Helpful Score: 14
This is the second book I've read by this author and I have to say, I really like the way she writes. I feel like I'm reading a diary of a long-ago relative (though the book isn't written in diary style). It's a great story about a woman growing up in the "wild west" during the early 1900's, but she's not a "typical" woman of the era. She helps run ranches, teaches school, sells bootleg liquor from under her baby's crib to make ends meet....she just never allows anyone to fit her into a certain role or stereotype. A very entertaining book that makes you wonder how much of it is true and how much is creative writing but doesn't make you wonder why you're reading it.
Helpful Score: 12
A very enjoyable read about a fiercely independent, rather remarkable young woman. She faced injustice and disappointments with a stubborn determination, learning to cope early in what was then very much a "man's" world.
Marilyn M. (IndulgeYourself) -
Helpful Score: 11
Another really good book by Jeannette Walls. It's hard to believe that this is actually an account of someone's life - it is so very interesting and full of adventure. How this family survived and even thrived throughout life with so little to call their own is just amazing. This was the story of her maternal grandmother's life -- it left me still wanting to know more from her mother's perspective. It's an easy read & I highly recommend it.
Helpful Score: 8
This book is spell binding. It really brought to life a different time. The writer's grandmother, when she was 15, rode pony for three weeks across New Mexico and Arizona to take a job teaching.
Besides being a good book, this book solved an interesting problem for me. When my 90 year old mother was in the hospital, and we weren't sure that she was going to make it, I read her this book. Sometimes people want company, but we all run out of things to say. And as memory starts to slip we were doing the same topics over and over. So....
I started reading her this book. Everyone loved it. Even my Dad. Soon they were both talking about how the book reminded them of this and that. How things were similar for them and how they were different. At one point, my whole family was there, including my kids, and we had the room pretty full.
When I had to travel back home, Dad took over the reading, because they both wanted to see how it ends.
Linda O.
Besides being a good book, this book solved an interesting problem for me. When my 90 year old mother was in the hospital, and we weren't sure that she was going to make it, I read her this book. Sometimes people want company, but we all run out of things to say. And as memory starts to slip we were doing the same topics over and over. So....
I started reading her this book. Everyone loved it. Even my Dad. Soon they were both talking about how the book reminded them of this and that. How things were similar for them and how they were different. At one point, my whole family was there, including my kids, and we had the room pretty full.
When I had to travel back home, Dad took over the reading, because they both wanted to see how it ends.
Linda O.
Helpful Score: 8
While I didn't expect the author to top her previous book, The Glass Castle, I was wrong. I LOVED this book! It's the true-life story of the author's grandmother, who grew up in the early 1900's. It coveys a strong sense of what life was like in rural America at that time, and I loved the main character's spirit and determination. The author has a wonderful writing style, including just the right amount of detail to convey a feeling of the time and place without weighing down the story.
Helpful Score: 4
From the opening pages of a thunderous flash flood that leaves you hanging to discover what happens "these old cows knew trouble was coming before we did" to the truly courageous life led by Lily Casey Smith in the early 1900's. This is a sequel to the Glass Castle but a completely different story. Not at all about child abuse or neglect but more about the wonderful strength of character in both Lily and her husband Jim, who fully embrace life to its fullest. I would compare this book to West with the Night by Beryl Markham, another favorite of mine. I would rate this book 5 stars. I could easily see re-reading this book in the future. Jeanette Walls is an amaing story teller.
Helpful Score: 4
This is an entertaining, easy ready about the author's grandmother who had quite an interesting life. The story is told in the first-person voice of her grandmother, Lily, so the author embellished where she needed to. It read like stories recounted, not like a cohesive novel. If you havent read The Glass Castle, read this first it would add to the story.
Phyllis M. (emptynester) - , reviewed Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel on + 28 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
If you have read "The Glass Castle", this book is a must. Tells how Jeannette Walls' mother got her rambling streak, but more so, it tells of her grandmother's struggle being raised on the prairie during the depression years. Could read this one first if you wanted the background history first.
Helpful Score: 3
The author called this book a "true-life novel." It is filled with stories about her free-spirited maternal grandmother growing up in the "wild west." I found it entertaing with a "O Brother Where Are Though" (one of my favorite films) feel to it. In the authors previous novel, THE GLASS CASTLE, where she writes about her "brainy underachieving" parents and her bizarre childhood, I had a few questions to why her parents lived the way they did....this "true-life novel," helped me understand the "forces" that shaped her mothers life. I think Walls is a wonderful story teller and this book is filled with many life lessons.
