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ISBN-13: 9780743247542 - ISBN-10: 074324754X Publication Date: 1/9/2006 Pages: 288 |
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Book Reviews of The Glass Castle
288 Book Reviews submitted by our Members
sorted by voted most helpful
34 member(s) found this review helpful.
Wow. A stunning look at a family experiencing extreme poverty. But maybe it's not the story you expect. Until the children become teenagers, their life is hard, but poverty is not their focus. They are fun, loving, warm, and a bit madcap. It really underscores that young children long to and will if possible bond with and love their parents. But the poverty and deprivation are there and oh, so deep.
Incredible story, thoughtful on so many levels.
26 member(s) found this review helpful.
Jeannette Walls had an unusual childhood. Her dad was an alcoholic with big plans and her mother was an artist always on the lookout for an adventure. Together these 2 had 4 children, including the author. They moved around a bit and money was always tight. The children were often forced to fend for themselves. It was a very moving story told in brief glimpses at various points of the author's youth. All I could think while reading is "Wow, if she was able to survive all of that and come out on top, pretty much anyone can!" Fascinating and highly recommended.
A. J. C. (
23 member(s) found this review helpful.
I was immediately drawn into this book! Wow! There were times during my reading when I wanted to reach into the book and strangle Mary and Rex for being so selfish and stubborn. I'm all for raising kids to be self-sufficient, but it is a parent's responsibility to care for their children. I did admire them in ways. Despite their seriously flawed parenting style, or perhaps because of it, their three oldest children turned out just fine. I would not have wanted to grow up like they did, but the Walls family did have some good times and I did agree with Mary and Rex on some points regarding parenting. Poor Maureen seemed out of the loop with her older siblings. She had missed out on happier times with her parents, who no longer had any 'skedaddle' left in them by the time they reached Welch, and she suffered because of it. She did not receive much attention from her parents and was not as self-sufficient as her siblings were. I felt bad for her and I hope she turned out alright. I really enjoyed this book.
21 member(s) found this review helpful.
A disturbing glimpse of life inside a very dysfunctional family. The incidents in this book are so unbelievable that it seems incredible someone could could out of this childhood to have a successful adult life.
20 member(s) found this review helpful.
I found this book really hard to get into and quite dissappointing. I don't know if I am just jaded from reading similar books, but it didn't the stories of the author growing up with alcoholic disfunctional parents were neither strangely amusing nor heart-wrenching. I found myself simply pittying the author and her siblings, while not identifying with her or developing any sense of compassion for her parents. All in all, I would not reccommend this book.
18 member(s) found this review helpful.
Calling all readers who believe their parents are insane.....you have NO IDEA about crazy until you read this book. Walls' parents and her childhood are so remarkably whacked, it is difficult to believe some of this isn't fabricated. This book is thoroughly bizarre from start to finish, which makes it a must read! It will enhance your self-esteem to realize, no matter how messed up life can be, there are people (a) more messed up, or (b) strong enough to prevail and make their lives exactly what they want them to be.
Jacquelyn O. (
18 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book reads like fiction. A very moving memoir about growing up poor and learning to take care of yourself. Jeannette Walls is now an entertainment writer for MSNBC. I met her at an author event and took away the fact that when you have to - you really can differentiate what you need versus what you want. Highly recommend this book!
17 member(s) found this review helpful.
This was a very good book! I enjoyed it immensely. The Glass Castle is a memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revealing look into a family deeply dysfunctinal though at the same time uniquely vibrant. It is a story of deep poverty, homelessness and hunger in which four children suffer greatly though grow up to be successful adults. The author, Jeannette Walls is a well-known journalist and regular contributor to MSNBC.
14 member(s) found this review helpful.
A very funny look at child poverty. As you are laughing you realize this was this person's life and then it hits you how un funny it really was. How she survived is beyond me. I could not put this book down.
12 member(s) found this review helpful.
Truth is stranger than fiction. This story couldn't get any better. Suspense, drama, it's just unbelievable that Jeannette survived.
Lisa (
6 member(s) found this review helpful.
Stunning book. I don't know where to start, except to say that this book is one to read with a friend and then discuss afterward. There are so many things to comment on.
Part of me wanted to hate the father for uprooting his family in the middle of the night repeatedly. It is not clear whether he was just paranoid, or whether he really did get in some deep trouble on a regular basis that made it prudent to disappear. Maybe it was a little of both.
The other part of me wants to celebrate the sense of wonder and awe he inspired in Jeannette. He was certainly brilliant, but also mad and an alcoholic.
I do recommend the book, whether you think the story is entirely true or not. It is well-written and, most importantly, thought provoking. Whether you like it or not, you will almost certainly be thinking about it long after reading it.
Loriann H. (
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is such a warm, honest and open book. Although it goes through an agonizing childhood, it focuses on the children seeing positives and making do themselves. Becoming something from nothing. Truly an amazing read. I couldn't put it down!
Megan (
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
An incredible true account of a family so poor they slept in cardboard boxes and got their school lunches out of the garbage. The children somehow triumph through each tribulation their dysfunctional parents put them through. I think if you liked A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, you will enjoy this book as well. It is fresh, interesting, and keeps you reading until the end. Jeannette is a firecracker throughout the book. Highly recommended!
Krista
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
I don't feel as strongly as most reviewers do about this book. It was definately not the BEST memior I've ever read, however it was intriguing nontheless. Although the family's survival was enormously triumphant given the life they led, I felt as though the Walls children weren't given a chance by the parents whatsoever. Mrs. Walls was downright discpicable in my opinion. As for Mr. Walls, given he was a drunken, semi-parnoid dreamer, he at least was not as condescending and completely devoid of any parenting skills like his wife. Her character (and I say this, because this read like fiction to me) was just so self absorbed and delusional that I bore no pity for her at all. It was as though each day was worse than the next for this family, but it started to get redundant and I felt very aware that I was just trying to get through to the end. This was no doubt a stunning look at an impovershed life and quirky family values, but I wouldn't hail it nearly as great as most readers did.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
What a great book! I finished it in one day while on vacation beacause I couldn't put it down. The story really unbelievable and you really start to root for the author and her siblings to make it. A very compelling story and great writing. Highly recommended.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
We read this as part of our book club and I was so excited to talk about it. Another member said she didn't like the book at all and thought the writing was "awful." I am normally much more open-minded to conflicting points of view, but have to admit - that bugged me! I LOVED this book and I really wanted others to like it too. My friend said she tried to make it sound like she had a worse off life than she really did. I didn't feel that way at all - this to me was a story about a woman just telling the truth about her life. And she didn't spare a detail. For as much as her parents made awful decisions that affected their children in often abusive ways, you could see that her parents (mainly her father) were just loving their kids the only way they knew how. I admire this author for telling her story and I very much enjoyed this book - I couldn't put it down from the moment I started reading it.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book was recommended to me by a good friend and fellow reader. It's an autobiography of Jeannette Walls life -- the bad and the worse. While not physically abused, she was emotionally abused and lived the kind of life none of us want our children to live -- but through it all, she tells her story without sadness and makes us believe that you can conquer your childhood if you want to. Great read. I couldn't put it down!
