Room
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Product Description
Review
'So carefully and originally constructed that it's both hard to put down and profoundly affecting . . . Donoghue has crafted a narrative that moves as breathlessly as a thriller while convincingly portraying how a boy might believe a room is his whole world.' --Sunday Times Book of the Week
'The Man Booker shortlisted novel about an imprisoned child, with horrible intimations of the Fritzl case.' --The Times
'an extraordinarily plausible account of the deprivations of life in a domestic dungeon' --Guardian
'Beautifully written, this moving and ultimately uplifting novel is Donoghue's masterpiece.'
--Gay Community News
'The Man Booker shortlisted novel about an imprisoned child, with horrible intimations of the Fritzl case.' --The Times
'an extraordinarily plausible account of the deprivations of life in a domestic dungeon' --Guardian
'Beautifully written, this moving and ultimately uplifting novel is Donoghue's masterpiece.'
--Gay Community News
Product Description
Jack is five. He lives with his Ma. They live in a single, locked room. They don’t have the key.
Jack and Ma are prisoners.
‘This book will break your heart . . . It is the most vivid, radiant and beautiful expression of maternal love I have ever read’ Irish Times
‘Startlingly original and moving . . . Endearing and as utterly compelling as THE LOVELY BONES’ Scotsman
‘I’ve never read a more heart-burstingly, gut wrenchingly compassionate novel . . . As for sweet, bright, funny Jack, I wanted to scoop him up out of the novel and never let him go’ Daily Mail
‘This is a truly remarkable novel. It presents an utterly unique way to talk about love, all the while giving us a fresh, expansive eye on the world in which we live’ New York Times Book Review
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An unforgettable narrator, an unforgettable novel...,
By
This review is from: Room (Paperback)
This is a book I hadn't heard much about prior to picking it up (I try to avoid too overly-hyped novels), but I'm so glad that I gave this a chance. There's not a lot I can add to all the previous reviews and comments that hasn't already been said, other than to afirm that this is a bloody good read.
Told from the point of view of five year old Jack, the novel sees him and his mother living in `Room,' a place the child has never left in his whole life. Unbeknownst to him however, that is because he and his mother are both prisoners and this little boy's world is about to be turned entirely upside down... I am in awe at the authors ability to consistently maintain the voice of a child in telling this story; granted an incredibly *smart* child, but a child nonetheless. This is what for me made this book so fascinating, because Jack is such a memorable narrator. Also, the relationship between a mother and child who ultimately only have each other was told such in a moving way that for me that was the essence of the novel, despite the sinister plot twists, which were granted, a bit predictable but still very well portrayed. I adored this book and couldn't put it down. The storyline is compelling, despite the sad turns of events, and characters are incredibly skilfully developed and believable. I would urge everyone to read this book- you won't be sorry you did.
56 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Recommended, with reservations,
By
This review is from: Room (Hardcover)
Room is based on an original, arresting, thought-provoking premise. It's narrated by a five year old boy (Jack), who has spent his entire life living inside a small room where he and his mother are held prisoner. His mother was abducted at the age of 19 and has been repeatedly raped: Jack being born some 2 years later. Jack's mother is frequently depressed and desperate to escape. However she has protected Jack from the realities of their situation and one of the book's central ideas is that when you know no better, you always think the world that you live in is normal and it will still represent home to you.
Having a child narrate the book is very clever in many ways. Jack is oblivious to the heroic efforts that his mother makes to protect and entertain him, but these are obvious to the reader. However he never really worked as a narrator for me. He starts the book speaking in quite broken english but quickly leaves that affectation behind. I realise that he was meant to be a highly developed child in some areas while very behind in others. But I couldn't reconcile a child who knew words like omnivore, nutritional and antenna and then at other times would describe something as "the hurtest". The first time he sees his mother vomiting he describes it as "stuff falling out of her mouth like spit but much thicker", but next moment he's calling it vomit and using the word freely from then on. All these inconsistencies kept interrupting the flow of the book for me. There were also times when I would like to have been given a better insight into the reasons for his mother's actions, which the choice of narrator made impossible. It's a story with two distinct acts, punctuated by a nerve-wracking section in the middle. I felt that the story loses momentum in the second half of the book, petering out towards the end. This is one of those books that sucks you into its world and makes you reconsider your own. It's a quick read that's highly absorbing. I can understand why so many people think that it's brilliant, but I only found it good, not great.
111 of 122 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful!,
By
This review is from: Room (Hardcover)
I was utterly gripped by this stunning book. The subject matter could easily have led to a book which was sensationalist or merely depressing. Instead, in Ma and Jack, Emma Donaghue have created two characters that you really care about. I could not put this book down, it was absolutely mesmerising. The author has captured the relationship between a child and mother so well that, regardless of the situation, everything about it rings absolutely true. As does the situation in Room, when the author really shows the fear that comes from a lack of control and how the smallest illness could become a catastophe. In the end, rather than a dispiriting read, this is uplifting. And the tension when Jack carries out Plan B (I don't want to spoil the plot) was terrible - I was gripping the book like my life depended on it! This book deserves every award going, I can't rate it highly enough. Read it, enjoy it, recommend it to everybody you meet. It really is that good.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
room
I found this book ROOM a little differcult to get in to.But after a while i found myself getting infold with the story and understanding what the little boy@mother was going...
Published 1 day ago by sara_knowles
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the better books I've read in my life
This book is like nothing I've ever read before. It'a beautiful story about love, hope and sacrifice told by Jack, a five-year old boy.
Published 1 day ago by keen-reader
5.0 out of 5 stars
handle with care
I haven't read all the reviews about this book so do apologise if I am repeating what others have said.
Published 1 day ago by phoebe
4.0 out of 5 stars
Couldn't put it down!
This book had me gripped from the beginning. Like most reviewers, I tried not to be too caught up in the hype, but you can see why so many people like it.
Published 2 days ago by Ms. K. L. Reid
4.0 out of 5 stars
10/10 for originality
I was lent this book by my sister-in-law and really didn't know what to expect as there was very little on the cover to hint at the content.
Published 2 days ago by Ms. Laurie Hunter
4.0 out of 5 stars
ROOM
I found this book difficult to get into at first but when I did I couldn't put it down. A riveting read.
Published 2 days ago by Pat
5.0 out of 5 stars
Encountering the world for the first time as a five-year-old
I read this on a Kindle after a recommendation, so I started off with absolutely no idea what it was about, and was feeling my way into the story.
Published 2 days ago by davidT
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is such a good book!
This book is a page turner. The use of a five year old boy as the voice throughout is extremely effective (although in my book club some would have preferred part 2 to be in the...
Published 2 days ago by Marian
5.0 out of 5 stars
Room
I had a strong desire to read this after hearing the author talk abut her book on E4's TV Book Club.
Published 3 days ago by Gee
4.0 out of 5 stars
My review
At first I didn't like the voice of Jack as it sounded forced and I wasn't convinced that a 5 year old would know so many words.
Published 3 days ago by Ken
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