From the Bookshelf of Reading with Style…

The Glass Castle

Jeannette Walls

Start date: September 1, 2013

Finish date: November 30, 2013

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What Members Thought

Aug 21, 2009 Juniper rated it did not like it

Shelves: in-person-book-club, effing-awful, memoir

I know I'm in the minority here but I just didn't latch onto this book the way many others have. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 24, 2011 Emily rated it liked it

The author has an amazing perspective of her life! She manages to make a childhood most would describe as miserable and horrific sound almost...fun...sometimes. I feel ashamed that I was unaware people actually lived like that. Her narrative challenged my view on homelessness and the reasons some people become homeless.
I really enjoyed reading this book, (in one day while I was home sick), and would recommend it to anyone who is becoming too comfortable taking a suburban, middle-class life for g ...more

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Apr 13, 2019 Bucket rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed, parents-affecting-children, culture, bio-auto-bio, non-fiction

Fascinating and really well-written memoir. Immersion in the characters was easy, and it's clear that the author took the time to come to terms with her childhood before endeavoring to write about it. She describes her parents with both honesty and respect -- showing their incredible faults and the traumas they put their children through while also recognizing the good times. This allows us to experience life along with Jeannette as she grows up, to see her early fierce love for her family that ...more

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Dec 28, 2010 Mary Beth rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow...that was emotional. I finished the book much more quickly than I had original thought I would, probably because of how emotionally involved I became. I just couldn't help but think of how glad I was not to be raised in the manner in which Jeannette Walls was raised, and yet I'm sure it made her the incredibly strong and talented individual she is today. Now, I need to get her next book.... ...more

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Jan 30, 2014 Joy rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction, 4-star, 2014, memoir

Although there are many poignant scenes that can be difficult to read, The Glass Castle is ultimately an engrossing memoir of a volatile and complicated family told with frankness and compassion.

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