfdiscovery. Everywhere hailed as a novel of rare beauty and power, white olea. I climbed to the roof and easily spotted her blond hair like a white flame in the light of the threequarter moon. White oleander is based on a novel by janet fitch, recommended by oprahs book club, unread by me. White oleander simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. White oleander empathy without understanding by rebecca loh arts editor written by janet fitch little, brown and company, 1999, 390 pp. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want.