Audiobook Review: The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls

Title:  The Silver Star

Author:  Jeannette Walls

Narrator:  Jeannette Walls

Unabridged Length:  7 hrs, 48 mn.


Here is a summary of The Silver Star from the publisher's website:

The Silver Star, Jeannette Walls has written a heartbreaking and redemptive novel about an intrepid girl who challenges the injustice of the adult world—a triumph of imagination and storytelling.

It is 1970 in a small town in California. “Bean” Holladay is twelve and her sister, Liz, is fifteen when their artistic mother, Charlotte, a woman who “found something wrong with every place she ever lived,” takes off to find herself, leaving her girls enough money to last a month or two. When Bean returns from school one day and sees a police car outside the house, she and Liz decide to take the bus to Virginia, where their Uncle Tinsley lives in the decaying mansion that’s been in Charlotte’s family for generations.

An impetuous optimist, Bean soon discovers who her father was, and hears many stories about why their mother left Virginia in the first place. Because money is tight, Liz and Bean start babysitting and doing office work for Jerry Maddox, foreman of the mill in town—a big man who bullies his workers, his tenants, his children, and his wife. Bean adores her whip-smart older sister—inventor of word games, reader of Edgar Allan Poe, nonconformist. But when school starts in the fall, it’s Bean who easily adjusts and makes friends, and Liz who becomes increasingly withdrawn. And then something happens to Liz.

Jeannette Walls, supremely alert to abuse of adult power, has written a deeply moving novel about triumph over adversity and about people who find a way to love each other and the world, despite its flaws and injustices. - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Silver-Star/Jeannette-Walls/9781451661507#sthash.hPnCBFUD.dpuf

The Silver Star, Jeannette Walls has written a heartbreaking and redemptive novel about an intrepid girl who challenges the injustice of the adult world—a triumph of imagination and storytelling.

It is 1970 in a small town in California. “Bean” Holladay is twelve and her sister, Liz, is fifteen when their artistic mother, Charlotte, a woman who “found something wrong with every place she ever lived,” takes off to find herself, leaving her girls enough money to last a month or two. When Bean returns from school one day and sees a police car outside the house, she and Liz decide to take the bus to Virginia, where their Uncle Tinsley lives in the decaying mansion that’s been in Charlotte’s family for generations.

An impetuous optimist, Bean soon discovers who her father was, and hears many stories about why their mother left Virginia in the first place. Because money is tight, Liz and Bean start babysitting and doing office work for Jerry Maddox, foreman of the mill in town—a big man who bullies his workers, his tenants, his children, and his wife. Bean adores her whip-smart older sister—inventor of word games, reader of Edgar Allan Poe, nonconformist. But when school starts in the fall, it’s Bean who easily adjusts and makes friends, and Liz who becomes increasingly withdrawn. And then something happens to Liz.

Jeannette Walls, supremely alert to abuse of adult power, has written a deeply moving novel about triumph over adversity and about people who find a way to love each other and the world, despite its flaws and injustices.

My Review: 
This is not my first experience with Walls' work, as I read both The Glass Castle and Half-Broke Horses and loved both of these non-fiction works.  I wasn't sure how her fictional story would go with me, but I had positive thoughts knowing that Walls narrated the story herself.  Any previous books I listened to narrated by the author I just loved!  Unfortunately, this wasn't the case with The Silver Star.

If you have read Walls previous books it is obvious she comes from a highly dysfunctional family.   She draws on her personal experiences once again to create Bean and Liz's story.  Although Bean is our main character, I felt the story belonged as much to Liz as she is the one who faces the crisis head on.  

Liz and Bean live with their single mother in California, never in one place too long.  It isn't uncommon for their mother to not show up at home for long periods of time, but this time the girls are worried.  Since the girls don't have jobs, they can't pay bills or buy food so they have to come up with a plan for survival.  Recalling that their mother comes from Virginia and still has family there, they decide to embark on a journey across the country to stay with their family until their mother gets her life in order.  So they leave a note for their mother, hoping she finds it when she returns, scrape enough money together to purchase two one-way tickets to Virginia.

The girls are surprised upon meeting their family in Virginia, to learn that her mother comes from a seemingly wealthy heritage. Since all that is left of the family fortune seems to be the original Holladay home, the girls decide to take jobs to help pay for their school clothes and personal expenses.  Against their Uncle Tinsley's wishes, they gain employment with long-time family nemesis, Jerry Maddox.  This decision sets a whole new set of events in motion.

I did enjoy Liz and Bean's story of perseverance.  They didn't have a family life until they took control of the situation and moved to Virginia.  This finally gave them the opportunity to be part of a family that takes care of each other.  This novel could be an instance where I may have enjoyed it more had I actually read it rather than listening to it.  I just feel that Walls could have put more emotion and passion into her narration, I mean she created the characters!  With themes of family, secrets, and perseverance, you may enjoy this story more than I did.  Although I didn't love listening to the book I feel that it would make an interesting book club selection.

