具體描述
內容簡介
The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette's brilliant and charismatic father captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want the responsibility of raising a family.
The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.
The Glass Castle is truely astonishing - a memoir permeated by the intense love of a peculiar but loyal family. Jeannette Walls has a story to tell, and tells it brilliantly, without an ounce of self-pity.
《玻璃城堡》是一部比虛構小說更離奇麯摺的真實迴憶錄。這是一個真實的故事,卻常常離奇得超乎想象,輕鬆幽默的語言背後有著許多深沉感人的亮點。一個擁有價值百萬美金的土地卻堅持流浪街頭的畫傢母親,一個魅力超凡纔華橫溢卻酗酒嗜賭的天纔父親,四個聰明堅強的孩子,構成瞭沃爾斯一傢。
父母的空想主義和特立獨行的生活態度既給全傢帶來瞭災禍,也帶來瞭救贖。他們在美國西南部的礦鎮度過瞭純真快樂、充滿冒險而又滿懷希望的流浪生活,孩子們學會瞭如何勇敢地擁抱生活。
但是當經濟越發拮據、流浪的熱情逐漸減退時,孩子們隻能互相照顧,並忍受著父母對他們不經意的傷害。他們努力地存錢,相繼離傢去瞭紐約,開始瞭各自想要的生活。
作者簡介
Jeannette Walls was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and grew up in the southwest and Welch, West Virginia. She graduated from Barnard College and was a journalist in New York City for twenty years. Her memoir, The Glass Castle, a triumphant account of overcoming a difficult childhood with her dysfunctional but vibrant family, has been a New York Times bestseller for over three years. A publishing sensation around the world, The Glass Castle has sold more than 2.5 million copies in the U.S. and has been translated into twenty-two languages. Walls is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Christopher Award for helping to "affirm the highest values of the human spirit,” as well as the American Library Association’s Alex Award, and the Books for Better Living Award. The Glass Castle was chosen as Elle magazine's book of the year. Walls lives in rural Virginia with her husband, the writer John Taylor.
珍妮特·沃爾斯(Jeannette Walls),美國著名記者。撰有《閑聊:流言世界的內幕》、《閑聊:流言如何變成新聞,新聞怎樣成為另一場秀》等書。2005年齣版迴憶錄《玻璃城堡》,首次公開自己鮮為人知、與眾不同的傢庭背景和成長經曆,憑藉此書蜚聲文壇。
現與丈夫約翰·泰勒(John Taylor)長住紐約城和長島。
精彩書評
"Jeannette Walls has carved a story with precision and grace out of one of the most chaotic, heartbreaking childhoods ever to be set down on the page. This deeply affecting memoir is a triumph in every possible way, and it does what all good books should: it affirms our faith in the human spirit."
-- Dani Shapiro, author of Family History
"The Glass Castle is the saga of the restless, indomitable Walls family, led by a grand eccentric and his tempestuous artist wife. Jeannette Walls has survived poverty, fires, and near starvation to triumph. She has written this amazing tale with honesty and love."
-- Patricia Bosworth, author of Anything Your Little Heart Desires and Diane Arbus: A Biography
"Just read the first pages of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, and I defy you not to go on. It's funny and sad and quirky and loving. I was incredibly touched by it."
-- Dominick Dunne, author of The Way We Lived Then: Recollections of a Well-Known Name Dropper 精彩書摘
Chapter 1: A Woman on the Street
I was sitting in a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster. It was just after dark. A blustery March wind whipped the steam coming out of the manholes, and people hurried along the sidewalks with their collars turned up. I was stuck in traffic two blocks from the party where I was heading.
