Autos Baby Beauty Computers Education Electronics Finance Health Home & Garden Local Places Movies Pets Travel Web Sites more…

Jeannette Walls - The Glass Castle: A Memoir

Jeannette Walls - The Glass Castle: A Memoir Review



Overall 4.83 of 5 view all 6 reviews




Publisher's CirclePublisher's Circle
njchicaa
Beachwood, NJ
add njchicaa to my friends list
One of the best books I've ever read.
5 star rating

an avid reader, a fan of interesting plots, thirtysomething
Pros

    very interesting story, could be depressing but it isn't at all, contains life lessons for us all

Cons
    I wonder how much is embellished

FEB
1
2008
The Glass Castle is a book like nothing else I've ever read.  It is the autobiography of a woman who lived in extreme poverty as a child, albeit with a loving family all around her.  Jeanette Walls shares her life from the age of just three years old until she is into her second marriage with the reader.  It is an incredible, interesting, and inspiring story that everyone should read.

The Walls family is like nothing you've ever seen or heard about before.  Rex, the father, is an extremely intelligent and creative man who also happens to be a major alcoholic who cannot keep a job for more than a few months.  Rose Mary is the mother in the family, a philosophical and wise woman who seems to have some kind of manic/depressive thing going on.  The four Walls children (Lori, Jeannette, Brian, and Maureen) love their parents and do their best to be happy and obedient children...

...but the circumstances of their life make it difficult.  Rex spends the little money that he earns on alcohol and cigarettes.  Rose Mary has a degree in teaching but refuses to work because she wants to focus on her "career" as an artist.  They are constantly moving from place to place to avoid paying debts that they have racked up.  The children often go for days without a solid meal in their stomachs.  They live in homes without running water, electricity, heat, or even a solid roof.  One by one, the children decide that they need to move away from their parents to start a new life. 

The author could have written a truly somber and depressing account of events, but The Glass Castle is full of humor and wisdom.  It is an easy read and one that I recently re-read in just four hours.  I've lent this book to everyone I know and they have all thanked me for sharing it with them.  This is an incredibly wonderful story.

I_thumb_up Jeannette Walls - The Glass Castle: A Memoir is recommended by njchicaa

4
helpful
votes
Did you find this review helpful?
Review inappropriate? Copyright violation?




I_comment_shdw24 Comments about njchicaa’s Review



Telpher wrote on Apr 4, 2008 at 2:59PM


I just read this, and I couldn't agree with you more, on every point. Really remarkable...and she manages to not feel sorry for herself or her siblings, in any way.