The Glass Castle: A Memoir (book)

This was such a great book! The author reads the audiobook, which I usually prefer. It tells a very detailed story of a horrific childhood riddled with abuse and neglect, but also with love and compassion. A family not so "normal" by usual standards and the triumph of her and her sister and siblings getting away from their parents to start a life of their own, while learning to accept their parents choice to remain unhoused, and unemployed. Great book, great reading. In the same theme of Educated, and A well-trained Wife; with it's own unique journey, not about religion but similar family dynamics and a very controlling father. Would recommend 10/10!

Plot/Storyline: 5 Stars Jeannette Walls' story of childhood abuse is an original one in that, while disturbing, it was not as horrific as some I have read. For this reason, it was a more enjoyable read than I expected, although still very interesting. Ms. Walls manages to tell of her childhood in a way that is casual about the neglect, much as she seemed to have felt when she was a child. Amazingly, there were very few moments of self-pity. Unlike a lot of memoirs depicting bad childhoods, this one did not appear to be trying to constantly shock the reader. Instead, it just told the story honestly and completely. The reader is left with many questions regarding her parents' motives. This is not a bad aspect of the book, as it is a reality that she probably cannot fathom their reasoning for most things. My biggest wonder was how her mother was able to obtain a teaching degree, yet seemed to be unable or unwilling to hold a job for more than a few months at a time. Her father was not such an enigma as he was merely an alcoholic. This was a memoir well worth reading. I had trouble putting it down as I wanted to find out how Ms. Walls managed to rise above such a quagmire of a childhood. Character Development: 5 Stars As I stated above, there were very few instances of Ms. Walls delving into self-pity. She did manage, however, to convey her thoughts and feelings on her upbringing. Moreover, she told the story in a progressive manner that made the reader feel similar to how she must have felt at different ages. For instance, as a very young girl, the times of hunger, almost starvation, did not seem to bother her as much as when she was older. The antics of her parents were a source of humor rather than embarrassment, until she was old enough to notice the differences between her family and others. Her brother, the sibling she was closest to, was the most well developed, but her older sister was well done, also. Her parents were as much of an enigma to the reader as they were to her. Her younger sister did not seem to play much of a role in her life, and, therefore, was only peripherally in the book. Writing Style: 5 Stars In a word: Excellent. The story flowed very evenly. The viewpoint matured as little Jeannette matured in the book. The dialogue, while I cannot vouch for it being verbatim, very well could have been, as I could hear her family talking as I read. Her descriptions were those of an adult, but this was not offputting in the earlier chapters. It merely made for a better read. Formatting/Editing: 5 Stars Both were of professional quality. Rating: PG-13 for hints of Child Molestation, Light Language, Alcoholism

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, an emotionally gripping story of the major events and day-to-day struggles of the narrator, is a stunning read. It has earned both a Christopher Award and a New York Times Notable Book award and was the #1 New York Times Bestseller for 3 years. The author has also written titles such as Half Broke Horses and The Silver Star. Jeannette Walls is the second-oldest child of 4, with the oldest being a girl named Lori, the youngest below Jeannette a boy named Brian, and the absolute youngest a girl named Maureen. Her mother’s name is Rose Mary Walls and her fathers’ was Rex Walls. The memoir begins not with the start of her life, but with a memory of her mother and her sitting and eating in a restaurant when she was an adult. It establishes an important baseline for her relationship with her mother throughout the book, and also sets up what kind of person her mother is for the reader. From there, the book continues on about her life as a young girl and the various different places she and her family travel to as she grows older. It features such sites as Battle Mountain, Phoenix, and other locations, and all throughout this bout of traveling, the interactions between the characters establish their various personalities and ideals. Her father is an intelligent, ambitious man with eccentric tendencies and grand plans for continuing their adventures. He teaches her much about math, science, the stars, and all the while still fulfilling the role of a caring father. Her mother is an aspiring artist and writer, and wherever they travel, whole rooms and a multitude of materials are dedicated to her mother practicing her craft. Brian is an athletic boy, always out playing and roughing it up in all the new places they frequently travel to. Lori is the typical intelligent bookworm, only occasionally venturing outside to play and normally stuck reading a book inside on a comfortable perch. Maureen is only a young baby for most of the book, and so I’ll not go into detail about her. It quickly becomes apparent to the reader, though, that her family is, to put it simply, heavily dysfunctional. For all her father’s brilliance, grand plans of adventure for the family, and everything he taught Jeannette, he was a severe drinker, and it wasn't uncommon for him to be gone for hours at a time, getting absolutely pickled and only stumbling home when he was retrieved by his family or managed the walk there. Her mother, in spite of loving her children, tended to place her own wants and desires above theirs were her art or literary career concerned, like the time she kept refusing to go to her job at their local school unless forced to by her kids. She also held out of the ordinary beliefs, and this governed the way she raised her kids. The chief example of this is when, as a very young child, she was being treated at a hospital for severe burns after spilling boiling water over herself at home. After a few weeks spent at the hospital, getting her burn wounds healed, her family broke her out of the hospital, with her mother herself suggesting that they should’ve just taken her to a local Native American witch doctor.

I loved this book. It reminded me a lot of my own childhood in certain ways. It really feels like a Kristin Hannah story. 10/10

Jeannette Walls schreibt faszinierend über ihre Kindheit in großer Armut mit völlig unangepassten, unkonventionellen Eltern, deren Traum vom Glass Castle immer wieder zerbricht und die an der Überwindung ihrer eigenen Dämonen immer wieder scheitern. Das Verhältnis der Autorin und ihrer Geschwister zu ihren Eltern ist sowohl von Liebe als auch immer wieder von Verzweiflung und Hassgefühlen geprägt. Dennoch gelingt es den Eltern, ihren Kindern humane Werte zu vermitteln und sie letztendlich zu Kämpfern zu erziehen, die ihren Weg finden und das Leben meistern. Die Kapitel sind kurz, der Stil schnörkellos und direkt, es lässt sich spanend hintereinander weg oder in kleinen "Häppchen" abends vor dem Einschlafen lesen – tolles Buch, super erzählt.

The memoir came in great condition. Great read. Exposes readers to harsher realities of some individuals' lives. A great way to show the battles and challenges of many unprivileged children.

Rlly good

Really fun quick read!

Great read! Very insightful look into this woman and her families life. It is funny, sad, unbelievable and at times horrific what they went through. Well written descriptions that are both detailed but easy to read. I especially enjoyed the highly philosophical content which really makes you think. Will definitely watch the movie!!!