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
A true story....that will keep you reading from page one to the end. It is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannett'es brilliant and charismatic father captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhored the idea of domesticiity and didn't want the responsibility of raising a family.
This book definitely stirs so many emotions....anger at parents who have the means to provide their family, but choose not to and inspiration to the children who survived growing up in a family like this and go on to be successful.
Highly recommended.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Wow what a family! This is a great life story that reminds us that it doesn't matter where you come from or who your family is. It is what you do with your life that does.
Melissa M. (
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
An amazing story of overcoming a heartbreaking childhood. A wonderfully written memoir.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is a powerful memoir that my book club read a little while back. It's the story of a family that's about as dysfunctional as they come. Jeannette Walls tells the story of her and her siblings nomadic childhood led by the whimes of her parents Rex and Rose Mary. It's a touching and somewhat disturbing story where the roles of the parents and children are often reversed. At times the parents are so loving, and attentive and other time you can't believe their selfishness. I found myself both hating and loving the Wall family through out the book. It's a story about dealing with the hardships you're dealt and remaining a family despite it all.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
A heartbreaking memoir. The only was I could get through it was to keep in mind that the author is a successful journalist in New York. This has to turn out okay, was my mantra. The author succeeds despite the many roadblocks and setbacks that her parents regulary subjected their children to. If there was ever a case for Child Protective Services, this was it. Well-written, but the play of events can be frustrating.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
One of the best autobiographies I have ever read. Jeannette tells of growing up in utter poverty with wit, humor and strong suvival instincts with dysfunctional parents. When sober, their father captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology and how to embrace life. When drunk, he was dishonest and destructive. Their mother abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want the responsibility of raising children.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Leaves you amazed at the resilience of the human spirit and a little bewildered about what real matters in the grand job of parenting and what really matters in the grand scheme of life.
Dawn W. (
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
WOW!
Read it! you won't regret it! What a family history!
Susan R. (
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
I really enjoyed this book. It must have taken great courage to relive her childhood - a childhood of deprivation and neglect.
The author does a wonderful job of telling the story from the child's point of view. Her opinions and viewpoints subtly change as the years go by in the story and she gets older. I'm amazed at the kindness she shows her parents in retelling her story. There is little question that the parents are self-absorbed and a little crazy.
This book made me appreciate my own childhood, and maybe look a little more kindly on the less fortunate families I come in contact with. It also made me appreciate modern child protection agencies - for surely she and her siblings would be removed from such a disfunctional family today.
If you love memoirs from "ordinary" people, you'll enjoy this book.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book will grab you from the very beginning. As you get wrapped up in the unique story of the Walls family, you will experience every emotion that a human being is capable of feeling. It is a beautifully written account of an shockingly unconventional upbringing. Jeannette Walls tells her story brilliantly, in a manner that is courageous in its candidness. I've never had a book touch me so deeply, and stay with me long after the last page had been turned.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Great book. It is amazing and in some ways disturbing that the author grew up this way. But the characters are fasinating and the story a page turner.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
I very much enjoyed this book. It is written in the style of a journalist, despite the fact that it is a memoir. I'm sure Ms. Walls is an excellent journalist and always keeps her head in a crisis. It is that style that makes this book so enjoyable. I read it a second time and made an effort to have emotions for Ms. Walls who is so disconnected from them. I hope for her sake that she revisits this material with emotion for herself. I think the point of this book that it most often missed by the reader is that the Walls actually had access to money. They simply refused to use it at the expense of their children. This makes this story about something much deeper, and much more dysfunctional than poverty.
Donna G. (
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
I read a lot of books! Without a doubt this is the best book I have ever read!!! It was recommended to me by someone in my book club. Everyone in the club has read it and loved it. I have several copies that I loan out. I insist that my teenage daughters read it to get a handle on how lucky they are to have the things they have. A must read.
Heather D. (
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
The Glass Castle is an amazing story of one family's struggle. The life of an alcoholic father and an eccentric mother. The choices that they make and the way that those choices impact their children. The children were not abused, they were loved in a different way, but there was definite neglect going on. The parents got one thing right, their life of turmoil and strife would make the kids strong. The children experienced so much in their young lives which gave them the strength to beat the odds and make better lives for themselves than their parents could ever provide.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
A gem of a book! Jeannette Walls is one of the best storytellers ever. The family was extremely quirky and their childhoods were certainly unconventional but throughout the book there was a message of love. It's hard to imagine they even survived their youth under the circumstances of their lives. I was concerned that the book would be so depressing I would be brought down by it. Her writing will leave you laughing out loud. I definitely recomment this book!!
Kris T. (
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book made me sick to my stomach. I have three children as well and would move heaven and earth to make sure they were warm and fed if I had the means to do so. The fact that the parents could earn money and chose not to care for their children, yet wouldn't let others help, made me ill. The book was well-written and I could feel the cold and hunger seeping into my bones, but the childhood they had was awful, despite the "adventures" they may have had.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
What an amazing book! A great reminder that I am not as bad of a mom as I think! I recommend this to all women who think they had it bad as a kid or might be screwing up their kids. No way you could have it as bad as the Walls!
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Well written in that the author just gives a straightforward account of her childhood - it's up to the reader to decide on what emotion to apply in each situation. Leaves you on the fence.
Jennifer P. (
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
I was bored with this book. I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't get into it. Those children had a interesting life with their parents.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
A fabulous story! I could not put down the book. My husband read it and he loved it too.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Great book, and I fast read - I read it in about a day and a half. I just couldn't put it down. A fantastic memoir.
