The Glass Castle

What an inspirational story of courage and survival from such a young age.

That this story is based on her real life is astonishing – talk about a survivor!

Authentic and well written remembrances that display rather than explain a life of resiliance.

Thanks, Jeanette Walls for providing me with a memoir about a dysfunctional childhood that I actually dislike.

I would have appreciated this book more if its author had allowed me to come to conclusions on my own rather than beating me over the head with her exposition. I know it's bad that your parents were neglectful; you don't have to show me a scene and then write several paragraphs basically just saying “Look how bad it was! That's really bad right? Super crazy bad.”

There are so many other authors than are successful with utilizing a childlike tone. I was incredibly disappointed when, after reading a book everyone had told me I would love, I felt strongly underwhelmed. This is the only book I've had the urge to sell after reading.

I don't know what to say about this book. Sometimes I really enjoyed reading it and other times I felt ambivalent toward it. The family's craziness makes for a compelling read most of the time and it works even better because the reader knows it's all true. I think I may have missed the point of this book about how family should stick together because I kept wanting to shout at the kids, “Get out and leave your crazy parents behind!” There's not a lot to like about the parents in this story, which may be part of the reason I'm not over the moon about it as many people are. I really need to care about the characters and most of the time in this case I just didn't.

I was late in coming to this book, but I'm glad I read it. The people are memorable and it is hard to believe that this truly happened in the US within the last century. Amazing story, well written, and an easy read.

I shied away from reading this book since it's been published—not entirely sure why. I suppose the synopsis of Walls' memoir never appealed to me. I decided to pick it up for the College Students Spring/Summer Challenge, and ended up loving it.

Walls has an incredible sense of captivity in her writing. As a reader, I felt entertained, worried, sad, and empowered by her siblings and her struggles at various points in the book.

An intense but wonderful book.

I picked this book up on a whim at a thrift store. Wow, am I ever glad that I did!

Opening this book instantly tosses you into the life of Jeanette Walls. Caught in a whirlwind journey through cities and states, this book carries you along to the point that you forget you are reading. I became completely immersed in Jeanette's life from the very first page.

If you enjoy good character writing, you will love this book. It isn't even just because the characters are real people. No, the way Jeanette writes her family makes you feel like you are a part of it. Some you will hate, some you will love, some you feel so horribly bad for that you want to reach into the book and give a reassuring hug. It sounds a bit cliche, but this is truly a story about rags to riches.

Jeanette Walls did not have an easy life by any means, but she was able to take what she was given and weave it into an amazing story. This book is definitely a must read!

Everyone at Villanova University (students, staff, and faculty) is reading this great book this year.

It is an extremely well written and, ultimately, uplifting non-fictional story. Despite its lack of a significant Irish influence, the story reminded me of both Frank McCourt's “Angela's Ashes” and a “Tree Grows in Brooklyn” (two of my favorites).

The mother and father figures in the story, despite their obvious character flaws and self-centeredness, had some endearing qualities that made them, somehow, very likable. Their folksy love of art (mom) and knowledge (dad) clearly had a positive influence on not just the author but also their other children. Each of their kids appeared to have developed a great passion for the both left-brain and right-brain activities and these passions helped them to overcome the challenges that their less-than-desirable upbringing provided them. Given their circumstances, the fact that all of them struggled, at least at times, in their relationships with significant others is not at all surprising.

I really enjoyed this book. The parents made me so angry, yet they were such interesting characters.

This is a good memoir but almost like driving by a really bad car wreck. You don't want to look but you do and you watch the news that night to see how things turned out. This book is sort of like that.

OMG - this is a memoir, and it is a hair-raising tale. How the children in her family survived, we will never figure out.

Wow. What a story. How do you grow up like Jeannette Walls and fit into mainstream American life? Moreover, Walls seems to have found a way to accept, even love, her mom and dad, despite their reprehensible behavior as parents, behavior that included the children going hungry, allowing relatives to molest the children, and foregoing medical care for the children's serious injuries.