Mom stood fifteen feet away. She had tied rags around her shoulders to keep out the spring chill and was picking through the trash while her dog, a black-and-white terrier mix, played at her feet. Mom's gestures were all familiar -- the way she tilted her head and thrust out her lower lip when studying items of potential value that she'd hoisted out of the Dumpster, the way her eyes widened with childish glee when she found something she liked. Her long hair was streaked with gray, tangled and matted, and her eyes had sunk deep into their sockets, but still she reminded me of the mom she'd been when I was a kid, swan-diving off cliffs and painting in the desert and reading Shakespeare aloud. Her cheekbones were still high and strong, but the skin was parched and ruddy from all those winters and summers exposed to the elements. To the people walking by, she probably looked like any of the thousands of homeless people in New York City.
It had been months since I laid eyes on Mom, and when she looked up, I was overcome with panic that she'd see me and call out my name, and that someone on the way to the same party would spot us together and Mom would introduce herself and my secret would be out.
I slid down in the seat and asked the driver to turn around and take me home to Park Avenue.
The taxi pulled up in front of my building, the doorman held the door for me, and the elevator man took me up to my floor. My husband was working late, as he did most nights, and the apartment was silent except for the click of my heels on the polished wood floor. I was still rattled from seeing Mom, the unexpectedness of coming across her, the sight of her rooting happily through the Dumpster. I put some Vivaldi on, hoping the music would settle me down.
I looked around the room. There were the turn-of-the-century bronze-and-silver vases and the old books with worn leather spines that I'd collected at flea markets. There were the Georgian maps I'd had framed, the Persian rugs, and the overstuffed leather armchair I liked to sink into at the end of the day. I'd tried to make a home for myself here, tried to turn the apartment into the sort of place where the person I wanted to be would live. But I could never enjoy the room without worrying about Mom and Dad huddled on a sidewalk grate somewhere. I fretted about them, but I was embarrassed by them, too, and ashamed of myself for wearing pearls and living on Park Avenue while my parents were busy keeping warm and finding something to eat.
What could I do? I'd tried to help them countless times, but Dad would insist they didn't need anything, and Mom would ask for something silly, like a perfume atomizer or a membership in a health club. They said that they were living the way they wanted to.
After ducking down in the taxi so Mom wouldn't see me, I hated myself -- hated my antiques, my clothes, and my apartment. I had to do something, so I called a friend of Mom's and left a message. It was our system of staying in touch. It always took Mom a few days to get back to me, but when I heard from her, she sounded, as always, cheerful and casual, as though we'd had lunch the day before. I told her I wanted to see her and suggested she drop by the apartment, but she wanted to go to a restaurant. She loved eating out, so we agreed to meet for lunch at her favorite Chinese restaurant.
Mom was sitting at a booth, studying the menu, when I arrived. She'd made an effort to fix herself up. She wore a bulky gray sweater with only a few light stains, and black leather men's shoes. She'd washed her face, but her neck and temples were still dark with grime.
She waved enthusiastically when she saw me. "It's my baby girl!" she called out. I kissed her cheek. Mom had dumped all the plastic packets of soy sauce and duck sauce and hot-and-spicy mustard from the table into her purse. Now she emptied a wooden bowl of dried noodles into it as well. "A little snack for later on," she explained.
We ordered. Mom chose the Seafood Delight. "You know how I love my seafood," she said.
She started talking about Picasso. She'd seen a retrospective of his work and decided he was hugely overrated. All the cubist stuff was gimmicky, as far as she was concerned. He hadn't really done anything worthwhile after his Rose Period.
"I'm worried about you," I said. "Tell me what I can do to help."
Her smile faded. "What makes you think I need your help?"
"I'm not rich," I said. "But I have some money. Tell me what it is you need."
She thought for a moment. "I could use an electrolysis treatment."
"Be serious."
"I am serious. If a woman looks good, she feels good."
"Come on, Mom." I felt my shoulders tightening up, the way they invariably did during these conversations. "I'm talking about something that could help you change your life, make it better."
"You want to help me change my life?" Mom asked. "I'm fine. You're the one who needs help. Your values are all confused."
"Mom, I saw you picking through trash in the East Village a few days ago."
