A powerful, witty, and taut novel about a complex friendship between two women—one dying, the other called to care for her—from ... read full description
reviews
Jun 25, 2010
Helen
rated it: 
A beautiful book. I saw Helen interviewed last night at Gleebooks - it was great to be in this packed room and see her in person. It's a quick but very emotional read. I'm going to read it again and will do a better review. I read it in one sitting.... the story was about death but was so alive....
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Jun 14, 2011
This was probably one of the two or three best books I've read in the last year, and it definitely has the most memorable character. Nicola is glamorous, frustrating, loveable, unbearable--and utterly real. The prose is crystal-clear and informal, allowing the characters to shine through. A quiet masterpiece that left me completely awe-inspired.
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Feb 17, 2009
Award winning writer Helen Garner returns to fiction after 15 years to write this short, intense and beautiful novel about friendship and dying. It seems intimately personal since the narrator is also named Helen, and the emotions are so raw and powerful. The premise--Helen agrees to let her friend stay with her for 3 weeks while she undergoes an alternative cancer therapy in Melbourne (where Helen lives). What she didn't know was just how very sick her friend is. Both women are in their 60s and
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Jul 27, 2011
Louise
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I found this book to be very realistic in the way Garner handled the anger that comes along with death and grief.
The tale of two friends, one dying of cancer, the other her temporary refuge while she undergoes 'experimental' (read quack) treatment for cancer.
In Nicola, the free-spirited, grande dame with cancer, I found almost nothing sympathetic. Dramatically refusing to admit there 's anything seriously wrong, she creates huge vats of boiling anger in all of her friends and family.
The brutal h More...
The tale of two friends, one dying of cancer, the other her temporary refuge while she undergoes 'experimental' (read quack) treatment for cancer.
In Nicola, the free-spirited, grande dame with cancer, I found almost nothing sympathetic. Dramatically refusing to admit there 's anything seriously wrong, she creates huge vats of boiling anger in all of her friends and family.
The brutal h More...
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Nov 01, 2011
Abby
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I requested this book from the LTER program based on its glowing reviews. It wasn't until I had the book in my hand that I wondered if I really wanted to read about a woman caring for a terminally ill friend. It was almost as if I knew everything I needed to know without reading a word. There would be pain and suffering, anger and denial, eventual acceptance and the inevitable end. But I read the book in one sitting and was both drained and exhilarated at the end. I had underestimated the extent
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Oct 20, 2008
Nettie
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This is a pretty brash and unsentimental look at the nature of friendship under dire strain. Nicola has cancer and comes to stay with Helen while she undergoes alternative treatment, much to Helen's concern. Their differing views on treatment and pain management for Nicola drive Helen to the brink of love for her friend. I loved the honesty of this book. It was a little hard to read at times - the raw honesty of friendship, even in despair. A short book - read in a weekend, and I'm a slow r
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Oct 27, 2011
Charlotte
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First and foremost, the thing I LOVED about this book was how easy it was to read, I whipped through it in a couple of hours. As another reviewer said, not a single word was wasted. It flowed beautifully - no unnecessary jumping about from present to past, from one character to another .... it just good old story telling - brilliant.
So - terminal cancer; An incredibly tough subject matter. Aside from murder and child abuse, probably one of the toughest.
I wont dissect th More...
So - terminal cancer; An incredibly tough subject matter. Aside from murder and child abuse, probably one of the toughest.
I wont dissect th More...
Sep 27, 2011
Julie
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Diagnosed with cancer Nicola tries every remedy available, even several that turn out to be scams. She is so focused on survival that she doesn't see the reality of her situation. She has no children, no spouse and seems to be estranged from her sister leaving her with her neice and her good friends.
Helen offers Nicola her spare room for a period of three weeks while she goes through yet another treatment program. She finds the demands of her ailing friend and the demands of the trea More...
Helen offers Nicola her spare room for a period of three weeks while she goes through yet another treatment program. She finds the demands of her ailing friend and the demands of the trea More...
Jan 12, 2011
Louise
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“The Spare Room” is a short novel at only 195 pages about a woman named Helen whose old friend, Nicola, is dying from cancer and comes to stay with her for 3 weeks so she can attend an alternative therapy clinic. Helen is excited about her friend coming to stay and does what she can to make sure she feels welcome by readying a room for her, her “spare room” is bestowed with a lovely rug, curtains, nice bedding and a few other touches.
