The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Courtesy of American Airlines, I recently had a four hour block of time to do little else but enjoy a good book. In these situations you general hope a book will either 1) help put you to sleep for the duration of the flight or 2) be so captivating time flies by (no pun intended). Rushing to catch my flight I had given little thought to my selection. The Glass Castle had been a recent impulse buy, impulsive because I had no idea when I would have time to read it, thus close at hand when I ran out the door. Lucky me here was my chance.

The story Jeannette Walls tells is of her own childhood and family. Although it is a collection of experiences from her life, it is so far from my own it read as fiction. While reading I escaped my own worries as I entered a different world. In a way this provided prospective and comfort. In another light it was encouraging. Regardless of the situation; poverty, hunger or alcoholism it consistently had a underlying positive tone. Each character was complex and well developed enabling me to easily relate to each of them in one way or another. Well written the book swept me up and made for a smooth read and a smooth flight.