I Finished The Glass Castle

I just barely finished The Glass Castle. I have a whole slew of emotions going through me... I'm still not sure if I liked it or not. Nor, I think, will I ever be sure. One of the reviews printed in the book sums up my feelings for it quite well.


"The Glass Castle will at times exhaust you, occasionally fill you with fury, and finally leave you in slack-jawed wonderment." --National Review Online

How on earth can a family go through all of that and come out on top of the world, so to speak. I am disgusted that a mother and father could put their children through all of that. I am in total amazement that 3 out of 4 children ended up in a much better place and were able to make a life for themselves and each other. I am furious........

Okay, I left this post in draft mode for a while and came back to it. I've pondered some more what it is exactly that has left me so upset by this book. I think it boils down to this: Jeannette's parents weren't exactly dummies. They were very well educated smart people. They both had a sickness... but they both had a responsibility to their children to give them the provisions and care they needed. Every time I read that her mother needed to care for herself for a while and take some "me time" I wanted to scream out at her. It seemed to me that that is exactly all she ever did. I do believe that homemakers do need me time every once in a while but only if the needs of her dependants are taken care of. Michelle, you were right, it does make me feel better as a parent but it's dug up some feelings that I am still not sure how to explain. This post was an attempt to figure that out. .......it helped, a little..... Thanks for reading.