Helen decides she is going to be supportive, enco More...
Helen decides she is going to be supportive, enco More...
Jan 12, 2010
Jim
rated it:
This is the type of book I usually avoid, what I'd classify in my crusty bachelor mentality as a "woman's book," full of sisterly strength and taut spinsterly emotions. But when I came across it in the Guardian's list of "The decade's best unread books" I was curious enough to give it a try.
I was right. It was exactly what I'd suspected – and it was very well done. Garner tells her story in a flat voice, wry, understated and convincing. Solid characters and comple More...
I was right. It was exactly what I'd suspected – and it was very well done. Garner tells her story in a flat voice, wry, understated and convincing. Solid characters and comple More...
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Nov 30, 2009
Anna
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While I personally find Helen Garner as a person as bad as nails on a blackboard, her writing is often engaging - reading her is a good exercise in the moral right any author has to be separate from her work, even non-fiction. She stretches my abilities in this department because everything in her books revolves around the Copernican universe of Helen, or seems to.
This is a hard but rewarding read if you've ever nursed anyone through a terminal illness, or perhaps even just had the s More...
This is a hard but rewarding read if you've ever nursed anyone through a terminal illness, or perhaps even just had the s More...
Jun 18, 2009
Alice
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So, I guess we all kind of know about The Spare Room because it was all "Omg Helen Garner! Let's try and make her angry and see what she does!" Personally, I think that's a shame, because it overshadowed what I reckon is a really honest and probably quite necessary look at cancer (make that any terminal illness) and death, and what they do to relationships.
As so many people have said before and will continue to, Helen Garner's writing is as breathtaking as it is sparse. It More...
As so many people have said before and will continue to, Helen Garner's writing is as breathtaking as it is sparse. It More...
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May 14, 2009
Deidre
rated it: 
Helen Garner. The Spare Room. New York: Henry Holt and Co, 2008.
This is a short book with writing that is okay. The story was about two friends – one sick and dying of cancer, the other helping to care for her. Nicola refuses to recognize that she is dying and goes in for all sorts of senseless, brutal, alternative therapy, including those apricot pits. (I thought those had gone away with the seventies.) The friend feels rage against her friend’s decisions. A lot that is described More...
This is a short book with writing that is okay. The story was about two friends – one sick and dying of cancer, the other helping to care for her. Nicola refuses to recognize that she is dying and goes in for all sorts of senseless, brutal, alternative therapy, including those apricot pits. (I thought those had gone away with the seventies.) The friend feels rage against her friend’s decisions. A lot that is described More...
Apr 22, 2009
Ti
rated it:
When I first received this book I thought that it might be a memoir. It reads like a memoir of sorts, but it is Garner's fictional treatment of caring for her dying friend. That said, the story fell a little flat for me. As Garner sets-up the story, I anticipated a warm, welcoming reunion of two close friends. Yes, one of them is battling cancer and it would be a rather bittersweet reunion to say the least but if you haven't seen the person for a long time, there would be some affection shared b
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Oct 10, 2009
Ralph
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"A man's dying is more his survivor's affair than his own." ~Thomas Mann
I can't remember how this book got on my to-read list but I do try to read books of all kinds and this one is definitely not the type of book I typically like to read. The Spare Room is the story of Helen, an older woman, who takes in her friend Nicola, who is dying of cancer. Nicola is not ready to give up hope and is willing to try any alternative treatment she can get her hands on. She comes to live More...
I can't remember how this book got on my to-read list but I do try to read books of all kinds and this one is definitely not the type of book I typically like to read. The Spare Room is the story of Helen, an older woman, who takes in her friend Nicola, who is dying of cancer. Nicola is not ready to give up hope and is willing to try any alternative treatment she can get her hands on. She comes to live More...
Feb 02, 2011
Kirsty
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A tale of one friend caring for another friend who is dying of cancer doesn't sound like much of a page turning novel, but it is. Nicola travels from Sydney to Melbourne to stay in Helen's spare room and get treatment from a new clinic. The relationship between them leaps from close to strained and back again as they both deal with the situation. Helen thinks the treatment Nicola is receiving is pure quackery, Nicola doesn't want to face the fact that she's going to die. Helen is up all night he
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May 29, 2009
Kit
rated it:
So many books, so little time, but as with movies, I rarely quit a book, even when I'm not totally engaged. The truth is, I most always find something redeeming, some little nugget I can walk away with.
