About this title: Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did. So begins the story of Lily Casey. By age six, Lily was helping her father break horses. At fifteen, she left home to teach in a frontier town -- riding five hundred miles on her pony to get to her post. She learned to drive a car, fly a plane, and with her husband, managed a vast ranch in Arizona. She raised two children, one of whom is Jeannette's memorable mother, Rosemary Smith Walls, unforgettably portrayed in The Glass Castle. Smith, Jeannette Walls's no-nonsense, resourceful, and spectacularly compelling grandmother. Lily survived ...
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Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Scribner Book Company
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781416586289ISBN:1416586288
Description: Fine in fine dust jacket. mint condition; if you liked Glass Castle, you'll love this book. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 288 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Scribner
Date Published: 2009-10-06
ISBN-13:9781416586289ISBN:1416586288
Description: New. This is a paperback ARC with different cover and publisher stickers. This book is the same isbn, but is a paperback. New, unread, unused & in perfect condition with no damaged or missing pages. Great Copy. Ships Lightning Fast. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
Date Published: October 2009
ISBN-13:9781416586289ISBN:1416586288
Description: 1-4165-8628-8 From the Publisher Jeannette Walls's The Glass Castle was "nothing short of spectacular" (Entertainment Weekly). Now she brings us the story of her grandmother-told in a voice so authentic and compelling that the book is destined to become an instant classic. "Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did. " So begins the story of Lily Casey Smith, in Jeannette Walls's magnificent, true-life novel based on her no-nonsense, resourceful, hard working, and spectacularly ... read more
Binding: Hardback
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781416586289ISBN:1416586288
Description: New. Walls's "The Glass Castle" was nothing short of spectacular ("Entertainment Weekly"). Now Walls presents this magnificent, true-life novel based on her no-nonsense, resourceful, hardworking, and spectacularly compelling grandmother. read more
Description: New. DISPATCHED FROM UNITED KINGDOM. NO EXPEDITED SHIPPING! Please note orders are confirmed immediately and may take 2-3 business days to ship. This processing time is in addition to the shipping time. Please allow 10-14 days for delivery. Brand new item. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Order with confidence. Code: G20091120050558D. read more
Description: New. 1416586288 *NEW BOOK! * RETURNS ARE NO PROBLEM! We LOVE happy customers. All our orders sent with tracking information. ALIBRIS. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: SIMON & SCHUSTER LTD Country = UNITED KINGDOM
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781847376756ISBN:1847376754
Description: BRAND NEW PAPERBACK. 288 pages. From the author of the two-million copy us bestseller, the glass castle, comes jean*n*e*t*te walls' debut novel based on the extraordinary life of her redoubtable grandmother, lily. (Paperback) read more
"This is the second book I've read from Jeannette Walls, and for the second time I've really enjoyed her writing. The voice in this story is different from The Glass Castle but equally as engaging, and once again it's all true! It also inevitably makes you wonder (for those who've read the GC) how this story ties into the lives of author's parents, and why things turned out the way they did.
It's a great escape from the reality we live in now, with computers, text messaging, and the crazy speed at which technology moves us. The first person narrative of Walls' grandmother brings us to another time and place, bringing us alongside her life growing up in the southwest riding horses and living on a ranch, among other things. It's especially gratifying to read about how strong a woman can be, without having to apologize for it. This book ended too quickly, and made me want to know more about all its characters."
"Jeanette Wall's first book reminded me of Angela's Ashes, the kind of book where you fear for the survival of the protagonist and keep checking the cover for the author's bio. Written from her own perspective as a child, the reader questions the sanity and lack of 'normal' motivation of her ne'er-do-well parents. Half Broke Horses provides some answers, or at least background to her mother's character. Lily Smith, Jeanette's grandmother, hit the ground running, practically from birth. In the opening chapter she rescues her younger sister and brother from a flash flood on their west Texas farm. By age six she is helping her father break horses, and at fifteen she travels 500 miles on horseback to teach in a one-room school. This is the kind of story you can read aloud to your kids, grandkids or grandparents - every generation will find inspiration in Lily's indominatable character. I didn't want her grandmother's life, and story, to end."
"Half Broke Horses is Jeannette Walls interpretation of the life of her grandmother, Lily Casey Smith. She calls it a true-life novel as the story is told from the perspective of Lily herself and some of the details are intuited rather then factual. This adds to the story rather than detracting from it as it contributes depth and fleshes out the story. Its a grand story of a woman who lived life large. Lily was a tough, smart, outspoken, and resourceful woman who lived through floods, tornadoes, marriage to a crumb-bum husband, and selling bootleg booze to support her family. She never apologized for who she was or for doing what she believed was right. I immediately liked Lily Casey Smith and wanted to keep reading to see what would become of her. Her utter frankness was humorous and her ability to pull herself up by her bootstraps admirable. The western landscape is a major character with its droughts, floods, canyons, and plains. The writing is beautifully descriptive yet the conversation and people are authentically captured as well. Half Broke Horses is a well-written, entertaining, easy read!"
"After reading Walls, The Glass Castle, I wanted to know more about Rosemary & Rex's (Jeannette's parents) tale. Jeannette originally was going to write the story of Rosemary, but was convinced by her that her grandmother's story was much more interesting. Half Broke Horses takes us through the beautifully told story of Jeannette's grandmother, Lily (Rosemary's mother). Walls brings Lily's story to life as it is recounted from the first person perspective. Thoroughly enjoyed this endearing story filled with inspiring life lessons as Lily overcomes many hardships/heartbreaks during a time when women were often seen second to men.
Some favorite lines from the book: When asked if he believed that everything that happened was God's will, Lily's father answers, "Is and isn't, God deals us all different hands. How we play'em is up to us." Her dad also felt the Pilgrims were a bunch of pious hypocrites declaring all men equal but keeping slaves & massacreing peaceful Indians. He says, "Only difference between a traitor and a patriot is your perspective." Mother Albertina makes a wonderful comment when she says, "Teaching is a calling, too. And I've always thought that teachers in their way are holy--angels leading their flocks out of the darkness." She also said, "When God closes a window, he opens a door. But it's up to you to find it." Being a teacher, I could relate to Lily's thoughts, "I was teaching them things they need to know, which made me feel like I was making a difference in their lives. I never met a kid I couldn't teach. Every kid was good at something, and the trick was to find out what it was, then use it to teach him everything else." She also says, "Kids were like horses in that things went a lot easier if you got their respect from the outset rather than trying to demand it after they'd started seeing what they could get away with." The free-spirit, Rosemary, makes this comment when Lily tries to tell her that Rex is a danger to himself & others, "Nobody's perfect. We're all just one step up from the beasts and one step down from the angels.""
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