Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
"That explains a lot!" was my thought when I finished this newest book by Jeannette Walls, author of "The Glass Castle." As I read "The Glass Castle," I continually wondered how a mother could be like Rosemary, Jeannette's mother was: selfish, without boundaries, free-spirited- In essence a half- broke horse! This book is the fictionalized biography of Jeannette's grandmother, Lily. Set in the wild west (mostly), it tells the story of living and growing up on a ranch in Arizona. The title suggests the setting, but also very much the spirit of the characters within. Since I have been to most of the towns referred to in the book, it made it even more interesting to me. I do, however, need to make one correction: Lily goes to teach school to polygamist children in a small town on the "Arizona strip." She refers to these children as Mormons. They were not Mormons. They belonged to a church which broke off from the Mormon church many years ago. This town and this group still exist. Mormons never lived the way described nor "married off" their thirteen year old daughters to much older men when commanded. Lily may have believed they were Mormons, but they were not.
I enjoyed the book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has read "The Glass Castle" and if you haven't read either, read this one first. It will introduce you to Jeannette's parents and give you insight into who they are and why they act the way they do- like Half Broke Horses!
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Friday, October 22, 2010
Half Broke Horses
Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
"That explains a lot!" was my thought when I finished this newest book by Jeannette Walls, author of "The Glass Castle." As I read "The Glass Castle," I continually wondered how a mother could be like Rosemary, Jeannette's mother was: selfish, without boundaries, free-spirited- In essence a half- broke horse! This book is the fictionalized biography of Jeannette's grandmother, Lily. Set in the wild west (mostly), it tells the story of living and growing up on a ranch in Arizona. The title suggests the setting, but also very much the spirit of the characters within. Since I have been to most of the towns referred to in the book, it made it even more interesting to me. I do, however, need to make one correction: Lily goes to teach school to polygamist children in a small town on the "Arizona strip." She refers to these children as Mormons. They were not Mormons. They belonged to a church which broke off from the Mormon church many years ago. This town and this group still exist. Mormons never lived the way described nor "married off" their thirteen year old daughters to much older men when commanded. Lily may have believed they were Mormons, but they were not.
I enjoyed the book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has read "The Glass Castle" and if you haven't read either, read this one first. It will introduce you to Jeannette's parents and give you insight into who they are and why they act the way they do- like Half Broke Horses!
View all my reviews
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5 comments:
Thank you for this review. I read the glass castle and wondered about this book. I'll have to check it out.
Really? Read this one first huh? I need a good book right now.
I love your reviews! I just finished "I Capture the Castle" and loved it. It was a great reccomendation. This one sounds good too!
Okay, so now I just finished this one too. Another good read. Thanks so much for your recommendations!! It's so nice to find someone with the same book-tastes as you, because looking online for recommendations I often run into smutty books with bad language and it's so dissapointing. If it weren't for you and my mom I don't know what I'd do!
Yes, Sara, wouldn't it be nice if books, like movies had ratings? The movie rating system is flawed, but it, at least, gives us an idea of what to expect. I've started two books recently (that I was so excited to read) and had to throw them aside because of content. I love goodreads.com because I can get recommendations from people I know and trust.
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