The Glass Castle
Jeannette Walls
Like Educated, it’s a memoir of an incredibly gifted girl born into a dysfunctional family who, despite the odds, builds a new life. Both Educated and The Glass Castle take a clear-eyed but not dispassionate look at their parents and siblings — the beautiful and dark sides of their personalities, addictions, and failures.
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Half Broke Horses
Jeannette Walls
Jeannette Walls's 'true-life novel' about her tough, unstoppable grandmother out West. I loved this even more than I expected.
★ 5The Correspondent
Virginia Evans
The protagonist of this beautiful novel is a 73-year-old woman processing her life — and regrets — through letters. It’s poignant but not saccharine, specific but universally appealing. I dare you not to cry.
Tom Lake
Ann Patchett
An older woman tells her daughters about the summer she spent performing alongside — and falling in love with — a now-famous actor. My friend Anna said her husband adored this book just as much as she did — impressive, considering he typically reads business non-fiction.
★ 5Whistler
Ann Patchett
Ann Patchett is one of my favorite authors for a reason; I couldn't put this down.
Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage
Belle Burden
Belle and her seemingly perfect family flee COVID to their gorgeous Martha’s Vineyard home. Abruptly, her husband of two decades tells her he’s no longer in love and leaves. I first mentioned this book in January, and since then, multiple friends have told me they finished it in one session.