Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls

Walls’ much anticipated follow-up to her bestseller “The Glass Castle” failed to impress me. While many have been heralding this as a wonderful book, I felt it lacking. Coined a “true life novel”, the story centers around Walls’ grandmother, Lily. Only aged five when she passed, Walls obviously does not have any autobiographical information, but rather relies on first-hand accounts and in-depth research to construct her grandmother’s life in the Midwest on cattle ranches, in schoolhouses, and as the general wild gal she is. A good story, Walls maintains her skill of establishing a strong empathy with the reader and her characters. But when finished, I felt utterly underwhelmed by this book.

-Liz