Julie G. (
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
What a great book! At times brought tears to my eyes while at other times made me laugh out loud.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This quite probably one of the most compelling books I've ever read. The author is spell-binding and the story is amazing. I won't ruin it for you by writting about it but will say that this is a must read book and a true story!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This heart-breaking tale was beautifully related by the author. She put you right in the middle of her world growing up. Would recommend to all.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Interesting read, would recommend. Not life changing, but good.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book reminded me of Angela's Ashes in many ways. It touches your soul, the deep part of humanity that these parents were lacking. It is truly a miracle of God the children survived. There are "lapses" in the book where I wished the author had told us more about her youngest sister. Who fed and watched her and what did they feed her as a baby for nutrition? You can't live off of alcohol and chocolate like the mom and dad did. They had no regard for these children. Child neglect? Yes!
Christy L. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Amazingly good. Well written. Great storyline.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book is amazing. The most amazing thing about it is that it is a memoir, which means it's all more or less true. This is the story of the girlhood of someone who grew up in an environment of extreme neglect. The second of four children, her parents consisted of a violent drunk father and a mother who felt the world owed her everything and she owed it--and her children--nothing. The story opens when the author, at the age of three, using the stove unsupervised, catches her dress on fire and is severely burned. The parents can't or won't hold down jobs and the family is often starving, the children resorting to eating food out of the school cafeteria trash cans after the other children have left. The parents always seem to have the attitude that whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, not even coming to the rescue when their children are sexually assaulted. I could go on and on about the awful things these children experienced and in general this is definitely not a happy story, but what is most striking about this story is how the author never talks about anything negatively. The attitude of the narrative always seems to be that this is just another adventure. Through it all, there is love in this family. Despite everything that happens, the ties that bind this family seem to remain just as strong or stronger than those of other more stable, more normal families.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Couldn't put it down. Incredible read.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I couldn't put it down. An amazing account of how she was raised in such impossible conditions.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is a very well written account of her life growing up. Her family moved from place to place living in poverty in some of the poorest areas of the country, yet the children took care of each other and all went on to become successful adults. A sad story that made me feel bad for the kids but was also somehow uplifted by the way the book was written. I stayed up way past my bed time to finish!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Fantastic book! Great story, great read!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
It is a very interesting biography told from thepoint of view of a young jeannette Walls.
Cala-Dece T. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I thought this was an extremely well written book.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is an incredible story of children living with extremely neglectful, self indulgent parents. The children literally raised themselves, each other, and often took responsibility for the parents. While they lived in desperate conditions, the story is written from a very positive viewpoint. The beginning is a little slow, but then I couldn't put this book down.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This was a great book, I read it in one setting. I would reccommend this book highly.
Mandy M. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Boy, I don't hardly know what to say about this book...it makes you really appreciate the life you have. This girl is the most resilient person I have ever heard of, her trials and hardships most people could not overcome, but she did.
I highly recommend this book, you just have to read it to believe it.
Shanan O. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Riveting reading, and heartbreaking too. You'll cheer for our heroine and wonder how she ended up in one relatively sane piece.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Beautiful book! I had to remind myself several times it was an autobiography. So much of this seems made up. This book really made me look at what I have and what my kids have. We truly want for nothing and are very blessed.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I loved this book and couldn't put it down. It's extremely well written.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book was excellent! I couldn't wait to find out how it was going to end!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
A very heart warming end to the sotry. Loved it!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Absolutely fantastic! One of the best books that I have ever read. It was hilarious but sad at the same time. Jeannette Walls had an extraordinary life, with remarkable challenges, and came out a success. I recommend this book to anyone who has overcome obstacles in the face of adversity. Exellent book!
Amy H. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I really enjoyed this book. Amazing that it is a true story of the author's life in a dysfunctional family. Some of the things that happened to her and her family are just so crazy they are hard to believe. Near the front of the book there is a photo of the author's parents on their wedding day during the 1950s I believe. As I read the book, I kept turning back to look at that photo. Her parents looked so "normal" in the photo. I just couldn't believe all the terrible and crazy things they did in the book. I was hooked and couldn't put it down. A very interesting (sad at times) memoir and with a happy ending (for the author at least).
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Amazing book, Jeannette Walls did a fantastic job, could not put it down.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Great book! Jeannette Walls is brilliant and her story admirable.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Amazing and thoughtful story that I read to my husband and kids. We had such a good time reading this book. There were hilarious, sad, shocking, and uplifting moments woven throughout the book. While I did read it to my elementary age children, I had to skip a few parts and read over the cursing, but it didn't take a thing away from the story. We all walked away with a heart for "poor" people and a new appreciation for what we have. We will always remember reading this book together.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book is so good. It kept me intrigued through the entire read. I would reccomend this book to anyone.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This was a fun story, but it is important to remember it is a memoir and not a biography. I found myself becoming quite emphatic for the protagonist - at times being frustrated and other times getting excited with her.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I read this book in two days and I read slowly. The writer does an excellent job of keeping your attention. You feel like you are with them on the crazy life that was there childhood.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Throughout most of this book i sat with my mouth hanging open. Initially it seemed as if the author was merely listing horrible experiences trying to shape it into a book. Eventually it did take shape. All families are dysfunctional but...this one takes the cake. This book will make you re-think how bad your own childhood TRULY was in comparison to something of the magnitude that this author has experienced. It will either inspire you to work harder or make you feel guilty that you've not worked hard enough. Either way, it's a worthy read and i would recommend it.
Jessica C. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This was a very good book, the writing was good, the intensity was good and events were in a nice order. I really enjoyed this and think I'll be keeping the book in case a family member wants to read.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I started this book and found it hard to put down. It's amazing to me that the author, Jeannette Walls, not only survived this childhood of hers, but came to be the adult she is today. Her sister and brother had to care for themselves, along with her. Feeding, clothing and protecting one another. It was a good story of hope and survival.
Laurie A. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is such a good book and so true.I shared it with my sister who saw shades of our own imperfect childhood. I is funny, sad, true and a story of hope and survival and triumph. I highly recommend this awesome book!!
