Room in Reading with Style

Apr 17, 2011 Keri Ault rated it it was amazing

At first, I thought I was reading "the female version of The Road"...you know, the story of love and beauty and attachment between parent and child in the midst of utter tragedy. In some ways, that is indeed the case. Emma Donaghue is no Cormac McCarthy as far as writing skill, and it was difficult to stop making comparisons. However, once I let go of this concept, I was completely taken in by the story, and plowed through the book in 2 days. I appreciated the complexities that came along with L ...more

Like · see review

Sep 13, 2010 Joanna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-read, audiobooks, rws-2010-winter, bookish-2011-winter

The reader for the unabridged audio version did a fantastic job of capturing Jack's voice as a strange five-year-old who, until midway through the book, has never been outside of Room. The story, told from Jack's perspective, is of a kidnapping and rape victim who is imprisoned in a reinforced garden shed and her son, Jack, who was born in the shed.

The imagining of the way Jack and his "Ma" spent their days in Room, the games and inside jokes they created, and the way Ma shaped Jack's world for ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 27, 2010 Donna Jo Atwood rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, family, kidnap

Told from a precocious five-year old's point of view, we learn of Jack's life--born in captivity, raised by a caring mother, and then exposed to the "real" world.
While some things seem unnatural and others simply crude, the story rings true, for both Jack and his mother. I could not put the book down. ...more

Like · see review

Dec 25, 2010 Helen rated it liked it

Usually get really annoyed with child viewpoint, but the story unfolds perfectly and it works.

Like · see review

Sep 22, 2010 Jayme Pendergraft rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2010

I seem to be on a bit of a kidnapping story kick right now and this one was as good as the others I've read this fall. Told from the point of view of a five year old, we see the world through Jack's eyes and his world consists of only one room, actually a storage shed. As events unfold, Jack's perception of the world changes. This novel is very well written and unique in its premises as far as I know. It really kept me interested through the entire book. ...more

Like · see review

Oct 17, 2010 Tien rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, own-audio, fiction

I'm not a fan of this book, unfortunately, mainly due to being uncomfortable with the subject matter and the style of writing. It's strong issue being dealt in there but there are just times I felt like dropping it off but being myself, I can't not finish (very rarely anyway).

So I finished it and I think I quite like the way it's ended - it's a very rounded and therefore, I guess, provided closure to the whole story. ...more

Like · see review