great book

[olivia]

I just finished this book and loved it. It is similiar in a way to Angela's Ashes, which I also loved.

It's amazing how both Frank McCourt and Jeanette Walls have become who they are today with what that had to deal with as children.

[Meredith]

I recently read this book. It was very good. I have not read Angela's Ashes so I cannot speak to the similarities between the two. As I was reading this I was reminded of Bastard Out of Carolina. Dorothy Allison also fits that category of an extraordinary person who overcame a harsh childhood.

Jeannette Walls writes with amazing compassion for her family. People who have survived less haven't come out of it with such grace.

[M]

I have had several students read this book as well as friends and family. It is moving, profound, an amazing read and ultimately uplifting in a surprising and meaningful way.

[Joy]

I really enjoyed this book--however I was underwhelmed with Frank McCourt's memoirs.

[Rosa]

I've read both Angela's Ashes and Glass Castle (will be reading Bastard out of Carolina soon I hope). And I did see the simiarities between the books...though Angela's Ashes seemed to grab and hold my attention better than Castle did. Both are extraordinary writers and story tellers.

[Clare]

What I found really amazing about this book is the completely non-judgemental way Jeannette Walls told the story. I also thought it was a beautifully written book.

[Tiffany]

This was a great read. Really makes you appreciate what you have. I passed it on to my mother to read.

[Diane]

My book club read it, and now it is on my Favorites shelf. In spite of the childhood Jeanette Walls had, she was able to tell her story in a tasteful manner (unlike Running With Scissors which i found cheap and tasteless and couldn't even get throught it). No matter how "off" her parents were, and in spite of the life they led and the squalor in which they lived, they never deserted their children....this book was unforgettable.

[Kathy]

I agree completely.

[Elana]

At times while reading this book, I was reminded of Running with Scissors, but as others have said above, Walls' grace and non-judgmental style put her book in an entirely different category. She tells her story even better than a reporter would (no doubt due to her experience as a journalist!) - she writes as if she is watching it from a distance. I found that I sometimes felt that she was too distant, but I imagine that is the best way to live to tell this kind of story and continue to survive.

[Alonna]

Glass Castle is so good I haven't put a detailed review up yet--because there are too many sparkling details to whittle down to a short blurb. I loved her honesty. I could relate.

[Joclyn]

It's been a while sense I've read "Glass Castles" and even longer sense I've read "Angela's Ashes", I can see why Olvia made the comparison of the two books. The difference is Frank McCourt came from a life of true poverty, Jeanette Wells came from disfunctual parents which choose to live in poverty.