The Glass Castle

A Memoir

By: Jeannette Walls

Narrated by: Jeannette Walls

Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly.

Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict". Cooking a meal that would be consumed in 15 minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.

Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town - and the family - Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.

What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.

For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story. A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the writer John Taylor.

©2005 Jeannette Walls (P)2010 Simon and Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

"Jeannette Walls has carved a story with precision and grace out of one of the most chaotic, heartbreaking childhoods ever to be set down on the page. This deeply affecting memoir is a triumph in every possible way, and it does what all good books should: it affirms our faith in the human spirit." (Dani Shapiro, author of Family History)

" The Glass Castle is the saga of the restless, indomitable Walls family, led by a grand eccentric and his tempestuous artist wife. Jeannette Walls has survived poverty, fires, and near starvation to triumph. She has written this amazing tale with honesty and love." (Patricia Bosworth, author of Anything Your Little Heart Desires and Diane Arbus: A Biography)

"Just read the first pages of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, and I defy you not to go on. It's funny and sad and quirky and loving. I was incredibly touched by it." (Dominick Dunne, author of The Way We Lived Then: Recollections of a Well-Known Name Dropper)

so sad and such a triumph

first, I would like to honor the author for the courage and dignity she displayed in narrating her life story. I was proud of her for sharing these really difficult feelings and truths with us and to criticize her delivery in any way is shameful. I wonder, could any one of us do better? I cried more than once as I learned what her family went through. a terrible and beautiful story of a family facing poverty due to alcoholism and mental illness and how the children overcame the odds.

The incredible adversity that Jeanette and her three siblings endured

Beautifully written story with such matter of factness and clarity. I wouldn't have minded if the sections about the profound abuse and neglect were a little shorter in total. but all in all it was a really wonderful piece of work and a courageous autobiography.

Captivating

It felt like you were there the whole time. I enjoyed the arc of the parents and how it brought you into the present.

Like peeping through your fingers at a car wreck

The Glass Castle is the remarkable tale of Jeannette Walls growing up with her whacky parents. It is such an entertaining, outrageous story that it is hard to believe. Assuming that it is true, Walls' youth certainly provides some framework of appreciation for me as I look back at my "boring", stable family. If it is all hyperbole, then it is an inventive memoir of a highly dysfunctional family. Either way, it is a very entertaining listen.

Pathetic child rearing.

I found this book so very sad, that the parents in this true story were so self absorbed and neglected their children so horrifically. The children still loved the parents, and it made me so furious, especially at the mother. But it is well written, and very thoughtful, and as tough as the circumstances were in these lives, I still really enjoyed the book.

amazing memoir

loved it easy to follow and an amazing story highly recommend would read it again!

Great story, bad reader

How did the narrator detract from the book?

This is such a wonderful story, the reader didn't bring any personality to the characters and had the horrible habit of dropping her voice a the end of each sentence. It was so irritating I stopped listening for a couple of weeks but the story lured me back.

Nicely Writen

Jeanette Walls by most accounts had a hard upbringing. She tells her story with vivid details to bring you into her world. Great book of reminders how fortunate you are with the little or abundance of things. And in the end, all that matters is family.

A heart wrenching read

What made the experience of listening to The Glass Castle the most enjoyable?

The way it comes to live and you can see the places and experience unfold in front of you.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Glass Castle?

When she Jeannette falls out of the car and sits my the road waiting for her father and mother to come back to pick her up.

What does Jeannette Walls bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The true emotion behind the words from a first person prospective.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A look inside a dysfunctional life.

Outstanding

What made the experience of listening to The Glass Castle the most enjoyable?

Walls told her story without any rancour or bitterness, in spite of the horrific circumstances of her childhood. I found it riveting.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely!

Any additional comments?

Her depiction of her parents evoked unexpected sympathy for them, even while the reader/listener is horrified and outraged by their irresponsibility.