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Read Harder Challenge Plans: 2016
By Book Riot · 284 posts · 3115 views
By Book Riot · 284 posts · 3115 views
last updated Dec 19, 2017 10:57AM
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By Book Riot · 9 posts · 3392 views
last updated Jan 19, 2016 06:00AM
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This book has been making all of the end of the year lists, and was short listed for the Booker Prize. It also deals with a difficult subject from the perspective of a 5 year old. Instead of being campy or awkward, these ingredients work surprisingly well. Jack was born in a super secure, sound proof shed to his mother who is being held as a sexual captive for 7 years. Jack and his mother escape and the heart of the book lies in their readjustment to the outside world. The small details and Jack
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Very interesting. I appreciate how Donoghue really stayed within the mind of 5 year-old Jack and his unique vocabulary/references. The sentence structure is a little odd at times but it still reads quite well. Jack reminded me very much of John Savage from Brave New World - introduced into modern "civilization" after being raised outside of it with a mother who wants to return to her old life (BNW could be a direct inspiration for Room - I haven't done any background).
The only thing that got to ...more
The only thing that got to ...more
What an amazing book! The book started slowly but by the second chapter, the pace of the book picked up and really gathered steam towards the end. Its a really interesting novel and definitely an interesting concept of using Jack as the narrator, even though he is only 5 years old. Highly recommended.
One one hand, it's hard to say one "liked" this book at all. I mean, the subject is very dark and disturbing, and I'm not sure that giving it a literary treatment makes it any less sensational or voyeuristic. In fact, though the 5-year-old narrator is a novel way of approaching this subject, for me, it also blunted the horror of the situation, and I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. Really, I guess, though that I would not have been able to read this novel if it had not been
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Utterly compelling, told entirely in 5 year old Jack's voice. Totally different from anything else I have read.
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I thought that reading from the perspective of a five year old would become tiring but it made for a very interesting world view and I loved the characters! I could not put this book down and I appreciated that the outcome was more realistic than it initially seemed that it would be.
The perspective of Jack (the narrator) is very interesting. I found it difficult to get past Jack's tone, but by the second or third chapter I was engrossed in the story.
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Sep 30, 2010
Dora
marked it as to-read
Highly recommended by several book group friends. Several said they didn't think they'd be able to read it, but wound up reading it as quickly as they could.
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Jan 09, 2011
Katie
marked it as to-read
Sep 22, 2011
Erica
marked it as to-read
Sep 23, 2011
Sharon
marked it as to-read
Aug 05, 2013
Jamie Dornfeld
marked it as to-read
