The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle by
Jeanette Walls
5/5 Stars

The Glass Castle is the moving portrait of a broken family. The Walls family is constantly on the move, from the deserts of Arizona to the hills of West Virginia, with no apparent rhyme or reason.

Both parents seem more focused on themselves than their family. The cabinets are always empty, the house cold, and the children left to fend for themselves. Walls eventually manages to escape the confines of her family and find a home in New York.

I have to say that, although I enjoyed reading The Glass Castle, I found it to be very disturbing. As a mother myself, I found it difficult view a dysfunctional family, from a child’s point of view. I have to tell you that there were times when I found myself yelling (out loud) at that mother, kind of like my husband when he's watching a football game.

In the end, Walls and her siblings begin their own lives and learn to accept the living conditions their parents have chosen. While no one’s childhood is perfect, this book is a dramatic glimpse into circumstances that few of us will ever have to experience.