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Book Review of The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle
The Glass Castle
Author: Jeannette Walls
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Book Type: Paperback
doryfish77 avatar reviewed on + 7 more book reviews


The Glass Castle is a captivating story of abject poverty, adventure, and survival. Jeannette Walls beautifully and simplistically shares the story of her childhood with an alcoholic father and a mother uninterested in playing the role of mother.

The Glass Castle definitely has its share of heartbreak as the reader gets a glimpse into the life of a family living a life of extreme poverty. But there is so much about this story that is more than just the story of a poor family struggling to survive. At times as I was reading the story, I felt such admiration for the lessons that Rex and Rose Mary Walls taught their children and the experiences they gave them. Certainly this is not a childhood that I would wish for, but amidst the addiction, unemployment, starvation, and often the hopelessness of this family there is a beauty in the journey.

The story is bittersweet; it ends well for some members of the Walls family, and sadly for some others. While at times during the book I wanted to scream at Rex and Rose Mary for their actions, at others times I wanted to applaud them. The story is tragic and troubling, but also triumphant. Definitely read this one.