Maggie B. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
A fascinating memoir about a very successful woman's unusual childhood that she had kept secret for years. I was so riveted by the story that I read the entire book in a day. I especially recommend to those who grew up in Appalachia and/or were raised by an alcoholic parent.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I found this book easy yet hard to read because of what I was reading at times. It is difficult to believe the author lived the life she did and turned out as normal as she appears. It is not a feel good story at all unless the fact that she survived is enough to make you feel good. I was just amazed one minute and frustrated with her parents the next. When I first read this book my oldest daughter was about 10. She remembers my reaction to it but also that I told her she was too young to read it. Well she found it a few months back (she's 12 now) and read it. I don't reccomend it for 12 year olds but she was just as fascinated by the book as I was and did a school report on it.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
The author does not try to 'whoo' you with "her" knowledge of words. I was impressed with her memory and geological reference to different parts of the states. Her choice of words that best describe something may be difficult for someone who may not know the talk for that region. I liked the story/book. Yah !
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Funny and sad at the same time...great book which made me really think!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
amazing book! A must read!!!!
Katie W. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Fascinating story! Not for emotional mommies, but this book is an insightful portrait into a dysfunctional family.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book left me speechless. It left me wanting more from Jeannette Walls. I loved reading about her resilence and perservance despite her childhood circumstances. Such a wonderful read.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is an awesome story of struggle and survival. I cannot believe that the author and her siblings lived through such hardship and squalor and ended up so successful in life. I have such fury at the parents and their attitudes and how little they provided for their children and how selfish they were, all the while telling the kids "we'll never let you down. We are here for you and will take care of you always." Psychological abuse at it's best. And, yet, they were actually book smart, intelligent people who taught their children some very important lessons in life.
Despite not being able to provide for basic needs, such as food, clothing & shelter, they always had stacks of books around (from the library) and the children were advanced readers with a higher than average intellect. So even though the kids had to struggle and fight for every little thing and provide for themselves most of the time, it made them strong, intelligent people in the long run. Truly an awesome story. I loved this book!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
i had to force myself to finish this book. i had heard great things about it and kept hoping it would get better. parts of it i liked but overall its not a book i would ever recommend to someone. after i read it i lent it to two of my friends who were interested in reading it too. they both loved it though. maybe its just not for everyone. once i get it back its getting posted to swap.
Morgan D. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I read this entire book in one night. I absolutely could not put it down! It is completely captivating and I love the way it is written, not so much chronologically but just individual memories.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book had me hooked from the start. It is a true story of love's endurance. Ms. Walls wrote a beautiful and moving memoir of her childhood and how that has brought her to her place in life. Even though her parents were dyfunctional in many ways, she writes from a place of love and sadness. She led an extraordinary early life and in many ways I envied her experiences. She was raised in a very quirky way and the glass castle, to me, represented all the promises left unfulfilled.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
One of the best memoirs I have read. Almost hard to believe it was true that a family could be this dysfunctional.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
A great read - heartbreaking to think what the author and her siblings went through as children. I wanted to go back in time and adopt them all. This isn't really a story of abuse, more like "unintentional neglect", as her parents were eccentric and preferred to live on the edge of society. I don't think they were right to drag their children there, but at least in this case the children not only survived, but for the most part, prospered. The author is a wonderful storyteller. In writing about this strange, sad childhood, she never once is asking for sympathy, she's simply telling it like it was. A great read!
Desiree (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
i had to read this for an english class, let me tell you there were some parts where I was litearly screaming, so mad at her parents. What these kids went through was not ok in my book, but they all turned out alright. Very good book!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I could not put this book down. I had to keep stopping and thinking "this is a true story". Not that long ago. I was a great book.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I absolutely loved this book! The stories of Jeannette's life are funny and sad at the same time. Great read!!! Once you pick it up you want to keep reading about her crazy family.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I thought this book was great. It was well written, and interesting. The Glass Castle was one of those books you dont want to put down.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
The most depressing book about childhood I have ever read.
Mary W.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book is really good! Walls' childhood story is gripping. A must read!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I LOVED this book. I don't think I would have survived growing up in this family, but it was certainly entertaining. That the author not only survived, but thrived, is amazing.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
One of the most fascinating and memorable memoirs I've ever read.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
After reading this book, I was impressed that Jeannette Walls lived to adulthood! It is an interesting read and never boring. Fast paced and entertaining. I'm not one to read memoirs because they are usually so hateful about their childhood. However, I have to hand it to Walls for a book that sheds light on homelessness, growing up with neglectful parents and dirt poor and that stills has a lot of love in it. I wanted to slap her parents, often and hard, for the way they were. I'm happy that she and her siblings made it out of childhood alive and well. Well worth the read.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I loved this book...couldn't put it down! Amazing that someone can have such a sad childhood, and have a happy life in the end. As a parent it made me angry at these parents who neglect their kids, and also made me understand a little about people who are poor. Defintely a must read...best non-fiction I have read!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I absolutely LOVED this book. It was an amazing story of an unbearably sad childhood - but such an inspiring story. I kept having to remind myself that someone actually lived this life. It reads like a novel.
CHERYL M. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This story is as heartbreaking as it is funny. For someone to grow up so poor and with parents who are so dysfunctional is just heartbreaking. But somehow the author manages to inject humor into this sad memoir. There were times when I laughed out loud at some of things she wrote. This is definitely one of my top 10 memoirs.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Jeannette Walls writes vividly and beautifully about growing up with crazy parents. I highly recommend this book.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I read this book within 24 hours, just kept picking it up. For those of us who had a normal loving family while growing up, this is the complete opposite. Very interesting family.
Wanda
Angela T. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
The best memoir I have ever read. Very entertaining, at times funny, at times heartbreaking. I can't believe that the author actually lived that life. Sometimes fact really is stranger than fiction.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
It is one of the best memoirs I have read, I passed my book to all my friends and gave it to my teens to read. A childhood with such gross neglect in a dysfunctional family and with parents who apparently must have been mentally and emotionally unbalanced, baffles my mind. Jeannette Walls is a gifted writer and manages to capture the reader with all the right elements. Each time you think it cannot possibly get worse, the next chapter takes it up a notch. Her story is so hard to believe and how she made it through all this advertity. I have never thought about a homeless person the same way after reading this.
Lynn M. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I loved this book so much I read it in less than 24 hours, even though I also had a lot to do that day. I could not put it down. Jeannette Walls describes a really horrific childhood but the book is not one bit depressing because she has a wonderful gift for telling it all from a child's perspective with love and, believe it or not, lots of humor and levity. She and her siblings are true angels and this book is amazing. I wish she had more books- I would read them all.
