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Emily May's Reviews > The Glass Castle
The Glass Castle
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Now I get why people like this memoir so much.
Though it is a memoir and a true story, both the writing style and the way Walls reminisces about her childhood make it seem like more of a fairy tale. My favourite non-fiction books are those that don't lose the compelling flow of a good fiction book - that still pull you into another world and life, dragging you along for the ride. This is one of those.
I especially liked reading about Walls' complex and conflicting thoughts about her parents and childhood. When she's writing about her youth, she writes with the rose-tinted glasses of a young girl who loves her family; as she grows, she begins to see the shadows of reality creeping in - her father's alcoholism, her mother's selfish behaviour, the lack of food in the cupboards as a parental failure and not a normality.
And, through it all, she still loves her parents. She remembers her father as an intelligent man full of fantastical stories, and her mother as a spirited artist. It's interesting, though, how differently I felt toward them.
Normally, a convincing story has me feeling the same way as the narrator, but even though I could understand Walls's love for her parents, I despised them for being selfish and neglectful. I hated them for allowing a 3 year old to use the stove (and cause herself serious burns). I felt extreme anger, not love and understanding, towards them.
But that's not a criticism. The Glass Castle is a beautifully-written, emotional read. A true bildungsroman, full of dark and happy times.
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Though it is a memoir and a true story, both the writing style and the way Walls reminisces about her childhood make it seem like more of a fairy tale. My favourite non-fiction books are those that don't lose the compelling flow of a good fiction book - that still pull you into another world and life, dragging you along for the ride. This is one of those.
I especially liked reading about Walls' complex and conflicting thoughts about her parents and childhood. When she's writing about her youth, she writes with the rose-tinted glasses of a young girl who loves her family; as she grows, she begins to see the shadows of reality creeping in - her father's alcoholism, her mother's selfish behaviour, the lack of food in the cupboards as a parental failure and not a normality.
And, through it all, she still loves her parents. She remembers her father as an intelligent man full of fantastical stories, and her mother as a spirited artist. It's interesting, though, how differently I felt toward them.
Normally, a convincing story has me feeling the same way as the narrator, but even though I could understand Walls's love for her parents, I despised them for being selfish and neglectful. I hated them for allowing a 3 year old to use the stove (and cause herself serious burns). I felt extreme anger, not love and understanding, towards them.
But that's not a criticism. The Glass Castle is a beautifully-written, emotional read. A true bildungsroman, full of dark and happy times.
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Reading Progress
March 17, 2016
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March 28, 2016
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March 28, 2016
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Mike
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rated it 5 stars
Mar 30, 2016 02:41PM
Excellent review, Emily. Glad you found a chance to tackle this one. It's a book I've been able to lend and discuss in amazement with others.
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One of my all-time favorites. Glad you liked it. I found the writing so beautiful.
Absolutely love this book. Read it in high school in 11th grade.. My English Teacher though it would be a lot easier for us to read this book and understand it than to read The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
I read it a few years ago and absolutely loved it :)
I felt the exact same way by the end.
I have to read this for school this summer and now I'm excited!
So glad you have made the acquaintance of this fine book! Great review. The parents were irresponsible, detachedly neglectful, and lost in a reality of addiction � but they were never intentionally malicious or sadisitically cruel to the kids. Somehow, the story of the haze of neglect and poverty in Jeanette Walls' hands did not make me cringe; the hardship they experienced was tragic, but they were not hated. That small saving grace comes through in this lovely memoir, a favourite of mine too.
Wonderful book! I am from West Virginia so a lot of the places she wrote about I am familiar with. I had the same reaction to her parents as you (along with almost everyone else in my 12th grade English class).
This book is fantastic, glad you liked it
Reading this book felt much like rubbernecking at the scene of an accident. And though it made me terribly angry at times, it's definitely one of my favorite reads!
They've made a movie of this, it's supposedly coming out soon.
Wonderful review Em! I've been looking Non-fiction books to read that will not bored me so much, thank you for this!
One of my absolute favorites. Good review! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
im reading it and i like it so far, i can't believe the awesome parenting in this book.
Great review Emily! I've always wanted to read this one. :)
If you haven't already, I absolutely reccomend reading Felicia Days's memoir, You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost).
Dani wrote: "If you haven't already, I absolutely reccomend reading Felicia Days's memoir, You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)."I've heard good things about it! What did you like about it? Is it funny?
Yes! I actually loved it very much. Felicia's personality shines through it in very very much and she had a quirky childhood so it makes for a very fun read.
You captured exactly how I felt about this book... and my feelings about her parents!
