A review by suicunejpg
Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls

5.0

5 stars 270 pages a captivating and riveting retelling of the author’s grandmother’s life which was -holy shit- absolutely insane. this woman had tenacity, adaptability, endurance, intelligence, know-how, drive, cleverness, courage, and skill set of twenty five men put together. a force to be reckoned with in the american west in the 1900s that built her life from nothing as she goes from running an entire ranch herself as a literal child and saving her siblings from a flash flood to becoming a teacher, rancher, college graduate, mother, driver, airplane flier, politician, and MORE moving from one place to the next and always figuring out how to not only survive but thrive despite all the odds being against her. a trailblazer in an era where life was particularly hard, but even more challenging for women, especially strong willed ones like lily that knew what she wanted and didn’t care who tried to get in her way. although i don’t agree with Everything she thought and did, she is seriously an inspiration and her story was retold with a powerful and frank voice that made it feel like i was sitting right next to her. i flew through this novel and was absolutely engrossed the entire time. highly highly recommend if you like historical fiction/nonfiction, particularly stories of ranching and the transition from the traditions of the old west to the new era of industrialization