Bookworm

[#1]

This fictional “true story” could be considered a prequel to Walls’ first engrossing and acclaimed memoir, The Glass Castle. In the Castle, we learned of the author’s first-hand experience as she survived extreme poverty and deplorable parents. It was a heartbreaking tale, and one that speaks of survival and determination.

Half-broke Horses is intriguing. If you read between the lines you begin to understand the life that Walls’ own mother (featured in The Glass Castle) had growing up. At first blush, you’re enthralled with her maternal grandmother Lily Casey. The story is narrated in first person with colorful dialogue and lots of cracker-barrel wisdom.

You admire Grandma Smith (Casey is her maiden name), as one of the rare breeds of women of her time who ignored all gender barriers and followed her dreams. In Amelia Earnheart style, she donned goggles and learned to fly. She stunned cowboys with her ability to break horses. She played poker (cleaning out the pockets of most of the men she met), carried a six-shooter in her purse and traveled across the open plains of a young America.

A short stint in Chicago resulted in a marriage to an already married “crumb bum” of a husband. Her lifelong motto, “Hope for the best and plan for the worst,” rings true throughout the story. Between adventures, Lily’s life is filled with hardship and tragedy, including the suicide of her beloved sister.

She eventually remarries a warm-hearted cowboy named Jim who helps her dream of ranching come to fruition. When Rosemary (Jeanette Walls’ mother, Rose Mary, in the The Glass Castle) is born, Lily remains a tough-talking rancher. Her instinct as a mother never really seems to kick in. Lily is just fine wearing shirts frontward, backwards and inside out so as not to bother with laundry. Jeans are meant to be worn until crunchy and meals are catch as catch can. Photo left: Lily Casey

As the country (and her daughter) grows up, Lily remains an adventurous spirit set in her ways. Her plucky euphemisms and one-liners wear thin on Rosemary who never seems to embrace her mother’s love for adventure or the outdoors.

This upbringing foreshadows the maternal (or complete lack of) style, that Rosemary exhibits in the Castle.

The book is fascinating in its own right with the remarkable story of Lily and her rootin-tootin’ ways, but the insight it provides on what drives someone to ultimately become such a neglectful mother to her own children is enlightening.

 

By the bed: Dreams of Joy by Lisa See