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Room

Emma Donoghue

Start date: May 1, 2017

Finish date: May 31, 2017

Discussion: Monthly Bonus Reads

Why we're reading this: May's Bonus Read for Mother's Day is Room by Emma Donoghue. …more
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Monthly Bonus Reads

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What Members Thought

Nov 12, 2010 Stacey rated it it was amazing

Wow! What a great read. This book goes to show you that you don't have to be graphic to be haunting and eerie. ...more

18 likes · Like · see review

Nov 06, 2011 Barbara rated it liked it

This is a story about a mother and young son imprisoned in a single room for years. I know a lot of people loved this book - and it does draw you in. However the second half of the book was a let down for me and I wanted a fuller resolution at the end.

5 likes · Like · see review

Feb 05, 2011 JanB rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook

I'm torn between a 3 and 4 star rating. The inconsistencies in Jack's language/thoughts/behavior were too frequent to overlook but yet it was Jack's voice and perspective that I found most compelling. The second half of the book was rather slow after an unbelievable plot turn. Yet, overall, I would recommend the book to others, with reservations. I do highly recommend the audio version.

** edited to add a 4 star rating. I was rightly reminded that if a book stays with me and I continue to think a ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Sep 08, 2010 Krista the Krazy Kataloguer rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-goodreads-authors, read-adult-fiction, read-survival

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 09, 2010 Meg - A Bookish Affair rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction

The premise of this book is incredibly disturbing. Old Nick took Ma away from life in the outside world and constrained her in a single room. Unfortunately this scenario calls to mind a real scenario (Jaycee Dugard), which makes the book just that much creepier. This book is definitely worth a read. It's by far one of the most original story lines that I've read in a very long time. Even though a very similar story occurred in real life, Ms. Donoghue does such an amazing job with creating Jack a ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Aug 31, 2010 Alisha Marie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2013, tearjerkers, contemporary-fiction, favorites, read-in-2015, e-books-i-ve-read

I first read Room two years ago and remember being completely awed by it and loving it while thinking there was no way I was going to re-read it again. Well, cut to a few days ago when the trailer for the film was finally released and I decided to do a re-read to curb my anticipation of the movie a bit. And on it's re-read, Room still didn't disappoint.

I loved that Room had Jack as it's narrator. It was a refreshing change to novels that usually have the female that was kidnapped as a narrator. I first read Room two years ago and remember being completely awed by it and loving it while thinking there was no way I was going to re-read it again. Well, cut to a few days ago when the trailer for the film was finally released and I decided to do a re-read to curb my anticipation of the movie a bit. And on it's re-read, Room still didn't disappoint.

I loved that Room had Jack as it's narrator. It was a refreshing change to novels that usually have the female that was kidnapped as a narrator. While the language he used was slightly off-putting at first, I tried to put myself in his headspace to not be aggravated by it. And it worked. I loved Jack. He simultaneously broke my heart and lifted it. He was just so precious and he seemed incredibly real. While he was slightly precocious (and by that I mean that his vocabulary seemed higher than that of your average five year old), he wasn't annoyingly so. And he still seemed like a five year old boy with five year old ideas.

I absolutely loved and adored his relationship with Ma. Yes, it was highly intense, but Ma seemed to be doing the best she could in that situation and trying to make it seem as normal as she could for Jack. She shielded him and protected him from her captor. Basically, everything she did for Jack brought tears to my eyes and slightly melted this cold, cold heart of mine.

I really liked that Room explored what happens in the "after". It's very easy to assume that when someone goes through a kidnapping and gets rescued, well then that's it. Everything's going to magically get better since they're no longer in that terrible situation. But I've always wondered how the recovery period actually goes and how hard it must be for those who have been kidnapped to get re-acclimated to the same world knowing that it isn't exactly the same anymore. So, while the first half of Room did get my heart-thumping and was way more intense than the second, the second part was the one that I actually enjoyed the most because I loved seeing the world (and his relationship with Ma) through Jack's eyes.

So, yeah, basically I loved this book. It's haunting, an incredible page-turner, and just all around great. But if you can't stand child narrators, then really, what are you doing even reading this review? ;) ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 18, 2010 Susanne rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, book-club-book, 7-books-i-own, 1-adult

Telling this story from the perspective of a five-year old was a brilliant idea. It still allowed you to feel the frustration, struggle, and surrender of adapting to life in captivity and freedom from both an adult and a child.

The one thing that irritated me was his use of language. It was more like that of a 3yo, although he's obviously intelligent and his mother corrects his word usage so that it's proper. But that's just a little hang up. Overall, an interesting book. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Sep 15, 2011 Melissa Rochelle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2011

I finished ROOM on Friday and I'm still talking about it two days later. This book will haunt you.

I have such a difficult time imagining what it would be like to discover the world for the first time at 5 years old. ...more

1 like · Like · see review