Who Would Like This Book:
Jeannette Walls' memoir stands out for its honest, unsentimental storytelling. She recounts her incredibly unconventional, often painful childhood with remarkable clarity and without asking for sympathy. This book grips you with wild, almost unbelievable stories - adventurous nomad life, eccentric parents, poverty, and extraordinary resilience. Readers who appreciate memoirs about overcoming adversity, complex family relationships, or who loved books like 'Educated' by Tara Westover or 'Angela’s Ashes' will find this a page-turner. It’s especially resonant for those who’ve navigated their own difficult backgrounds, as well as fans of character-driven narratives with big heart and dark humor.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Some readers struggle with the emotional distance in Walls’ telling - they want more raw anger or introspection and less restraint. If you prefer memoirs that are organized, polished, or dotted with deep self-analysis, this straightforward, chronological, almost anecdotal approach may not satisfy you. Skeptics of “misery memoirs” or those who dislike reading about neglectful/abusive parents may find parts of the story frustrating or too bleak, and readers who expect validation, moral lessons, or concrete timelines/documentation might be left cold. If you strongly dislike stories about dysfunctional families or feel exhausted by tales of trauma, this may not be for you.
About:
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a memoir that delves into Walls' tumultuous childhood growing up in poverty with two unstable and neglectful parents. Walls details astounding anecdotes of her unconventional upbringing, showcasing a family that lived an offbeat, nonconformist lifestyle. The book portrays the struggles of the author and her siblings as they navigate through a challenging and unusual childhood, fending for themselves and raising each other while their parents prioritize their own desires over responsibilities.
Walls' writing style is described as compelling, emotional, and honest, drawing readers into her story with vivid descriptions and a witty voice. The book offers a window into a world that many readers may never experience, shedding light on themes of resilience, forgiveness, and love in the face of adversity. The narrative unfolds through a series of shocking and heart-wrenching events, leaving readers both saddened and inspired by the author's journey from a difficult past to an uncertain future.
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Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include neglect, alcoholism, abuse, and poverty.
From The Publisher:
MORE THAN EIGHT YEARS ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST
The extraordinary, one-of-a-kind, "nothing short of spectacular" (Entertainment Weekly) memoir from one of the world's most gifted storytellers.
The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette's brilliant and charismatic father captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want the responsibility of raising a family.
The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.
The Glass Castle is truly astonishing-a memoir permeated by the intense love of a peculiar but loyal family.
The memoir was also made into a major motion picture from Lionsgate in 2017 starring Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson, and Naomi Watts.
Ratings (489)
Incredible (107) | |
Loved It (222) | |
Liked It (106) | |
It Was OK (41) | |
Did Not Like (11) | |
Hated It (2) |
Reader Stats (849):
Read It (507) | |
Currently Reading (2) | |
Want To Read (254) | |
Did Not Finish (3) | |
Not Interested (83) |
16 comment(s)
jeannette walls is such a brilliant writer and strong person and this book is essential reading. i learned so much from this omg
A book about hardship and neglect, but written in a very upbeat and realistic tone. Was hard to put down and a very good read!
Fantastic story of overcoming a difficult childhood with eccentric and neglectful parents.
It's so hard to believe that this is someone's true stories, and I think that's what makes it such an engrossing read. Jeannette's parents managed to really piss me off most of the time, but that's life. This is the kind of book that would appeal to almost everyone, because it's real. It's the compilation of someone's real problems and real solutions. I loved it...but I was left very troubled with the idiocy of Jeannette's mother and the wonder of what happened to Maureen.
The rest of the review contains many spoilers.
After reading a lengthy online discussion (here), I found many answers and think anyone that read the book would benefit from reading the discussion as well. After reading it, I've come to a personal conclusion that Rose Mary suffers from being bi-polar, and it is a great possibility that Maureen had inherited a very similar disorder. It also didn't help that Maureen had a big age difference between her and the other kids. They got to grow up still believing in their dad and his fun adventures, whereas Maureen only knew her dad as a huge let-down.
This concludes my review. I think I may have overanalyzed this book a little, but I'm pretty sure that's okay.
It's so hard to believe that this is someone's true stories, and I think that's what makes it such an engrossing read. Jeannette's parents managed to really piss me off most of the time, but that's life. This is the kind of book that would appeal to almost everyone, because it's real. It's the compilation of someone's real problems and real solutions. I loved it...but I was left very troubled with the idiocy of Jeannette's mother and the wonder of what happened to Maureen.
The rest of the review contains many spoilers.
After reading a lengthy online discussion (here), I found many answers and think anyone that read the book would benefit from reading the discussion as well. After reading it, I've come to a personal conclusion that Rose Mary suffers from being bi-polar, and it is a great possibility that Maureen had inherited a very similar disorder. It also didn't help that Maureen had a big age difference between her and the other kids. They got to grow up still believing in their dad and his fun adventures, whereas Maureen only knew her dad as a huge let-down.
This concludes my review. I think I may have overanalyzed this book a little, but I'm pretty sure that's okay.
Pointant tale of the struggle of growing up in a household where the children are more mature then the adults and hardships that life brings as a result.
The Glass Castle is a touching heartfelt story of family and overcoming ones family.
"If you want to be treated like a mother," I said, "you should act like one."
3.5 rounded down. Very wild story being raised by a mom and dad with conflicting/interesting ideals about freedom, money, and adventure while often IMO confusing their priorities. Also the jarring writing style in the beginning of seemingly disjointed paragraphs made the book hard to get into a flow while reading.
This book is a memoir of Jeannette walls of her childhood and how she grew into what she is today.
Jeannette struggles with her parents who are unstable and unrealistic for the word parents. But they loved their kids one and the same. Jeannette had sensible siblings and some good teachers who recognised her and planted dreams in her, which made her to see her family is not normal (if u call the other households common). She tried to break this old rules (that is 'no rules') in her house and put in some discipline and failed.
But somehow her dreams made her to think that she and her siblings are supposed to leave their home to get a good life and a normal life. She helps her elder sister to go out to the city and get a new life and dreams and one by one all children follows that path to find their dreams. Yet the parents will be homeless and they enjoy their homelessness all the same.
A really amazing story of love and life
I have never been a big fan of memoirs, but this one was an excellent example of the genre. Jeannette had an interesting childhood, with parents who obviously had quite a lot of intelligence, but were incapable to living a lifestyle conducive to raising four children in any sort of stable manner. Despite this, Jeannette and her siblings somehow persevered and made their own path. Also, despite the challenges, there are examples of real love between the family members and it ended up being a bit of an inspiring tale. Plus, it shows how hard it is to set clear boundaries between ourselves and ill family members, despite knowing that it is the best route to take.
Characters
What can you read after
The Glass Castle?
About the Author:
Jeannette Walls graduated from Barnard College and was a journalist in New York. Her memoir, The Glass Castle, has been a New York Times bestseller for more than six years. She is also the author of the instant New York Times bestsellers The Silver Star and Half Broke Horses, which was named one of the ten best books of 2009 by the editors of The New York Times Book Review. Walls lives in rural Virginia with her husband, the writer John Taylor.
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