White Oleander Study Guide & Notes

White Oleander Plot Summary

Preview of White Oleander Summary:

Astrid is a twelve-year-old girl who lives with her beautiful mother, Ingrid, a poet. Her mother is the kind of beauty who turns people's heads. Ingrid sees herself as a Valkyrie who would rather rule in Hell than serve in Heaven. She sees herself stronger and tries to live her life in simple elegance. Astrid's delicate balance crumbles when her mother falls in love with Barry Kolker, who is the type of man Ingrid deems unworthy of her. When Barry, after wooing her and slipping into their lives, drops her without warning, Ingrid becomes quite psychotic, resulting in his murder.

While her mother is in prison, Astrid has the first-hand experience of the foster care system. The first foster mother is Starr, an ex-stripper and alcoholic. She professes to believe in Jesus Christ but her lifestyle and attire suggest otherwise. As Astrid turns fourteen, she finds herself falling in love...
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