It is 1970. 'Bean' Holladay is twelve and her sister Liz 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 the 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 has 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 Madox, 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But when school starts in the autumn, it is Bean who easily adjusts and makes friends, and Liz who becomes increasingly withdrawn. And then something happens between Liz and Maddox...
I have read all of Jeannette Walls' books. I can't necessarily say I ""enjoy"" them. They are not light-hearted. They deal with neglect and what I would classify as abuse, as well as other heavy, real-life issues. However, they are so well written and the characters are so well-developed that I consistently find myself lost in her books in no time. The Silver Star was no exception. I had a hard time putting this one down once I started it.
In The Silver Star, we face another neglectful mom with two amazing daughters. I couldn't stand Charlotte (mom). She was spoiled and selfish and I had a hard time with the fact that she was constantly putting her needs before those of her children. Upon reading though, I couldn't help but feel that her actions almost made her girls stronger. Liz and Bean were street and book smart, strong, independent, and hard-working.
Luckily, when they needed it the most, they found family and a town that (eventually) accepted them. Like the characters in The Glass Castle, the girls have to fight to survive and face many unbearable hardships. They do prevail, but they are forever changed.
In addition to the girls, readers will come to love and care about the relatives they encounter on their journey. I don't want to give too much away, but even those that don't seem too accepting of Liz and Bean at first end up sacrificing a lot to help them out.
I LOVED this book--Ms. Walls, if you're out there somewhere, please write a follow-up to this one! I didn't think I could like this book more than Half Broke Horses, but I do and I want to know what becomes of the girls and the rest of the people of Byler. This was one of those books that sent me into a depression once it was over because I just didn't want it to end...
Reviewed by Joelle for Cocktails and Books
Reading updates
-
Started reading
-
Finished reading
-
8 May, 2013:
Reviewed