Tolog Review: The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle
by Jeannette Walls
reviewed by Clare Grimes

The Glass Castle is a very challenging book to read. It made me laugh, cry, feel sad and be amazed. The story is about a dysfunctional family that faces many hardships. The Walls family, with three children, finds it extremely difficult to get by and get along. Jeannette, the middle child, is the author who narrates to us the difficulties they had to face. The children love their parents and go where life leads them, though. The parents try to care for their children, but it is hard for the father to find steady work. So, they move around a lot. They move in the middle of the night to avoid the authorities if necessary. The father is smart and an inventor, but is really a dreamer, hoping to make it rich. Sometimes, the father will disappear for days at a time, and comes back with a new plan for survival. However, he drinks a lot and becomes mean. The mother is an artist and tries to help support the family by selling her paintings. She loves her husband, and is just as odd, but the children love their parents no matter what, and are really full of hope. The mother’s mother is tough and doesn’t understand why her daughter stays with that “no-good” husband. This book is amazing and shows examples of courage, love, and hope. Jeannette describes incredible situations that the family has to endure. I don’t think I could go through what she describes, but family is the most important thing. But, they remain a family through it all, or do they. There are a lot of lessons to learn.