Thursday, Dec 4, 2008

Book Review: The Glass Castle

The Walls Came Crumbling Down…

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For the Book Awards II Challenge, I re-read The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. I read this book earlier in the year when my sister, Terra, lent it to me. Apparently, even my brother had read it. He said it was good. OK, considering my brother mainly reads historical and political works, I’m convinced that this book is a must read. So, I read it and was blown away. I loved it. For the Book Awards II Challenge, it was a bit of a stretch for me to try to meet the 2-winners per award type category. And, when I saw The Glass Castle on there… BINGO… good excuse to re-read one of my favorites!

The Review:

Title: The Glass Castle, A Memoir

Author: Jeannette Walls

Author’s Website: N/A

Publisher: Schribner, a division of Schuster & Schuster

Publisher’s Website: Schuster & Schuster

Type: Non-fiction

Number of Pages: 288 paperback

ISBN #13: 978-0-7432-4753-5

Jeannette’s video best introduces the book to you:

This is a story of love and triumph despite the worst circumstances possible. What this family goes through, in their journey through life fraught with poverty and hunger… fear and alcoholism. In the beginning of the book, I am horrified when I read that, as a three year old, Jeannette is cooking hot dogs on the stove in her little pink dress and burns herself terribly. As a mother, I shout aloud to this book, “WHAT?!?” In any event, that’s just the beginning of the atrocities that these poor children endure due to their parents’ choices.

Jeannette Walls

This family lives a life on the road, running from the law, from poverty, and from a “normal life.” Even when they get a fair chance at living a decent life, they hap-hazardously leave their home and belongings behind due to their father’s insistence. The dynamic between Jeannette’s mother and father is unlike anything I’ve ever heard of. It makes me look at the fine line between genius and insanity. To look at the picture of Jeannette’s parents in the front of the book, you would imagine a life of “normalcy.” NOT AT ALL.

There are several lump-in-the-throat, hard-to-swallow events in Jeannette’s story and it seems that the story just keeps getting worse and worse. But, it isn’t the string of events that makes this a beautiful story, it’s the way in which the children faced them and dealt with them (well, her sister is an exception towards the end). By the end of the book, I hated the parents for making the choices they did and hurting their children to that degree. Despite everything the children endured, they each found a way out of their poor living conditions in West Virginia and made it to New York… one at a time. I just kept hoping that they would be free of the madness of their parents in New York and start good, new lives. But, their parents follow them there and live as homeless people to be near them.

The ending of this story, if you haven’t read it… it a true piece of disbelief! I still shake my head and can’t believe what these parents put their kids through knowing what I know at the end of the book. All I can say is that, IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK… READ IT IMMEDIATELY! Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. Immediately READ. You will be engrossed and unable to put this book down. You will feel so grateful for your childhood that you’ll find it hard to ever complain about it again.

Sher’s “Out of Ten” Scale:

So, if you’ve read up to this point, I bet you know what I am going to say… I am giving it a 10 out of 10! And, if you’ve never read it…. and you do read it as a result of reading this review, you must email me so we can chat about some of the components of the book, especially the lot foundation section of the book!

On the Library Thing & Amazon.Com Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Where To Buy The Book:

Click here to purchase this book for $10.20 at Amazon.Com

9 Comments

| Posted in Books Books Books

9 Responses

Kathy

December 4th, 2008 at 5:00 am

I loved this book, too! I was amazed at the Wall children.
Lisamm

December 4th, 2008 at 9:09 am

I read this a few years ago. It was hard to read. The hot dog scene hit home with me because my kids were about 5 and 6 when I read it and there ain’t no way they were going to be cooking hot dogs over an open flame on the stove at that age. I don’t know how Jeanette and her siblings were able to survive and even thrive with a childhood like that. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, I suppose.
Lisa

December 4th, 2008 at 1:29 pm

OMG – how have I overlooked this book??? I never knew what this book was about until watching the video on you blog. I MUST read this book and soon. I loved your review.
Aunt Terra ;)

December 4th, 2008 at 5:48 pm

What’s so wrong with children cooking hot dogs on the stove? I’m teaching Aaron to do it and he’s just 3 months … he’s very advanced

Anyway, love this book … I read it in just a few hours. One of my all-time faves!
Anna

December 5th, 2008 at 7:02 am

Sounds like an interesting read, and your review makes me want to grab a copy right now just to find out what happens at the end!
Shana @ Literarily

December 5th, 2008 at 7:18 pm

This is an INCREDIBLE book! Once I started it and read in a few chapters I COULD NOT put it down! Anna & Lisa – you’ve got to read this one!!!
Moosekahl

March 3rd, 2009 at 3:09 pm

Man…I’m glad Kelly posted about this contest. The Glass Castle has been on my list to read for a while but as I read your review I realize how I need to look at the challenges in my life more like that of a child to find the answers.
Mark W

March 6th, 2009 at 7:38 pm

I am most interested in The Glass Castle
Ramya

April 15th, 2009 at 11:40 am

I am going to read this book soon. Yours is the second powerful review I have read of this book and it has made me want to pick it up soon! I’ll come back here once I am done with the book and let you know what I thought of it!