Colleen J. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
My goodness. I've just finished this book, and it is a uniquely poignant memoir. A very quick read, written by someone who has come to terms as an adult with what she secretly believed was a shameful upbringing by parents who had no business being parents. The love in her family shines through loud and clear, but the conditions in which she and her siblings were reared are deplorable. That such a talented group of siblings sprang from such a beginning is a testament to the American way and to the resilience inside each of us. How hard it must have been for Ms. Walls to put her story on paper for everyone to know, and to make her peace with it. God bless her for sharing her story.
Renee M. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I can only say wonderful things about this amazing book. The story is so moving and inspirational, yet stunningly sad. The dysfunction of this family will break your heart, but you'll breathe a sigh of relief to see how Jeannette overcomes her tragic childhood and learns how to live. This is so much more than a simple memoir - it's a an expectional piece of literature that I would recommend whole heartedly to every reader.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I have never been so completely moved and amazed after reading a book. Unforgettable.
Christina B. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I couldn't put it down! A great, fast read!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Very good, fast read. Was cheering Jeannette on the entire way! She is a real trooper!
Jeannette tells how she tried to "raise her parents!"
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book was very good at keeping my attention. It reminded me at some parts of my inlaw family. Good read for when you think you have an odd family!
Kristin T. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
i loved this book. it was amazingly written. it was fast to read, i couldn't put it down. never once did jeannette make you feel sorry for her. her matter of fact story telling is simply amazing!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Absolutely fascinating book! I love memoirs and this is one of the best I have read. I think it is amazing how the author and her siblings were able to come out of such neglect and poverty with great intelligence and drive to succeed.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
A memoir about a family living on the edge, deliberately.
Walls is born to parents who are highly intelligent and creative but whose own presumably (and suggested) dark pasts make them both junkies for excitement and change. Thus they live from hand to mouth, rarely staying in one place longer than a couple of months, for the early part of Jeanette's childhood. Jeanette's father is an alcoholic who isn't able to keep a job but who has big dreams as well as big smarts. He manages to keep their various vehicles alive one way or another, devises engineering feats where necessary, teaches his children about the stars, about physics, about math, proudly pushes them (literally) into the water where they must sink or swim.
Her mother wraps herself into her own creative ventures, painting, writing, sketching, and is usually ready when the family has to "skedaddle" in the middle of the night. Neither parent worries about the health of their children, living by the maxim that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. On this front it appears that her mother is the tougher of the two in some respects.
By the time Jeanette and her family move into Welch, Virginia, her father's childhood home, she certainly can take care of herself. She worships her father yet recognizes that he has failed her time and again. All of the children - Lori, Jeanette, Brian, and Maureen - somehow manage to find food, stay clothed, and go to school, and even excel. They don't make friends easily, finding that even in this "okie" territory they are outcasts, dirtier, skinnier, and tougher than the rest.
It's a memoir of a tough life that at times seemed wondrous to Jeanette. Being given a star for her birthday. Sleeping in a cardboard appliance box. Being encouraged to challenge life rather than be challenged by it. Thus it is more than a sad tale of children of an alcoholic, even though those of us who share that distinction are going to recognize some of the responses. It is more a tale of resilience and hope and ultimately simply acceptance.
P. E. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Excellent memoir of a dysfunctional family and the ultimate success of the children. After finishing the book, I began to search the internet in hopes of getting updates on the individual members of the family. There are many unanswered questions - Jeanette Walls should write a sequel.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Great insight of what it was like to grow up with mentally ill parents. The harsh reality of this book is almost too much to beleive but it's a true story. Well written, I highly enjoyed this book.
Jennifer P. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read. It got me mad at points about the parents values, and how they neglected their children and their process of growing up. One part that got me really riled up was when the mother was devouring her chocolate bar. Good Good Book though. I really wonder what happened to Maureen though.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book was amazing. It takes a lot for me to get into a book, but once I started, I couldn't put it down. Sad, but so truly written, wonderful piece of artwork.
Stacey A. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
A fascinating read that I had trouble putting down. The story is interesting on some many levels and I really felt a whole gamut of emotions while reading the book. I'm glad I read this book and I think you will be too. Highly recommended!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I really enjoyed this book! It was very beautiful and touching.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Reading this book is like watching an accident, you want to look away but can't avert your eyes. Highly recommended, not for the squeamish.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
All I can say is that I was impressed by the author, Jeannette Walls. Many people have gone through similar family situations and I am grateful she was able to share her story. Her family was not perfect, but they were loyal. And that is something to be proud of.
Anne R. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
In this true story, their are times your rage at the parents of this children, who become very successful adult, is overriding you want to put the book down but for to show respect for the adult you keep going and you are glad you did.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Unbelievable story. I was shocked by what the Walls children endured. I felt sorry for them, yet I didn't want the story to end. Wow!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is a MUST read for everyone! This is such a great book!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
In one word: stunning. I was in constant amazement with the tragic upbringing of the Walls children. At the end of the book, I was amazed at the resilience of the Walls children. This is a great read.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Unbelievable! I was unable to put it down. Made me sad and happy.
Joleen N. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I loved this book. I was shocked by the ending, but loved reading every minuted of it!
Carol C. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
If you liked 'Running With Scissors' you'll love this one!! Will not say more for fear of spoiling it... an absolute must-read.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This was a great book. I had to continuously remind myself that this REALLY happened to this woman as a child. It surely makes any dyfunctional family look like the perfect family compared to how screwed up this family was. Yet, as dysfunctional as they were, there was a bitter sweetness to it. A must read.
(
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Am I the only person who couldn't get into this book? Maybe my expectations were too high after all the glowing reviews.
