Jessica's review

White Oleander: A Novel White Oleander: A Novel
by Janet Fitch
419287
Jessica's review
rating: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
bookshelves: california-über-alles, chicklits, crazy-ladies
recommended for: secret members of oprah's book club
status: Read in January, 2006

There must be a reason why I've been able to recall many of the books I've read over the years, but that it took me until one of my most restless and procrastibatory nights in front of the blank Word doc to dredge this one up from the recesses of memory, even though I read it within the past year or two.

I'm pretty sure I know what that reason is, too: it's because on some level I'm embarrassed that I read this book, and that I actually really liked it.

I'm pretty sure I know where that embarrassment comes from, too: it's rooted in some pretty deep-level misogyny and discomfort about my most womany womanliness, or something like that anyway....

This book is the most Oprahiest Book Clubby selection I've ever read in my life. It's also the most estrogened-out, hyper-womany fiction I can even begin to think of. All the criticisms and stereotypes I (and a lot of you) hold about lady lit are present here, by the bundle: poetic, even overwrought language; melodramatic plotting; over...more
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comments (showing 1-8 of 8)

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message 1: by matthew
11/27/2007 12:13PM

74277 tell the story in comments, jessica - it sound interesting.

your review just makes me want to read hardy.

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message 2: by matthew
11/27/2007 12:14PM

74277 i like "wuthering heights" - is that womany enough?

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message 3: by matthew
11/27/2007 12:15PM

74277 correction: i love "wuthering heights".

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message 4: by Alisa
11/27/2007 12:44PM

132800 ugh, Jude the Obscure was pretty ridiculous, I totally agree.

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message 5: by Samantha
11/27/2007 01:30PM

158324 Jessica, there is something very womany about Kincaid's _Lucy_ (boys in particular tell me this). What do you think?

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message 6: by Calmbob
11/28/2007 06:21AM

424955 From Jude the Obscure forward from the-top pathos, torturing of characters, to falling over the edge to satire, try Evenly Waugh, if I remember correctly, Scoop...maybe Brideshead...at a lawn party, stuffing cake into his mouth, getting shot (literally) in the foot...and on and on

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message 7: by Calmbob
11/28/2007 06:33AM

424955 ...womany books...Woolf? Virginia Woolf? I As a *guy* I don't see her books as (1) woman-oriented in point of view, (2) advancing any gender cause, (3) presenting women as more real than men...etc... The only candidate that I can think of as "womany" is Orlando...hmmmm

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message 8: by Chriswrth
10/23/2008 06:16PM

Nophoto-u-25x33 I'm sure you can't feel the same kind of embarrasment as being a guy who likes White Oleander.

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