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44th out of 1,225 books
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6,459 voters
Half Broke Horses
Lily Casey Smith, this novel's feisty Texas protagonist, is a frontier teacher, a rancher, a rodeo rider, a poker player, and bootlegger. In Half Broke Horses, she survives droughts, tornados, floods, poverty, and whatever else fate can throw against her. Based on author Jeannette Walls's grandmother, Lily is a plausible character because she has a voice that synchronizes...more
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
October 6th 2009
by Scribner
(first published January 1st 2009)
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Jeannette Walls's original intent was to write a book about her mother Rose Mary's childhood on an Arizona ranch. Rose Mary convinced her that it was grandmother Lily's life story that needed to be told. Having read the book, I have to agree. What a life! Hard times and hard work in the early 1900s, trying to scratch out a life on ranches in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. Lily lived on Route 66 when it was still a dirt road.
Walls chose to call the book a novel because she got all the stories s...more
Walls chose to call the book a novel because she got all the stories s...more
I am in the midst of this read but I have to say as soon as I read the first page I was invested in what was to unfold. It was a real grabber of a opening.
I finished this book and enjoyed every moment of reading. It was so interesting. It covered many changes in the main characters life and it represented how most people will deal with what comes their way, with grace and acceptance. Very good book.
I finished this book and enjoyed every moment of reading. It was so interesting. It covered many changes in the main characters life and it represented how most people will deal with what comes their way, with grace and acceptance. Very good book.
If you've read The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, and wondered about Rosemary's lack of maternal instincts and caring, this book will help explain why she was the way she was. Told in first person, with Jeanette's grandmother, Lily, as the central character, the novel is strewn with facts and stories handed down through family members to Jeannette. Not as compelling as The Glass Castle, it is, nevertheless, a book well worth reading. Lily is a most unforgettable character, and the time frame a...more
26 likes · like · see review
This is the second book I've read from Jeannette Walls, and for the second time I've really enjoyed her writing. The voice in this story is different from The Glass Castle but equally as engaging, and once again it's all true! It also inevitably makes you wonder (for those who've read the GC) how this story ties into the lives of author's parents, and why things turned out the way they did.
It's a great escape from the reality we live in now, with computers, text messaging, and the crazy speed at...more
It's a great escape from the reality we live in now, with computers, text messaging, and the crazy speed at...more
22 likes · like · see review
A well-told story about a gutsy, rock-strong lady with a heart bigger and better than most folks out there...a friend who recommended and loaned the novel to me remarked that she wished that Lily Casey really was a fictional character so that there could be a whole series based on her...I agreed, but at the same time, I almost wish it was a story that was completely nonfiction, a pure biography...I want the true Lily Casey to be as strong and amazing, as solid and determined, as she was depicted...more
February book club read.....
What an enjoyable read. It was unanimous by the group, that we all would loved to have known Lily and the author did a fantastic job of bringing us right into the story. Highly recommended.
What an enjoyable read. It was unanimous by the group, that we all would loved to have known Lily and the author did a fantastic job of bringing us right into the story. Highly recommended.
I listened to this on CD. It was narrated by the author, Jeanette Walls. It is the story of her grandmother, Lily Casey Smith, or at least what she pieced together from her mother, Rose Mary Walls. Lily was feisty and lived quite the life. A portion of her adult life was spent in northern Arizona, so that peaked my interest in the book. I enjoyed Lily's story because she was a strong, independent woman, yet a very caring woman. I was disappointed that Jeanette Walls did not research some of the...more
2 likes · like · see review
A great story, just as in The Glass Castle. How could a mother and daughter be any different? To me, there were 2 "sins of omission" here--one, I really wish Walls would have put a map at the beginning of the book of the west where Lily lived because I'm not familiar with the distances and all the moves back and forth. The other, since it is a work of fiction based on her grandmother's life (vs. a biography) Walls could have extended the book by another 100 pages or so to really emphasize some o...more
12 likes · like · see review
Walls' latest novel skillfully blends her grandmother's rich history with the fascinating history of her day, taking us on a journey from the turn of the twentieth century to the post-WWII era. Readers get a thorough and compelling picture of what life was like for competent, hard-working cattle ranchers in the American southwest during the Dust Bowl days. Unflappable, grandmother Lily Casey Smith lived an adventurous life: a young woman growing up on ranches in wide open spaces (and at various...more
I wish Jeannette Walls' biography/novel 'Half Broke Horses' had been available prior to her own biography 'The Glass Castle'. Both of the stories are related and rivetting but 'Half Broke Horses' provides the background for Jeannette's bizarre upbringing. This account of her grand-mother's life living on ranches in west Texas, New Mexico and Arizona is a wonderful tribute to a 'pioneer' who isn't afraid of hard labor--she's one spunky, admirable woman and a real survivor.
