Don't touch the white oleanders

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The novel by American Janet Fitch quickly gained popularity and became a bestseller. It intertwined love and murderous hatred, teenage struggle for independence and the desire to find a cozy home. Yes, yes, they are intertwined, like the branches of a bush, after which the book is named.

Beware of poison!

White oleanders (sometimes not white, but pink) are not uncommon in the subtropics. Luxurious, with invitingly smelling flowers, representatives of this plant in the "domesticated" version can often be found in indoor "oases" among lovers of decorative flora. You need to be on the lookout with these beauties, because their juice is poisonous, it contains substances that can cause serious harm to he alth and even kill. Cardiac glycosides, which are part of the flower, are used in pharmacology; in case of overdose, they cause cardiac arrest. The main characters of Fitch's novel - the mother and daughter of Magnussen - are very similar, they themselves, with their Scandinavian appearance, with blond hair fluttering in the dry south wind, like white oleanders, are just as beautiful and dangerous. The poetess Ingrid is raising her daughter Astrid alone. Once the elder Magnussen had the imprudence to fall in love with the wrong person: heabandoned her, for which he was severely punished. White oleanders were the source of the poison that Ingrid used to poison Barry, who had betrayed her. Since her mother's arrest, Astrid's series of misadventures has begun.

Constellation Actresses

A drama of the same name was filmed based on the book in 2002. The film "White Oleander" brought together a constellation of wonderful actresses. In the mother-daughter duet, the charmingly cold Michelle Pfeiffer and already old enough for her role (she is in her 20s, but plays a 15-year-old), but convincing Alison Loman shine. At the beginning of the picture, they are so similar to each other, but as the action develops, Astrid, loving her mother and suffering because of her detachment, struggles to "bud" and become different - at least outwardly. One jealous guardian of the Starr girl was played by Robin Wright (fans of Santa Barbara fell in love with this actress for the role of Kelly), another adoptive mother, the one who so wanted to become Astrid's own, but ended tragically, Claire - Renee Zellweger (she is better known for her comedy roles like Bridget Jones).

Finding yourself

Absolutely all adult female characters in the drama are a kind of white oleander. Starr wants the death of the ward girl, Claire herself is trying to poison herself because of the indifference of her husband, well, and Ingrid has already finished with her former lover. Astrid's fragile soul rushes between them. She is looking for tenderness, peace of mind. But her mother is behind bars, and the girl herself is thrown from family to family, like a stray dog. How to find yourselfabove the circumstances, do not slide into the abyss? This is what White Oleander tells about. Reviews from critics and viewers were mixed. Someone was disappointed with the film adaptation of the book, someone considered the tape boring and protractedly depressing. But the drama of Ingrid, who imprisoned her heart in an icy shell, for whose actions her underage daughter is paying, and, of course, thorns and thorns - everything that the girl herself went through, cannot but touch.