half-broken crumb bums

if i recall correctly, we both loved the glass castle.
i think perhaps i need to go into second novels with more of an open mind, and less expectations.

half broken horses by jeanette walls tells the story of jeannette's grandmother, lily. at first, she had hope to write a book about her mother, but her grandmother's story seemed much more interesting to her.

and it is - lily is a firecracker of a woman - she breaks horses, beats all the men at poker, learns to pilot an aircraft - etc etc - parts of the story made me feel very inspired, and other times i felt as if the character (it's written in the first person) was way too full of herself. a hard life, no doubt, and she took life by the horns, but several times i could of put it down. admittedly, and repeated use of the term "crumb bum" started to irritate me a little.

at the end, i do feel like i will get up tomorrow and take over the world. not the whole world, but maybe just a little more control of my own world. and it's thanks to this woman's brass ovaries.

sadly, we find out at the end, that in fact lily died when jeanette was eight - these days, these types of novels are called "true life novels". it's a quick read though, and if you feel like you need a kick in the ass, lily is the woman to give it to you.