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Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue
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Room: A Novel (original 2010; edition 2011)

by Emma Donoghue

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
14,259976395 (4.03)1 / 1009
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.… (more)
Member:mdoris
Title:Room: A Novel
Authors:Emma Donoghue
Info:Back Bay Books (2011), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 352 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****1/2
Tags:read in 2011, Canadian

Work Information

Room by Emma Donoghue (2010)

  1. 335
    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (Anonymous user)
  2. 122
    We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (Amsa1959)
    Amsa1959: The novel about Kevin is a much darker and sad story, but it it is about a special boy and his family, and it is a MUST READ novel. It is also - like Room - a novel that makes you think and reflect of our world and lives.
  3. 80
    A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Dugard (mreader)
  4. 51
    Still Missing by Chevy Stevens (cafepithecus)
  5. 63
    Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (Niecierpek)
    Niecierpek: We go through a serious and heart-breaking topic (9/11 in Foer's case) through a narration by a precocious child narrator in both books.
  6. 30
    My Abandonment by Peter Rock (gaialover)
  7. 52
    Misery by Stephen King (albavirtual)
    albavirtual: ambos libros tienen un alto componenente psicológico, la mente humana llevada al extremo.
  8. 41
    The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (soffitta1)
    soffitta1: What connects the books, for me, is the way the story unfolds, with the reader being more clued in as to what is happening around the child at the centre.
  9. 20
    Me and Emma by Elizabeth Flock (amz310783)
  10. 10
    Y by Marjorie Celona (Iudita)
    Iudita: Another story about a troubled childhood, narrated by the child.
  11. 10
    Above by Isla Morley (Litrvixen)
    Litrvixen: Both are about young women being abducted and kept captive and them having to raise children.
  12. 21
    Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott (kaledrina)
  13. 00
    The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld (beyondthefourthwall)
  14. 00
    Descent by Tim Johnston (KatyBee)
  15. 00
    House of Stairs by William Sleator (_Zoe_)
  16. 11
    Dog Boy by Eva Hornung (PatMock)
    PatMock: Young boy raised by wild dogs in Moscow.
  17. 00
    Mice by Gordon Reece (wonderlake)
    wonderlake: Bad things happening to mothers and their children
  18. 11
    Monster Love by Carol Topolski (tina1969)
  19. 11
    Stay and Fight by Madeline Ffitch (Aquila)
    Aquila: In particular the Perley's point of view chapters reminded me of Room.
  20. 01
    What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? by Henry Farrell (akblanchard)
    akblanchard: The terror of being at the mercy of an irrational, evil captor is effectively depicted in both books.

(see all 21 recommendations)

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Group TopicMessagesLast Message 
 Orange January/July: Room by Emma Henderson33 unread / 33Nickelini, June 2012

» See also 1009 mentions

English (945)  Dutch (8)  Spanish (5)  German (5)  Swedish (3)  Finnish (2)  Danish (2)  Italian (1)  French (1)  All languages (972)
Showing 1-5 of 945 (next | show all)
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. ( )
  thatnerd | Mar 2, 2024 |
I'm giving this a three because I read it in about one day. I couldn't put it down and yet at the same time I hated it. It's creepy, and sad but not completely sad.

Glad I didn't buy it. With a library check-out though. ( )
  hmonkeyreads | Jan 25, 2024 |
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. ( )
  b00kdarling87 | Jan 7, 2024 |
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. ( )
  LDVoorberg | Dec 24, 2023 |
Once I got into it…. ( )
  SBG1962 | Dec 9, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 945 (next | show all)
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.
added by lkernagh | editQuill & Quire, Dory Cerny (Oct 1, 2010)
 
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.
added by Shortride | editKirkus Reviews (Aug 1, 2010)
 
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.
 

» Add other authors

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Emma Donoghueprimary authorall editionscalculated
Archer, EllenNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Borówka, EwaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Buhl, VirginieTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Friedman, MichalNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Glasnovik, NegicaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Gontermann, ArminTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Güven, Gül ÇağalıTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Gundersen, Inge UlrikTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Javādī, MuḥamadTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Mejak, TeaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Petkoff, RobertNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rocca, Chiara SpallinoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Smits, ManonTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
So-yŏng, YuTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Toren, SuzanneNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Torrescasana, AlbertTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Vázquez Nacarino, EugeniaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Volhejnová, VeronikaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Zhang, DingqiTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Epigraph
My Child

Such trouble I have.

And you sleep, your heart is placid;

you dream in the joyless wood;

in the night nailed in bronze,

in the blue dark you lie still and shine.

Simonides (C. 556-468 BCE), "Danae" (tr. Richmond Lattimore)
Dedication
Room is for Finn & Una, my best works.
First words
Today I'm five.
Quotations
In Room I was safe and Outside is the scary.
In the world I notice persons are nearly always stressed and have no time. Even Grandma often says that, but she and Steppa don't have jobs, so I don't know how persons with jobs do the jobs and all the living as well. In Room me and Ma had time for everything. I guess the time gets spread very thin like butter all over the world, the roads and houses and playgrounds and stores, so there's only a little smear of time on each place, then everyone has to hurry on to the next bit.
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Wikipedia in English (1)

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.

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Book description
The entire story is told from the perspective of a 5 year old little boy. Room is his entire world. Where he was born and grew up. It's where he lives with his Ma as they learn & read & eat & sleep & play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in Wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits. Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough. not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.
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Hachette Book Group

3 editions of this book were published by Hachette Book Group.

Editions: 0316098337, 1607886278, 031612057X

 

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