The White Rose: A Novel

by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Passion, infidelity, social climbing, and one very special white rose weave a seductive narrative in this intelligent and tender novel. At forty-eight, Marian Kahn, a professor of history at Columbia, has reached a comfortable perch. Married, wealthy, and the famed discoverer of the eighteenth-century adventuress, Lady Charlotte Wilcox, she ought to be content. Instead, she is horrified to find herself profoundly in love with twenty-six-year-old Oliver, the son of her eldest friend. When Marian's cousin, the snobbish Barton, announces his engagement to Sophie, a graduate student in Marian's department, Marian, Oliver, and Sophie find their lives woefully entangled, and their hearts turned in unfamiliar directions. All three of them will learn that love may seldom be straightforward, but it's always a gift. From the West Village to the Upper East Side, from the Hamptons to Millbrook, The White Rose is at once a nuanced and affectionate reimagining of Strauss's beloved opera, Der Rosenkavalier, and a mesmerizing novel of our own time and place.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Audiobook, Historical Fiction, Novels, New York, Book Club

449 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Author of nine novels: THE SEQUEL (2024), THE LATECOMER (2022), THE PLOT (The Tonight Show's "Summer Reads" pick for 2021), THE UNDOING, originally published as YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN (adapted by David E. Kelley for HBO and starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant and Donald Sutherland), ADMISSION (adapted as the 2013 film of the same name, starring Tina Fey, Lily Tomlin and Paul Rudd), THE DEVIL AND WEBSTER, THE WHITE ROSE, THE SABBATHDAY RIVER and A JURY OF HER PEERS, as well as a middle-grade reader, INTERFERENCE POWDER, and a collection of poetry, THE PROPERTIES OF BREATH.

Watch for television adaptations of THE PLOT and THE LATECOMER!

I'm the founder of BOOKTHEWRITER, a New York City based service that offers "Pop-Up Book Groups" where readers can discuss books with their authors in person and online. Please join our mailing list at www.bookthewriter.com to hear about our events.

If you've become aware of my work via THE UNDOING, you should know that my novel differs significantly from the adaptation -- and that's fine with me! Just know that the twists you might be expecting will likely not be there on the page. Other twists, yes, but you'll have to read the book to find them.

If you're trying to reach me, please know that I don't do any communicating through Goodreads, and that includes FRIEND REQUESTS AND FOLLOWING. (You may also infer that I've read more than the few books listed here, all of which are -- coincidence? -- written by me. I have another GOODREADS account, under another name, with which I keep track of my reading, but it's private.) I'm particularly inept on Facebook, as well, so trying to reach me that way will be spectacularly ineffective. If you want to get in touch, please use the contact form on my website, jeanhanffkorelitz.com

Thanks so much for your interest in my work!

Jean Hanff Korelitz

Reviews

[Elyse Walters · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gosh... I hate to rate books this low...

I rolled my eyes just too much...
I didn’t connect with the dialogue — yucky.

It was just not for me....THE author is though.... just not THIS book.....

I thought I’d puke over a description about kissing...
And the whole thing about a WHITE ROSE....I thought was ridiculous—-overly melodramatic —
The ending was overly dramatized, too......when really it seemed so trite.

It was schlocky fiction.

My boo boo. ( it happens).

‘nough said!

[Cynthia Paschen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far this looks like a great February book for my book club. (That's the month we try to read something with lots of sex in it.)
.....

Finished!

This, is an amazing book. I went into it knowing that there were going to be a lot of layers here. Nervous about the complexity, I read up on Der Rosenkavalier, an opera by Richard Strauss. It is, I learned rather a feminist opera, written by a man. Jean Hanff Korelitz masterfully utilizes the basic plot of the opera, and (mostly) the character names from the opera. Octavian becomes Oliver, but most of the names are pretty close.

Another layer, which I especially loved, were the references to the White Rose and Sophie Scholl, my favorite teenage girl in history. Sophie and her friends used the power of the press to (very dangerously) try to let the German people know just what evil shenanigans the Nazis were up to. She ultimately paid with her life. Our heroine, Sophie Klein, is named after Sophie Scholl, but does not feel worthy of the name.

Marian Kahn, age 48, adds another layer to the book with her much-loved tale of an 18th-century adventuress, Charlotte Wilcox. Early in the book, Marian is embroiled in an adulterous affair with Oliver, who is 26 and the son of her oldest friend. See, I told you this was a complex story!

While Marian and Oliver are getting it on, Sophie becomes engaged to Marian's wretched cousin, Barton Ochstein. (In the Opera, he is Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau.) Sophie and Barton are a bad match in many ways.

