Another excellent story told by this woman.
It says "a true life novel" on the cover because it's the stories of her grandmother, her mother's mother, as she remembers them and her own memories of her, told in first person point of view. She said she wanted to do it this way so grandmother's personality could really be felt. And it was.
After reading this, I can see where her (the author) mother gets her "unique" way of looking at and living life. The Glass Castle had me wanting to slap her (the author's mother). Seeing how she was as a child and teenager kind of puts things into perspective. This book starts with her grandmother as a little girl and continues up through her own (the author's) birth. Her grandmother was a sensible woman with a strong personality, her mother was kind of a flake, in my opinion, but not wholly because of her upbringing. I think she was just one of those apples that fell a little far from the tree. The author brings sensibility back to the family because of her upbringing (in spite of, really), and I think she definitely has a lot of her grandmother in her. They're both smart, strong women who had it in them to survive what life handed to them.
If you're going to read this or The Glass Castle, read this one, first. It's not necessary, but the chronology would fit nicely. And you might have more kindness in your heart towards the author's mother instead of the utter disbelief and pretty much disgust that I had for her.
Definitely a book I would recommend. It's a good one. I love the way this author writes - I hope she puts out more stories as I've now read them all.
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