Janet Fitch's White Oleander took four years to write and was published in 1999. White oleander is about a 12 year-old-girl dealing with the pain of being alone and feeling helpless. White Oleander is a great novel, which is proven through its use of sensory detail, and the use of protagonist and antagonist. .
Most literary criticisms written over White Oleander discuss the craziness that Astrid goes through. Fitch spent a lot of time and effort on this novel and it was apparent, because "Oprah's Book Club, where Janet Fitch's novel first catapulted to best-sellerdom"(Bruce Newman 1). It is so enticing to read because of the ways Astrid's mother affects her throughout the novel. Ingrid, Astrid's mother, seems like the type of woman that on the outside she seems nice, but on the inside she is very disrespectful. Ingrid is a very strong woman but "she let her guard down with a despicable character named Barry, and when he stopped loving her she couldn't handle it", and that is what led her to prison (Neeter skeeters Place 2). Ingrid kills Barry by poising him with white oleanders for three reasons: first, for making her let her guard down, second, by breaking her "rules" and, third, for breaking her heart. Since Ingrid is in jail, Astrid goes from foster family to foster family and, while doing so, "she tries to keep in contact with her mother" (Rebecca Loh 1). She discovers how difficult it is to survive without any family support. The story is sad because "Astrid must deal with her feelings of rejection, guilt, and loneliness and getting past all the barriers ultimately leads herself to hold a satisfying self-concept of herself"(Neeter skeeters Place 3). During the period of moving from home to home "she latches on to people who bother to care about her, but with each heartbreak and physical trauma, Astrid learns to become more and more independent"(Rebecca Loh 1). Even though Ingrid tries to make her daughter's life easier, she ends up making it harder and makes Astrid feel alone and helpless, night after night.
The title of the book is White Oleander. Janet Fitch wrote this novel. White Oleander was originally published in hardcover by Little, Brown and Company. The novel was published in New York. The novel was published in April of 1999. Astrid Magnussen is the main character in White Oleander. She goe...
White Oleander was written by Janet Fitch and directed, as a movie, by Billy Connolly. ... Eventually, Ingrid mixed a deadly concotion of white oleander and DMSO to kill Barry. ... The director made sure that the blue cast to the movie was evident and it helped set the mood of White Oleander. ... It definitely helps set the atmoshere of the movie and right away, lets you know that White oleander isn't going to be a comedy. ... I believe White Oleander was well-written for it had great character development. ...
White Oleander, a dramatic fiction by Janet Fitch, was published by Little, Brown and Company in Boston. ... She broke in and placed white oleanders in his milk, oyster sauce and cottage cheese, and one in his toothpaste. She made an arrangement of white oleanders on his table, and scattered blooms on his bed. ...
"Where does a mother end and a daughter begin"? This is what the journey through the life of Astrid is all about. A young bright girl who has had several shocking experiences growing up in her life, and her mother is at the core of all of them.Astrid growing up was well influenced by what her mother believed and did. Her mother was an artist and her influence set in with Astrid at a young age. When her mother was sent to jail for killing her boyfriend Astrid's life would drastically change. ...
