White Oleander

I loved this book! It was such a deep and moving read.

The story follows young Astrid. Her mother goes to prison for murder. She gets strung along in several different foster homes. She learns valuable, yet tragic, lessons at each one. Her life is deprived of anything normal, but she doesn't suffer from self pity. Every time she was knocked flat down, she picked herself up and adapted. She had enough awareness to realize that each change created a new layer to the person she was becoming. The book had me asking, "am I really digging deep enough in my own life?"

I have not seen the movie. I'm debating whether or not I want to muddle such a great story by watching Hollywood's interpretation.