It takes a chance meeting, and much discussion of flowers and roses and some cross-dressing for good measure, to make the story even more tangled. But Korelitz is a terrific tangler, and it all becomes untangled by the end, with a new plot twist related to roses saved for the final pages.

This is a book to read slowly and pay close attention to. The language and many of the sentiments are lovely.

(page 13, Marian and Oliver:) "Kissing him is her favorite thing. Kissing him is a thing she can do for hours. Oliver is a kisser of spectacular abilities, because he--alone, she believes, of his gender--has grasped the secret power of a kiss that does not necessarily lead to activities more genital. In other words, he can kiss for the sake of kissing, and a woman need not fear kissing him if she is not prepared to have sex immediately afterward."

I love this passage where Sophia is being fitted for her wedding dress. (page 341:) "Hold up your arm a little bit," says Suki, one of the whippet-thin women Vera Wang has hired in an effort to make her customers feel gargantuan."

Korelitz does a very nice job in introducing the tragic character of 11-year-old Soriah Neal, who writes a fan letter to Marian. (page 111:) "Oddly enough, the first thing Marian thinks is, This girl understands the purpose of the apostrophe.
The second thing she thinks is, Why is an eleven-year-old reading my book?
And then the last thing, before depression overwhelms her: This is the saddest letter I have ever read."

A really terrific novel.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was intense and I really enjoyed it. It is a modern retelling of an opera "Der Rosenkavalier", but you do not need to be familiar with the opera to enjoy the book. Which is good, because my knowledge of operas is very low.

Marion is 48. She is a successful author, history professor, and wife. She is also having an affair with Oliver, a 26 year old florist. Into their lives walks her cousin Barton who is going to marry Sophie Klein. And what's a wedding without flowers? So these lives get intertwined.

I enjoyed the prose, the tone, and the scenery. This book was so beautiful. Even though my life has very little in common with these characters, Jean was able to include elements that were relatable from each of them. I thought about them and I have continued to think even after I closed the book.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tough one to rate. At first I hated it then I loved it and couldn't put it down. It was a good book group discussion book. I will give this an extra star since it prompted me to sing "leukemia" in an opera voice at book group.

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was seduced by the modern retelling of an opera bit and ended up reading this slow novel about spoiled people. The author constantly reminds you that the characters are rich and highly educated. Even the subject of cancer is generally treated lightly. Utter dud.

[Panda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Annoying schlock but too busy to go to library.

[Clara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't move past the generic dialog

[Ann Filiault · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ultimately I enjoyed this book and found the characters interesting. To begin with, they seemed pretentious and self-absorbed, unaware of and whining through their privilege. I put the book down after a few chapters and only recently came back to finish it. I’m glad I did and definitely enjoyed parts of it. I think the novel could have played better as a full-on farce within its original inspiration, Der Rosenkavalier, but there were too many attempts to make it “deep” to really play it out as a comedy.

[Kate Schaller]

some not-great gender/sexuality and race stuff (that once again made me think “I bet Pamela Paul loved this”). but I’m continually entertained by Jean Hanff Korelitz’s rich New York literary/academic lady protagonists! (50 solid applicants for 2 history jobs at Columbia in the 90s? good luck in 2025)

[Jennifer Termaat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not her best work but I still love her writing style and characters.

[Melanie Hudelson · Rating 1 out of 5]

couldn't finish

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Updated Der Kavalier which I did not realize. Had I known, not sure I would have picked up as not my favorite opera. Columbia history prof Marian is married and just published popular book. She is having affair with BFFs son Oliver who owns flower shop. Her obnoxious social climbing (invites columnist to the wedding so there will be media coverage) cousin Barton is engaged to Sophie, daughter of wealthy businessman. Barton goes to see Marian while Oliver is there so Oliver disguised himself as Marian’s transvestite assistant. Barton is enthralled with the assistant and sends flowers to her as well as Sophie. Marian and Oliver break up; Oliver and Sophie fall in love. Barton is exposed for the slimy character he is.

Meanwhile, Marian mentoring 11yo Black girl whose mom is in prison and who wrote to Marian after reading Marian’s book.

[Judith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should be subtitled: "Rich People's Problems". A famous author is having an affair with a man young enough to be her son. In fact, he is the son of her best friend. Hilarity ensues. I have read several really good books by this author so I have the utmost respect for her talent. My mistake was in finding one of her earlier works and thinking it would be as good as her recent works. It's not.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Jean Hanff Korelitz's ADMISSION a couple of years ago and loved it (of course, it was terrific) but I have never read anything else by her. I stumbled on THE WHITE ROSE and it is absolutely wonderful! What a lyrical and beautifully written novel with a very clever plot and brilliant characters. I enjoyed it so much and highly recommend it.

