What readers think of The Glass Castle, plus links to write your own review.

This book was a very sad and well-written book! NICE!

I was disappointed that this book did not seem to go beyond the point that some kids have incredibly rough childhoods and some actually can end up rising above it. Common theme, written admirably and notably by many well known, and highly esteemed authors - of which category I would not include this author. Like other reviewers, I question the embellishment of this author's tale and fail to the see the literary value or intimacy in her writing of it.

I'm sorry, but there is NO way this book is a memoir! I'm about 3/4 of the way through it and am only finishing it because I'm so far into it. The stories, while vivid and incredible are too insane to believe. Making her own braces? C'mom!

I think the thing that makes it difficult for me to believe is the fact that any of those children are SANE! And she is a wealthy writer. The kind of abuse/neglect she supposedly endured is the very thing that serial killers are made from.

I look for someone to expose this as an embellishment (like A Million Little Pieces). It is just too hard to believe!

The book was way too repetitive. Yes, her parents sucked, yes, her life was bad. A lot of people have bad lives. I understand that her father is an alcoholic and she could only rely on her brother and sisters and she's probably scarred for life but things turned out well for her in the end. Here's a secret... it's okay not to always have blind faith in your father. Fathers aren't superheroes, they're human like anybody else. I had to annotate this book for class and honestly, I didn't annotate much because you could see everything coming or it was typical. Only read this book if you like hearing the same things page after page after page.

The one book review makes very good points on the fact that no one can possibly remember the entire conversation from when they were younger. Also some of the parts were too far out to even believe. This book too me is a pretty good story, but that is all it is. It is a story not a biography. Its story like many of defying some pretty tough odds.

Admittedly, the story is interesting enough to hold my attention throughout, but seriously. Seriously? The writing itself is puerile, and I keep coming across both logical and grammatical errors.

Is this what publishing and authorship has fallen to? Scribner's, the company that published Hemingway and Fitzgerald? For shame.

In 5 years, I haven't read a book that disappointed me in the that way The Glass Castle has.

I worked for too many years with abused, neglected or just pitifully poor children to accept this story as truth. is there any documentation or reaction from real people who did experience the Wells family??? My dog has written a tremendous autobiography that I will sell to those that rated this book as a other than a SCAM. Please go out and meet some real people that live in dysfunctional families; read them Wells story, while they are living it!! I can NOT resist.... I bet you that those of you that loved this book, are all for spreading democracy (by whatever means) in Iraq!! sorry for that deviation, but go meet some kids whose parents are NOT parenting, and help them.

I recently read this book as part of my pre-college "required reading." My final words? AWFUL. Sorry folks, but if you're looking for an uplifiting, inspiring read, this book is NOT it. I was disappointed and angered as I read about the horrid refusal of Walls' parents to comfort and provide for their children.

I will grant that Walls is certainly a good writer. She has the ability to infuse her account with chilling detail. However, my question is: What good does it do us to read her story? Yes, she may have learned some valuable lessons from her traumatic life...but at what cost?

Though it certainly doesn't hold any punches on the nitty-gritty-ness of Walls' life, The Glass Castle seems to subtly hold up such a life as ironically admirable...as if surviving these things (and subsequently writing about them) is ultimately glamorous. News flash for Walls: It isn't.