Get our Best Book Club Books of 2025 eBook!

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

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reading Guide |  Reviews |  Beyond the book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

The Glass Castle

A Memoir

by Jeannette Walls
  • Critics' Consensus (4):
  • Readers' Rating (176):
  • First Published:
  • Mar 1, 2005, 304 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Jan 2006, 304 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Reviews

Page 7 of 23
There are currently 179 reader reviews for The Glass Castle
Order Reviews by:

Write your own review!

Justine

Inspiring
Jeanette Walls is an inspiring author. She has touched my life in a way no other read has. I can relate to several of her stories, but her life seemed so much more extreme and complicated then mine ever was. So I think to myself, "What do I really have to complain about? I can free myself from this life and get away from it all and achieve so much more, just like Jeanette did." I hope so many other readers understand this logic and are able to achieve more for themselves, knowing they deserve it. Jeanette has inspired me and undoubtedly many others.
Spring Elton

Wow! We have no reason to whine about our lives
I work as a detention officer at the county jail. Everyday i listen to inmates complain about their lives. I recommend this book to them and hope that after they read it they can see that their life may not be so bad.
After I read this remarkable story I realized how good most of our childhoods have been and that no matter what the situation we can overcome it and be productive individuals. Thank you for sharing your life with all of us; I truly believe it has made me a better person.
Connie Batich

An exceptional story of an unbelievable fascinating family!
I just finished listening to "The Glass Castle" on a "playaway" (from a library). I walk 2 miles daily on a school track and so it took me maybe about 5 hours to hear the entire book. Even though your Dad, unfortunately, was a alcoholic (like my husband who died at 60 from cirrhosis of the liver), he was part of what made the story so very fascinating..Your Mom, also was a character of the first order! It was great to see her paintings..she is really GOOD! You were going to lend your Mom a million dollars to buy her share of the inherited property...How much was it really worth? And what happened eventually to Maureen. I want you to write another updated book eventually. You are an extraordinary writer..and wrote so appealingly. I hated for the story to end!
Alicia3

The Glass Castle
The Glass Castle was one of the most amazing books I have ever laid my eyes upon. Jeannette does a wonderful job portraying her family and childhood. Definitely a must read!
Maleigh

astonishing writer and person.
The book A Glass Castle made my head and heart turn & melt. What a great accomplishment Jeannette made getting out and living a successful life ((; i rate it a 10! 333Maleigh!
Christine C.

Wow
Love this book. Read in 2006. Can still open Glass Castle on any page and its like the first time.
Glenys Tilley

An amazing story
Jeannette Walls The Glass Castle, is incredulous and deeply touching. Her non-judgmental narrative protects the reader from what would be an devastatingly emotional roller coaster ride- perpetuating the view that good and bad co-exist in the human experience. It's a book that stays with you, long after the final word.
bookreader

The Glass Castle
This was one of the best books that I have ever read. It was hard to put down once I started reading it. I work in social services and it gave me a whole new outlook on life, and the patients that I deal with.

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    Real Americans
    by Rachel Khong
    From the author of Goodbye, Vitamin, a novel exploring family, identity, and the shaping of destiny.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    The Seven O'Clock Club
    by Amelia Ireland

    Four strangers join an experimental treatment to heal broken hearts in Amelia Ireland's heartfelt debut novel.

  • Book Jacket

    The Fairbanks Four
    by Brian Patrick O’Donoghue

    One murder, four guilty convictions, and a community determined to find justice.

  • Book Jacket

    One Death at a Time
    by Abbi Waxman

    A cranky ex-actress and her Gen Z sobriety sponsor team up to solve a murder that could send her back to prison in this dazzling mystery.

  • Book Jacket

    Happy Land
    by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

    From the New York Times bestselling author, a novel about a family's secret ties to a vanished American Kingdom.

Who Said...

It is a fact of life that any discourse...will always please if it is five minutes shorter than people expect

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

A C on H S

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.