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The Glass Castle: A Memoir | Jeannette Walls

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The Glass Castle is the perfect read for you if you like nonfiction memoirs filled with symbolic references and memories from someone with a heart-twisting past. Jeannette Walls and her siblings grew up with their parents, constantly on the move, living every day like it was an “adventure”. They were homeless in the desert and ate scarcely-- consistent food was a prominent issue throughout her childhood.

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cassandra.mack She and her siblings often did not discuss what they did to get by, but she often had to root through trash to find her only meal for the day. For a brief period of her childhood, they lived fairly well. Due to inheriting a large sum of money, property, and belongings from her grandmother. However, the family did not maintain this stable lifestyle for long, losing almost everything. 3y

cassandra.mack Regardless of where they resided, her parents (Rex and Rose Mary), despite both being perfectly able, were rarely employed. When Jeannette‘s parents were employed, it was fleeting. Rose Mary was an artist (who had sold barely any works) with a teaching degree (that she refused to use unless forced). 3y

cassandra.mack Rex was an entrepreneur who was “working on” several projects (when he wasn't a sip away from unconscious at a bars). Any money that was made in the later portion of her childhood almost exclusively went towards funding her father's alcoholic tendencies. Their family dynamic was complex and incredibly toxic, yet at the same time, they all loved each other immensely and truly care about their well-being. 3y

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cassandra.mack After she and her siblings escaped their family and their “home” in Welch, West Virginia, and began living in New York City, they maintained contact with their parents. In New York, Jeannette and her siblings got jobs and places to live, while-- after following their children there-- their parents were homeless and on the streets. Her father passed away causing her to rethink the decisions she had made for herself. 3y

cassandra.mack She left the things she had because of their outward appeal to her behind; leaving Park Avenue and her ex-husband all in one breath. She then remarried a man she loved, gained a lovely stepdaughter and moved to a secluded house, both of which made her happy. Seemingly, the rest of her family had also managed to establish great lives that suited them well. 3y

cassandra.mack The novel is told from the first-person point of view and illustrates the most prominent memories and experiences from her past. The point of view is established by recounting the events included in the memoir exclusively as she remembers them. She never exceeds her personal and limited recollection of the events and explains each experience through her filtered mindset.
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cassandra.mack Jeannette consistently verbalizes and demonstrates how and why she felt, thought, believed, and processed all of the things she endured. If read carefully, readers can also pick up on changes in tone as she adjusts her narration to the maturity and understanding of her younger self to the situations that she was being exposed to. 3y

MissYaremcio Nicely done - as always! 6/6 2y

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cassandra.mack

The Glass Castle: A Memoir | Jeannette Walls

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If you like nonfiction books riddled with symbols, archetypes, and immense character development following endless trials, you will love The Glass Castle. The Glass Castle is a memoir by Jeanette Walls which follows her throughout her childhood. With a family lead by an alcoholic, cheating, abusive father and a submissive failed artist as a mother, money was scarce, therefore as was food.

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cassandra.mack Even when they did manage to maintain a source of income and something that resembled stability, this consistency did not last long as they blew the money incredibly irresponsibly and quickly. Largely, they spent their money “investing” in her father's ambitious inventions, primarily the prospector (a machine that her father was making to collect gold and get rich). 3y

cassandra.mack The extreme lack of consistency within their lives extended to the places they lived as they moved frequently; living anywhere from places such as the desert, Pheonix, Battle Mountain, etc. As they moved, “adventured”, and fled so frequently, they often lost or had to leave behind their possessions. 3y

cassandra.mack This unfortunately included beloved things such as Jeanette‘s rock collection, Brians toy soldiers, and Lori‘s book collection when fleeing Battle Mountain, as well as Rose Mary‘s archery set from her father after their failed road trip to the Grand Canyon. 3y

