White Oleander

by Janet Fitch

3.81 of 5 stars 16 ratings • 2 reviews • 29 shelved
Book cover for White Oleander

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A beautiful first novel about a young woman growing up the hard way, this is a powerful story of mothers and daughters, their ambiguous alliances, and the search for love and identity.

Astrid has been raised by her mother, who is a beautiful, headstrong poet, in a loving but isolated relationship. The two are inseparable until Ingrid 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 -- a series of homes, each its own universe, each with its own limits and dangers -- she finds strength in her unshakable certainty of her own worth and her unfettered sense of the absurd.

Her fierce determination to find an authentic self and a place to stand in the world makes her a lovable and unforgettable figure in this brilliantly written debut.

  • ISBN10 0316569321
  • ISBN13 9780316569323
  • Publish Date 5 May 1999
  • Publish Status Out of Stock
  • Publish Country US
  • Publisher Little, Brown & Company
  • Imprint Little, Brown and Company
  • Format Hardcover
  • Pages 390
  • Language English