The Glass Castle in Crazy Challenge Connection

Jan 19, 2019 Emily rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own-kindle, pages-200-299, cover-white, characters-j, year-2006, characters-w, cover-woman, award-nominee, title-g, genre-autobiography

This is the story of Jeannette Walls and the life she lived under two parents who were not the best parents. The story I found hard to read because of the situations the children were put in. The writing was frenetic at times as it jumped from situation to situation. Interesting memoir but it is a really sad one.

3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 11, 2011 Kirby rated it it was amazing

Just as hauntingly beautiful the second time around.

2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 23, 2017 Diana S rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2017

3.5 stars ***

2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 19, 2011 Jessie Marie rated it it was amazing

Among the first lines of The Glass Castle: "I was on fire. It's my earliest memory." There is no metaphor to be taken from that. When Jeannette was just three years old, she was cooking hot dogs for herself and ended up burning her side pretty severely. At the hospital, a nurse introduced Jeannette to chewing gum for the first time; her mother scolded her and the nurses, claiming she was the one to decide how Jeannette was raised. After a few short days in the hospital, her dad "did the skedaddl Among the first lines of The Glass Castle: "I was on fire. It's my earliest memory." There is no metaphor to be taken from that. When Jeannette was just three years old, she was cooking hot dogs for herself and ended up burning her side pretty severely. At the hospital, a nurse introduced Jeannette to chewing gum for the first time; her mother scolded her and the nurses, claiming she was the one to decide how Jeannette was raised. After a few short days in the hospital, her dad "did the skedaddle" with her and whisked her away from the hospital. This is just a taste of her parents.

Jeannette's parents are a classic case of "never should have been allowed to procreate". But they did, five times, one of which died shortly after her birth. Rose Mary Walls was a free-spirit, so to speak. She valued painting more than anything. She was a self-proclaimed "excitement addict" and had no shame or qualms against living in squalor, nor to subjecting her children to the same living conditions. Jeannette's father, Rex Walls, loved Jeannette more than anything. And extremely smart, in his own way. But he was incredibly flawed. A drunk who lied to and manipulated his family for his next drink. A master with words to make one think things are better than they were.

Even through describing her life, her situation, Jeannette never faltered in her love and caring for her parents, however messed up they were. And it wasn't out of naiveté or misconception. She simply understood that they were who they were and as her parents, she loved them unconditionally. Meanwhile, I was screaming bloody murder at them to wake up and smell the stink.

What I appreciated most about this memoir is the extent of Jeannette's memories. I mean, it's astounding what she's remembered from a childhood most of us would seek narcotics and hypnotism to block out. Being burned at just three years old by cooking hot dogs. A rock collection her father made her leave behind in one of the many towns they left. What she was thinking and feeling when she was so young and bouncing from desert town to desert town.

The story is a heartbreaker, to be sure. You know that her father loves her but it's such a messed up situation that you can't help but hate him. And her mother, too. And society for not stepping in to make it better for she and her siblings. But it's also a story of hope. Because even though Jeannette endured all of that, survived all of that, she and her siblings got out. For the most part, they broke the circle and succeeded. All four of them managed to find their way, sanely, into this world and make normal lives for themselves. The story is sad and depressing and generally uplifting. I closed the last page with a happy sigh, knowing that not only Jeannette will be alright, but so will the rest of us.

5 / 5 Stars ...more

Like · see review

Sep 15, 2011 Myriam rated it it was amazing

It was an awsome book

Like · see review

Apr 27, 2013 Colleen rated it really liked it

Shelves: drama

A more enjoyable story than a dysfunctional family should be. I liked how despite the neglect and addiction issues, you could tell she still loved her family.

Like · see review

Mar 23, 2019 Anita Reads rated it it was ok

Shelves: dnf-books, storytel, non-fiction, read-2019

I decided to DNF this about 65% in. I feel like there were so many bad messages from this book, and I just couldn't listen to it any more. Sorry. ...more

Like · see review