I read it a year or so ago and I could hardly put it down. It made me cry at times. I enjoyed it as I know how children love their parents in spite of their flaws and they survive becoming strong. This story was a great example of that fact.
Yep, I'm with you re being angrier with the parents than the author seems to be. I loved the book though.
Thank you for your review! I read this book about 4 years ago and really liked it but remembered it as more of a "how not to parent" book and being blown away by the selfishness. When I saw the trailers for the movie making it out to be a tale of family togetherness and inspiration I thought maybe I completely missed the point of his book. Thanks for reassuring me I'm not crazy.
Totally agree with you!
As for Jeannette Walls "The Glass Castle", I am 74 years-old. I have not read this book yet. Is it a book just for teens or intended for adults as well? Marilyn Diamond
Author of "A New Way of Eating, FIT FOR LIFE, Eating for Life (kindle) FITONICS for Life, YOUNG FOR LIFE and coming in early 2018 CONVERSATIONS FOR A SIMPLE INDIAN BOY ".
I agree about the parents. I really enjoyed the story so far but the parents are like crazy.
I'm so glad that you really enjoyed this book Emily May. It wasn't my favorite bio I've ever read but it did paint a picture..
Well said! I also loved the perspective changes as she grew up and realized how other families operated!
I felt the same way. I’ve read 75% of it, and I’m angry and disgusted with her parents. It’s not my favorite memoir, but it does paint a story of a childhood. Actually, I think it disturbs me so much because I know too many of these stories.
It does feel like a fairy tale now that you mention it; one that only gets more twisted as it goes. Great review.
I felt the same way as well. The selfishness of the mom was unbelievable. Saying that she took care of her kids and now it was time to take care of herself was so untrue! She never took care of her kids. I felt the mom was sicker than the dad. She should have protected her kids from the drunk. She did not have the excuse like many women that they couldn't support themselves, she could have.
Excellent review - I felt exactly all of what you described!
I loved your review. You see, Jeannette loves her parents, despise it all. It is left to us readers to loathe, question and even hate them at full, since she is unable to (a bit of Stockholm syndrome maybe, after all, they're her parents!).
What a perfect review! How could anyone read this book and not feel anger at Jeannette’s mother and father? And yet, at the same time love them. This book is a roller coaster of emotions, made even more difficult to process just by the fact that the story is true.
I loved that these children were raised with such a keen sense of adventure; ability of self protection and survival; were given the opportunity to explore and develop their talents with no restraint; and yet, despised the fact that to do these things also put them always at risk and in harms way.
You nailed it! Even in the fog of addiction,how can parents fail to protect their little children? The beautiful writing keeps the story flowing thru the painful parts and finds some relief in humor in there , too. I read this holding my jaw closed.
After reading the reviews, I don’t want to read this book, no matter how cleverly written. Sometimes we simply have to call out evil for what it is. The author sounds very manipulative, which is perhaps a survival school, presenting the narrative and letting the reader judge so she doesn’t have to.
Emily you really nailed this review.
Perfectly observed. I agree completely.
It is a very sad story with a happy ending for the author. If you want raw truth and stories or human survival read this book. I won’t recommend it. I finished it but I guess if you want to see how small children survive then read it. The protective system failed them. Their parents failed them. I have observed that no matter the failure children crave the love and attention of their parents.
Terrific review- this entices me even more strongly to read this book.
Vasia - I'm gonna guess yes. I'm currently reading Half Broke Horses, the novel/memoir that tells of the mother's mother, Lily, who at times triggered anger for me and caused thoughts of my own childhood, and that book is far milder than what this one seems to be. If you have experiences of neglectful parenting, I could see this book being very difficult if you're not yet ready to feel those emotions in the broad light of day.
I love your review !! You put words I felt but could not say!!
great review - couldn’t have said it better.
I agree with you about despising the parents. They I think I hated the Mom more than the Dad, honestly. It seemed like Dad actually loved his children and there were periods where he tried to be better for them. Mom was just selfish, lazy and full of excuses. Like, keeping a 2 carat diamond ring when you don't have food or electricity or running water?
One of my favorite books ever!
I’m now required to read this for 9th grade Honours Lit. I wasn’t sure how I would like it since I didn’t quite enjoy the other she selected for us. I now feel that I’ll enjoy this one. Thanks for your review, it was amazing. :)
@vasia, yes it can be quite triggering at times. if you’re sensitive to acholism, sexual assault, and things of that sort then it may be a hard book to read. but personally i don’t think it should stop you from reading the book- it’s super super good.