Helpful Score: 3
What a great book! I would love to hang out with Lily Casey Smith any day. She was a true "broad". The book is a fun, fast read and if you liked "The Glass Castle", you will enjoy this novel about the author's maternal grandmother.
Helpful Score: 2
Very enjoyable read. Lily Casey was a fiercely independent, feisty woman with "pluck" born in the early 1900's. She broke horses, ran ranches, taught school, flew planes, and raised two kids. One of who became the mother and one of the main characters in Jeannette Walls other novel, The Glass Castle. Fun read, and so interesting to hear about this strong woman.
Vivian Q. (bellasgranny) -
Helpful Score: 2
I really loved "The Glass Castle", and expected to enjoy this one as much. Sadly, I was so disappointed that I could not even finish it. It was just plain boring for me.The book has garnered terrifc reviews, so I suggest that if you enjoyed her first book, you should still give this one a try.
Helpful Score: 2
A great read about a feisty and resourceful woman. The characters were rich with wit and wisdom, and it was both painful and delightful to follow her life's journey. I would have loved the story to expand more into the final years of her life, but it was a worthwhile read.
Helpful Score: 2
Engagingly written story of the life of a strong and down to earth woman. Spending most of her life on cattle farms, and teaching when she could, Lily is a fascinating and unique character. The story well illustrates life in the early 20th century in west Texas and Arizona, which was new to me, and Lily's strength of character is evident on every page. Written by Lily's granddaughter but in the form of a novel, I felt like I would recognize Lily anywhere and relish her company.
Helpful Score: 2
Really enjoyed Jeannette Walls look back to her Grandmother's life. And the hints of what was to come from her mother and father in "Glass Castles". Although technically a novel, you get the feel for real experiences and thoughts - as though Ms Walls found some secret way to tap into her Grandmother's past. Definitely recommended, especially if you have already read - or plan to read - Glass Castles.
Helpful Score: 2
I loved The Glass Castle, marveling at how such a disfunctional childhood could also be loving and funny. I also loved Half Broke Horses. It fills in some of the blanks on how this family's eccentricities came about. It also paints a wonderful picture of hard-scrabble life in the dry desert west. I highly recommend this book!
Helpful Score: 2
This was EXCELLENT! Im glad I read it before The Glass Castle as it gave me insight into the history of who Rose Mary and Rex Walls were. Half Broke Horses tells the story of Lily, Jeannettes maternal grandmother, from Lilys perspective. It was like sitting in the parlor or under the stars listening to Lily tell us one short story after another in her own voice; stories off her childhood, teenage years on her own, and as a mother and wife who worked hard all her life. She was a range and cattle woman who loved life, horses, cars and airplanes, and as a teacher, did her best to teach children everything they needed to know. She admits that Rosemary (who changed her name to Rose Mary) was the only child she wasnt able to teach because Rosemary was a rambunctious child, inquisitive, and had a mind of her own. Incredible insight into the mind and heart of a woman, Lily Casey Smith, who became everything she ever wanted to be and didnt let roadblocks stand in her way. Highly recommended!
Helpful Score: 1
After reading "The Glass Castle", I had high expectations for this book and could not wait to read it. The person who sent me this book had mentioned that she liked it even more than "The Glass Castle". I thought it was well written but I found that throughout the period of time that I was reading this book, I kept waiting for something exciting or unexpected to happen and it never did. This book was in the top ten best sellers and I just cannot figure out why.
Helpful Score: 1
Wonderful, enjoyable read. I liked as much if not more than Glass Castle. Wish I had read it first because it gives me a better understanding of Jeannette Wall's mother, Rosemary and her childhood. Love her grandmother, Lillian Casey Smith, whom this book is about. A strong, outspoken, plucky lady who in many ways was ahead of her time. Jeannette Walls is a wonderful story teller who really captures the voice of her grandmother. I highly recommend this fun read.
Helpful Score: 1
This book is fascinating! It moves along and keeps your attention. I just stayed up all night reading it. Couldn't put it down. I loved the bits of attitude from the early 1900s, like where the kids say "Who wants an outhouse INSIDE the house? How discusting!" while the parents think it's a great idea. Then there are the comments about electricity being a good thing or not. All the things we take for granted now are dealt with in this book, cars versus horses, wax paper windows, fascinating
Helpful Score: 1
I just finished this book and loved it. I loved that Lily was not some perfect person but had flaws and got into her share of trouble. Love Jennette Walls and will continue to read what ever she writes.