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cassandra.mack A prominent theme within the novel is self-sufficiency. This theme is prevalent in the family surviving of its struggles, the day-to-day life of Jeanette and her siblings, and also how Rex and Rose Mary (her mother) taught their children life lessons. In each of the aforementioned places, the children could do almost anything they wished, roaming around unsupervised with very few restrictions. 3y

cassandra.mack This lack of supervision and over-involvement in their daily lives was a result of their mother resenting their grandmother‘s overbearing presence in her adolescence. Furthermore, an example of this theme withing her parent‘s teachings can be found in Rex “teaching” Jeanette how to swim. 3y

cassandra.mack His methods were unorthodox and involved him putting her in the middle of the deep water until she started flailing and borderline drowning, and then pulling her out to let her breathe for a moment, before throwing her right back in. This taught her to swim as she tried to get away from his arms reaching towards her, as she associated him pulling her out with being thrown back in. 3y

MissYaremcio As always, fantastic review Cassandra!! How did you get your pup to stay still for the photo?!? 6/6 3y

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Matched | Ally Condie

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If you like books involving teen romance drama and fighting for individual freedoms in a strictly government controlled society, I reccommend reading Matched. Matched is the first novel in a triolgy series targeted at young adults or youth. The novel depicts a dystopian future in which everyone is matched with and assigned who they are to marry and have a family with at the age of 17.

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cassandra.mack They are to live out their lives at their assigned jobs with this assigned life partner until the age of 80, at which everyone dies a scheduled death. Cassia is matched with her childhood bestfriend Xander, however there is a “malfunction” displaying another face when she goes to watch a chip that is supposed to be about her match. The face is of another boy she knows named Ky. As the novel progresses she begins to fall for both Ky and Xander 3y

cassandra.mack and faces immense confusion and confliction about who is truly her match, and who to choose. Cassia must deal with this dilemma discretely and carefully decide what to do, for she, Ky, and Xander could all be severely punished for acknowledgeing the malfunction. However, she eventually realizes she‘s fallen in love with Ky, but he is taken away and relocated. Her parents help her chase after him, without attracting major attention from the 3y

cassandra.mack government by subjecting her to a 3 month work detail to cure “rebellious behaviours”, sending her to a location near where he had been sent. 3y

cassandra.mack The point of view of the book is first person. Cassia is the main character, as well as the narrator, and everything seen about the society is through her eyes and interpretations. The author establishes this through presenting readers with Cassias thoughts and perspectives on things. It is in the present tense and readers therefore get to observe how her mindset greatly changes and evolves throughout the novel as it is happening. 3y

MissYaremcio I absolutely adore this series and Keira Cass as an author! Great review Cassandra! 6/6 3y

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Avalon | Mindee Arnett

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If you like sci-fi books that keep you on your toes, wondering what the characters will choose and what will happen next, “Avalon” is a great option for you.

“Avalon” is an engaging and fast paced novel. In a universe where the Interstellar Transportation Agency, an agency in control of the starsystems forming the Confederation, and the crime lords that monitor it, are heavily corrupt, power is abused and stolen at every opportunity.

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cassandra.mack Most power comes from having a complete monopoly on metatech, the technology that allows spaceships to travel faster than the speed of light, and therefore all space travel.
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cassandra.mack Aboard the spaceship Avalon, Jeth Seagrave and his skilled crew of fellow teenagers, the Malleous Shades, embark on a recovery mission in a dangerous, uncharted, and illegal field of space. During their journey they uncover some information and a conspiracy with the power to jeopardize the entire galaxy. 3y

cassandra.mack So far a motif I have picked up on in this story is the spaceship Avalon itself. Often Jeth references the Avalon when speaking about his desire for freedom. This is important because the repetitive mentioning of the Avalon drives Jeth as he attempts to move towards his fantasy of freedom to travel space, and to no longer work for Hammer. Additionally, it helps emphasize the themes within the text. 3y

MissYaremcio Nice review Cassandra! It sounds like an interesting novel! Is there a series associated with it? 6/6 3y

cassandra.mack @MissYaremcio I think so! 3y

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Joined December 2020