9 likes · like · see review
It would be difficult not to like the writing style of Jeannette Walls. Elegant and down to earth at the same time, she has the ability to strike a chord of familiarity in the reader. She makes it easy to let yourself become a part of the story and to visualize the characters within their element. Loved this story. It’s the simple things in life that can sometimes lead to extraordinary story telling. Ms. Walls gets a four on the GR scale because of her ability to tell a great tale. And for that,...more
Not as compelling as "Glass Castle," but this definitely grew on me half-way through. Once you realize that it's not another autobiography (oops) of Walls, you'll probably be disappointed. This is a short-ish read of the life of her mother's mother, Lilly. Walls put together a first-person story of her unique grandmother who lived her hard life on a ranch. Although Walls might have captured the essence of her grandmother, this does not come close to her own memoir. She should stick with what she...more
Oh wow, only half way through and I think I want to read it again. Lily is my hero! I'll have to give a better review when I'm done which at the rate I'm going will be soon.
Update: what a great book. I loved this character and all that she went through. Can you imagine being a 6 year old kid waiting for Easter dinner and a snake falls on your table? Yikes!!
Update: what a great book. I loved this character and all that she went through. Can you imagine being a 6 year old kid waiting for Easter dinner and a snake falls on your table? Yikes!!
I am surprisingly enjoying this book that I picked up as a plane-trip book at the Chicago airport. Having heard of the author, it was a whim to read this, her latest memoir/novel featuring thoughts and memories of her grandmother, great grandmother and mother. It's an exceptionally heartwarming read full of pioneer stories and characters.
5 likes · like · see review
Even better than Glass Castles. Enlightens the "why and who" Jeanette's Mom was, where she came from and some of the reasons she was who she was. Jeanette's grandmother was a fascinating person. what a character!
Nonfiction with a splash of fiction served on the rocks is a cool drink of pure narration delivered by a spunky horsewoman/school teacher who doesn't give up on finding how and where she belongs. This one is even better than "The Glass Castle" by the same author.
By the author of Glass Castle- which i liked better- but still a great story of an amazingly strong pioneer woman!
I really enjoyed this book, it gave you quite an image of what life was like in the rural West back in the early 1900's. And it totally makes me want to re-read the Glass Castle! (No, you don't need to have read it before you read this.)
6 likes · like · see review
Half Broke Horses[return]A True-Life Novel[return]by Jeannette Walls[return]Scribner [return]October 2009, 272 p.[return]978-1-4165-86289[return][return]Walls is shaping up to be one of this decades most fascinating storytellers. The adventures of her family in The Glass Castle were mesmerizing and truly an unforgettable read. With a pen that glows with brilliance, her writing in Half Broke Horses is bedazzling. In her words, this is the true life novel of her grandmother, Lily Casey Smith who d...more
Mar 26, 2010
Brooke
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Sandy, Melissa, Kathy, Barrie
Recommended to Brooke by:
Julie,
Shelves:
friend-recommendation
Picked this up at the airport and blew through 100 pages same day. I am loving the main character so far, her voice cam through loud and clear.
This was definitely the right read at the right time kind of book. Also enjoyed having read the Glass Castle, I had a perspective of how Rosemary's life would turn out and such a contrast in the way her mother raised her vs. how she raised her daughter.
Well worth purchasing in paperback, I see myself lending this out to lots of folks.
Good read!!
This was definitely the right read at the right time kind of book. Also enjoyed having read the Glass Castle, I had a perspective of how Rosemary's life would turn out and such a contrast in the way her mother raised her vs. how she raised her daughter.
Well worth purchasing in paperback, I see myself lending this out to lots of folks.
Good read!!
5 likes · like · see review
I loved The Glass Castle so much that I avoided reading Half Broke Horses for some years. I just finished and did like it, but it's not nearly as powerful as Glass Castle. Still, HBH is a good read in its own right, if only to gain insight to US American history 1900 - 1950, as experienced by a woman in West Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. It would be a great book to accompany a college history course (the reading level is appropriate for middle/high schoolers, too).
Walls' tale is based on her g...more
Walls' tale is based on her g...more
I was a little unsure about this book. A neighbor had recommended it to me. I don't normally like western books. This was about the life of one woman, Lily. She grew up on a ranch and had a brother and a sister. She left for boarding school, but was sent home when her father didn't pay the bill. He bought dogs with her tuition money. The son got to go to school and the younger siste went to finishing school, but Lily was needed to help at the ranch. She was tough and tenacious and had alot of op...more
Lily was a spirited woman, a passionate teacher and talker who explained in great detail what had happened to her, why it had happened to her, what she'd done about it, and what she's learned from it, all with the idea of imparting life lessons to my mother.
