Reviews

Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

Only show reviews with written explanations

floer009's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I was amazed at who she was and how she handled things. That being said, I liked her less as the book ended and I wouldn't want her for a parent or teacher.

corinnahogan's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I loved this book! Lily Casey is a very strong character and had a really interesting life. VERY different from my life, haha. Started off strong with her going on a month long trip by herself on horseback across Texas as a teenager. That alone is insane to me. I wasn’t planning on rereading The Glass Castle right after this, buuuuut I think I have to now.

The experience of reading this book is absolutely like reading a memoir, despite how this is described as a fact/fiction combo, due to lack of real documentation of Lily’s life. And, you know, the fact that this is written by another person. Regardless! Jeannette Walls is a great writer, you really feel like Lily is telling her own story. Totally recommend this book!

aterlesky's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

It was ok. Not as good as The Glass Castle, but ok. A fun read, with a few laughs coming from the crazy life of the stubborn, tough, and resourceful grandmother Walls.

in_and_out_of_the_stash's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

I haven't read The Glass Castle, although I know Jeannette Walls story, so the writing was new to me.

I found the narrative repetitive about 2/3rds of the way through the book so was glad that I could read this on my commute.

lissalou28's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

modern_analog's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

"Some of the things that happened around Rex were strange, Rosemary explained, some were exciting, some were funny, some were scary, but he made everything into an adventure. Because of his own wild streak, he had a way of recognizing it in others... You'd go to a circus and meet the clowns, the bareback rider, and the sword swallower, wind up after the show tossing back shots in a bar with all of them, the sword swallower showing you how to stick a knife down your throat, the bareback rider describing how the Nazis had sent her to a concentration camp because she was a gypsy, then one of the clowns--the sad-eyed one--would confess that his old sweetheart was living nearby and he'd never loved anyone since, so you'd all pile into the car and drive over to the sweetheart's house and you'd find yourself at four in the morning standing under this strange woman's window serenading her with 'Red River Valley' in the hope of rekindling her love for the sad-eyed clown."

That passage pretty much sums up why you should read this book. But first, be sure to read The Glass Castle, if you haven't already.