My Rating: 3/5

Disclosure:  This audiobook was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Silver Star, Jeannette Walls has written a heartbreaking and redemptive novel about an intrepid girl who challenges the injustice of the adult world—a triumph of imagination and storytelling.

It is 1970 in a small town in California. “Bean” Holladay is twelve and her sister, Liz, is fifteen when their artistic mother, Charlotte, a woman who “found something wrong with every place she ever lived,” takes off to find herself, leaving her girls enough money to last a month or two. When Bean returns from school one day and sees a police car outside the house, she and Liz decide to take the bus to Virginia, where their Uncle Tinsley lives in the decaying mansion that’s been in Charlotte’s family for generations.

An impetuous optimist, Bean soon discovers who her father was, and hears many stories about why their mother left Virginia in the first place. Because money is tight, Liz and Bean start babysitting and doing office work for Jerry Maddox, foreman of the mill in town—a big man who bullies his workers, his tenants, his children, and his wife. Bean adores her whip-smart older sister—inventor of word games, reader of Edgar Allan Poe, nonconformist. But when school starts in the fall, it’s Bean who easily adjusts and makes friends, and Liz who becomes increasingly withdrawn. And then something happens to Liz.

Jeannette Walls, supremely alert to abuse of adult power, has written a deeply moving novel about triumph over adversity and about people who find a way to love each other and the world, despite its flaws and injustices. - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Silver-Star/Jeannette-Walls/9781451661507#sthash.hPnCBFUD.dpuf

The Silver Star, Jeannette Walls has written a heartbreaking and redemptive novel about an intrepid girl who challenges the injustice of the adult world—a triumph of imagination and storytelling.

It is 1970 in a small town in California. “Bean” Holladay is twelve and her sister, Liz, is fifteen when their artistic mother, Charlotte, a woman who “found something wrong with every place she ever lived,” takes off to find herself, leaving her girls enough money to last a month or two. When Bean returns from school one day and sees a police car outside the house, she and Liz decide to take the bus to Virginia, where their Uncle Tinsley lives in the decaying mansion that’s been in Charlotte’s family for generations.

An impetuous optimist, Bean soon discovers who her father was, and hears many stories about why their mother left Virginia in the first place. Because money is tight, Liz and Bean start babysitting and doing office work for Jerry Maddox, foreman of the mill in town—a big man who bullies his workers, his tenants, his children, and his wife. Bean adores her whip-smart older sister—inventor of word games, reader of Edgar Allan Poe, nonconformist. But when school starts in the fall, it’s Bean who easily adjusts and makes friends, and Liz who becomes increasingly withdrawn. And then something happens to Liz.

Jeannette Walls, supremely alert to abuse of adult power, has written a deeply moving novel about triumph over adversity and about people who find a way to love each other and the world, despite its flaws and injustices. - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Silver-Star/Jeannette-Walls/9781451661507#sthash.hPnCBFUD.dpuf

The Silver Star, Jeannette Walls has written a heartbreaking and redemptive novel about an intrepid girl who challenges the injustice of the adult world—a triumph of imagination and storytelling.

It is 1970 in a small town in California. “Bean” Holladay is twelve and her sister, Liz, is fifteen when their artistic mother, Charlotte, a woman who “found something wrong with every place she ever lived,” takes off to find herself, leaving her girls enough money to last a month or two. When Bean returns from school one day and sees a police car outside the house, she and Liz decide to take the bus to Virginia, where their Uncle Tinsley lives in the decaying mansion that’s been in Charlotte’s family for generations.

An impetuous optimist, Bean soon discovers who her father was, and hears many stories about why their mother left Virginia in the first place. Because money is tight, Liz and Bean start babysitting and doing office work for Jerry Maddox, foreman of the mill in town—a big man who bullies his workers, his tenants, his children, and his wife. Bean adores her whip-smart older sister—inventor of word games, reader of Edgar Allan Poe, nonconformist. But when school starts in the fall, it’s Bean who easily adjusts and makes friends, and Liz who becomes increasingly withdrawn. And then something happens to Liz.

Jeannette Walls, supremely alert to abuse of adult power, has written a deeply moving novel about triumph over adversity and about people who find a way to love each other and the world, despite its flaws and injustices. - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Silver-Star/Jeannette-Walls/9781451661507#sthash.hPnCBFUD.dpu

Review: Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

Here is a summary of the book from the Simon and Schuster website:


"Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did." So begins the story of Lily Casey Smith, in Jeannette Walls's magnificent, true-life novel based on her no-nonsense, resourceful, hard working, and spectacularly compelling grandmother. By age six, Lily was helping her father break horses. At fifteen, she left home to teach in a frontier town -- riding five hundred miles on her pony, all alone, to get to her job. She learned to drive a car ("I loved cars even more than I loved horses. They didn't need to be fed if they weren't working, and they didn't leave big piles of manure all over the place") and fly a plane, and, with her husband, ran a vast ranch in Arizona. She raised two children, one of whom is Jeannette's memorable mother, Rosemary Smith Walls, unforgettably portrayed in The Glass Castle.

