The Glass Castle is the story of Jeannette Walls and her family. Constantly short on cash and food, the family lives a nomadic lifestyle. For the first part of Jeannette’s life, her family lives in various mining towns on the West Coast. As Jeannette grew in these towns so did her imagination; she was enchanted by nature and the fantasies her father dreamt up for her and her siblings. Life in the desert ends when Rex 's alcoholism worsens; they leave the desert and relocate to Welch, West Virginia, the town where Rex grew up. Life in Welch is completely different than life in the desert. From their arrival, the Wells are eager to leave. Eventually, circumstances become so awful that the children come to the conclusion that they must leave their parents in order to have stability. Lori and Jeannette set their …show more content…
The memoir has a linear structure, going chronologically through her life. I felt like I was definitely more interested in her story as it went farther along, however there was never a spot where I wanted to stop reading. Her teenage years and on were quite gripping, seeing her coming into her own as a young woman while trying to keep the family together emotionally and economically. I cringed at times, and at others I was truly inspired by her unconditional love for her family even when they treated her so poorly. As the reader you can really see the strength she gained as a child and it inspires. The fact that she can walk away from all those terrible experiences with love for her parents is incredible. Another thing I loved about this book is how it represents her parents, with all their faults, and their poor mentality, at its worst, without anger, or really any judgment, just with the love. If she had been bitter in her description it would not have been as amazing. This memoir was written with forgiveness making me respect her for not only surviving such a strange childhood to become a successful, but for being able to view her past with