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White Oleander

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White Oleander

By: Janet Fitch
Narrated by: Oprah Winfrey
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About this listen

 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 humour, Astrid confronts the challenges of loneliness and poverty, and strives to learn who a motherless child in an indifferent world can be. Tough, irrepressible, funny, and warm, Astrid is one of the most indelible characters in recent fiction. White Oleander is an unforgettable story of mothers and daughters, burgeoning sexuality, the redemptive powers of art, and the unstoppable force of the emergent self.

©1999 Janet Finch (P)1999 Time Warner Audiobooks Contemporary Fiction Genre Fiction Fiction

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Critic reviews

"Extraordinary ¿ Her prose is full of startling images, snippets of poetry and one magnificent, blisteringly angry 'found' poem. This highly impressive debut takes on all the big themes"Observer
"Hard-hitting, compelling and brilliantly written" Cosmopolitan
"Tangled, complex and extraordinarily written"Observer
All stars
Most relevant  
Leander Fehr is one of my favorite books & movies, and time has done no harm to it. Still very good

one of my favorit story

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loved the language, the atmosphere recreated in every home , the depth of characters and the smells . Oprah amazing

engaging rich langauage , beautifully by Oprah

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What did you like most about White Oleander?

I love the story of a young women who is growing up, who makes her own choices and comes to independent conclusions. I enjoyed the vivid language as well.

What other book might you compare White Oleander to, and why?

I've never read anything like this before.

Which character – as performed by Oprah Winfrey – was your favourite?

Definitely Astrid was my favourite character.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The most moving moment was when Astrid's foster mother dies.

Any additional comments?

This is a dark, disturbing, and beautiful book that you will never forget.

This book is very addictive

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Can anyone else hear people talking in the background, or am I going crazy. Great so far, except the mysterious bleed in the background.

Background noise Chapter 7 8:33

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Loved this...especially the voice of Oprah, gritty and soothing both at the same time. She could read anything and I'd listen.

A journey for the senses

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Gorgeous writing and beautifully read. Great description of mother with narcissistic personality disorder. Recommend for age over 18’s.

Love this

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Janet Fitch is a fantastic writer...White Oleander is a fantastic book and a bonus with oprah narrating.

Fantastic read could'nt put it down!!

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I absolutely loved this book, its exquisite writing and ability to really show what it is to be a person yearning for the love of a mother and having nothing. There was just one issue, which is that Oprah sounds like and older black woman whereas the MC is a young, blonde girl. Normally this would bother me but she reads so beautifully, getting ever single nuance right, that I couldn't possibly dislike it. Love love love this book!

One of the best books ever.

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i saw the review warning of this but Astrid's entire persona is gone as are the portraits in foster care - i was s disappointed i am returning it - this is a disservice to her characters and the city of la

this is painfully abridged1 returning!

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Was loving the narration until I realised huge chunks of astrid’s life had been taken out. Why do they do this??? PLEASE audible, do an unabridged version of this book. I do not listen to audiobooks to get through the story quicker, I listen to them to enjoy the story in another way.

Warning! It is abridged!!!

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