Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel, completely captivated
me.
Our introduction to Lily is a
memorable one. She's a young girl who narrowly
escapes a flash flood by climbing a tree.
Little Lily spends the entire night there keeping watch over her two
younger siblings then returns them home safely in the morning. It's this quick thinking, action-oriented, brave
girl that we follow as she grows into the feisty and strong Mrs. Lily Casey
Smith.
This book was splendidly written. Lily's experience couldn't be further from my
own yet Jeanette Walls' writing made me feel like I was there. I love historical fiction and this book is compiled
of family stories and memories that have been passed down through the years. Jeanette points out the events that she
couldn't corroborate and explains her thought process at the end of the book
which I thought was a nice touch.
Our history as a country is filled with incredibly strong
women willing to do what it takes to not only survive, but excel. Most of these women's stories have not been
told. Lily didn't live her life waiting
for the other shoe to drop, she rolled with the punches and perfected bouncing
back up after being knocked down. When
she married, it was to a partner who she knew she could work side-by-side
with. When she had children they learned
to work as a family unit. Her life was
never one of leisure.
This is the story of a survivor, not a warm family tale of
life in the country.
I absolutely loved it.
I highly recommend "Glass Castle" also by Jeanette Walls. It follows the story of Lily's daughter and
her granddaughters. It shows that we all have our own paths that we need to make
in this world.