Helpful Score: 1
Heartwarming, enlightening, inspirational, and revealing are just a few of the words I use to describe the story that fills the pages of this book. Following Lily throughout her life reminds us that life is tough (regardless of the era) but we must persevere. The journey on which she embarks, choices she makes for her and her family, the heartbreaks she endures, and her magnificent ability to stand on her own two feet motivate me to reach higher, push harder, and stand strong today.
Helpful Score: 1
After finding myself absolutely engrossed in The Glass Castle (and in the first half of Half Broke Horses), this book left me disappointed. The first half was amazing and truly pulled me in, only to lose its character, pace, and voice in the second half of the novel. The second half of the novel is truly about Rosemary rather than Lily, and the voice didn't work because it was quite clear to the reader that the author and her sources were clueless as to Lily's true thoughts and impressions of all the events of the second half of the novel. Whereas the first half was built of stories handed down in first-person, the second part of the novel read as though the author was straining to be consistent with the voice set up in the first half ... yet it lacked Lily's opinions on the events. It was empty and disappointing. Perhaps it may have made more sense to break the novel into two books, where Lily's voice is that of "Book 1" and Rosemary's voice is that of "book 2." An interesting read, but disappointing overall.
Helpful Score: 1
Super Read!! Takes you right back to the old days when kids did things we would never think of today.
Katherine H. (californiabookworm) reviewed Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This book was a great read. I couldn't believe it half the time because the experiences were so fantastic. Jeannette Walls is a great storyteller.
Helpful Score: 1
I rate this book 4 stars it was a terrific book the life of a woman named Lily and her
family, great story I admire her dedication and commitment in all the choices she made
throughout her life, a very strong woman and the book made me laugh at times it really
stuck with me, I love the story !
family, great story I admire her dedication and commitment in all the choices she made
throughout her life, a very strong woman and the book made me laugh at times it really
stuck with me, I love the story !
Helpful Score: 1
I've had this book on my shelves since it first came out, compliments of a gr friend. Why it took me so long to read I'm not sure. It's funny, heartening and just plain fun. It's the story of the author's grandmother who was a determined woman who chose how she lived from gambling with the cowboys to selling contraband liquor. It's chock full of anecdotes gathered from her past. Of course, the author invents much of the dialog but the facts and bones of the book belong to Lily Casey Smith who lived them.
Lily is the narrator telling the story. She begins with an exciting childhood experience where she, her brother and sister are caught in a flood. Thanks to Lily, the three climb a tree that weathers the flood and stay there through the night waiting for the water to go down. While her mother thanks God for saving the children's lives, her father winks at her commenting that the angel of deliverance was named Lily. This tale is only one of many that mark Lily's unusual life.
She rides hundreds of miles to begin teaching in a small school. Moving to Chicago, she marries a n'er do well while she seeks more education. When she discovers her husband is already married and has three children she visits the courthouse to find his marriage license and seeks a divorce. Leaving Chicago behind, she goes back to teaching. Eventually this determined young woman gets enough education to teach without being displaced by those with better credentials. However, she insists upon teaching that which will help the children live in a changing world often without the approval of the parents or the community. Again and again she is fired. Finally, she finds a man who respects her for who she is, she proposes, they marry and life goes on.
Lily is the narrator telling the story. She begins with an exciting childhood experience where she, her brother and sister are caught in a flood. Thanks to Lily, the three climb a tree that weathers the flood and stay there through the night waiting for the water to go down. While her mother thanks God for saving the children's lives, her father winks at her commenting that the angel of deliverance was named Lily. This tale is only one of many that mark Lily's unusual life.
She rides hundreds of miles to begin teaching in a small school. Moving to Chicago, she marries a n'er do well while she seeks more education. When she discovers her husband is already married and has three children she visits the courthouse to find his marriage license and seeks a divorce. Leaving Chicago behind, she goes back to teaching. Eventually this determined young woman gets enough education to teach without being displaced by those with better credentials. However, she insists upon teaching that which will help the children live in a changing world often without the approval of the parents or the community. Again and again she is fired. Finally, she finds a man who respects her for who she is, she proposes, they marry and life goes on.
Helpful Score: 1
This is such a great book by a great author. I didnt want it to end!
Helpful Score: 1
This was an interesting true life story of a woman born in the Southwest in 1901 and her many adventures. Told in a straight forward, no nonsense style. It's an easy and quick read.
