White Oleander

Written by:
Janet Fitch
Narrated by:
Oprah Winfrey

Abridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
187
Narrator
30
Release Date
September 2006
Duration
6 hours 20 minutes
Summary
The unforgettable story of a young woman's odyssey through a series of Los Angeles foster homes on her journey to redemption.
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 humor, Astrid confronts the challenges of loneliness and poverty, and strives to learn who a motherless child in an indifferent world can become. Oprah Winfrey enjoyed this gripping first novel so much that she not only made it her book club pick, she asked if she could narrate the audio release.
Reviews
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Rochelle F.

Very important pieces were left out that I felt was important to the storytelling. I love Oprah, but I didn't love her narration. Her accents and tones were off (example, Ron was described as smooth, but her tone was nothing near smooth). I ended up reading the unabridged book so that I could get the complete feel of the characters and their development.

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Yana P.

Liked the book & narrator.

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Anonymous

This is an intensely realistic book that tells you of a child and her mother. The mother is a poet – and a kind of monster of self absorption. Her mistake is to believe she can get away with murder when her boyfriend throws her out. She will not rest until she has taken revenge. Astrid is a child and she is the one who pays when her mother is taken into custody. Intense and heart breaking story.

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Anonymous

Hey so – so book. You do get a lot of insight into this wonderful abused neglected unfortunate girl’s life. It’s really quite a sad book, so many people miss use her. The one thing she’s looking for in life is love. A basic primary animal need it takes her decades to acquire

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Brandy M.

Oprah was an awesome narrator! I love this book and Oprah was icing on the cake! Narrators can make or break an audiobook and I finished in an entire day…couldn’t stop until the end❤️❤️❤️❤️

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Danielle M.

uiltimate favorite book /movie

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Debra M

Keeps one entranced, although some parts were a little predictable. Oprah does a wonderful job (who's surprised?)

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Mallory S

Great read. Beatifully written. The main characters changes throughout from beginning to end keep the mind wandering on who she will become. Was not thrilled with the abrupt end but understand the shadowing of what was to come.

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Rosa L

The book is wonderful however, the only version available through Audiobooks is the abridged (shortened) version. If you’ve already heard the audiobook, I encourage you read the actual book as there were so many chapters left out.

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Sandy Y

Loved this book! Oprah is an amazing narrator. I felt hypnotized by the prose and the unfolding of the characters. I highly recommend this read to any Oprah fans out there!

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Kristi G

Great listening to Oprah, will go out

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Melissa Villa

A huge disappointment! So much was left out, just watch the movie.

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Sharon Hicks

Good read!

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Kaley Millan

Very well written novel. Strongly recommend to the courious reader.

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Debra McGrath

I loved this story. And I loved Oprah's reading of it.

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Anonymous

Such a great book, I need to see the movie.

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Carol Bourdeau

The writing was very descriptive and precise, which made it easy to visualize the characters and their situations. The story was disturbing and yet compelling, leaving me feeling sad for Astrid's character. It is amazing to consider how resilient this young girl was, but, in the end, she was not left undamaged.

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Libby Gross

It was a good, sad and I believe realistic story. It was very well written so the reader knew well how the main character was feeling in all her situation and it was understandable why she formed a different personality.

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Anonymous

This was one of the most enjoyable books I've read. I loved the writing and the reader. It was so compelling and I couldn't wait to get back in my car to continue the story!

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LadySooner

I loved this book! I thought it was amazing, so amazing that after listening, I went out and bought a copy of the book for 4 of my friends. It is a little dark, but a great read. I haven't yet seen the movie, but it is on my list of must-sees. I encourage everyone to give this one a listen!

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