JIL M. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
An extraordinary memoir about a childhood from hell, but told in a way that makes you want to be friends with Jeannette. She survived in spite of her parents and went on to be a success. This goes on my list of Favorite Memoirs, along with Driving With Dead People, Running With Scissors, Macho Burro and FBI Girl. SUPER!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Wonderfully written. Depicts the hardships of a young girl and her family. Very moving.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Very different book. Not sure I agree that it should have been a best seller and popular as long as it was but I can't say I wasted my time by reading it. I found it hard to believe that she has such a good memory of things that happened starting with her at the age of 3. Most adults I know do not have profound memories of that early of an age, tramatic or not. However it was an interesting look into the lives of the severly impoverished and you wonder how they survived at times. I can not believe at some point in time there weren't any adults (teachers, social workers, relatives) that wouldn't see there lives and try to help. I know that most people are not interested in really looking at homelessness and poverty but this gives you a peek at it. I do not feel sorry for the parents in any way and think the mother should probably have been institutionalized and the father jailed. This book is something to read but I would not list it as a MUST read.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Wow. I'm still scratching my head, trying to figure out why this book was on the Best Seller's list for a year. I found the memoir boring, trite and redundant. Ms. Walls was a character I not only sympathized with but related to, that is until she entered her adult years. By the final chapter I was utterly disgusted with her transformation and couldn't wrap the book up and send it off fast enough.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Severely smacking of McCourt's Angela's Ashes, this story is heart wrenching and tedious. Jeannette Walls tells a harrowing tale of growing up on the move with an alcoholic parent. Much like with McCourt, one wonders when she will ever escape the inevitable let down that her father and eccentric mother eternally represent. What differs here, is Walls' wit and wisdom that she takes from her experience and from which she distills the essence of her father's existence and her mother's eccentricities. Forever an embarrassment but always loving and familiar, Walls learns that her parents belong to her and to each other in a way that no other truly can.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
A wonderful memoir. A story of growing up in a dysfunctional family where the father was an alcoholic and the mother an eccentric artist. Often there was no food for the children, and this family moved from place to place, the children sleeping in cardboard boxes or in the car or under the stars in the desert. This memoir is a bittersweet story that I was so engrossed in that I read it in one night.
Stacey P. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I thought this book was intriguing. To keep kids homeless and unfed and tell them it was an adventure is abuse and neglect. These kids should have been taken away. I was angry at these parents throughout the entire book!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
A very riviting story. A must read. This book drew me in and I felt that I was there with them. Stayed up late to finish this one!!!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I probably would never have picked this book up had it not been given to me as a gift. What a great story I would have missed! It shows that it doesn't matter what kind of family you come from with a lot of hard work your dreams can come true. Great read!!!
Suzanne S. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Absolutely fantastic book!! The author can evoke emotions so precisely that you feel you are there. The tenacity of the little girl makes me envious. Deep, moving, emotional...a must read!
I gave my copy to my 24 yr old Daughter in law. I would love to share it but I carried it with me EVERYWHERE and it got pretty beat up.
Paula G. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Amazing book. I could not put this book down. Her parents were crazy, but yet she persevered. The author has tremendous courage to publish such a book. Reminded me of Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes", where both authors had very hard childhoods that required incredible strength and hope to survive. I highly recommend this book.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Jeanette Walls has written an excellent book in The Glass Castle. She has written in her views from when she was a child and experiencing this. It is like you are reading the story as it is happening. The parents in this story are unbelievable. As sad as this story could be, Ms Walls has written it with honesty, a touch of humor and without self pity. I did enjoy this book and it makes me grateful for the life I have had and sorry that anyone has had to grow up like this. Interesting characters and remember: it is a True story! I enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
A great book, at times you forget this is someone's life. I was very hesitant in reading, I usually don't read biographies. This was such an interesting story, the way the family related to each other and lived through it all. Highly recommend!
Sue K. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This was a sad book at times but how these kids overcame their upbringing was nothing short of phenomenal. Talk about crappy parents, those two were it. Selfish, non-caring mom, alcoholic father. Whew! Both should have had parenting classes. Good read.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book reads like fiction more than non-fiction. It is sometimes so hard to believe all of the experiences that Jeannette Walls and her family had.
It is a good read and I would recommend it for those who like memoirs.
Amy H. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book is fantastic! It is hard to believe that it isn't a work of fiction. Highly recommended.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Excellent book. I have a lot in common with the author so this opened a few scars. At times I found her story unbelieveable, mainly because she turned out so well. I guess I felt inferior cuz I *didn't* do as well!
No matter what, a remarkable story!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book is amazing. It is an Oprah book club style book, but very well written and a beautiful story. I've read this book three times in the past year.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
An amazing book! I am not a big non-fiction reader but this book is better than any fiction book that I have ever read. How those children endured and became such successful members of society is beyond me. If you have not read this, please pick up the book. If for nothing else it may just inspire you!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I read this book while on vacation, and I wasn't able to enjoy it because I felt guilty for having luxuries in my life when Walls writes of living in the desert, worn down shacks and living famishly digging through trash bins. It's a remarkable story, but heartbreaking.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I did not care for this book at all.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
what an interesting and fascinating book.I really really enjoyed this book.Its an amazing read, I could not put this book down.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Strikingly compelling book. Absolutely loved it, and I don't keep reading if it doesn't get me at the start.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
totally amazing what these kids endured..fabulous book!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
GREAT book club choice!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
very good crazy family
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
An unbelievable autobiography! You can't put it down.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
An incredible memoire of a very strong woman, able to look back on her past and see the good and the horribly bad, and write about it in an engaging and thoughtful way.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book is fabulous, although at times a very difficult read. The author had to endure a childhood of poor parenting, living in squalid conditions. Her parents lack of concern and care can be infuriating . . . However, in the end she and her siblings not only survive it all, but they make very nice lives for themselves.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is an amazing story of a woman who overcomes a childhood that most can not even imagine. Wonderfully written!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book frustrated me!! This story is sad and frustrating.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Well written, sometimes humorous, sometimes harrowing memoir by an indomitable spirit.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Oh, my goodness! How this little girl came out of this mess she was raised in I will never know. I thought I had a rough childhood, but mine was rather normal compared to this.
