Holy. Freakin'. Crap

I planned on writing some light hearted banter about how I would subject my ungrateful kids to this during family reading hour but after having such trouble stomaching what this woman went through, to do so would be completely unwarranted.

And they call this YA? What's happened in the last 25 years that made society believe that our kids could handle this? I just finished The Book Thief and had drawn a similar conclusion. What happened to the Judy Blumes and S.E. Hintons? Ponyboy may have had it rough, but he always had food in his gut. Are we secure enough with our kids maturity to put this on them?

I'm not speaking of censorship. God No, But, I'm not sure I'd be running out to the nearest Borders to fill my kids Christmas Stockings with these either.

The theme/metaphor of The Glass Castle plays heavy throughout the book (as well it should) and shows how unstable such a concept can be. I was particularly impressed with the image of filling the foundation of said Castle with garbage when it began to overtake their W. Virginia hovel.

I know that there's been many a discussion on how/if Jeannette Walls may have embellished this memoir ala Augusten Burroughs, but I have to say that as insane as some of these scenes may be, I do know people who have had similar childhoods. In fact, I wonder if there's some sort of lunatic handbook out there to direct the crazies to raise their kids ('Popcorn is a good substitute for meals', 'it's okay to let your kids go to school with one pair of pants for the entire year', 'moving is healthy'). I do have to wonder if 'intelligent crazy' is better than 'lunatic crazy' or if only the justifications are. I for one, do not believe that Ms. Walls would put out there for the entire world that she found her mother dumpster diving on Park Avenue and then proceed to hit the talk show circuit with such tales.

In consideration of others, I think it's nice that this book was so straight-forwardly written, but at the same time, that's what made it very boring to me. I had a hard time visualizing anything because description of such was limited, and there was a lot of slang I didn't get.

There were some really striking scenes in here, but after the first few, they got old. The scene I liked best was when Jeanette's father gives her Venus for Christmas.

I really didn't like the tone of voice in this whole book, because it was like priding the mishaps, and boasting how much suffering this family went through. I think the events of this are enough for that; the language doesn't need to dramatize it. Like someone else has mentioned, it makes me wonder what the purpose of this story is. It just seems like empty egotism in the end. The whole strange positive, casual attitude negates whatever it could have been.

Mostly I had read this story because it made me curious...and I'm very weak to curiousity. I don't know what else would make me read it. The actual story of these people is unbelievable, but not well put.

Who here has seen the show Shameless? (I am thinking of the American version, but I know there is a British one, too, that it is based on.) To me, that show could have been inspired by this memoir. Frank Gallagher and Rex Walls are the same guy!



I enjoyed all the vignettes from Jeannette Walls' life. She did a great job throwing them all together to create a story even without a specific plot. I am not sure that any of the stories lasted more than a few pages, but each one of them was interesting and important in its own way.

I listened to the book and it was great because it was was read by the author. I think that this is how all audio memoirs should be. Also, I thought it was interesting that although some of the stories made me want to reach through the speaker and shake her parents, she told the story without any positive or negative inflection. It was like she was saying, "here is my story, you decide how you want to be affected by it."

I believe that most people will enjoy this book. Some might be frustrated. Others might be brought to tears. But, in the end, I think there is a little something for everyone here.

I was totally captivated by this tale of how a young girl survived a childhood of grinding poverty and neglect brought on by her "free-spirited" parents. The stories Walls tells—from being given the planet Venus by her father one Christmas to her family's frequent, middle-of-the-night escapes from bill collectors—were incredibly compelling, if not always easy to read. While Walls does a good job of highlighting the affection and intellectual support she got from her oddball family, it was my desire to know how she managed to escape the insanity of her circumstances that kept me reading through many moments of pure heartbreak.

What impressed me the most about this book was how the author was able to tell these stories without any trace of self-pity. At first, it bothered me that Walls shared so little of her own feelings about the events she experienced. But as I got further into the book, I realized that this left space for me to react to her parent's egregious behavior with a rage that drew me far more into the story than I might have otherwise chosen to go. I came away from the book inspired by her scrappy determination and ingenuity, and incredibly grateful I didn't grow up having to scrounge for food in the trash.

