In 'The Glass Castle,' Jeannette Walls recounts her unconventional upbringing in a deeply dysfunctional family led by her eccentric, free-spirited parents. Through poignant anecdotes, she unveils a childhood of poverty, neglect, and resilience, navigating the complexities of love and loyalty. As she examines the impact of her parents' decisions, Walls confronts the fine line between admiration and disdain. The narrative transforms trauma into triumph, all while revealing the complexities of human relationships. This memoir invites readers to question the meaning of home and the true definition of success.
By Jeannette Walls
Published: 2006
"Life is not a hard, concrete series of choices. It is a glass castle, full of shards reflecting light and dark, beauty and despair."
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, 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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“Life is not a hard, concrete series of choices. It is a glass castle, full of shards reflecting light and dark, beauty and despair.”
The Glass Castle
By Jeannette Walls
Discover a world of knowledge through our extensive collection of book summaries.
Jeannette Walls is an acclaimed American author and journalist, best known for her memoir 'The Glass Castle' which chronicles her unconventional and often difficult childhood. Other notable works include 'Half Broke Horses' and 'The Silver Star,' both of which showcase her distinctive storytelling and captivating narrative style. Walls' writing is characterized by its raw honesty, vivid imagery, and the ability to find beauty in hardship, drawing from her personal experiences to create compelling and relatable narratives.
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