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A review by book_concierge
Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls
4.0
Audiobook read by the author.
In what she calls a “true life novel,” Walls turns her attention to her maternal grandmother: Lily Casey Smith. Not having the specifics of dialogue and thought, Walls felt it was not appropriate to call this nonfiction, yet it truly is her grandmother’s story.
Walls is a wonderful storyteller; she really brings Lily and all the other characters to life. And what a life!
Lily survived floods, a tornado, the Great Depression, financial losses, and the pain of personal tragedy. Yet she remained strong and steadfast in her goals. And she was fearless. Still in her teens, she left her home and rode her pony alone some five hundred miles to teach in a one-room school house in a frontier town. She learned to drive a car and fly a plane. She would not tolerate prejudice of any kind, and fought for her rights. She was not afraid to get her hands dirty or to tackle difficult tasks; she rolled her sleeves up and set to work.
The author also does a fine job of putting the reader into this time and place. I could practically smell the horses, and feel the dust on my skin. I had a very clear picture in my head of this landscape, thanks to Walls’ skill.
Walls narrated the audio book herself, and she does a marvelous job.
In what she calls a “true life novel,” Walls turns her attention to her maternal grandmother: Lily Casey Smith. Not having the specifics of dialogue and thought, Walls felt it was not appropriate to call this nonfiction, yet it truly is her grandmother’s story.
Walls is a wonderful storyteller; she really brings Lily and all the other characters to life. And what a life!
Lily survived floods, a tornado, the Great Depression, financial losses, and the pain of personal tragedy. Yet she remained strong and steadfast in her goals. And she was fearless. Still in her teens, she left her home and rode her pony alone some five hundred miles to teach in a one-room school house in a frontier town. She learned to drive a car and fly a plane. She would not tolerate prejudice of any kind, and fought for her rights. She was not afraid to get her hands dirty or to tackle difficult tasks; she rolled her sleeves up and set to work.
The author also does a fine job of putting the reader into this time and place. I could practically smell the horses, and feel the dust on my skin. I had a very clear picture in my head of this landscape, thanks to Walls’ skill.
Walls narrated the audio book herself, and she does a marvelous job.