Helpful Score: 1
Reading a Jeannette Walls book is like sitting down with a good friend; one who has a sense of humor, and just tells it like it is. This book, about Walls' teaching, flying, gun-slinging grandmother, Lily Casey Smith, is no exception, and explains the background of situations read about in Glass Castle and The Silver Star. I hope this woman keeps writing!
Helpful Score: 1
I read The Glass Castle and thought that Ms Walls could not ever write a book that I would like better.
I liked this one even better, so she proved me wrong.
I liked this one even better, so she proved me wrong.
Helpful Score: 1
Loved Ms Walls' first book, but found this one to be even better than the first. I love the straight-forward manner of speech/writing that the author used and it is so interesting to get a good look at what life was like during this period of time in the Western states. Highly recommend this book! I loved it so much that I read it in one day because I couldn't stand to put it down.
Excellent book about a very independent, self-sufficient lady. This book is inspiring and not to be missed by any reader!
Another very good book by Jeanette Walls. I highly recommend it.
A an amazing story of a women living in trying times with the mind set to learn to take care of her self.
I thought this was a fairly good book about a woman who lead an interesting life in the American West, but apparently it is better liked by those who have read and enjoyed the author's other book. I debated about one-third into it about even finishing it. I much prefer Sandra Day O'Connor's memoir about growing up on a remote ranch in AZ until she left home to go to high school.
This book was great - especially the ending. If you haven't read The Glass Castle yet, read this book first. If you have, like I did, it made me want to go back and read it again. An entertaining look on life in the early 1900's, told in the voice of a very plucky lady.
Leah M. (vivethebookmobile) -
Compelling and extraordinarily well-written edifying account of a woman who chose to do what she had to do to survive instead of giving up and giving in. Amazing story.
Quick read, and really entertaining and enjoyable. In retrospect I wonder if I would read this BEFORE Glass Castle as that would be chronologically accurate. I enjoyed this book a lot more than Jeannette's first, the characters were simply more likable to me, and I adore a strong female lead. This thrilled me in my love for historical fiction. I had also read The Empire of the Summer Moon right before, which although that was non-fiction, it really provided a GREAT foundation for this novel. Recommend.
The reason I gave this book five stars is because I could really hear the voice of the characters shining through. I was predisposed to like this book, because I enjoyed the author's book, The Glass Castle. This book was even more enjoyable for me, because it told the story of the author's grandmother, who lived through the Great Depression, and was a remarkable, hard working woman. I was sad that she had a problem controlling her anger, especially when it was directed at her kids. If you read between the lines, you realize that some of the problems the author's mother had later in life could be traced back to some of the extreme situations she lived through as a child. If you like American history, though, and an honest, non-judgmental story, this will be enjoyable.
This was an amazing story, very rich and by a great author! Read The Glass Castle also by Jeannette Walls-also great!
This was a fictionalized biography of the authors grandmother and her amazing life. Great writing, great characters, and an awesomely great life of adventure, heartache and joy. I strongly recommend it.
Great writing - fab piece of history.
Jeannette Walls gives voice to her grandmother in an amazing book. I am sure that Lily would be proud & honoured to have such a grand-daughter and such an honour as this book. I appreciate the opportunity to read the book and to "meet" Lily Casey, Ms. Walls grandmother. She reminded me of my great-grandmother.
I hope to read more from Jeannette Walls, a very gifted writer. Great book!
I hope to read more from Jeannette Walls, a very gifted writer. Great book!
Really enjoy this author. Wished I had read this book before "Glass Castle" but enjoyed them all the same.
Nicely written, kind of wished this had been the first book, and Glass Castles the second. Interesting family, was a fun read.
Sherry S. (SherryKaraoke) -
Wonderful! I'm old enough to remember women like Lily. What a great depiction of a woman who was completely the result of her life experience. I will never forget her. Thanks to Jeannette Walls for another memorable book.
This was a great book. It was interesting from the beginning and I flew through it in a matter of days. The concept is really original and sometimes I had to remind myself that this wasn't actually an autobiography. I highly recommend this book.
Loved this book. Jeannette Walls is a great author. The Glass Castle was my favorite, but enjoyed this one too.
