Room in Q & A with Emma Donoghue

Jan 05, 2011 Dilly | Book Affairs rated it it was amazing

it's been awhile since i read a book that gave me a real nightmare. Room by Emma Donaghue got me hooked from the very first page but because of assignments and being generally busy i couldn't really get into it until last night. i couldn't keep the book down all night and it was past four am and i had to force myself to go to sleep. so deeply did the story of Room-about a young boy and his mother who are imprisoned in a room, only the young boy, Jack, does not know there is a world outside it-af
it's been awhile since i read a book that gave me a real nightmare. Room by Emma Donaghue got me hooked from the very first page but because of assignments and being generally busy i couldn't really get into it until last night. i couldn't keep the book down all night and it was past four am and i had to force myself to go to sleep. so deeply did the story of Room-about a young boy and his mother who are imprisoned in a room, only the young boy, Jack, does not know there is a world outside it-affect me that i literally had nightmares the rest of the night. although a little disturbed and unnerved by what was a very bad night's sleep, i couldn't resist opening Room as soon as i woke up, and read through the rest of the day, leaving the bed only to grab a cup of tea. that was how enthralling a read it is! the story itself is inspired by real events but in no way based on them or about them per se but you do get a sense of bad dejavu about similar stories that made headlines in the past. what makes Room such a wonderful book is not just because of the story itself but because of how well it's written. the story manages to be disturbing and yet deeply heartbreaking and hopeful all at the same time. the writer makes the narrative so believable, coming from 5 year old Jack's perspective and maybe it is this fact, that all the action and experience of Room is from the perspective of a little boy that makes the reader feel all these contradictory emotions within the course of the novel.

it's often the case that novels tend to be sweeping, with multiple plots and multiple narrative voices, etc. the genius of emma donaghue lies in the fact that although being so narrow in her focus, with the first one and a half of the novel more or less positioned inside a 11 by 11 room, and just the three human (i make this distinction because Jack's perspective of the room involves personifying pretty much most things in Room, including Room) characters and their actions (or lack thereof) inside it, she still manages to keep the reader so involved, so interested, albeit sharing in the claustrophobic confinement of the characters themselves. we are trapped as much as they are, inside a confined narrative space, but for us the reader this confinement is what makes Room such an enthralling piece of fiction.

this post is not a review of Room, rather a RAVE of it. Room is quite possibly one of the best books i've read in my whole life and i highly recommend it. don't just take my word for it, it was also one of the six shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2010, so i'm obviously not the only one psyched about it. the book is so much more than a good story. it's quite possibly one of the great modern works of fiction to come out this decade. it does what most great books do. it questions life as we know it, it makes us see the world a little if not a lot differently than we did before opening its pages, it's at once endearing and unnerving, and most importantly when you finally get to the end you feel like you've made an incredible journey, with people you've got to know so well, and you're if not for a day, a week or a month, at the very least, for a moment, changed by the experience. if you have read it already i'd love to know your thoughts and if you haven't, well...if there is any book you should make a point to read this year...Room sure should be right up there on the list. ok, rave over. ...more

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Dec 23, 2010 Amy Meyer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Title: Room
Author: Emma Donoghue
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Publishing Date: September 2010
Pages: 336
ISBN: 978-0316098335
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Book Summary: To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is ...more

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Jan 18, 2011 Melissa Crytzer Fry rated it it was amazing

Wow. That pretty much sums up this novel by Emma Donoghue. Somehow, the author masterfully captures the voice and innocence of a five-year-old child, but in such a way that it’s still a captivating read for adults – and in such a way that we still clearly see the story of his mother, “Ma,” and hear her voice. This novel is, in my opinion, the quintessential example of the writing rule, “show don’t tell.” Magnificent example of accuracy in a character’s voice. Incredible, really.

I don’t think Don ...more

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Jan 02, 2011 Colleen Wright rated it really liked it

I started this book this morning and just put it down. I was glad it was a holiday and I had nowhere to go! I just couldn't stop going back to it until it was finished. I wasn’t crazy about it at first, but only because it was written from the POV of a 5 year old. I had a difficult time getting into the rhythm of the writing. It didn’t take too long to get used to.
It is a great book; I felt every emotion (fear, awe, love, hate) that the characters felt. It was painful at times, very sad and ult ...more

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Dec 15, 2010 Joyce rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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Jan 21, 2011 Erin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 21st-century, general-adult-fiction, favorites

Prior to reading this, a friend of mine told me she stayed up til 4 o'clock in the morning just to finish this-obviously the signs of a goodread! When I opened the book and reviewed the first couple of pages, I was not sure if I would like it due to the syntax, but decided to give it a shot anyways since I was only reading MLS texts! Boy, am I glad I did.

Jack, a 4-just-turned-5-year-old boy, is encompassed in a world that consists of friends like Rug, Bed, Dylan, Dora, TV, etc., and shares the ...more

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Jan 15, 2011 Granny J rated it really liked it

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Dec 26, 2010 Dani H rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I absolutely adored this! Although the narration, for me, was a little difficult to get into at first, it soon started to flow more naturally and I was able to get engrossed in the story of Jack and his Ma. It was a truly touching story, uniquely told by Donoghue, whose voice really bought Jack's character to life. Although the topic of the novel was disturbing, it didn't often come across in this way, but rather came across as being sweet through Jack's naivety and charm.

I adored this novel, a ...more

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Jan 15, 2011 Shelly rated it it was amazing

Couldn't put this one down. I read late into the night and snuck as much time during work as I could! I often wonder about the creativity of a person who could write a story like this--like nothing else I've ever read before...I didn't get that part in my brain, but I'm thrilled someone did! And I'm thrilled that I have friends who loan me books! A+ ...more

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Dec 23, 2010 Diane rated it it was amazing

Terrific!

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Jan 10, 2011 Cindy Roberts rated it really liked it

Loved this book.

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Dec 22, 2010 Kathy Manus rated it really liked it

I would give this book 5 stars, but the subject matter and the point of view from which it is told is so disturbing, that I just can't. Donoghue has created haunting characters and the way she allows Jack to tell the story is heartbreaking. This is one of those books that I found myself thinking about all the time that I wasn't reading it. I simply couldn't put it down. I find myself curious about Donoghue's other works. ...more

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Nov 28, 2010 Marie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A comment on the back cover said that it's a book to read in one sitting. Very true! I didn't want to put the book down. Cleverly written in the voice of a 5 year old. Great book! ...more

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Dec 20, 2010 Jen rated it it was amazing

This is one of the better and more original books I have read in a while. It's written in the voice of 5-year-old Jack, which took me a little while to get into it. But then it became not only a page-turner that had my heart pounding, but a beautiful story about the love and strength of a mother and child. I'm definitely going to find more books by Emma Donoghue! ...more

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