Jeannette Walls placed this statement about her grandmother in the Author's Note at the end of her fabulous novel Half Broke Horses. On the cover above the title in smaller letters but all capitals are the words A TRUE LIFE NOVEL.
Walls' true...more
Jeannette Walls placed this statement about her grandmother in the Author's Note at the end of her fabulous novel Half Broke Horses. On the cover above the title in smaller letters but all capitals are the words A TRUE LIFE NOVEL.
Walls' true...more
This was a terrific book that I really enjoyed reading. Jeannette Walls calls it a "true-life novel" as it is the life story of her grandmother, Lily Casey Smith, written in the first person in a novel form.
While the author clearly says at the end of the book, that her grandmother died when Jeannette was 8 years old, she says that her mother told her many details of Lily's life which was an amazing life indeed.
Lily was born at the beginning of the 20th century and lived in various parts of Tex...more
While the author clearly says at the end of the book, that her grandmother died when Jeannette was 8 years old, she says that her mother told her many details of Lily's life which was an amazing life indeed.
Lily was born at the beginning of the 20th century and lived in various parts of Tex...more
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Jeannette Walls again delves into her family history and comes up with this amazing story of an amazing woman, Lily Casey, Jeannette’s maternal grandmother. Raised on ranches, the smart and brave Lily does her best to help her family survive while seeking out an education and her own place in the world. At fifteen she rides 500 miles on her horse Patches to spend three years teaching in remote areas. She later spends some time in the big city of Chicago. She learns to fly a plane. She accepts th...more
I think this story was interesting, especially after having read "The Glass Castle". It does show how the daughter Rosemary really didn't do much on her own in terms of finding herself. Seems she was always lead and people made choices as well as decisions for her. Marrying Rex was going against her mother and who she married was something she could control. Though I do wish the author talked a tad more about her Rosemary herself. From the last book and this one - I wonder if she had regrets on...more
"Half Broke Horses" is a “true life novel” based on the life of the author’s grandmother, Lily, an indomitable woman with an amazing life. She grew up in a dirt poor ranching family in Texas in the early part of the 1900s when things were still primitive. She broke horses as a youngster, traveled 500 miles by horseback all by herself at age 15 to be a teacher, played a mean game of poker, learned to fly a plane, sold bootleg liquor, married twice and bore two children. And that’s not the half of...more
Walls “Half Broke” after “Glass Castle.”
Half Broke Horses by author Jeanette Walls truly is a great adventure; a great prequel to her first book, The Glass Castle, one of my favorites. This book grabbed my attention; I especially liked this book because of its connection to The Glass Castle, it continues to trace Jeanette’s roots from The Glass Castle where she explored her own childhood back to Half Broke Horses where she explored her maternal grandmother’s life. Another attention grabber was h...more
Half Broke Horses by author Jeanette Walls truly is a great adventure; a great prequel to her first book, The Glass Castle, one of my favorites. This book grabbed my attention; I especially liked this book because of its connection to The Glass Castle, it continues to trace Jeanette’s roots from The Glass Castle where she explored her own childhood back to Half Broke Horses where she explored her maternal grandmother’s life. Another attention grabber was h...more
Jeannette Walls used to be a gossip journalist, which can put you off starting to read her books. But neither Half Broke Horses, the story of her grandmother's life, nor The Glass House, the story of her own youth, contain anything gossipy. Both books are about very resilient people who show an amazing courage and determination to chance the difficult circumstances they get into. I read the Glass House first, and found it hard to understand from where a young girl drew the power to overcome the...more
I put this book down after reading the first 50 pages because I was disappointed the book was not about the author's mother, Rosemary, who was introduced in Walls' poignant and powerful first book and memoir, The Glass Castle. In this first book, the author describes growing up with a mother who put her children in dangerous and/or high-risk situations in a carefree, "what will be will be" frame of mind. In writing the sequel to this disturbing story, Half Broke Horses the author seemed to skip...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lily Casey Smith | 25 | 214 | 04 mag. 12:09 | |
| Constant Reader: Half Broke Horses | 3 | 20 | 09 feb. 18:41 | |
| comparing common books | 7 | 57 | 14 apr. 19:39 |
Jeannette Walls is a writer and journalist. She was born in Phoenix, Arizona. She graduated with honors from Barnard College, the women's college affiliated with Columbia University. She published a bestselling memoir, The Glass Castle, in 2005. The book is being made into a film by Paramount.
More about Jeannette Walls...
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“Most important thing in life is learning how to fall.”
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