The Silver Star: A Novel

The Silver Star: A Novel

by Jeannette Walls

4.3 (9,189)

4.3 stars from 9,189 reviews. One of the highest rated Historical Fiction books we track.

296 pages~4.9 hr readPublished by Scribner / Simon & SchusterPublished 2013-01-01

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Last checked: Jun 9, 2026

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Fans of these authors will like this...

  • Kristin Hannah
  • Celeste Ng
  • Ann Packer

Fans of these books will like this...

  • The Glass Castle
  • Little Fires Everywhere
  • The Nightingale

Perfect for you if...

  • You loved The Glass Castle and want more of Walls's unflinching look at family dysfunction and resilience.
  • You're drawn to stories about sisters navigating impossible situations without a safety net to catch them.
  • You appreciate coming-of-age narratives that don't shy away from real trauma and the messy ways families survive.

Maybe not for you if...

  • You need an uplifting or redemptive ending to feel satisfied by a story.
  • You prefer plot-driven narratives over character study and emotional depth.
  • You want to avoid books dealing with sexual abuse and its aftermath.

About this book

In 1970, twelve-year-old Bean and her fifteen-year-old sister Liz are left in a small California town when their mother Charlotte abandons them with only a month or two of money. After discovering a police car at their house, the sisters decide to take a bus to Virginia to stay with their widowed Uncle Tinsley in the family's decaying ancestral mansion. As Bean adjusts to their new circumstances, she learns about her father's identity and the reasons her mother originally left Virginia. The sisters begin working for Jerry Maddox, the mill foreman, to earn money. While Liz is intelligent and independent, preferring solitude and reading Edgar Allan Poe, Bean adapts more easily when school begins. However, Liz becomes increasingly withdrawn, and a significant incident occurs between Liz and Maddox. This novel explores how a family navigates hardship and finds ways to maintain love and connection despite the world's flaws and injustices.

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Currently #249 in the Kindle store — a top-1,000 bestseller.

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3.5★4.3★5.0★Jun '26Jun '26RatingReviews

Currently 4.3★ from 9,189 reviews

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Jeannette Walls

1 book on Vagrant Press

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