Loosely biographical, Half Broke Horses tells the life story of the author's grandmother, and inadvertently her mother. I would almost say to read Glass Castles first, because then it is so clear that Jeannette Walls mother had a different take on the world from the very beginning. 
 There are sad, funny, wild and amazing stories in this book. 
 The style is narrative, in fact it feels like sitting down and listening to your parents or grandparents reminisce. Each chapter is a story, long or short, but they build a good overall picture of the life of the woman (Walls' grandmother)who is the narrator.