Customer Comments

Everything about the description made this a must read for me, and while I did finish it in two days, I've yet to decide if it was because it was good or to just get it over with. Semple definitely has a knack for capturing the painfully funny truths of everyday life; however, fragmented story lines took too long to come full circle and took you a little too far to just leave you hanging. Definitely giving this a 4/5 for a quick and easy read of witty charm, but just as the ending was pulling you in for some dramatic end to her day... it's like you were left with the end to another book that was just odd...

A must read! When I called to reserve this at Powell's, the woman told me she loved memoirs and this might be her favorite. I can understand why! Jeannette Walls writes so efficiently, that it is easy to picture each scenario without getting bored in extraneous text. If you enjoy a good read about struggle and triumph, this book doesn't disappoint. The author makes you feel for her and her siblings without searching for pitty, and the triumph doesn't come from an overly cheerful, optimistic place that's not easy for everyone to buy into. This is simply the tale of a woman and her siblings doing what they had to do to survive and later thrive, all while maintaining the inner struggle of accepting people as they are and controlling what you can.