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Loading... Room: A Novel (original 2010; edition 2010)by Emma Donoghue
Work InformationRoom by Emma Donoghue (2010)
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Excellent read, told from the point of view of a five year old that's spent his whole life in captivity with his 26 year old mother. The story itself was very sad, but there were also several things about the story that bugged me and kept me from giving a five star rating: 1.) We never get to know Ma's real name. I think finding out her real name would've let us "know" her character more. 2.) We never find out why "Old Nick" takes Ma in the first place, only that he kidnapped her when she was nineteen. A little bit more backstory about that would've been interesting. 3.) Having some of the story told from Ma's point of view would have been interesting, too. 4.) The constant breastfeeding was annoying. "Having some" every other page got old. We got the point after the first few times: he was five and still breastfed. It was their thing. Same thing with Tooth. We got it. Tooth was kind of gross. All in all though, it was a good, quick read. I read "Room" based on a recommendation from a friend. I wasn't expecting to like it, based on reviews I had seen. To my pleased surprise, it was one of the best books I've read in years. The plot is simple: a young woman is abducted, locked in a room where she is repeatedly raped, gives birth, and tries to escape. But the story is told from the viewpoint of her 5 year old son. And that is where the beauty of the story develops; what seems totally illogical and unbelievable to an adult is accepted without question by a 5 year old. The parenting choices the mother makes would seem, at best, odd, in the normal world. But in the confines of a 10 by 10 room which is their whole world, they are understandable and in the best interests of the child. The book illustrates the boundless love of a mother for her child, and yet she commits an act of unalloyed selfishness. The little boy is a typical child who doesn't question anything told him by an adult, who starts to question everything. The book left me wondering what happens to these characters in the future. I like the unique perspective of a five year old. About half way through the book I had to force myself to read through the "scary part" but I survived. I admire the mother's inventiveness and attempts at normalacy despite unusual circumstances. I also like how she answers her son's questions: with seriousness (usually) and attempts at real but age-appropriate answers. I think some parts of the book are more believable than others, and that there are some inconsistences with Jack's behaviour/thoughts, but all in all in it is worth the read because it is unlike other stories. It's neither too light nor too heavy.
Room is disturbing, thrilling, and emotionally compelling. Emma Donoghue has produced a novel that is sure to stay in the minds of readers for years to come. This is a truly memorable novel, one that can be read through myriad lenses — psychological, sociological, political. It presents an utterly unique way to talk about love, all the while giving us a fresh, expansive eye on the world in which we live. the book’s second half is less effective than its first. Perhaps this is inevitable given the changed circumstances of the protagonists. The walls that enclosed them also intensified their drama. Wrenching, as befits the grim subject matter, but also tender, touching and at times unexpectedly funny. Donoghue's great strength -- apart from her storytelling gift -- is her emotional intelligence. We get just enough information to feel uncomfortable -- and therefore, to question our assumptions about how family life ought to be; and to know that life will always be an unequal struggle. Belongs to Publisher SeriesPiper (30981) Has the adaptationAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
Narrator Jack and his mother, who was kidnapped seven years earlier when she was a 19-year-old college student, celebrate his fifth birthday. They live in a tiny, 11-foot-square soundproofed cell in a converted shed in the kidnapper's yard. The sociopath, whom Jack has dubbed Old Nick, visits at night, grudgingly doling out food and supplies. But Ma, as Jack calls her, proves to be resilient and resourceful--and attempts a nail-biting escape. No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.914Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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This is a moving, convincing and utimately uplifting account of an almost unimagineable life. Well worth reading. ( )