I loved this book. I am not normally a reader and I picked up this book while I was traveling and even after the trip I couldn't put it down. I was shocked when it kept my attention through the whole book. It is a great life story.

Jeannett Walls lived a horrendous life and is such a strong and interesting person because of this. She had the courage to put her story on paper and share it. Wow. How sad it is to read these other reviews of people that have obviously lived with blinders on . How dare anybody question her story. Are these questioning reviewers in belief that no child in America lives with crazy parents? What I thought was so awesome about Jeannette's story is that she wrote it even though there are such judgemental people in this world such as these non-believing reviewers! Jeannette is truly a hero for this.

I read THE GLASS CASTLE recently recomended by a friend and was a little hesitant about reading it as it was hard for me to get in to but its message is important and truly I believe captivates courage and survival. Pick it up today if you haven't already.

I don't like reading. It is usually an assignment. There was only one other book besides "The Glass Castle" that I was able to read cover to cover and that was "The Color Purple" (twenty-something years ago).

The Glass Castle is pure pathos but told in a NON-woes-me way. The narrator doesn't wallow in self-pity, she tells/shows a good story.

This story moves. It doesn't sit and describe the sky for three pages. It really is a story, even if it wasn't true I'd still read it because this woman can write!

I know I am only but 13 yrs. old but this book is wonderful. If you haven't read this book you have to! All of my teachers are begging me to let them borrow this book you have to read it.

I read many many books and this book hit so close to home - I could not put it down. Growing up in a similar family environment allowed me to understand why she wrote the book. Jeanette and her siblings deal with issues which we had to deal with, and in similar ways. The story about her father disappearing for days at a time, and little or no food in the house. She tells the truth, but brings the humour into it. When I speak with some of my siblings now about the past - we usually find ways to laugh about certain situations.

I couldn’t put this book down and read it cover to cover in one sitting. I noticed that several reviewers questioned whether it really was a true story, but coming from a dysfunctional family myself, it had the ring of truth to me. It gave what I thought was a perfect description of a belligerent alcoholic husband, with a depressed wife who found her selfish husband exciting. I’ve known several intelligent college-educated homeless people, and they are not too different from the parents in this story. Amazingly, children from dysfunctional families such as this sometimes come out a lot better than you might think. The key seems to be whether they felt loved by their parents, even if they had to take charge at an early age, and put up with considerable embarrassment.

This book was recommended reading for a literary class my wife is taking, and she loaned it to me, knowing I would appreciate it. I’m going to recommend it to all my friends.

Jeanette Walls and her brother and sister Lori are prime examples of the adages, "life is what you make it" and "it's not what happens to you, its how you deal with it". The strength, character and determination to build a better life for themselves is beyond inspiring. I admire the fact that she was able to unravel this story with little bitterness and the ability to find something good in each of her parents, merited or not. Without that, it would have been just another tale of abuse and neglect, that we've all heard before. Her's is a story of alcoholism, neglect, mental illness, yet also of adventure, genius, gumption, tenacity and love. As I read the last page, I found myself wanting to know more, and hoping the best for Maureen.