Half Broke Horses

A True-Life Novel

By: Jeannette Walls

Narrated by: Jeannette Walls

Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

2010 Audie Award Finalist for Narration by the Author

Jeannette Walls's memoir The Glass Castle was "nothing short of spectacular" ( Entertainment Weekly). Now, in Half Broke Horses, she brings us the story of her grandmother, told in a first-person voice that is authentic, irresistible, and triumphant.

"Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did." So begins the story of Lily Casey Smith, Jeannette Walls's no nonsense, resourceful, and spectacularly compelling grandmother. By age six, Lily was helping her father break horses. At 15, she left home to teach in a frontier town - riding 500 miles on her pony, alone, to get to her job. She learned to drive a car ("I loved cars even more than I loved horses. They didn't need to be fed if they weren't working, and they didn't leave big piles of manure all over the place") and fly a plane. And, with her husband Jim, she ran a vast ranch in Arizona. She raised two children, one of whom is Jeannette's memorable mother, Rosemary Smith Walls, unforgettably portrayed in The Glass Castle.

Lily survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. She bristled at prejudice of all kinds -- against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn't fit the mold. Rosemary Smith Walls always told Jeannette that she was like her grandmother, and in this true-life novel, Jeannette Walls channels that kindred spirit.

Half Broke Horses is Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults, as riveting and dramatic as Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa or Beryl Markham's West with the Night. Destined to become a classic, it will transfix audiences everywhere.

©2009 Jeanette Walls (P)2009 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"Lily Casey Smith is one astonishing woman...a half-broke horse herself who's clearly passed on her best traits to her granddaughter. Told in a natural, offhand voice that is utterly enthralling, this is essential reading for anyone who loves good fiction." ( Library Journal)

Prequel to Glass Castles

What did you like best about Half Broke Horses? What did you like least?

I'm not certain I would have liked this book as a stand alone, but it was wonderful to learn about the author's mother. When I read Glass Castles, I didn't understand how her parents could behave the way they did.

Would you recommend Half Broke Horses to your friends? Why or why not?

I would only recommend Half Broke Horses to my friends who have read Glass Castles.

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

I think the author's accent made all the difference, after all, it is about her grandmother.

Do you think Half Broke Horses needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

It has a follow-up book, Glass Castles.

A great story that is well written.

I enjoyed reading this not so long ago history of a great lady. Enjoy this story.

Super engaging

This story was so rich and engaging. I felt like I was learning and I was taken to a place and time long ago. I liked it even more knowing that this was the author’s grandmother’s story, even though she couldn’t corroborate every detail. I wanted to meet Lily, and learn from her. Well done again, Ms.Walls!!

Another GREAT book!

I could not stop listrning to this audiobook! I fell in love with the main character Lily, a true woman who wasnt afraid to get dirty or tell it like it was!

Great story

My kind of people, so I loved this book! I wish I had the pleasure of knowing the subject.

What a book. What a story. What a woman.

The world could use more folks like
Lilly and Big Jim. Good honest tough folks with the will to live the good life as they saw it.

Loved Ms. Walls Memoir So Much More

This book was an interesting read (or listen) because of the fortitude of the main character. It was also historically interesting, in terms of the dynamic of the TX, AZ and NM land over the last century or so. I just couldn't help to compare it to the real, heart-wrenching story of the author and her own memoirs. They were so real, so sad, and so loving. I yearned for more detail about Jeanette's mother, Rosemary, and an explanation of how her childhood formulated her into the kind of drifting mother she was. I never quite found it. Also, would have really enjoyed another narrator. Ms. Walls read more with factually than perhaps someone who was reading the text to whom it was more novel.

Very Engaging

This is very much worth a listen. I recently finished "Glass Castle" and wanted more. Although not an immediate tie in with GC, this story seems to easily relate to GC since you know you are finding out about Wall's grandmother - and the prime influence on her mother. Helps to make sense out of GC if that is of interest to you. If not, it is still an interesting story of a tough and self-reliant woman making a go of it in the early 1900's in Arizona and New Mexico.

Entertaining and inspiring!

I thought this was a great audiobook! I found Jeannette Walls' narration very strong. Her depiction in first person of her grandmother was fascinating. It's a great profile of a tough, incredibly innovative, goal-oriented woman who serves as an amazing role model, even for women today. By the way, I earlier read (not listened) to The Glass Castle. I found Half Broke Horses a terrific follow up.

Great Book

I loved this book and have recommended it to everyone. It is a must read/listen. I am glad I picked this one first and now listening to "The Glass Castle"