White Oleander

... by Janet Fitch.

This book is amazing, so very gripping and beautifully written. It's on my Top Ten list of all times.

Astrid's struggle to carve out a piece of happiness from an unyielding world is described in some of the most poetic sentences I've read so far. Each battle, each win and loss must be keenly felt by anyone with even a smidge of imagination and I cried several times, shaking my head at the unfairness of it all. Dramatic, but true.

I've read it in Swedish and, like I said, loved it. Janet's second book, Paint It Black, I read in English and... it wasn't as good. The story wasn't as captivating, the characters not as likeable and the language... not as beautiful. Colour me disappointed! 

Now, I don't know if this is because the book simply isn't as good as the previous, or... dun dun dun dunnnn; because the translator was the poet! That it was her voice coming through and making it the great read it was! Hmm... Now, of course, I could read White Oleander in English and know for sure. Get the author's words directly and see for myself if it's as ingenious as in Swedish. But I'm afraid to. I don't want to knock this book off its pedestal. In the words of Nelson Muntz; "Some of us prefer illusion to despair!” So...

The reason I'm saying this is simply to reassure you, that if you don't like book, it might be because of the language, not because you're not like me. ;-)