The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls is about two sisters, Bean and Liz, around ages 12 and 14 respectively, who have a mother that neglects them either totally out of her own selfish needs or mental illness, there are hints at possible bipolar disorder. There also some hints that the older daughter may be brilliant, but also have some problems with mental illness as well. They decide to go back to Virginia where their mother came from after she leaves them on their own and they don't know when she'll come back. In going to Virginia, they find family they never knew before and a space in this world that they had never found. This book is easy to read and really quite a page turner. I didn't want to put it down. It deals with loss, mental illness, racism (it's set in 1970, just as the town the girls are in integrate the schools) and a perspective on To Kill A Mockingbird that I would bet you've considered in your life. The story unfold naturally and effortlessly. I read The Glass Castle, what was supposedly a memoir by this author, and I didn't believe it, I felt she was exaggerating or outright making up portions of it. I still believe it to be mostly fiction, especially at how deftly she tells this story, which is fiction. I highly recommend this book over The Glass Castle. It's more entertaining and I found myself more invested in these characters because I wasn't wondering how some of it could possibly be true, as I did with The Glass Castle. This book has it all and the reader runs through the gamut of all emotions when reading it. I was pulled into the story the moment I read the opening line: "My sister saved my life when I was just a baby." Bean is only twelve years old, but she is an old soul and I found her to be a trustworthy narrator.The author has a gift for creating believable characters, even down to the story people we might only meet in passing. Each person that populates this novel comes fully alive on the page.This novel is entertaining but it also makes you think. I got so caught up in the story I forgot I was reading.Kathleen M. Rodgers, author of the novel Johnnie Come Lately
What do You think about The Silver Star (2013)?
A very good listen, read by the author. It moves along easily. 3.5 stars, if that were possible.
—Caity
The writing style is a bit hard to get into and the plot line is out there but still a good read
—Fire
Not as good as Glass castle but still very entertaining..
—readers4life
another gem from one of my favorite authors
—tornado