Fascinating book about the life of the author's grandmother, born in Texas in 1901. Told in first-person POV, in two to three page vignettes throughout Lily's life, it's compelling and immediate. Walls presented it as fiction since she had to pick up the stories from others. What a personality she must have had - you would not forget meeting her. I was fascinated by the accounts of how she and her family lived in the early 1900s, the descriptions of the ranches and wild areas, and especially how, at the age of 15, she travelled 500 miles by horse to take a job as a teacher. Very very interesting.
There are so many mentions of the author's other book The Glass Castle that I looked that up. I think I'll skip it. Just from the reviews I think reading about how Rosemary's children lived would make me angry and sad, despite the "happy ending" mentioned for the author and her siblings. I might be wrong...but there are lots of other books waiting.
There are so many mentions of the author's other book The Glass Castle that I looked that up. I think I'll skip it. Just from the reviews I think reading about how Rosemary's children lived would make me angry and sad, despite the "happy ending" mentioned for the author and her siblings. I might be wrong...but there are lots of other books waiting.
Jeannette Walls's memoir, the Glass Castle tells the story of her life and now she brings to life her grandmother, Lily Casey Smith. Lily is a no-nonsense women who starts helping her father break horses at the age of 6. Great story of a women's resourcefulness and determination to live life and make the best of it. Wonderful portrait of a true pioneer women.
I started reading this book last night and finished it today. A wonderful story that reads more like a novel then a biography. I absolutely loved it!
I really like this book. It is a prequel to Glass Castle by the same author . The topic in this book is the author's grandmother and in Glass Castle it is her parents. It details an unconventional lives in both--definetly shows both how resilient children are and how mental illness can affect a family's function.
Barbara C. (readinggranny) - reviewed Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel on + 87 more book reviews
For those who have read 'The Glass Castle" Jeannette
Walls has also given us another fascinating book. In her new book, she brings us the story of her grandmother, told in a first-person voice that is
authentic,irresistible,and triumphant.From the authors
notes Jeanette wrote In telling my grandmother's story, I never aspired to that sort of historical accuracy. I saw the book more in the vein of an oral history, a retelling of stories handed down by my family through the years, and undertaken with the storyteller's traditional liberties.
Once I started reading it was difficult to put it down
Walls has also given us another fascinating book. In her new book, she brings us the story of her grandmother, told in a first-person voice that is
authentic,irresistible,and triumphant.From the authors
notes Jeanette wrote In telling my grandmother's story, I never aspired to that sort of historical accuracy. I saw the book more in the vein of an oral history, a retelling of stories handed down by my family through the years, and undertaken with the storyteller's traditional liberties.
Once I started reading it was difficult to put it down
I really enjoyed this book. It's the author's grandmother's stories written down in the first person. I didn't realize when I first started reading this book that it's not really fiction. Everything that happened to Lily are true. The part that is fictional are all the thoughts that the author, Lily's grand-daughter, probably didn't know and made up. Unless it was a part of the oral history told to her. There's no way to know what parts she made up and what was originally told in the oral history.
Still, I thought the format made the story much more interesting to read than straight history and since I love historical fiction, it was a great read for me.
Still, I thought the format made the story much more interesting to read than straight history and since I love historical fiction, it was a great read for me.
Having read the Glass Castle prior to this, I really enjoyed learning how Jeanette's mother came to be. Just as interesting, funny, somewhat disturbing, and unique as the Glass Castle, I found this book easy and fun to read. But it may not be for everyone.
Great book! I love how tough Lily is, and it is a neat perspective on AZ.
In Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel Jeannette Walls takes true biographical material from the life of her maternal grandmother, Lily Casey Smith, and masterfully crafts it into a highly engaging, "true-life" novel. The colloquial and endearing first person narrative voice belongs to Lily herself. Thus an authentic, riveting tale of American life is spun, beginning with Lily's birth in a Texas homestead dugout in 1901 and weaving its way through her frontier life; through devastating acts of nature; a great depression; prejudice and intolerance against individualists, Native Americans and women; years of personal highs and lows, great joy and great tragedy. This smart approach puts the reader right on the pulsating heartbeat of this unusual and vibrant family ~ not only of her grandmother Lily, but also her spirited, half broke horse mother, Rosemary, first introduced to us in The Glass Castle: A Memoir. There is a beautiful, complementary overlapping of their stories, one which I found particularly captivating. Jeannette Walls' sensitive storytelling takes the reader closer and deeper into the soul of these unforgettable personalities of her special family.
I enjoyed this story.
