Discover Well-Read Black Girl Books and the projects reshaping publishing →

What readers think of The Glass Castle, plus links to write your own review.

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reading Guide |  Reviews |  Beyond the book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

The Glass Castle

A Memoir

by Jeannette Walls
  • Critics' Consensus (4):
  • Readers' Rating (247):
  • First Published:
  • Mar 1, 2005, 304 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Jan 2006, 304 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Reviews

Page 23 of 23
There are currently 179 reader reviews for The Glass Castle
Order Reviews by:

Write your own review!

Kathy

Glass Castle
Just finished Glass Castle, it was entertaining, funny and horrifying all at the same time. A page turner, could not put it down. I am surprised that the author cut her parents as much slack as she did but I guess it is true that blood is thicker than water. It demonstrates that one does not have to be a product of their environment. Clearly her parents were brilliant people, but there is a fine line between brilliance and insanity and this book proves it.
Darcie K

Eye-opener
I enjoyed this book so much I am having my students read it. I think it is a fascinating perspective on the homeless, and an inspiring story for those who blame their lack of success on bad luck.
C. Scott

Good book but missing something
Great read, heart-wrenching story with some useful life lessons. I thought it was very believable and applaud Jeanette Walls for having the guts to write her story. What puzzles me though is that there is not more emotion written into the story. Maybe this was by Ms. Walls's design - perhaps we were supposed to be teed up for own emotions to take over versus spoon-fed. Or did Ms. Walls not want to reveal certain aspects of her family's lives to us? Or, could it be that Ms. Walls cannot bear to bring all that pain to the surface to write about it?

I kept wanting to read HOW painful some of those horrific things were, HOW excited she was when something good happened. The other burning questions I have are: WHY were her wacko parents the way they were (obviously there was some serious mental illness and alcoholism -- was it genetic?) What was her mom's family of origin like? We know her dad's situation was pretty dysfunctional. How has this type of upbringing affected the siblings emotionally? There are obviously some positive attributes but there must be quite a bit of emotional scarring that has either been -- or is yet to be -- dealt with.

Overall, I enjoyed Ms. Walls's style of writing. However, it was a little too reporter-like and didn't have enough psycho-analysis. I would definitely recommend it though.
Win This Book
Win Theo of Golden

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

One spring morning, a stranger arrives in the small southern city of Golden. No one knows where he has come from…or why…

Enter

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
A Pair of Aces
by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray
Two women on opposite sides of the law team up to bring down gangster Lucky Luciano in this gripping novel.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket
    The Reimagining of Thornwood House
    by Jaleigh Johnson
    A witch and her ward discover a magical walking house and find the true meaning of home.
  • Book Jacket
    Somebody Worth Killing
    by Jessica Payne
    Meet Nadia Davis, loving mom, devoted wife, secret assassin… and she needs a babysitter.
  • Book Jacket
    Summer's Never Over
    by Darby Bozeman
    A woman revisits a Southern summer camp where a counselor's death may not have been an accident.
  • Book Jacket
    Feast
    by Catherine Kurtz
    In 19th-century France, a girl with a magical taste becomes a duc’s poison taster amid nobility and danger.
Book
Trivia
  • Book Trivia

    Can you name the title?

    Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

The C is A R

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.