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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Just finished this on audiobook. Review coming shortly on Goodreads. I like to read a Banned Book during Banned Books Week, keeps me honest. This is this year’s offering. Take your Prozac.
Fabulous book..I was distraught as I read about this family’s lifestyle but marveled at the resiliency and ultimate success of the kids. The author’s love for her family was evident in her writing, even in light of what she and her siblings endured. A thought-provoking and wonderful read.
This book came highly recommended so I made the plunge. While it was fantastically written, there were some instances where I felt I was reading fiction and not a memoir. I’m not saying anything other than the average three year old is incapable of describing events and then remembering them decades later with such accuracy .
I love memoirs, and this is a great one. A fascinating look at poverty, mental illness, addiction, and the power of family.
I have read this book probably four times. It is my favorite book of all time. I love books of resilience and this book fits that theme perfectly. Everyone should read this in my opinion.
This was a wonderful read, and also heartbreaking to hear of all that Jeanette went through as a child. It builds compassion for those who just need a break in life.
This book is funny and has a lot of great stories, but many, many times I had to set the book down and ask, “Did that really just happen?” There’s a lot to think about as to families, upbringing, personality, and environment.
The way that everything is portrayed, the feeling of being in the story and not wanting to end.
This book has the reader realizing how strong a person can become even after facing some of the worst days.
This account of growing up in a family (which disfunction doesn’t even begin to describe) was riveting and filled with feeling grief for the loss of her childhood and happiness for her ability to claw her way to a better life. So inspiring, especially knowing it was not fiction!
I thought this was an amazing autobiographical book. The way that Jeanette grew up make her professional and personal accomplishments absolutely amazing. I would highly recommend this book.
Tragic
Well-written compelling story – you just NEED to read on.
Getting old – these rags,poverty, abuse, deprivation to riches stories. This was an early one. Became a not well promoted not very successful movie. I enjoyed it.
Unbelievable story. Very inspirational.
I love memoirs and this one did not disappoint. Incredibly painful but hopeful to see the author overcome difficult obstacles from her childhood
Great book!
Experiencing life with the author’s family, we see a peak of our own dysfunction, perhaps.
I hated the druggie,irresponsible parents.
This is the true story of probably the most disfunctional family I’ve ever encountered either on the page or in person. It’s told by one of the sisters and, as the book goes on, it’s a wonder that any of the children survived, let alone turned out normal. This book is hard to read because it pulls no punches in describing what alcoholism and …