[Tucker · Rating 2 out of 5]

The underlying themes, particularly references to an opera I haven’t seen (Der Rosenkavalier), initially made it difficult to get into the book. Then the story and the beautiful writing captured me and I was immersed in another world. This novel will be great for book groups.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish. Had some lovely turns of phrase, and it's a brave attempt to transport Der Rosenkavalier to NYC, but let's face it, opera's known for its outlandish plots. Plus, it's a bit of a shopping novel.

[False · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of all of her books that I've read, and I guess I've read them all now, I liked this one the least. There are certain ways her characters seem to respond in her novels that I'm not fond of, but I'll keep an open mind and she how she progresses.

[Katey · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this book was a mindless read. You could see where it was going after a turn down the road though, and the ending seemed rushed to me. Like the author had a page limit and wanted to make sure everything was tied up. Meh.

[Chrisinny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked her earlier book, Sabbathday Lake, but could not get into this one. She is a good writer- probably someone else might like this one. I did not care for the subject matter- married woman has affair with the son of one of her oldest friends.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hesitate to only award three stars, because this author writes beautifully. This is an older novel of hers, I picked up after reading the phenomenal and new “The Leftover”, and is set in the late 90s. I did not enjoy the “comedy of errors” skits, especially the opening scene which included our main characters Marian and a cross-dressed Oliver, along with the odious Barton and Valerie. Eye roll. Marian anchors the story, and she is a woman to admire…except of course that she’s having an affair with her oldest friend’s 26 year-old son Oliver (she’s 48). Oliver is an immature, whiney twat, not sure WHAT she sees in him. I had a hard time conjuring an image of him, the author was short on a physical description of this character —“nice legs” doesn’t count. Marian’s internal conflict over her affair and what truly motivated it (physical attraction alone?) with this clingy young man —age difference, her marriage, her friend —interested me, but we never see a conclusion with her husband (who is mostly off-scene) though she admits to herself how much she must hate him, she’s cheating on him in their marital beds. Is it because Marian suspects he has cheated on her? We don’t know, in the end.

I enjoyed the insider view of living the life of a wealthy New Yorker, that was fun. Which brings us to the young woman Sophie, the daughter of a billionaire who only wears flannel shirts, and is engaged to Marian’s social climbing, name dropping, money grubbing and possibly gay cousin Barton. It just didn’t jibe that at the very least her sharp, protective father wouldn’t have sniffed out this phoney. And even going ahead with the wedding when she knew she loved Oliver? Ugh, another eye roll.

One last complaint…the side plot with Marian becoming young girl Soria’s white savior. CRINGEWORTHY. An unnecessary addition to the overall story.

[Anne Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating premise for a novel - basing it on the comic opera "Der Rosenkavalier" and updating it to a contemporary (New York) setting. I loved this until about three quarters of the way in, when it all started to become a bit farcical - perhaps because of the inherent problems in adapting the necessary melodrama of a 1911 highly implausible soap opera to the page. I got the feeling the author started to lose her grip on the many plot threads in play and panicked a bit about how to tie them all together into a satisfactory denouement. She did, but to my mind it wasn't satisfactory in that the characters she'd (mostly) developed really well up to that point degenerated somewhat into pawns that had to be rapidly manoeuvred into their final positions before she could cry checkmate. There were also a couple of subplots that while intriguing in themselves (i.e. the disadvantaged girl the female protagonist decides to foster, the complexities of research around the bestseller historical novel she wrote) unnecessarily complicated matters. But overall an enjoyable read, and if you love flowers (especially roses) you'll be kept happy.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered Jean Hanif Korelitz earlier this year and have been devouring all of her books. "The White Rose" is simply lovely. Oliver, a hopelessly romantic twenty- six year old florist is in love with Marian, a forty-nine year old, married art historian. Marian has written a best selling book and has received stacks of fan mail. Amongst these letters she finds a note from an eleven year old academically gifted little girl, Soriah. Soriah tells Marian that her mother is in prison and that she lives with her incapacitated grandmother. This story would make a wonderful farce on the stage, as I was reading I was mentally casting for the character of Barton, Marian's hilarious cousin.. The social-climbing ruthless. gossip columnist is another gem. She is determined to attend the wedding of Barton and Sophie Klein, an odd match if ever there was one. This book has it all romance, comedy and a hefty dose of sadness. Oliver's shop is called "The White Rose" and his reason for choosing this name is especially touching. A beautifully written, poignant love story. I would also recommend "A Jury of her Peers" by the same author.

