Madeline J answers “How do you think the movie compares to the...”

Staci Campbell asked this question about White Oleander:

How do you think the movie compares to the book?!

Madeline J I think that the book has much greater and deeper character development and spends much more time on the period of time before the mother kills Barry …moreI think that the book has much greater and deeper character development and spends much more time on the period of time before the mother kills Barry which gives you a greater understanding of Astrid and Ingrid‘s relationship as well as why it’s so unbearable for Ingrid that Barry rejects her. Of course one would expect this in a book but I feel that there is a profound difference in the level of detail in the amount of time spent particularly on her time at Claire’s home which is really compressed. Also The affair with Ray makes more sense in the book. In that Ray is just kind to her when no one else is and he is not presented as his young kind of cute guy actually I remember him as being older and chunky and full of scars from doing work in construction. Maybe I’ve got that wrong but that’s how I remember it. You’re still screaming in your head no no no because you’re making your life terrible! But she only does it because she’s terribly lonely and he’s the only person up to the point who’s been kind to her. But if he was really being kind He should never have let what happened happened just to protect her. I would have to re-read the book and look at that relationship again. But I feel like he’s not made out to be a bad guy it’s just a stupid thing that propels more chaos in her life (less)

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