Wall, Jeanette. (2005). The Glass Caste. New York, NY: Scribner, A Division of Simon & Shuster, Inc.
I will discuss this book academically, as I had to use it for a class I taught, and was not the primary teacher. I would have rather a different book, however, this is the one we completed and analyzed critically for class. I invite others to tell me what they thought in more depth. I can also ask a couple questions once I’ve told you what my rating is. The book was definitely not my favorite, being that it was a memoir, yet read more like a fiction, and as a memoir had too much fictional components to be taken seriously. Rating the story: I began with an 8, and ended with a 6. The chapters became repetitive in the major issues with the dysfunctions in the family, different actual events, but same responses and reactions… it grew boring after a while. All in all, I was disturbed by the characters initially, but later I began to think they were conjured up and not true people. If this story is a memoir in reality, I would shudder to think people really are like this, but if it’s a story made up to be a memoir, I would say the author has a pretty good imagination, although to some extent near the end it began to sound hyperbolic. Now, I had to pose to the class, what did you think?
1) As to Characters, name then explain…
2) As to Narrative, indicate general literary devices and expound upon one you liked best…
3) What might you think the theme or theme(s) would be for this “memoir?”
Write below, with your name, class, and rating on the book.
I truly woud be interested in hearing what anyone felt about the book.
THE PLOT THICKENS 