"Well, people in this country are too wasteful. It's my way of recycling." She took a bite of her Seafood Delight. "Why didn't you say hello?"
"I was too ashamed, Mom. I hid."
Mom pointed her chopsticks at me. "You see?" she said. "Right there. That's exactly what I'm saying. You're way too easily embarrassed. Your father and I are who we are. Accept it."
"And what am I supposed to tell people about my parents?"
"Just tell the truth," Mom said. "That's simple enough." 前言/序言
好的,這是一份關於其他圖書的詳細簡介,內容豐富,力求自然流暢: --- 《塵世的低語:一個傢族的興衰與靈魂的抉擇》 作者: 伊萊恩·馬洛裏 (Elaine Mallory) 譯者: 王雨薇 齣版社: 遠方文學齣版社 裝幀形式: 精裝 頁數: 620頁 ISBN: 978-1-56789-012-3 --- 導言:被時間遺忘的角落 《塵世的低語》並非一部宏大的曆史敘事,它更像是一幅細密、充滿褶皺的掛毯,描繪瞭北美大陸一個多世紀以來,一個普通傢族——布萊剋伍德傢族——如何在時代的洪流中掙紮、蛻變與最終的沉寂。故事的起點,是十九世紀末,愛爾蘭移民約翰·布萊剋伍德帶著妻子和一袋希望,踏上新大陸,在五大湖區邊緣的貧瘠土地上,試圖建立一個屬於自己的“新傢”。 這部小說的時間跨度橫亙百年,從工業革命的蒸汽轟鳴,到兩次世界大戰的硝煙彌漫,再到戰後經濟的繁榮與隨之而來的精神迷失。作者伊萊恩·馬洛裏以其對人性幽微之處的精準捕捉,避免瞭傳統傢族史的刻闆說教,轉而深入挖掘瞭那些被時間衝刷掉的、日常生活中微不足道的選擇如何最終塑造瞭一個傢族的命運。 第一部:土地的誓言與裂痕(1890-1930) 小說的開篇,充滿瞭拓荒的艱辛與初期的希望。約翰和瑪莎·布萊剋伍德在密歇根北部的森林中砍伐、耕種,他們的生活被季節的更迭和對收成的焦慮所支配。馬洛裏用大量細膩的筆觸,描繪瞭泥土的氣息、木屋的簡陋以及在極度物質匱乏中,人與人之間建立的、近乎原始的依賴。 然而,希望的種子很快被現實的陰影所侵蝕。約翰的兒子,托馬斯,一個天生對土地不感興趣,卻對機械和知識充滿渴望的年輕人,成為瞭傢族矛盾的第一個引爆點。托馬斯渴望逃離田園的束縛,前往底特律成為一名汽車裝配工,他認為真正的未來在鋼鐵和速度之中。這種代際間的價值觀衝突,是貫穿整部小說的核心主題之一:是堅守祖輩的土地,還是追逐現代化的幻影? 這一部分的高潮,是二十年代初期的“繁榮假象”。托馬斯帶著從底特律賺來的微薄積蓄迴到傢鄉,試圖用現代化的農業技術改造農場,卻因錯誤的投資和隨之而來的農業蕭條而遭受重創。作者在此展現瞭時代浪潮下,個體努力的渺小與無力。 第二部:灰燼中的成長與沉默(1930-1965) 大蕭條是布萊剋伍德傢族命運的轉摺點。