Title: The Glass Castle
Author: Jeannette Walls
Pages: 304
Yearly Count: 51
Children either grow up because of their parents or almost in spite of them, either way the years still pass and little kids who are cared for or pretty much neglected become adults. Jeannette Walls wrote her story in The Glass Castle and I can say that so far this year it is my top pick, no doubt about it. Jeannette grew up with an alcoholic dad, who made too many broken promises and a mother who thought working was giving up on her dream to become an artist. So they lived in willful poverty. Jeannette had three siblings and life was not easy. The dreams of their parents never seemed to materialize into anything that could get them enough food, a warm house or clothes. As much as it would have been daunting, even more than I care to know, to grow up hungry, cold, and neglected, Jeannette speaks in an honest voice and she never seemed to loving her mother and father. The Glass Castle is an incredible memoir of a life, and more importantly of perseverance, dreams and the heart to see things through.
The honesty of The Glass Castle is what rang the clearest, the voice of a girl while not enjoying her childhood the way it could (should) have been enjoyed, she made the best of it. A childhood filled with rotten food, the digging in the school's bathroom trash for leftover lunches, but what a woman those circumstances made! There is a conscious choice Jeannette makes over and over to try and believe that her parents have their best interests in mind, that they are trying, that they will make it, a choice to live on.
The writing is so beautiful. The voice is of a girl, now woman that is so strong, so stunning and yet so openly vulnerable that the reader feels completely engulfed in her life and in the outcome. I marvel, I have not been impressed like this for a while. If all I could do would be to tell any slightly interested reader:"Even if you don't think you'll like it, this is a must read!!! " That would be exactly what I would say. I hope you'll give it a try if you haven't, I didn't think I'd like it, since I usually have a hard time with non-fiction, it seems boring and slow, this was nothing like that...just pure beauty.
I wish I had a chance to talk to Jeannette Walls...anyone have any info?
Have you reviewed The Glass Castle? Put your link in a comment and I'll put it here.
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Enjoy this book trailer for The Glass Castle:
11 comments:
I have this to read for a challenge, and looking forwrd to it. Great review
A great review for a great book. http://libraryqueue.blogspot.com/2008/08/glass-castle.html
I have heard both very good and very bad things about this book. I was glad to read your review!
I'm a fan, too...
http://fizzybeverage.blogspot.com/2008/03/glass-castle.html
Have you read Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight? I think you'd like that one, too.
I love this book so much; just mentioned it yesterday on my blog, in fact. I read The Liars' Club last week, which was on the NY Times bestseller list for a long time a decade or more ago. I thought The Glass Castle was FAR, far better!!
(Thanks for linking to my review, btw)
I haven't read this but wow! Sounds like a really wonderful story.
I wasn't so sure about this book because it is a memoir and I'm not really into those, but I think I'll give it a chance.
--Anna (Diary of an Eccentric)
I really enjoyed this one, too. My review is at The Book Lady's Blog .
Great review. My book club read this one about a year ago and we all loved it. I think it's a great book.
I was very affected by this book. It isn't a book that I really enjoyed because it was so haunting but it was definitely a book I ENJOYED if you ge the difference.
My review is here
Actually, this is a better link
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