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

It is almost impossible that a person with a childhood as yours could had the guts to see from the top of the problems... I'm impressed and ashamed for complaining about things that are not even comparable to what you lived. From the beginning to the end it captured my attention the way you see things from the perspective of the positive side, never letting go your spirit and hoping... always hoping.
I personally passed something similar with my family and it is a hard thing to go through but...well done Jenny this is an achievement personal and professional that deserves the recognition of the world.... keep writing. By the way Brian is such a grown up from the beginning that I respect him even more.

This book is very detailed and remarkable.

This book is special. It is showing a world that many are not familiar with, a first hand account of what it is really like to live and grow as "white trash". One of the things that emerge is that there is no black and white - as the mother says, no one is completely evil and that much of what happens is one's own decision and will.
The parents, who are horrible most of the time, have some qualities that are admirable. The star giving story, when the father sits down with each child and lets them chose their own star- is parenting at its best. The scene of everyone reading together with the dictionary in the middle, is a great family moment. And it is clear, that even after all the horribly, irresponsible, selfish things that the parents do, the kids still love them.
The truth is that the kids took care of each other, and the one child that fell through the cracks is Maureen, the one that lived out of the house, in friends houses, probably in better environment but without the family support.
It made me think about poverty and types of poverty, and what society can or cannot do. I would highly recommend it to young people/teenagers. I think it brings home the notion of adventure/responsibility and outcome.

I was disappointed that this book did not seem to go beyond the point that some kids have incredibly rough childhoods and some actually can end up rising above it. Common theme, written admirably and notably by many well known, and highly esteemed authors - of which category I would not include this author. Like other reviewers, I question the embellishment of this author's tale and fail to the see the literary value or intimacy in her writing of it.

This book is very confusing and have to write a page about 40 pages in the book each night.

The Glass Castle is an eye opener. It helps you realize that we have so many things in life that we don't appreciate. If you look around you there are so many objects that we do not realize that are actually there. Or maybe we do realize they are there but do not appreciate them. In this book Jeanette tells her life story & what she had through live through. Most of us had it easy as children but her life story is completely different. I am proud to say this book opened my eyes and helps me appreciate life and everything that surrounds me. I would like to thank Jeanette for writing this book, and I hope that The Glass Gastle opened your eyes as much as it did for me. I give this book 5 stars

I found myself constantly wanting to read more during The Glass Castle. It was interesting and definitely kept my attention the entire time. But at the end, I was forced to ask myself the question, "Was I only reading because I wanted something good to happen?"
The entire book you'll find yourself wanting something good to happen to the kids. You just have to wait through all the bad stuff ad finally at the end, you see that something good does come out of the story.
Even when something good happens to the kids, (like saving up money for a trip to New York), you can just anticipate that something terrible is going to happen; like the father taking their money.
It's a very sad book, probably not for the soft hearted. But in the end, you'll feel very inspired and feel grateful for the life you have, no matter the circumstances.

I thought this book was an excellent read. I have worked with abused ,neglected children,who still love their parents & will defend them. I am disappointed by the readers who don't believe parts of this story. Have you ever been to a "holler" in W Va or Ky? She painted an accurate picture & ,sadly I found it to be very believable. Good for her!