Astrid Magnussen is a 12-year-old girl living in Los Angeles, California with her mother, Ingrid Magnussen, a self-centered and eccentric poet. Astrid's father, Klaus Anders, left before Astrid was old enough to … See more

Astrid Magnussen: the main character, she is twelve years old when the novel opens. Artistic, shy and in the sway of her manipulative mother. The novel depicts her loss of naivety, sexual awakening, and … See more

Motherhood is a primary theme of the novel. Astrid struggles to define herself against her biological mother and her various foster mothers, while still searching for the love and acceptance her mother cannot provide from jail. The art pieces Astrid … See more

The short story of the same name appeared in the Fall/Winter 1994 issue of Black Warrior Review. The Best American Short Stories for that year included it in their list of distinguished short fiction. See more

The novel received good reviews and had a typical publication run for a debut novel. After being named to Oprah's Book Club in 1999, the popularity of the book skyrocketed. It became a national best seller. Currently, it has a 3.95 out of 5 star rating on Goodreads. See more

The novel was adapted into a film, White Oleander, released in 2002 starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Renée Zellweger. See more

• Fitch, Janet (1999). White Oleander (First; hardcover ed.). Little Brown & Co. ISBN 9780316569323.
• Miller, Laura (1 July 1999). "White Oleander: Making a Monster". Salon. Interview … See more