The Glass Castle is a heart-rending memoir with as much gravitas as the ancient classics. Jeannette captures the essence of childhood memory perfectly; unsentimental, forgiving and metered by raw, unconditional love.

I enjoyed Walls' witty writing style and can empathize with her upbringing, but it made me feel a little uneasy at times. I guess books like this – aka "the author takes a crappy childhood and turns into a work of art" genre – make me feel a little icky. I'm glad she was able to express herself – it just feels weird to celebrate someone's misery.

Never taking my childhood for granted again.

Had to read for class so.. idk lol it was a fine memoir

Still can’t get over the plot twists after plot twists that can occur in the author’s life. It’s all the more shocking because they’re facts as she knows it. The Glass Castle started with Jeanette Walls’s childhood that is very much like a fantasy to me. Stargazing, engaging conversation with parents about science, exploring the woods, nomadic life, everything romantic and dreamy about childhood for me was there. Then she broke out of her rosy childish eyes and saw that her family’s verily a hot mess. The sparkle of life she learned from her father stemmed from obsession. Her mother’s gaiety is toxic and irresponsible. The children had to fend for themselves, rummaging for rotten food and whatnot. Honestly, I can’t believe what I read half of the time. Yet it is so so human as much as it is shocking. Jeanette Walls was smart, tenacious, and just like any of us, desperate to live. I root for her so hard it’s very touching to see her fighting her way out of the hell-hole. This book is also about family. It’s relatable in the most vulnerable way. I honestly didn’t expect what I got when I opened the book. The Glass Castle was an experience.

Goddamnit I’m a sucker for memoirs

The Glass Castle" captivates with its grim tale of neglect and hardship, but falters on flat characters. Jeannette narrates her horrifying childhood with an unnerving emotional detachment, never digging into her own flaws or offering insight. This one-dimensional storytelling, though undeniably compelling, manipulates readers through shock value rather than genuine character development. Three stars for the gripping story, zero for the shallow heroine.

An amazing story teller, gave me a new perspective on people's pasts

An unbelievable story, an even more unbelievable memoir.

Jeannette Walls's storytelling made this read compelling; I didn't want to put the book down. The family shocked me in more ways than I could have expected, with both the parent's unique beliefs and the kids' amazing resiliency. At first, I didn't know how to feel about the parents. Then, I progressively became more and more frustrated with them. It wasn't until the very end that I learned to accept them for their ways. But the most fascinating thing about the story for me was the kids. They were so strong, taking initiative when their parents couldn't—or wouldn't.

touching, intriguing memoir.

Such a captivating story!!

wow. what a life. I recommend everyone read this

This book tells us if you wait and work hard, you will get what you want in life. I thought this book was enlightening. I loved the writing style and just Jeannette Walls' remarkable story.

An emotional read that left me bawling. The depictions of the mom and dad hit home hard. Their different parenting styles had differing effects on each of their kids. This is an unforgettable memoir that tugs at the heartstrings. It is a story of hope, forgiveness, and the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

so good but also so heartbreaking. made me feel so many emotions. we are all a product of the way we grow up, whether we decide to be nothing like our parents or exactly like them, no matter what we learn from our childhood we are shaped by it.

read for school. the pace was really slow for me but it was good nonetheless.

More coherent review to come tomorrow but my immediate thoughts after finishing this book: wow, that was one exciting ride. there truly wasn't a dull moment in that whole account. the writing was mature, elegant, and transparent. I liked that, despite this being a memoir, there were very few sentences that began with "I think" or "I felt" type sentiments. all Jeannette did was describe her childhood and the hurdles that made her who she is today. it gives the reader a chance to feel uncomfortable, appalled, sentimental, or disgusted without Walls's perspective/bias clouding their vision. so, that being said, is this the most interesting memoir I've read? Yes, probably. Did I particularly like it? No, not always. While I will always acknowledge talented writing and artistic storytelling, Jeannette Walls's memoir crossed a line of reality that made me incredibly uncomfortable. I saw parallels between this book and the fictional novel by Betty smith, a tree grows in Brooklyn, early on. But Walls's life may be a little too harrowing and vivid for my liking. Like many, I read to escape my life and bury myself in the drama and problems of another person. This was a little too much though. I'm so so so thrilled for Jeanette's happily ever after but I can see why she would evade questions about her family or childhood at a black tie event or formal dinner - it's just awkward and uncomfortable. Not because I'm judging her for having such a background, but because it is literally IMPOSSIBLE not to judge her parents. I mean, WTF. It amazes me that people like that exist. Selfish, ignorant, careless PARENTS who are blessed with not one or two but even FOUR children and can't be bothered to really love them the way they want and need to be loved. It just blows my mind. And this is just me ranting away at midnight as I just finished this book but I'm just frustrated and confused and also strangely happy for them (esp Brian!!) all at the same time. maybe I just need to sleep on it. so goodnight for now. also I just want to add that this is a book that is so easy to read and fast paced - but at the same time, the subject matter is heavy and I found myself wanting and needing to take breaks bc i was feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. it only took me 2 days to read this memoir that's under 300 pages but I swear I felt like I had been reading it for at least a week.

Like Room, a child doesn't know what is wrong with a situation if they don't have knowledge of anything else.

The Glass Castle is a tale of hardship, self-sufficiency, and resilience that is deeply moving. At points, the prose became repetitive since Walls' matter-of-fact style simply lays out the plot without much commentary, opinion, or explanation common to memoirs. However, Walls is able to draw just enough engaging insights and create strong emotions before my attention tapered off. And perhaps the narration of such disturbing and harrowing memories requires a degree of rigidity and objectiveness to be fully potent. The complex dynamics within the family, especially between parents and children, both stirred frustrations and empathy throughout my reading. I sometimes questioned the non-fiction nature of the book--some details seemed too wild to be true. But ultimately, this is a non-sympathy-seeking and honest telling about the Great American dream, adapting to change, and the intricacies of human relationships.

Talk about trauma

read for school not my usual type of book but i surprisingly enjoyed reading it

*3.5

such a captivating book. i could pick it up at literally any given moment and be completely absorbed within 10 seconds. highly recommend if you’re looking for something fast paced to get out of a reading slump