The Glass Castle is a captivating memoir of endurance and transformation, offering a candid glimpse into a family that is both deeply flawed and uniquely engaging. Sober, Jeannette's father was a brilliant and charismatic teacher, instilling in his children a love for physics, geology, and living life boldly. However, under the influence, he became deceitful and harmful. Their mother was a free-spirited individual who disliked the idea of a conventional home life and shied away from parental responsibilities. The Walls siblings learned to care for themselves, supporting each other in finding their way to New York. Their parents, despite their children's success, chose to remain homeless. The Glass Castle is truly astonishing, a memoir filled with the intense love of a unique yet devoted family.
Before finishing this, I gave it five stars — right out of the gate. Her story is unbelievable and infuriating at times. But love is love. It doesn’t always make sense. It doesn’t need to make sense to anyone really but the people involved. I remember hearing about Walls writing this book when she was working at New York Mag or Esquire decades ago. I’ve waited a long time to read it. Well worth the wait!
One of the better books I’ve read. Having a hard time putting my finger on exactly what I liked about it, but I think it starts with Jeanette Walls’ strong voice and storytelling skills. Not only was her life unique, but the style of her writing was as well.