Excellent book, well written and one you can't put down. You really will be glad you read this.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Unbelieveable but true! I had to do some research after the whole "Million Little Pieces fiasco", but this is the real thing and I could not put it down. Walls had a childhood like none I could ever imagine, especially since I am currently raising children and feel like I think and over think every decision I make...this is a must read!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Unbelievable, hard to believe this is not fiction. Great book, fast read!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. This is hard to believe that it is a true story. You will cry at parts!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Really excellent book.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
GREAT BOOK COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN TILL I FINISHED IT.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
absolutely astonishing that anyone could live through this and still be normal!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Walls' memoir of her struggles with her nomadic, dysfunctional family are riveting. I couldn't put it down, even when I found Walls' circumstances soul-wrenching. This is a true story of a person strong enough to overcome the impossible.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I really enjoyed this book. What an upbringing Jeannette had!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Hard to read at times because of the subject matter... but a good book nonetheless. Nice poetic style of writing.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
At first I thought "just another book about a disfunctional family" but my opiniton changed as I followed Jeannette's story and saw the respect and humor she infused. It's great to see women who can overcome adversity and flourish in their adulthood.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Amazing story of a very dysfunctional family (well, at least the parents were dysfunctional). Unbelievable memoir!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Amazing and true story, really hard to put down.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
While I am sure the values of this book are numerous and the memoir intriguing, I was unable to get more than 25 pages into it due to the profound vulgarity and profanity found therein. Ms. Walls went through a horrific childhood and I do sympathize with her plight, but I do not need to experience the same profane language through her memoir.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I love this book! The story of the Walls family is like nothing you've ever heard. Despite some pretty heartbreaking material, Jeannette Walls tells her story with wit, humor and honestly. This not a "woe is me" memoir. It's a "can you believe this crazy stuff actually happened to me" story.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
A wonderful memoir of a small girl who is raised by her dysfunctional mother and father. When sober the young girl's father captured the children's imagination, but when he drank was dishonest and destructive. To make matters worse the children's mother was a free spirit who didn't want the responsiblity of raising a family. I was stunned at the conditions the children lived in. They all eventually manage to find their way to New York, their parents follow and choose to be homeless even as their children prosper. An incredible story.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is an amazing story of strength, perseverance and humility. I have so much respect for Jeannette Walls after what she has gone through. Anyone who thinks they had a tough childhood should read this book, they will know how easy they really did have it.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I know this book has gotten alot of good reviews, but it is not one of my favorites. I frequently found myself wanting the book to just be over. But I don't think it was a bad book, I just didn't feel a chemistry with this book.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I hated this book! If you enjoyed seeing Old Yeller get shot, or baby Dumbo being taken from his mother, you might really enjoy this!
Keri E. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I couldn't put this book down. It was hard to read at times, but you want to find out what eventually happens to each of the family members. I had to keep reminding myself that this was a true story. I found myself hating the parents at times, but they could be loving & caring, also. I highly recommend this book.
Tish O. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
a sad yet witty memoir of the author's childhood. today this upbringing would be considered child abuse. yet most of the children made happy lives for themselves.
the parent's were totally unable to take care of themselves much less the children.
but they all seemed to love one another very much!
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Touching, poignant, sad, but uplifting in the end. The family lived in such abject poverty - father an alcoholic, mother a "free spirit" , neither one taking on the responsibility for their 4 kids. Moving from place to place to avoid bill creditors, they finally settled in West VA, where they were the poorest of the poor. The kids all got out, though, worked hard and made good lives for themselves. Awesome story.
Trish F. (This book has been reviewed so many times already, I can't add anything new. It is a fast read that pulls you in and makes you wonder how two parents could have such a total lack of concern for their children's well-being. However, she became a driven and successful adult, so in the end, she triumphed and that is all that counts.
Franchesca M. (Had a hard time getting through this book. Definitely some funny moments, and some tragic ones as well, but after a while, I just became bored. A decent enough read, but didn't quite live up to the hype.
This book is intense. I love memoirs and this was one of the most interesting and disturbing I've ever read. Sometimes it seems almost too far fetched to be true. Of course, "truth is stranger than fiction". I highly recommend. As for memoirs, I also recommend anything by David Sedaris, "The Tender Bar" by J.R. Moehringer, "The Color of Water" by James McBride, and if you disregard the horrible movie adaptation, "Running with Scissors" by Augusten Burroughs is also very good. Happy Reading!
Kristie O. (Wow, I cannot believe how some people really do live and are okay with it. Jeanette tells this story in such a facinating and lighthearted way too. The kids in this family were really brave and so intelligent and amazing to have survived the life they grew up knowing. This is such a super book and would reccomend this book not only for entertainment but for appreciation of the lifestyle you are currently living with. What a great book!!
(much in the tradition of Mary Carr and Haven Kimmel. Story of dysfunctional family growing up in the 60s-70s with lots of images to spark your imagination. Somewhat poignant at the end but mostly very entertaining, even in its squalor. characters are very believable. a good read.
Margaret S. (I absolutely loved this book. It is a must read in my opinion. I could not put it down.
Could not put it down. Knowing that it was a true story blew me away--how did this woman survive her crazy family?
Kristin F. (This book offers us a peek into a family struggling with poverty. Jeannette Walls writes beautifully about her family's struggles and power to survive. The children had alot more to deal with and found creative ways to survive. A gripping memoir filled with humor, sadness and the will to survive and break the cycle of poverty.
It is one of my favorite reads for 2008 full of laughter (LOL) and disbelief. I enjoyed the book told by Jeanette Walls about growing up with very selfish parents. This is a good book to read if you feel/felt you have a dysfunction family. You will either feel very blessed or relieved you’re not alone. I feel blessed to have a family who chose to make personal sacrifices to provide for our family. The book left me to ponder just how many American families choose poverty.
I think this book is very well written. I read it for a book club...it's not one I would have chosen on my own, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. Happy reading!
I loved this book! The experiences that these children had and all they went through will astound you and leave you thinking about people's motivations. It's a great story about going against all odds and coming out successful. It is wonderfully written and i highl recommend it!
This may be the best memoir I have ever read. It didn't feel like the author is trying to sway you to one side or the other, she's just telling it like it was. There were moments when I thought her parents were awesome, and other times that I felt they were terrible.
Thought the book was good, ending was somewhat anticlimactic/rushed.
A beautifully written book that unfortunately got me quite angry about the children's situation. The author's writing is wonderfully descriptive, I felt like I was sitting there with them. But, while it is a story of their survival despite....I was very angry at the different agencies that "failed" these children.
I loved this book. To think it was a true story sometimes made me wonder about the exageration factor but then I think as children everything is bigger through our eyes.
Amazing book! It's the first book I ever received on PBS and it knocked my socks off! Jeannette's childhood was horrible but the strong bonds it formed between her and her siblings helped them all lift themselves above seemingly inescapable conditions.
I could not put this book down! As sad as it was, it makes me feel so much better about what I *thought* were family problems. :-).