Oh my... This book made me an emotional wreck.

Spectacularly written, and flowed like a magical broken story.

It was extremely insightful into the homeless epidemic and how many people either choose or refuse to escape the "freedom" of living without ties.

It was wonderful to see the parents through Jeanette's eyes, but as a mom, I wanted to punch both of them in the face quite a few times, and it just wasn't fair for the children to be treated in certain ways.

I did find myself agreeing with some of her parents' philosophies and that there is a LOT to learning how to live life through one's own eyes. It was so hard to see them build themselves up SO many times and then literally throw it all away. TO have SO many chances and opportunities was so hard to bear. No matter their flaws and extreme faults, you can't say that the parents did NOT love their children, even if they did it in a severely broken stained glass window sort of way.

Definitely worth the read, and I just heard there is a second book that I will definitely be picking up!

A million stars!!! I LOVED this book! I wish I had had non stop uninterrupted hours to devour this book but I also didn't want it to end. I loved the family dynamics. What a unique bunch of people! The writing is simple and incredibly accessible so you felt really at home reading along. I actually had times where I felt envious of this nomadic carefree life that it had me rethinking my life of conventional suburban living. Made me think what a sheltered (boring?) life I've led lol. I love a book that takes me out of my comfort zone and gives me a unique and different perspective on life.

It's about a family who turn being poor (and boy I mean POOR!) and spin it into an adventure, they stick to their own values and don't care about conventions and fitting in. Although the parents are incredibly flawed many times clearly negligent, you also believed they loved each other immensely. The mum always optimistic and seeing the sunny side of life under the worst conditions was borderline psychotic not to mention criminal but still I loved all her crazy antics. The father always running away so he avoids paying bills and running from bad debts always doing the skedaddle made me laugh out loud many times. This was sad, funny (so funny!!) disturbing and a heck of a fun entertaining book full of whacky and colourful characters that you soon won't forget. I was amazed at the author's positive determination and resilience, she hardly ever had a bad word to say about her family other than to describe the scene. She never allowed her situation to dampen her outlook on life if anything it made her a more compassionate human being. What an admirable lady who deserves every success in life, she really is the definition of a rags to riches story and I loved every moment of this book. One of my favourite memoirs of all time!

What a WILDDD ride! I listened to this one on audio and hearing Jeannette narrate her life was truly jaw-dropping. I was SO angry at the parents so many times, but talk about a family of resilience! Another great memoir in the books!
*also decided to not give star ratings to memoirs anymore, who am i to judge what someone else has gone through!*

Vou sentir saudades desta família, de todos eles, até mesmo do Rex.
São leituras assim que me recordam porque gosto de pegar num livro e ler!
Umas vezes sou levada para sítios, situações e personagens completamente desconhecidas que desejaria viver e conhecer, outras vezes deparo-me com situações e personagens que me relembram o que quero esquecer...
Jannette Walls, obrigado pelo testemunho e coragem, conseguir superar não é fácil, mas admitir e contar, também não...
Ainda existem muitos "castelos de vidro" que podem facilmente desabar, ou até, nunca conhecer o brilho do sol...

Opinião aqui: https://baudatanocas.blogs.sapo.pt/o-...

This isn’t a book I would ever pick up but I’m so happy I did.
It’s beautiful and sad and can make you angry all at the same time.
Although Jeannette’s parents loved their kids, they had their challenges that always created barriers that didn’t need to be there. It could be frustrating and my heart broke for these kids who could have used a lot more stability and responsibility from their parents who didn’t always put them first.
A very unique memoir and unlike anything I have read before!
4.5⭐️ rounding up

I really enjoyed this book but man did it make me angry. Angry that the system failed the Author and her siblings. They were neglected, abused, malnurished, etc. I can't believe the hospital and/or their schools did not call child protective services and remove them from the care of their parents. In light of their upbrining the 2 of the siblings go on to have successful lives. The youngest stabbed the Mother so I can't really call her successful. Such a sad way be raised. I actually feel quilty for saying I enjoyed this book. I equate it to slowing down to look at an accident.

