The Silver Star/Jeannette Walls/269 pgs.

Having read Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle, and Half Broke Horses, I wasn't sure what to expect. I liked it, but not as much as her other two books. The Silver Star is a novel about two sisters (really half-sisters) Jean "Bean" Holladay,  and Liz; Liz has looked out for Bean all of her life. The year is 1970, and Charlotte, Bean and Liz's mom, takes off to "find herself," leaving 12 year-old Bean, and 15 year-old Liz to fend for themselves. The girls decide to travel from California to visit their Uncle Tinsley (Charlotte's brother) in Virginia; of course, he has had no contact with the girls for years, so it is a total surprise. The novel delves into the girls' lives and adjustment to living with their uncle and attending a new school. They learn about their family history, and encounter trouble in the form of Jerry Maddox, foreman of the town's mill. I just feel that much that is covered in this novel has been covered before in Walls' previous works. I liked the book, I just don't feel that there was much new that was offered.