The Glass Castle Jeanette Walls

As Francine Prose, writing for the New York Times Book Review put it, what is best about this memoir is the author’s “deceptive ease with which she makes us see just how she and her siblings were convinced that their turbulent life was a glorious adventure.”

Another reviewer, Helen Ubinas, writing for the Hartford Courant, praises Walls’s objective style, stating that it is easy “to admire the deft way she [Walls] sidesteps the sappy and/or searing pitfalls of memoir writing to present a clear sometimes hysterical, sometimes heartbreaking account of a family that in many ways defies definition.”

Kathleen Parker, writing for the Charleston Daily Mail in West Virginia found reasons to praise Walls’s strength and courage to write this memoir. Parker writes, “Her book is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, the power of forgiveness.” Many critics agree. The stories that Walls recounts are difficult to believe. But as Olivia Glazebrook, writing for the London Spectator, puts it: “[The Glass Castle] is full of astonishing episodes, but the book is a success beyond its ability to shock.”

The Glass Castle – Jeanette Walls

Directions: Express your sincere frank reaction to Jeanette Walls’s memoir The Glass Castle. As you record your reaction, consider the following critics’ comments. Respond to one or more of the critics’ comments. You may agree, disagree, or tangentially discuss something not directly addressed by the critics. Reponses must be candid.

As Francine Prose, writing for the New York Times Book Review put it, what is best about this memoir is the author’s “deceptive ease with which she makes us see just how she and her siblings were convinced that their turbulent life was a glorious adventure.”

Another reviewer, Helen Ubinas, writing for the Hartford Courant, praises Walls’s objective style, stating that it is easy “to admire the deft way she [Walls] sidesteps the sappy and/or searing pitfalls of memoir writing to present a clear sometimes hysterical, sometimes heartbreaking account of a family that in many ways defies definition.”

Kathleen Parker, writing for the Charleston Daily Mail in West Virginia found reasons to praise Walls’s strength and courage to write this memoir. Parker writes, “Her book is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, the power of forgiveness.” Many critics agree. The stories that Walls recounts are difficult to believe. But as Olivia Glazebrook, writing for the London Spectator, puts it: “[The Glass Castle] is full of astonishing episodes, but the book is a success beyond its ability to shock.”