I’ve discovered that I have a thing for memoirs about wild, unbelievably difficult childhoods and the children who grow up to overcome them. Educated was one of my favorite books of 2019, and I quite honestly didn’t expect to find anything else in its genre to rival it, especially not so soon. The Glass Castle, which is kind of the OG of the rough childhood, pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps type of memoir, proved to be just as compelling as Educated. I don’t know why I put off reading it for so long, as I’ve owned a copy for years. Whatever led to that wait, I’m so glad that the wait is over. The Glass Castle was brilliant and beautiful and made me incredibly thankful for the type of upbringing I had and the parents who raised me.

“I lived in a world that at any moment could erupt into fire. It was the sort of knowledge that kept you on your toes.”

Jeannette Walls is a wonderful writer, and the story she told was an instance of truth being stranger than fiction. Not only can I not imagine living the life she lived as a child, I can’t fathom how her parents were able to get away with “raising” their children that way without Social Services ever really getting involved. I’ve heard of cases where children were separated from loving parents for next to no reason, and of children being given back to parents who neglect and abuse them time and time again by the powers-that-be. It’s why Chris and I decided that we couldn’t handle being foster parents. The fact that the type of rampant neglect that was Jeannette’s and her siblings’ way of life can go unchecked is absolutely appalling. Imagine having a mother who wants to do nothing but make her art and be left alone, a father who drinks away any little bit of money the family earns or finds, and never knowing where you and your three siblings will get your next meal, and how long you’ll have to go hungry. That level of selfishness among people who decide to reproduce infuriates me like nothing else on the planet.

“I wanted to let the world know that no one had a perfect life, that even the people who seemed to have it all had their secrets.”

And yet, Jeannette always loved, and still loves, her family. Warts and all. There is this loyalty that was bred into her that I respect more than I can express. The fact that she and her siblings managed to escape the squalor in which they grew up and make something of their lives is incredibly impressive. But the love she maintained for the parents who let their kids starve instead of growing up and being responsible enough to take care of those they brought into the world is what really shines through in this book. All the way through, you can feel how much Jeannette truly loves her father, especially. No matter what he does, no matter how often they find themselves living in terrible conditions and going without basic necessities and food and he was to blame, her love for her father never dimmed. Her trust in him might have eroded, but not her his hold on her heart.

“You should never hate anyone, even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You have to find the redeeming quality and love the person for that.”

The Glass Castle is a true story that is equal parts horrifying and beautiful. If you ever need to be reminded that life could always be worse, read this book. And if you ever need to be reminded of the resilience of the human spirit, and our ability to overcome even the craziest of obstacles, read this book.

“Things usually work out in the end."
"What if they don't?"
"That just means you haven't come to the end yet.”

You can find  this review and more at Novel Notions.

Okay, I originally gave this one star but then had to go back and re-rate it to a two b/c I surprised a couple of you guys and in my impulsive way, I realized perhaps one star was a bit too knee jerk.

It's not that I hated The Glass Castle, it's just that it irritated me with its self-conscious narrative style. Too much "look at how horrible things were!" and not enough detail or challenges to make me really care.

The same stories are told and re-told throughout the memoir novel, and they rely too much on symbolism for my taste. I don't know how many times The Glass Castle is mentioned, but it was clear enough the first time we're told about it. Yes, I get it. Pretty shiny vulnerable fragile fortress - drunk father whose fantasies are selfish and unstable. Mother who's out to lunch. No money - just imaginations. Okay. Got it.

Then, before we really have connected to any of the characters in their youth, we fast forward to today's NYC in which lo and behold, the storyteller is a successful writer. Gag.

Basically, this book is a pale imitation of The Liar's Club. Karr's book is a jump off a cliff into a bravely realized memoir with enormous depth in the details, not to mention the writer's conflicted feelings about the meaning of father, of mother, of family, of self. By being so specific about her life and her family's life, Karr touches us deeply about family and self, too.

Walls had an interesting life, but the story reads like someone else's family's trip. So that's why I'm giving it a 2. :)