This was a great, easy read. Perhaps because author Jeannette Walls is related to the main characters, she is able to make them come alive, and the reader is able to identify with them very easily. This is sort of a prequel to "The Glass Castle", also an excellent read.
I read this book in a day. It's easy to read and easy to like the main character though I had hoped it would be more like Glass Castles.
An amazing book. Hard to put down. Just as good as the Glass Castle and fills in some of the background to that book.
I loved the Glass Castle, and when i found there was a this book about Jeannette Walls and her interesting grandmother, I knew i had to read it. I liked this book more than the Glass Castle, so well done, you really feel like Lily is talking to you about her life. A nice glmpse of what it must have been like growing up on a ranch in the southwest in the early 1900s.
Now I have to put Glass Castles back onto my wish list! Reading this first I'm sure will give me a totally different experience re-reading GC.
great story telling of the hardships of Depression Life and surviving in West.
Interesting subject, not well written. Lily Casey Smith was a powerful woman, admirably strong and willful, especially for the early 1900's. She defied tradition and won! Jeannette Walls' writing style is elementary at best. This book is written in journal style, certainly not as a novel. Worth the read, only because Lily was such an interesting person.
I enjoyed very much this book...so much so that I ordered a copy of "Glass Castle" by the same author.
Great reading
I really enjoyed this book. It was about a family in the depression. It was sad, funny. I don't think I could have made it back then.
I read Glass Castle and could not put it down. I had a love/ hate like for it.
After reading this book I understood the mother better from the Glass Castle book.
Amazing story about pursuing your dreams and never giving up.
After reading this book I understood the mother better from the Glass Castle book.
Amazing story about pursuing your dreams and never giving up.
Usually I put in my two cents' worth after I read a book, but this time the blurb on the back really covers everything that I would have said, except, 'READ THIS ONE NEXT!'
From back cover: 'Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did'...
So begins the story of Lily Casey Smith, Jeannette Wals' no-nonsense, resourceful, and spectacularly compelling grandmother. By age six, Lily was helping her father break horses. At age fifteen, she left home to teach in a frontier town--riding five hundred miles on her pony, alone, to get to her job. She learned to drive a car and fly a plane. And, with her husband, Jim, she ran a vast ranch in Arizona. She raised two children, one of whom is Jeannette's memorable mother, Rosemary Smith Walls, unforgettably portrayed in THE GLASS CASTLE.
Lily survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depresion, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. She bristled at prejudice of all kinds--against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn't fit the mold. Rosemary Smith Walls always told Jeannette that she was like her grandmother, and in this true-life novel, Jeannette Walls channels that kindred spirit. HALF BROKE HORSES is Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults, as riveting and dramatic as Isak Dinesen's OUT OF AFRICA or Beryl Markham's WEST WITH THE NIGHT. Destined to become a classic, it will transfix readers everywhere.
From back cover: 'Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did'...
So begins the story of Lily Casey Smith, Jeannette Wals' no-nonsense, resourceful, and spectacularly compelling grandmother. By age six, Lily was helping her father break horses. At age fifteen, she left home to teach in a frontier town--riding five hundred miles on her pony, alone, to get to her job. She learned to drive a car and fly a plane. And, with her husband, Jim, she ran a vast ranch in Arizona. She raised two children, one of whom is Jeannette's memorable mother, Rosemary Smith Walls, unforgettably portrayed in THE GLASS CASTLE.
Lily survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depresion, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. She bristled at prejudice of all kinds--against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn't fit the mold. Rosemary Smith Walls always told Jeannette that she was like her grandmother, and in this true-life novel, Jeannette Walls channels that kindred spirit. HALF BROKE HORSES is Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults, as riveting and dramatic as Isak Dinesen's OUT OF AFRICA or Beryl Markham's WEST WITH THE NIGHT. Destined to become a classic, it will transfix readers everywhere.
This book was just as wonderful if not MORE wonderful than The Glass Castle! What an incredible story of the author's real-life grandmother back in the early 1900's. Well told, zips along and ties up nicely at the end. Highly recommended!
Good story.
Enjoying this book very much!
Lily Casey is definitely someone Id love to have a friend she wouldve been a blast going cross country withAnd I loved the dynamic between her and her second husband. They did everything they could to support each other and make each other and their children happy. I wish Jeanettes parents had been a little more thoughtful about the legacy theyd be leaving behind for their kids.
Larraine F. (phillyartlovesbooks) reviewed Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel on + 59 more book reviews
One of the most boring things I've read in a while. There are already a lot of copies of this book on the site.