托馬斯在經濟崩潰中掙紮,而他的女兒,安靜而早熟的伊芙琳,則在沉默中成長。伊芙琳是小說中最具悲劇色彩的人物之一。她目睹瞭傢庭的衰敗、父母間無聲的爭吵,以及整個社區在貧睏中顯露齣的道德鬆動。 伊芙琳的故事綫側重於她對“逃離”的渴望,但這種逃離並非地理上的,而是精神層麵的。她在鎮上的圖書館找到瞭一方庇護所,通過閱讀十九世紀的文學作品,構建瞭一個遠離飢餓和絕望的內心世界。她最終嫁給瞭一位本地的教士,看似尋求穩定,實則將自己的人生寄托於一種超驗的、不食人間煙火的理想之中。 馬洛裏在此部分展現瞭驚人的心理洞察力。她探討瞭“沉默的創傷”如何代代相傳——父母未曾言說的痛苦,如何通過習慣、姿態和不經意的眼神,傳遞給下一代。伊芙琳的婚姻,是她試圖用秩序和信仰來對抗傢族混亂根源的努力,但最終,她發現信仰也無法完全填補內心對“真實聯係”的飢渴。 第三部:破碎的鏡像與迴響(1965至今) 隨著二戰結束後社會的重塑,布萊剋伍德傢族的第三代,邁剋爾,代錶瞭對傳統價值體係的徹底反叛。邁剋爾拒絕繼承任何關於土地或穩定的概念。他成為瞭一個迷失在六十年代文化變革中的“垮掉的一代”的縮影。他拋棄瞭大學學業,試圖在藝術和哲學中尋找救贖,卻最終陷入瞭更深的虛無。 邁剋爾的敘事視角,為這部傢族史注入瞭後現代的疏離感。他與祖父約翰所代錶的勤勞務實的精神形成瞭鮮明的對比。然而,作者的筆觸並非簡單地批判“墮落”,而是深入探究瞭,當祖輩建立的物質基礎在曆史的更迭中變得毫無意義時,後代應如何建立自己的意義係統。 小說的後半部分,巧妙地穿插瞭零散的日記片段、老舊的信件和法庭記錄,這些“非虛構”的殘片,增強瞭曆史的真實感和錯位感。傢族成員在各自的時間綫上掙紮,他們很少真正理解彼此的痛苦,彼此的對話往往是錯位的、失焦的。 主題的深度挖掘:記憶的重量與傢的重構 《塵世的低語》最引人入勝之處在於其對“傢”這一概念的解構與重構。對於布萊剋伍德傢族而言,“傢”從未是一個穩定的實體,它隨著每一次遷徙、每一次破産、每一次代際的疏遠而不斷瓦解和重塑。 馬洛裏探討瞭記憶的不可靠性:每個傢族成員都根據自己的創傷和需求,重寫瞭傢族的曆史。父親記憶中的勤勞,在兒子眼中變成瞭偏執;母親記憶中的犧牲,在女兒看來是軟弱的代名詞。 此外,小說也深刻反思瞭美國夢的祛魅過程。從約翰對土地的樸素信仰,到托馬斯對工業財富的盲目追逐,再到邁剋爾對精神自由的徒勞探索,作者展現瞭“成功”的定義如何被時代不斷修改,以及當舊的定義崩潰時,留給人們的巨大精神真空。 藝術風格:沉靜中的爆發力 伊萊恩·馬洛裏以其沉靜、內斂的敘事風格著稱。她的語言如同五大湖區的氣候,錶麵平靜,水麵之下卻暗流湧動。她極少使用煽情的大段獨白,而是通過對環境、物件(比如一把生銹的鐵鍬、一本磨損的聖經、一架老舊的鋼琴)的細緻描摹,來承載人物復雜的情感重量。 這種剋製的敘事,使得最終爆發的情感衝擊格外有力。當一個世紀的愛、遺憾、驕傲和失敗,最終匯聚在傢族最後一位成員——一個選擇離開這片土地,遠赴西海岸的女性——的身上時,讀者感受到的是一種悠長而復雜的共鳴。 《塵世的低語》不是一個關於如何“成功”的故事,而是一個關於如何“存在”的故事。它邀請讀者深入審視自己傢族的曆史,思考那些未被言說、未被理解的傳承,是如何在我們的血管中低語,引導我們走嚮未知的未來。這是一部需要耐心品讀,但迴報豐厚的傑作,是當代美國文學中,對“根源”與“流離”進行的最深刻的探討之一。