Definitely read this book!
Jill G. (Loved this book. Being that I am from WV, I could relate to the scenes of WV described in the book. WOW factors through the whole book. Very moving!
How the suthor survived childhood is amazing! Crazy parents, constant moving, and family values that are not traditional! A great read for those who thought they had it hard.
I really enjoyed this book and found it very touching. Easy to read and read it in one sitting. Anyone who has a parent afflicted with chemical dependencies or mental issues can easily relate to some of the struggles Jeannette endured.
Book on ultimate acceptance and forgivness.
I work with young women that are mostly below the poverty level. This book really opened my eyes and I am so glad I read it. We are passing it around among the group of ladies that work with me.
This is by far the best book I have ever read. I could not put the darn book down. I was so mesmorized that this was a true story, my heart was right there.
Melissa P. (
Jeannie H. (This was an incredible story and an awesome read. I loved it!!
Fantastic read! Definitely makes one glad to have "normal" parents.
very interesting memoir of a girl growing up very poor in a very dysfunctional family. their survival was accomplished only by the siblings' support of each other through the constant hard times. well-written; definitely recommend.
This was an excellent, very engaging memoir! It was hard to believe how wayward the parents were, at times I felt very sorry for the kids in the book, especially as they got older, but they seemed to enjoy some of the more adventurous times. I couldn't put this one down and read it in two days!
Leah G. (i found myself having to put this down and come back a half hour later. some of the things the kids had to do to survive enraged me. i wanted to beat the parents half to death. the author is amazing in her telling of her story and how finds so much understanding of and for her parents and their troubles.
I could not put this book down! Well written and highly entertaining.
Renee' B. (Interesting and sad book of a family that is torn apart by alcoholism and how each child handles it. It is written wonderfully and moves quickly.
Incredible book...I couldn't put it down. Amazing story of a "free-spirited" family....hard to believe what these children lived through, and amazingly triumphed through.
My, oh, my!! What a book! I read this book in only a couple of day, it was an amazing book. I am always astounded by what some people live through; I've heard & read many stories about people growing up with alcoholic parent(s), but this one takes the cake.
This is a great book; an easy read, and very thought provoking.
I could not put this book down. It is unbelievable yet so believable. gotta read it!
I am still thinking about this book months after I read it. It is hard to give up but I am overwhelmed with great books from PBS!
a very good book. I had to read it again before I could part with it!
This book is a must read. A remarkable memoir permeated by the intense love a peculiar, buy loyal, family.
My book club just finished this book. All of us agreed that Jeannette Walls' incredible story was a great book club read!!!
An incredible story of survival. A real rags to riches story!!
This book made me laugh and cry and appreciate all that I have in life! A fabulous read.
This was an unbelievable story of a girl's childhood memories of her dysfunctional family. Living with her alcoholic father and mother the narrator tells the story of how she and her siblings survived the nightmare that was her family.
It was hard to put this one down.
SALLY W. (Absolutely riveting memoir of a childhood amidst a very dysfunctional family. Fascinating and highly recommended
Bonnie (Amazing life, great read about crazy family life
Maureen C. (This is an excellent piece of non-fiction that reads like a novel. As you read it, you almost can't believe that it is true. I couldn't put it down. It will make you cry, at least it did for me. You will be amazed at the resilience of the author and her family.
Such an amazing story. You will want to stay up until you can no longer keep your eyes open.
A great read- unbelievable story and a great discussion book for book clubs!
Marcy M. (An extremely compelling memoir of growing up in poverty with mental illness and substnace abuse in the family. It is a fast read.
Memoir of family dealing with nice guy Dad who turns ugly when he drinks and Mom who didn't want the responsibility of being a Mother. How the children coped, survived and prospered.
Shana reviewed on 1/28/2007...good book
Sara M. (An incredible story of her growing up in pretty major poverty and being able to become a successful writer, against all odds.
I loved this memoir-didn't want to put it down and one of those you hate to end.
This was a fast read, yet I couldn't wait to see what her family went through next and how the children would come to terms with it all.
As you read this, it's hard to believe that what the author describes actually happened as she was growing up. Sad and poignant...
PAM L. (Excellent memoir....it is amazing to me what people are capable of living through and go on to become productive citizens of society.
Brenna Q. (Excellent book about a womans life and struggle to break out from her family and be sucessful.
The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette’s brilliant and charismatic father captured his children’s imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn’t’ want the responsibility of raising a family. The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.
Sue C. (Heart-wrenching, thought-provoking, disturbing. Sad and yet, funny, too.
I enjoyed reading this amazing memoir about a truly disfunctional and yet most loyal and loving, in their own way, family. A classic case for what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Jeannette Walls's memoirs of growing up in a very dysfunctional family.
It is amazing this child survived her childhood!
A remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette's brilliant and charismatic father captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want the responsibility of raising a family.
The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.
Truly astonishing-a memoir permeated by the intense love of a peculiar, but loyal, family.
Shai G. (Jeannette Walls pulls you into her life and you live it with her.
I couldn't put this book down. It is heartwarming and extremely well written.
This book is very thought provoking. It leaves one with more questions than answers. It is hard to forget.
Jamie B. (To say this family is peculiar is an understatement.I can't imagine growing up like that and becoming a functional member of society. A remarkable memoir. Had to repeat passages to other people.. it's that kind of book.
Irina D. (When sober, Jeanette's brilliant and charismatic father captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want the responsibility of raising a family. The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.
I really did enjoy this book but what a sad life for all of them
This is an amazing book! The first three pages draw you in, and you can't put it down. I don't want to let my copy of the book go, but I also want everyone to be able to read this book - and maybe appreciate their own lives and circumstances a little more.
Excellent book. Very sad circumstances but written without sappy melodrama. I laughed, I cried, I recommend it HIGHLY!
Elaine G. (This is a fascinating read, all the more compelling in that it is a memoir.
This was a very difficult book to read because the subject matter, neglect of children, was so vividly described. I can't imagine how those children lived through the horrors of their lives.
An interesting memoir - showing that dysfunctional families don't need to produce disfunctional children.
Ann Marie U. (Wonderful Book. Such a downtrodden upbringing but what an upbeat spirit!
A great read-------I could not put this down! If you liked "Angela's Ashes" you will also enjoy this book.
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