Now a major motion picture from Lionsgate starring Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson, and Naomi Watts. MORE THAN SEVEN YEARS ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST The perennially bestselling, 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, … 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.
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This is by far one of my favorite books. It really drew me in knowing it was a memoir. The eccentric lives the parents lived and brought the kids along was amazing and disturbing at the same time. Knowing the author rose above some horrible situations and used her experiences to deal with it through her writing, was great. I loved how in the end …
Jeannette Walls is an honest person, I think. The Glass Castle is an unabashed retelling of a childhood so unorthodox that it nearly defies description. Yet she does describe it. Exactly as it was. I get no sense that the truth has been sanitized or embellished. There is no self pity here, even when it would certainly be excusable. This book …
The Glass Castle was an incredible true story of how Jeanette Walls grew up. I loved how she described her relationship with her dad, mom and siblings. I felt as if I was traveling with her as she moved from place to place and survived such poverty and yet managed a successful education and success in her future.
Truly an inspiring book.
I read this book when it first came out, and some of the images author Jeannette Walls describes still resonate with me – the resourcefulness of the children trying to find food, the house in Appalachia that was barely a house, believing in the dreams of the mercurial father until you can’t believe them anymore. Walls shows how our early lives …
What happens when one is raised by mentally ill parents? This was the first book of three that I read that told the tragic story of what happens to the children of mentally ill, alcoholic and devastatingly poor parents. Newer books include: Educated and Hillbilly Elegy. All three books to haunt you and raise the questions of what can be done.
The Glass Castle is one of my all time favorite reads.
I recall reading an interview where Jeanette Walls said you become an adult when you accept that your parents are human. In her memoir I can feel her acceptance as she shares the disfunction of her childhood. Her story is painfully honest yet loving. This book is inspiring!
Amazing. I figured this would be a good memoir with unique stories but boy what an understatement. Even though this is written from one person’s perspective, I truly felt empathy for each person and I cried for the last 20 pages of the book. I don’t know what more to say than, everyone should read this book. I’m so grateful my dear friend …
I love Jeannette Walls books. The Glass Castle grabbed me in the first paragraph. It testifies of the strenght of the human spirit to not only survive, but thrive.
Beautifully written. Very original. I have read and re-read this book and will read anything else the author writes. She is outstanding.
This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Although it is a memoir, it reads like compelling literary fiction. Those are my favorite books. Ms. Walls has succeeded in crafting from her childhood memories the evocation of determined resilience in the face of abject poverty. It is highly readable and entertaining, and I can’t recommend …
Walls’ memoir of her childhood is fascinating in its exposition of how truly dysfunctional a family can be, and an impressive illustration of the principle that some people are simply not meant to be parents. Rose Mary Walls is one of the more self-absorbed characters I’ve run across – while in her mind she appears to honestly believe she is …
This is one of the best books I have ever read. I can’t believe it is a true story. How these children survived is amazing. I can’t wait to read her other books. She is an amazing author.
What a book. I normally read fiction but this book was as good or better than any story an author could make up. It’s about how Ms. Walls grew up — her tough childhood and screwy parents. For me, it was a page-turner and I came to love this woman for having survived and for going on to write this strange and gripping tale.
Brilliant detailing of her very unusual childhood. Couldn’t put it down.
I loved this book. It is a memoir of a tragic, difficult, chaotic childhood, of a girl who grew up to be herself after fighting her way through two odd and wayward parents. Very well written.
One of the most moving and unforgettable memoirs I’ve read, about probably the most dysfunctional family I’ve encountered. The success of the story is due to the author’s voice and style of writing – matter-of-fact and clear-eyed, without a trace of self-pity or bitterness. She doesn’t overdo the emotion, which would be easy to do in this sort of …
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It is a memoir and I never knew people lived like this. It was just fascinating to me.
Great book. Great writing. I read the book and now I’m going to watch the movie.
This is one of my all favorite books. Couldn’t put it down.