Lily survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. She bristled at prejudice of all kinds -- against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn't fit the mold. Half Broke Horses is Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults, as riveting and dramatic as Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa or Beryl Markham's West with the Night. It will transfix readers everywhere. 

My Review:
What a beautiful story Jeannette Walls created describing the life of her grandmother, Lily Casey Smith.  Through a first person narrative, we are given a glimpse into the hard life this woman led, and I can tell you, she was one tough cookie.

We follow Lily's life from when she was a young girl living on her parent's ranch in Texas, to her following her dreams.  When she first decides she has had enough life on the ranch, she heads for a new life in Chicago.  Life in the big city turns out to be more than she bargained for when she meets up with a man who turns out to be probably the biggest sleazeball she ever met, and then losing the first true friend of her life.

She finds herself heading back to her family in Texas, to find her mind opened up to the dream of becoming a teacher.  Knowing that she needs to make a life of her own, she heads out on her horse for a one-month journey to her first teaching destination.  This is the first of many teaching jobs for young Lily, as she doesn't conform easily to other's directions and ideas.  She is a woman who stands up for her convictions and will not ever be easily swayed.

We follow Lily throughout her adult life as she finds love and deals with personal tragedies.  She moves across the Western United States, not afraid of what she will find when she gets there, but enjoying the journey along the way.  I developed a respect for Lily throughout this book, just knowing what she endured throughout her life.  She gave every task her all, and was never afraid to try something new.  How her daughter Rosemary turned out to be a woman without ambitions I guess I will never understand.

This was an awesome story that was enjoyed by all of the ladies in my book group.  Overall, our group enjoyed this one more than The Glass Castle.  I enjoyed both of them about the same, but I think there were many more points in this book that just made me laugh out loud.  I mean, if you have read this book, can you tell me that the Mormon's "Wonder Underwear" did not make you laugh?  With themes of love, family, struggles, perseverance, and home, this book made for a wonderful book club selection.  Don't be afraid to read it for your own entertainment though.  I highly recommend this true-life novel.

My Rating:  5/5

Disclosure:  This book is part of my personal collection and I read it as a book club selection and for personal enjoyment.

Review: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Here is a summary of The Glass Castle from Reading Group Guides:

The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette's brilliant and charismatic father captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want the responsibility of raising a family.

The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.

The Glass Castle is truly astonishing -- a memoir permeated by the intense love of a peculiar, but loyal, family. Jeannette Walls has a story to tell, and tells it brilliantly, without an ounce of self-pity. 

My Review:
First, I think that I have to tell you that I usually don't enjoy non-fiction, but this memoir was amazing!  Walls gives us a glimpse as to what it was like growing up in a dysfunctional family, I mean honestly, if you thought your family was a bunch of mixed nuts you will feel much better after reading this book!

The Wall's family lived a wandering lifestyle, not wanting to settle in one place for too long.  It seemed that when the kids were just getting accustomed to their new home, the parents would decide for whatever reason that it was time to pick up and move on.   Knowing that they had to fit all of their belongings in the one car, and probably would not be returning to get anything left behind, the kids were allowed to choose only one or two items for the journey.

Jeannette's mother considered their gypsy lifestyle to be an adventure so she didn't like to stay in one place for any length of time.  When Jeannette's grandmother passed away and left them a comfortable home in Phoenix, this  probably marked the longest stretch of normalcy for the family.  This of course would only last so long as the parents did not seem concerned with the upkeep and maintenance of the beautiful home that was left to them.  Before too long they would be about to embark on another adventure to a new destination and home.

Adding to the family's dysfunctional attributes, Jeannette's father was an alcoholic.  There were many times throughout this memoir where he had the choice to provide food for his family, or nurse his addiction, and the alcohol won the battle almost every time.  It was very heartbreaking to watch these selfish parents as they nursed their personal dreams, goals, and addictions, while leaving these children to fend for themselves in almost every way.

I don't want to give away any more about this memoir, as I really believe that everyone should read it, although I may be the last blogger that has!  It made a great book club discussion  as all of the ladies in my group enjoyed this book.  With themes of family, loyalty, and perseverance, this book will keep you up later as you will be hesitant to set back on the nightstand before going to sleep.  I highly recommend this memoir!

My Rating:  5/5

Disclosure:  This book was from my personal collection and I read it as a book club selection and for my own entertainment.