This is a work of fiction by an Australian author who tells the story of Helen, a woman who takes in her friend, Nicola, while she undergoes dubious alternative treatment for cancer. Helen puts her own life on hold to become Nicola's full time caretaker.
I didn't particul More...
This is a work of fiction by an Australian author who tells the story of Helen, a woman who takes in her friend, Nicola, while she undergoes dubious alternative treatment for cancer. Helen puts her own life on hold to become Nicola's full time caretaker.
I didn't particul More...
Oct 30, 2011
Yvann
rated it:
“How competent I was! I would get a reputation for competence.”
(from the blurb because I can’t say it better) Helen lovingly prepares her spare room for her friend Nicola who is coming to stay. For the next three weeks, while Nicola undergoes treatment she believes will cure her advanced cancer, Helen becomes her nurse, her servant, her guardian angel and her stony judge. The Spare Room is an unforgettable story about what happens to a friendship when the chips are down.
It tr More...
(from the blurb because I can’t say it better) Helen lovingly prepares her spare room for her friend Nicola who is coming to stay. For the next three weeks, while Nicola undergoes treatment she believes will cure her advanced cancer, Helen becomes her nurse, her servant, her guardian angel and her stony judge. The Spare Room is an unforgettable story about what happens to a friendship when the chips are down.
It tr More...
Jan 02, 2012
Deborah
rated it:
A brutal, honest look at a friendship pushed to the limits by one woman's failure to accept her terminal illness or the effects of that illness on her family & friends. It's also the study of a narcissist, Nicola, equal parts selfish & fascinating, as observed by her angry friend, Helen.
Garner's prose is hard-edged, occasionally stark, & sometimes oddly melodramatic. She doesn't just sit in a chair, she 'dives' for a chair, she doesn't hand over a bottle of juice, she 'thrusts' it i More...
Garner's prose is hard-edged, occasionally stark, & sometimes oddly melodramatic. She doesn't just sit in a chair, she 'dives' for a chair, she doesn't hand over a bottle of juice, she 'thrusts' it i More...
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May 21, 2011
Paula
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The Spare Room is told through the eyes of Helen, a woman who agrees to support her friend Nicola - in the final stages of a terminal cancer - while the latter undergoes bizarre “experimental” treatment. Over the course of three emotionally-charged weeks, Helen becomes Nicola’s nurse, guardian angel and unflinching judge.
The novel appears to contain even more “truth” than usual: the narrator shares the author’s name, and her experience of living next door to her daughter and having rec More...
The novel appears to contain even more “truth” than usual: the narrator shares the author’s name, and her experience of living next door to her daughter and having rec More...
Feb 21, 2010
Yvonne
rated it:
received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. I have registered for many books and I finally won a book. Looking forward to reading and sending in my feedback.
A simple, easy book to read. Cancer always brings so many emtions from everyone connected to the ill family member. I watched my husband and his family deal with the death of their beloved sister 5 years ago. Hospitals, treatments, and doctors were a continuous dialogue between patient and family members. Many times while More...
A simple, easy book to read. Cancer always brings so many emtions from everyone connected to the ill family member. I watched my husband and his family deal with the death of their beloved sister 5 years ago. Hospitals, treatments, and doctors were a continuous dialogue between patient and family members. Many times while More...
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Sep 22, 2011
Judy
rated it:
Five stars here equals "I LOVED IT". It's hard to say love in conjunction with the topic of this book -- a friend caring for a friend with terminal cancer.
Short, with an honest and succinct use of words to portray a technicolor view of the situation, Garner's book allows the reader to live the three weeks a friend occupies the Melbourne guest room of the protag. That's not enough to make this book 5-star quality; it takes the author's ability to portray so accurately the fea More...
Short, with an honest and succinct use of words to portray a technicolor view of the situation, Garner's book allows the reader to live the three weeks a friend occupies the Melbourne guest room of the protag. That's not enough to make this book 5-star quality; it takes the author's ability to portray so accurately the fea More...
Jun 21, 2009
Victoria
rated it:
The extreme basics: Nicola has cancer and has gone to stay in Melbourne with her dear friend Helen, while she undergoes some (badly chosen) treatments.