[William Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb. Korelitz always floors me. I’ve read 6 of her 9 novels now, and every time I’m engrossed from the first, perfectly paced chapter to the end, with several breathless, “what? No! Now what?” moments. This one is more sex farce/comedy of manners than legal thriller or suspense like many of her books—I found myself thinking of NOISES OFF crossed with Philip Roth (the interiority, the verbal and stylistic play though more restrained, and without the Dionysian sexuality). But it’s suspenseful all the same. Human, flawed, sympathetic characters, with some comic antagonists, deftly drawn interiority. I’ve heard of but am unfamiliar with DER RONSEKAVALIER, the Strauss opera which Korelitz was inspired by. I’m sure the crossed wire romances, the cross-dressing masquerade, and the farce are there too—it’s old, tried and true plotting from Shakespeare onward. I loved how the author infused that ethos with her own interests and locale: Manhattan, deep-rooted wealthy Jewish families, and academia. (Columbia, in the 1990s, before they pathetically and it seems eagerly bent the knee to Orange $hitler.

A superb and funny, and just a bit poignant, novel.

[Audra Neagle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Korelitz is a fascinating writer to me. I think she’s extremely talented, but this one was a bit weird. I found myself struggling to care about any of these characters. They’re all spoiled, affluent, and amoral in their own ways. They all have redeeming qualities, but they’re still all annoying. I didn’t know which character to root for. Marian, the first protagonist, slightly redeems herself because of her relationship with Soriah, the only character who encounters “real world” problems. While I enjoyed reading about Soriah, she seemed insanely disjointed from the rest of the story. I’m not sure what it added to the plot except for a distraction from Marian’s self-created and selfish problems, perhaps sparking a life-changing perspective?

The motifs here are interesting: illness, parenthood (or lack of it), heritage and status, links to history and the lessons we gain from it, the idea of preservation (of places/people/status/relationships), and appearance vs. reality. These are all interesting concepts, but the story fails to make me care about what happens to these people.

[Angela DeMott · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I love most about Jean Hanff Korelitz is that I can always expect from her fantastic writing (with lots of parenthetical interruptions), close characterization, and a New York setting (to some degree.) Everything else is a surprise, because none of her novels are anything like her others. The White Rose is a little odd in plot (probably because it's a retelling of an opera), but extremely readable and fascinating. There's so much longing in Marian and Oliver and Sophie's story, and I feel a little wounded having read it. This book was written almost 20 years ago, so some of its vocabulary around transgender people is dated, but the themes of aging, distance, and bittersweet relationships are all timeless and very well-done.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of this book probably had a lot of readers setting it down. I was almost one of them. Then it took hold and truly, I was sad it was over. I read one review that said ‘Never name a main character ‘Marian’ and that made me laugh because I thought the exact same thing. Names aside, the story was definitely worth reading. And honestly Marian’s book about Charlotte...I kind of want to read that as well. Not everyone will like this book. Some will say ‘Eh’. And I get that. But there was something a bit tragic and lovely about it as well. It made me think. It made me view things differently, and I LOVE that in a book!!

[Janie Prim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book 5 1/2 stars!! Ms. Korelitz is one of the finest authors out there today: she brings realism to her characters, and writes alternately with great pathos to laughing out loud humor, and in this book, she does just that!! The story, based on the much-loved opera, "Der Rosenkavalier", by Richard Strauss, tells of the young man who raises roses, his lover, an older, well-published authoress, several years his senior, a boorish cousin of the author, and who happens to be engaged to a young millionairess...it's a GREAT story, brought to life in our time by the aforementioned Ms. Korelitz!! If you want a book-full of entertainment, don't miss this one!!

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this one 5 stars.

I wasn't sure what to expect, as I randomly picked it up and read the back but I've finished it in about two weeks, with the last half in the last 2 days. I'm unexpectedly emotional about the ending as I'm sitting at the bar crying

It took a little bit to get into, as I wasn't sure where it was going and some parts were eyeroll worthy but then I couldn't put it down. I don't want to say anymore without giving anything away but definitely give this one shot if it's on your list!

[Molly]

I liked this novel. I liked the older, very successful woman in a quandary about having an affair with a much younger man. I liked the much younger man quite a lot, although I found it difficult to understand where he acquired his self-confidence in approaching women. I liked the young Jewish heiress a LOT and sympathized with her rich-girl problems. Their was a lot of delightful detail, which will probably not be as enjoyable to some readers as it was to me. There's a bit of difficulty in the suspension-of-disbelief area, but all in all I had a very happy time reading this book.

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up. The part where Marian was so immediately and entirely pursued by Oliver was lost on me - it felt like a middle-aged fantasy rather than something that might occur in reality. And the parallel endings felt cliched - the tragic childless woman finds solace in motherhood, while the young hot one gets rich and lives happily ever after. I’m not familiar with the work this was based on, so maybe I’m missing something important. And yet - I looked forward to every opportunity to read another chapter, and felt the characters were written with a lot of kindness.