Room in 2017 Reading Challenge

From the Bookshelf of 2017 Reading Challenge…

Room

Emma Donoghue

Start date: February 21, 2016

Finish date: January 28, 2016

Discussion: An Award Winning Book

Why we're reading this: This book has won many awards.
[close] This book has won many awards.

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An Award Winning Book

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What Members Thought

Oct 11, 2010 Gretchen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2010, 5-stars

I'm still mopping up from finishing this novel. Not mopping up in terms of a few tears, but really deeply moved. To be honest, I'm surprised at my reaction.

I was hesitant to read this at first. I've had bad luck in the past with child, or child-like narrators, and knowing the subject matter, I wasn't sure I could deal with the themes. But I also wanted to read this early if I was going to read it at all - getting in before I heard other people's opinions, or had the plot spoiled for me. I think I'm still mopping up from finishing this novel. Not mopping up in terms of a few tears, but really deeply moved. To be honest, I'm surprised at my reaction.

I was hesitant to read this at first. I've had bad luck in the past with child, or child-like narrators, and knowing the subject matter, I wasn't sure I could deal with the themes. But I also wanted to read this early if I was going to read it at all - getting in before I heard other people's opinions, or had the plot spoiled for me. I think that reading this book early was the right decision.

I'm not going to go into the plot as I don't want to spoil it for others. Let me just say that Jack is bright, inquisitive, adaptable and heart breaking. I've seen other reviews that question how he can be advanced in his language skills but still not use proper grammar. It made perfect sense to me that a young child can be advanced and need education at the same time. The way he adjusts throughout the book seemed pretty reasonable to me, and his progression reflects the way I've seen children grow. While I would have liked a bit more development for some of the other characters, I think the child narrator also limited some authorial choices.

This was a 24 hour read for me - couldn't put it down, and ended it in tears. Part of that is the content, and I'm sure part is also due to projecting both on Jack and Ma. This was not an easy book to set aside. I needed to know what happened next, and what it meant for Jack. It's not a perfect book (and NOT recommended for Book Club due to our rules on books with children in them), but the writing and characterization was well done, and I know several of the concepts will stay with me for a while. Kudos to the author for bringing together questions of individuality, existentialism, child psychology and resiliency without preaching, or condescending. This book could easily have been maudlin, or made sweeping statements about the human condition. By personalizing the situation through Jack, it felt both more real, and more impactful. For me, that qualifies it for high marks. ...more

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Aug 20, 2015 Mary Alice rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, suspense

Oh, this had some really good moments of suspense where your knees are knocking from fear of what's coming. And such tender moments between Ma and Jack. ...more

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Jun 16, 2011 Constance rated it it was amazing

Shelves: character-driven, disturbing

Emma Donoghue must've talked to a few five-year-olds before she wrote this, because the narrative, told from point-of-view of five-year-old Jack, is flawless. Of course, Jack is not exactly an ordinary five-year-old. He has spent his entire life living in an 11x11 shed, the titular Room and the only world he knows, where his mother has been held prisoner for the last seven years. The narrative is loosely structured in three parts: Jack's life (built around routines) in Room; his and his mother's ...more

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Apr 08, 2015 Lynn rated it really liked it

Original, remarkable, gripping. I was wholly engrossed in this study in sociology and psychology as told thru the eyes of a child.

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Oct 02, 2011 Rachel Polacek rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult-reads

I could not put this book down. It took me a few days to read because things like work kept getting in the way, but once I started reading, it was hard to stop. Very fast paced, this novel is told from the point of view of a five-year-old whose entire life has been spent inside of a single room, which is actually a makeshift prison for him and his mom. It's interesting to look at society and the world through the eyes of someone who has never been exposed to anything but an 11x11 room. ...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Shannan rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, audiobook

This was an intriguing and fast moving book, if you can get past the creepy and disturbing underlying circumstances. I found Jack, the narrator, a fascinating little boy and authentically written. I wish the end wasn't so open-ended. ...more

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