I don't really know what I was really hoping to see happen in The Spare Room by Helen Garner, but it was definitely not what I was expecting. I thought it would be a little more dramatic and sad, but it wasn't. I had this overlook on the book because I didn't read any of the blurbs before I actually started reading it. (Never again wi More...
I don't really know what I was really hoping to see happen in The Spare Room by Helen Garner, but it was definitely not what I was expecting. I thought it would be a little more dramatic and sad, but it wasn't. I had this overlook on the book because I didn't read any of the blurbs before I actually started reading it. (Never again wi More...
Jan 16, 2009
Sandie
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THE SPARE ROOM takes us to Australia where Helen is called upon to provide not only the spare room in her home to ailing friend Nicole, but finds that in addition she must also give up all the spare room in her life in order to fulfill her friends many physical and emotional needs.
The primary question explored by THE SPARE ROOM is “Can any friendship survive demands placed upon it when confronted with a life and death scenario” or will the cancer that is voraciously devouring Nicol More...
The primary question explored by THE SPARE ROOM is “Can any friendship survive demands placed upon it when confronted with a life and death scenario” or will the cancer that is voraciously devouring Nicol More...
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Jun 13, 2010
Robby
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I read this book in 24 hours, going in and out of the world that Helen Garner has created both quickly and slowly, both giving myself time to understand the story and fleeing as fast as I could.
The protagonist Helen, who may or may not be the author herself, is in over her head. She expected it, anticipated it, yet she has no idea what is coming her way when the book begins.
Nicola, one of her closest friends for over a dozen years, is dying. She comes to stay with Helen so they More...
The protagonist Helen, who may or may not be the author herself, is in over her head. She expected it, anticipated it, yet she has no idea what is coming her way when the book begins.
Nicola, one of her closest friends for over a dozen years, is dying. She comes to stay with Helen so they More...
Jan 17, 2009
Jackie
rated it:
Award winning writer Helen Garner returns to fiction after 15 years to write this short, intense and beautiful novel about friendship and dying. It seems intimately personal since the narrator is also named Helen, and the emotions are so raw and powerful. The premise--Helen agrees to let her friend stay with her for 3 weeks while she undergoes an alternative cancer therapy in Melbourne (where Helen lives). What she didn't know was just how very sick her friend is. Both women are in their 60s
More...
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Feb 22, 2010
Pamela
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Interesting view of a caretaking situation, where a friend/acquaintance ends up providing house space, maid service, and much support to a friend in 4th stage of cancer treatment, unwilling to face death, determined to find the miracle cure even if it causes near death itself. Really appreciated what the author had to say about anger collecting in a house, and the emotions encountered in dealing with end stage illness, stubborness, disregard, self-serving opportunists, uncaring "medical"
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Mar 28, 2011
Kaye
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Helen Garner is one of the finest writers in Australia today. The experiences and the characters in her novel are so real, you can almost touch and smell them. In The Spare Room, Garner manages to tackle an awful, gut-wrenching subject (nursing a cancer-ridden dying friend) with warmth and wit and great humour. She takes the reader on an emotional ride you'll never forget.
The novel also gives a frightening insight into the world of con-artists who prey on the sick and vulnerable by o More...
The novel also gives a frightening insight into the world of con-artists who prey on the sick and vulnerable by o More...
Jan 25, 2012
Sue
rated it:
Before reading this, I thought that it would be a depressing account of someone coming to stay in the spare room waiting to die...how wrong I was! It is actually an extremely good read; not altogether up-beat, but wholly more enjoyable than I expected.
Nicola (the friend) was endeavouring to deny her terminal illness and believed a load of alternative treatments would save her life., much to the exasperation (putting it mildly) of Hel and Nicola's neice.
Written in the first pers More...
Nicola (the friend) was endeavouring to deny her terminal illness and believed a load of alternative treatments would save her life., much to the exasperation (putting it mildly) of Hel and Nicola's neice.
Written in the first pers More...
Jan 31, 2010
Laura
rated it:
I think 3.5 stars would be more accurate than three. The book is engrossing and sparse, but there are a few things that I felt should be expanded on. I think the point is that Helen is such old, good friends with her dying friend that it doesn't matter how their friendship started, etc, but we're only given a few facts, like that Helen's ex-husband introduced them and a memory that revealed how they bonded so well in the beginning. However, I wanted to know how Helen's daughter decided to mov
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