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The Glass Castle: A Memoir
 
 
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The Glass Castle: A Memoir (Paperback)

by Jeannette Walls (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 16.50
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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Freelance writer Walls doesn't pull her punches. She opens her memoir by describing looking out the window of her taxi, wondering if she's "overdressed for the evening" and spotting her mother on the sidewalk, "rooting through a Dumpster." Walls's parents—just two of the unforgettable characters in this excellent, unusual book—were a matched pair of eccentrics, and raising four children didn't conventionalize either of them. Her father was a self-taught man, a would-be inventor who could stay longer at a poker table than at most jobs and had "a little bit of a drinking situation," as her mother put it. With a fantastic storytelling knack, Walls describes her artist mom's great gift for rationalizing. Apartment walls so thin they heard all their neighbors? What a bonus—they'd "pick up a little Spanish without even studying." Why feed their pets? They'd be helping them "by not allowing them to become dependent." While Walls's father's version of Christmas presents—walking each child into the Arizona desert at night and letting each one claim a star—was delightful, he wasn't so dear when he stole the kids' hard-earned savings to go on a bender. The Walls children learned to support themselves, eating out of trashcans at school or painting their skin so the holes in their pants didn't show. Buck-toothed Jeannette even tried making her own braces when she heard what orthodontia cost. One by one, each child escaped to New York City. Still, it wasn't long before their parents appeared on their doorsteps. "Why not?" Mom said. "Being homeless is an adventure."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


From AudioFile

This memoir opens with a scene of Jeannette's homeless mother rooting through garbage cans. Jeannette, on her way to a society dinner, catches sight of her and hopes her mother doesn't see her. In her memoir, freelance writer Jeannette Walls tells of being raised by a father who drifted from town to town, picking up work or gambling their meager savings away, and an artist mother who went along for the ride. Walls and her three siblings grew up in poverty, without social norms. Yet Jeannette climbed out of this life and into a successful career in New York City. Julia Gibson's narration is straightforward and replete with the crude language that Walls's father taught all his children. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
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Customer Reviews

85 Reviews
5 star:
 (74)
4 star:
 (8)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (85 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars People who live in certain houses . .., Jul 11 2007
By P.C. (Wallingford) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
Of the three incredibly entertaining and uplifting reads I've recently come across, THE GLASS CASTLE was by far the best. Second place goes to MIDDLESEX by Eugenides and third to BARK OF THE DOGWOOD. I enjoyed reading in GLASS CASTLE about the child's father, as a good man. He bought new bicycles for his children and took them to the zoo. He also developed a love of learning in his children. Wells writes very vividly about what it felt like sleeping in cardboard boxes, looking though trash cans and dumpsters for food and eating nothing but popcorn for many days. She also lived in a house with no electricity or indoor plumbing. She developed a sense of resourcefulness of being so poor. She made her own set of braces to straighten out of coat hangers and rubber bands. She also took a job at the age of 13 at a jewerly store to help make ends meet. Wells discovers a love of journalism in high school which became one of the turning points in her life. Her love of writing led to a career as a journalist in New York City. Jeannette Walls has worked hard to achieve the life she now has. The Glass Castle is a touching, inspirational, entertaining memoir of a courageous successful woman, but try it for yourself! Also highly recommended: MIDDLESEX by Eugenides and WHITE OLEANDER.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A top-notch memoir, Aug 6 2007
By Brown Sugar (Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
I have always enjoyed memoirs and have read several that were quite memorable, but "The Glass Castle" tops them all. I started the book in the afternoon and had it finished within a few hours because I simply could not put it down for any length of time. Besides having led an extraordinary life, Jeannette Walls has an impeccable way with words. She evoked frustration, shock, joy, and anger in me through recounting the often bizarre circumstances of her past, but she never evokes or encourages pity at any time throughout the book. I felt satisfied when I came to the end of "The Glass Castle", which doesn't happen very often and is a real treat. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read, regardless of whether or not you enjoy memoirs.
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14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars What am I missing?, Aug 29 2008
By Samantha "Critical Reader" (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
I was astounded while reading this book that the reviews were so good. I found it rang false, not because I thought she was lying or exaggerating, but because there was something missing. Accepting one's upbringing as dysfunctional and coming to terms with it is healthy. But this didn't feel healthy to me. It seemed almost romanticized, like her life was a character-building lark. Somebody's in denial: perhaps it's me, since I'm so entirely outnumbered.
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Spell Binding

I just loved this book and could not put the book down until it was finsihed. I gave it to my daughter, my mother and my sister and purchased one for a very dear friend... Read more
Published 10 days ago by V. Bloom

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Read
I could not put this book down. I have always enjoyed memoirs and this was no exception, very well written and beautiful. Read more
Published 24 days ago by Northern Reader

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy and interesting read
Very interesting book. It made me appreciate the upbringing I received. It touched my heart and I was surprised of how lightly a very serious matter was approached.
Published 1 month ago by Chrissy G

4.0 out of 5 stars An unfiltered view of poverty.
Jeannette Walls does an excellent job of describing her family and the struggles they lived through. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Nicholas Blanchette

4.0 out of 5 stars A great story.
A very well written story that details a very difficult life. My only issue was how frustrated I would get at times---which would force me to put the book down and take a break... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Tea Bee

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read.
I read this book through, then went back to page one and started again. I just wasn't ready to put it down. Read more
Published 3 months ago by D. McFadden

3.0 out of 5 stars Reads like a novel....
Although I stayed engrossed in the story....I have a hard time believing much of it. The author claims to remember things as a wee tyke... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Aunt Nan

5.0 out of 5 stars Hooray for Jeannette Walls!
In the past two months, I have read two extremely good memoirs dealing with abject poverty and irresponsible, incompetent parents: The Glass Castle and Twopence to Cross the... Read more
Published 4 months ago by K. White

5.0 out of 5 stars UNBELIEVABLE!
Typically someone that does not reads memoirs, I was completely compelled into reading this book cover to cover once I started it. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Concrete Cate

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous
An absolutely wonderful read. I didn't skip a single word - although
I did skip a couple of appointments so I wouldn't have to stop reading.
Published 6 months ago by Sylvia Holt

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