Staff Pick
In typical Jeannette Walls fashion, The Silver Star is hilarious, sweet, and sad at the same time. Walls's books are often populated by flaky, irresponsible adults and kids who have to fend for themselves, and this is no exception. After struggling with their mostly absent mother, the two Holladay sisters try to find themselves a real home with their eccentric uncle, who lives in a small town on the other side of the country. Walls writes with a huge heart and a sly sense of humor, and The Silver Star is a perfect combination of both. Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
From one of the bestselling memoirists of all time, a stunning and heartbreaking novel about an intrepid girl who challenges the injustice of the adult world—a triumph of imagination and storytelling. It is 1970. “Bean” Holladay is twelve and her sister Liz is fifteen when their artistic mother Charlotte, a woman “who flees every place she’s ever lived at the first sign of trouble,” takes off to “find herself.” She leaves her girls enough money for food to last a month or two. But when Bean gets home from school one day and sees a police car outside the house, she and Liz board a bus from California to Virginia, where their widowed Uncle Tinsley lives in the decaying antebellum mansion that’s been in the family for generations.
An impetuous optimist, Bean discovers who her father was and learns many stories about why their mother left Virginia in the first place. Money is tight, so Liz and Bean start babysitting and doing office work for Jerry Maddox, foreman of the mill in town, a big man who bullies workers, tenants, and his wife. Bean adores her whip-smart older sister, inventor of word games, reader of Edgar Allan Poe, non-conformist. But when school starts in the fall, it’s Bean who easily adjusts and makes friends, and Liz who becomes increasingly withdrawn. And then something happens to Liz in the car with Maddox.
The author of The Glass Castle, hyper-alert to abuse of adult power, has written a gorgeous, riveting, heartbreaking novel about triumph over adversity and about people who find a way to love the world despite its flaws and injustices.
Synopsis
From the #1
New York Times bestselling author of
The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls' gripping new novel that "transports us with her powerful storytelling...She contemplates the extraordinary bravery needed to confront real-life demons in a world where the hardest thing to do may be to not run away" (
O, The Oprah Magazine).
It is 1970 in a small town in California. "Bean" Holladay is twelve and her sister, Liz, is fifteen when their artistic mother, Charlotte, takes off to find herself, leaving her girls enough money to last a month or two. When Bean returns from school one day and sees a police car outside the house, she and Liz decide to take the bus to Virginia, where their widowed Uncle Tinsley lives in the decaying mansion that's been in Charlotte's family for generations.
An impetuous optimist, Bean soon discovers who her father was, and hears stories about why their mother left Virginia in the first place. Money is tight, and the sisters start babysitting and doing office work for Jerry Maddox, foreman of the mill in town, who bullies his workers, his tenants, his children, and his wife. Liz is whip-smart--an inventor of word games, reader of Edgar Allan Poe, nonconformist. But when school starts in the fall, it's Bean who easily adjusts, and Liz who becomes increasingly withdrawn. And then something happens to Liz in the car with Maddox.
Jeannette Walls has written a deeply moving novel about triumph over adversity and about people who find a way to love each other and the world, despite its flaws and injustices.
Synopsis
The Silver Star, Jeannette Walls has written a heartbreaking and redemptive novel about an intrepid girl who challenges the injustice of the adult world—a triumph of imagination and storytelling.
It is 1970 in a small town in California. “Bean” Holladay is twelve and her sister, Liz, is fifteen when their artistic mother, Charlotte, a woman who “found something wrong with every place she ever lived,” takes off to find herself, leaving her girls enough money to last a month or two. When Bean returns from school one day and sees a police car outside the house, she and Liz decide to take the bus to Virginia, where their Uncle Tinsley lives in the decaying mansion that’s been in Charlotte’s family for generations.
An impetuous optimist, Bean soon discovers who her father was, and hears many stories about why their mother left Virginia in the first place. Because money is tight, Liz and Bean start babysitting and doing office work for Jerry Maddox, foreman of the mill in town—a big man who bullies his workers, his tenants, his children, and his wife. Bean adores her whip-smart older sister—inventor of word games, reader of Edgar Allan Poe, nonconformist. But when school starts in the fall, it’s Bean who easily adjusts and makes friends, and Liz who becomes increasingly withdrawn. And then something happens to Liz.
Jeannette Walls, supremely alert to abuse of adult power, has written a deeply moving novel about triumph over adversity and about people who find a way to love each other and the world, despite its flaws and injustices.
Synopsis
The Silver Star,Jeannette Wallshas written a heartbreaking and redemptive novel about an intrepid girl whochallenges the injustice of the adult worlda triumph of imagination andstorytelling.
IT IS 1970 in a small town in California. BeanHolladay is twelve and her sister, Liz, is fifteen when their artistic mother,Charlotte, a woman who found something wrong with every place she ever lived,takes off to find herself, leaving her girls enough money to last a month ortwo. When Bean returns from school one day and sees a police car outside thehouse, she and Liz decide to take the bus to Virginia, where their UncleTinsley lives in the decaying mansion thats been in Charlottes family forgenerations.
Animpetuous optimist, Bean soon discovers who her father was, and hears manystories about why their mother left Virginia in the first place. Because moneyis tight, Liz and Bean start babysitting and doing office work for JerryMaddox, foreman of the mill in towna big man who bullies his workers, histenants, his children, and his wife. Bean adores her whip-smart oldersisterinventor of word games, reader of Edgar Allan Poe, nonconformist. Butwhen school starts in the fall, its Bean who easily adjusts and makes friends,and Liz who becomes increasingly withdrawn. And then something happens to Liz.
JeannetteWalls, supremely alert to abuse of adult power, has written a deeply movingnovel about triumph over adversity and about people who find a way to love eachother and the world, despite its flaws and injustices.
About the Author
Jeannette Walls graduated from Barnard College and was a journalist in New York. Her memoir, The Glass Castle, has been a New York Times bestseller for more than six years. She is also the author of the instant New York Times bestsellers, The Silver Star and Half Broke Horses, which was named one of the ten best books of 2009 by the editors of The New York Times Book Review. Walls lives in rural Virginia with her husband, the writer John Taylor.Jeannette Walls graduated from Barnard College and was a journalist in New York. Her memoir, The Glass Castle, has been a New York Times bestseller for more than six years. She is also the author of the instant New York Times bestsellers, The Silver Star and Half Broke Horses, which was named one of the ten best books of 2009 by the editors of The New York Times Book Review. Walls lives in rural Virginia with her husband, the writer John Taylor.