The Glass Castle
The Glass Castle is a memoir by Jeannette Walls and is a very unique book. I have never read a book quite like this before. The way the author told her life story was full of action, intrigue and fly-by -the-seat of your pants adventure.
When the final page was read I just sat there. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The emotions that are felt when you read this book are limitless. One sentence your happy enough while the next, your scared or sad. The thought of living this life makes my head spin. The Walls’ children lived through so much on their own and you cannot help but think”Thank God they had each other throughout it all.”
The most difficult emotions to deal with that arises as a reader are towards the Walls parents. The Walls parents are basically good, loving and proud people. However, they both have a; for lack of a better word, dark side to them. Both parents are tortured by their own demons and therefore lose all sensibility as parents. They can even be hateful outwards not only themselves but to their children. Of course any kind of professional help is not an option due to a lack of money and oddly, pride. You cannot help but feel both disgust and compassion for these two parents.
On the flip side, as a family they are fiercely loyal to each other, especially in the early years. Everything they did together was always an adventure. And for the very little tat the children’s parent provided them with, they were given the invaluable possession of their parents’ involvement and quality time. Oddly, for the great number of us with money, it cannot always be said that we can provide quality time to our children.
It is apparent that Jeannette Walls and her three siblings loved their parents and that their parents loved them. As most of these stories go, most kids in these stressful and tumultuous situations do not continue to have a relationship with their parents once they are out of the house. So the way that this family’s story plays out is both unique, admirable and unexpected.
If nothing else it shows that despite all of the heartache that a family dishes onto themselves, with love, loyalty and determination, you can get through anything, and still be intact.
Overall, this is an unbelievable story. It is still hard to believe that it actually happened. I would recommend this book because of its uniqueness and unbelievable story. As tough as it is to hear kids enduring such dire circumstances it will, I hope, make you if you are a parent appreciate yourselves more as parents. It will put into perspective all that you actually do for your kids. We do a hell of a lot more as parents than we think we do, don’t we? This book at least opens our eyes to that and helps us to appreciate that fact.
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Pillars of the Earth
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett may look a bit intimidating based solely on its size; but not to worry, this book is a fabulous read.
I have always noticed churches for their exquisite beauty, size, and finite detail. However, having to read about them was a different story. In fact, it made me a bit nervous.
This book was recommended by a friend and so, collectively we agreed to read this for our book club. Personally, I would never even have looked at Pillars of the Earth as something I would have actually chosen to read. Opening the cover page I kept thinking that I am going to have to suffer through reading this. As I nervously turned to the Prologue and read the first sentence “The small boys came early to the hanging”, I was instantly hooked. This was not just going to be about cathedrals or churches or even religion.
Religion can be such a touchy subject for most people. Naively, I also thought that Religion would be forced on me in huge gigantic waves. Quite on the contrary, it slowly dripped an appreciation for it through the lives of each character as they unfolded before my eyes.
Ken Follett did a brilliant job introducing the characters. The characters in Pillars of the Earth ended up being heroic, strong, and intelligent. But what was most appealing as a reader was that the characters hardly started out that way. Each character started out as young and naïve. And as each character grew before my eyes they became so vivid to me that I actually felt like I could have actually been friends with them if I had had the chance.
The characters of Jack, Aliena, Tom, Ellen and William Hamleigh are intriguing and spellbinding and is owed to the great story telling ability of Ken Follett. The most notable character for me is Prior Philip. Prior Philip was in the middle of everything in the life of Kingsbridge while still remaining down to earth and practical. He had a sincere and genuine concern for each soul that he came upon. He did not abuse his power within the church and took frugality to a whole new level. Everyone he came across prospered because of him. Of course, with the exception of his arch enemies. And his enemies, being who they were, was quite a surprise. This twist in the story made the plot unpredictable, unique, and adventurous.
As powerful as all the characters were, the cathedral was at the center of their world. It drew them all to it. It became something like an entity in the book. Not a living breathing thing or anything like that. But it too became a strong presence in the story that you ultimately wished for success. The author did a remarkable job in giving a better appreciation as to why a cathedral or “the church” was such a life line for so many people during those times. I never conceptualized the “why” before. The church and cathedrals were the reason for the literal survival of so many.
Pillars of the Earth is definitely a book that I could not put down, nor did I want to. I was actually disappointed when I finished the book. The story was brilliantly told and the author’s use of words gripped you and would not let go. I can only hope that you as a reader will enjoy this fabulous piece of literature as much as I did.
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Here is a link to the author, Ken Follet’s web site
The Kite Runner
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is an extraordinary piece of literature. This book will definitely shake you up. It makes you think about the choices you make in life and how each of our choices impact not only yourself but those all around us as well. Each choice we make will come with a consequence, and it is up to us how we choose to deal with those consequences;. whether they are good or bad.
Our main character of this book, Amir, is a young naïve child whom is desperately seeking his father’s love and attention. Since most children react by emotion, young Amir is blinded by jealousy and selfishness and makes poor choices, one after another. It provokes you as a reader to shout, to scream at him, to make him stop. You want him to make other decisions. You want what is best for him and all those that his decisions will none the less have an impact on. Instead you feel helpless. You feel your heart ache with pity for this young child. Throughout our young characters journey into manhood we are given a reflective history of a once thriving and hospitable country. And as our Amir is transforming, so is the very country he is living in. So much turmoil and devastation. Feelings of helplessness and sadness can become a bit over whelming as you read. However, the author does a brilliant job with an unexpected change of events at the end of the book that leaves you feeling like there is a chance for humanity after all.
The author delivers an amazing piece of literature that evokes an assortment of emotions colliding together all at once. This book will capture your heart and own that space for years to come.
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Eat Pray Love
We’ve all been there haven’t we. Not yet? Someday you will. Guarantee it. All of us have and will struggle with the path that our lives have taken. Some people will feel fulfilled and in control while for the rest of us (I’m thinking the vast majority) will think “why in the hell am I here?” and “How did I get here and why did I let this happen?”
But what sets us apart from the great divide is that “others” do something about it. This is exactly what Eat, Pray, Love is about. The author, Elizabeth Gilbert finds herself in a lonely and agonizing place that she just knows she can’t be a part of any longer. She however actually does something about it. She takes us on her personal journey through desperation to enlightenment. Every possible emotion that you can possibly think of, it’s in there.
The author, refers to herself a lot as Liz in the book, is not a celebrity, is not from royalty, and is not a wealthy person. All of this makes her so refreshing, real and approachable. She is the regular person that you see in the mirror every day just trying to make it through, but doing it on her own terms. You feel that if this “regular” person did it and made a change, then dammit so can I.
The author’s whole effort in her journey is to ultimately find balance. I think what is most interesting about this book is how we as a reader will react to each section of her journey; whether it be Italy, India or Indonesia. Therefore, depending on what phase of life you are in within your own life will ultimately determine how you will react to each section of the book and how it will personally affect you. With that said you may find a section more appealing than another. One section may even be challenging to get through. All in all however, there are plenty of inspiring words of wisdom and straight to the point phrases to internalize and possibly live by.
One great phrase I think we can all live by is a perfect quote from Richard from Texas (He is a prominent character in her book) says, “Your wishin’ too much. You gotta stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ‘oughtta be.” Great at any age isn’t it. This book is a ‘life is a journey’ kind of book. Happy Reading.
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