LiterariLeigh

I just put The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls on request at the library. Several people have told me how much they enjoyed the book, which is a memoir of her nomadic and difficult upbringing, and I have been intending to read it for a while. Why now?

I finished Walls's Half-Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel last week and loved it. Based on the life of her grandmother Lily Casey Smith, the book contains true stories that have been fictionalized in order to flesh out and paint the missing details of Lily's remarkable life. Born in 1901 on farmland in Texas, Lily learns to accept challenges as they come. By age 15 she leaves home to teach school, goes to Chicago on her own in her 20's, marries and works night and day on a ranch with her family - she is always doing, always thinking, always making her way. The writing is engaging and short chapters flow easily from one to the other. With all the obstacles standing in her way, I was just so impressed with Lily's gumption and make-it-happen attitude.

A couple of people told me it was helpful to read this book before The Glass Castle, as it explains quite a bit of background (even if it is fictionalized). Guess I'll find out when my copy arrives!