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The L-Shaped Room [Paperback]

Lynne Reid Banks (Author)

4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Publication Date: 1 Jan 2004

'Lynne Reid Banks' compassionate first novel examines the stigma of unmarried motherhood in pre-pill, pre-Abortion Act Britain... While the social climate has changed drastically since publication, a transgressive frisson still crackles from the pages'

The Guardian

Pregnant by accident, kicked out of home by her father, 27-year-old Jane Graham goes to ground in the sort of place she feels she deserves - a bug-ridden boarding-house attic in Fulham. She thinks she wants to hide from the world, but finds out that even at the bottom of the heap, friends and love can still be found, and self-respect is still worth fighting for.

(20030723)

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(20030723)

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Product details

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Vintage Classics; New Ed edition (1 Jan 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0099469634
ISBN-13: 978-0099469636
Product Dimensions: 13 x 1.9 x 19.8 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 13,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

"Jane's struggle to cope is a journey of self-discovery and independence...a wistful and haunting period piece" (The Times )

"This was the first grown-up book I read apart from the dirty bits in The Carpet Baggers and every 14-year-old should be made to read it. It tackles the lot; loneliness, race, sex and growing up. I never read books twice but I feel like tracking this one down again." (Jenny Eclair Daily Express )

"Unflinching in its boarding-house detail, and strikingly modern in its fury at the "social conditioning" that made its heroine an outcast; it shocked and sold." (The Independent )

"Written in pre-Pill days when motherhood really was a fate worse than death, the shame and tension in Reid Bank's ground-breaking novel may seem incomprehensible to today's sexually active youngsters" (Val Hennessy Daily Mail )

Book Description

Tender and compulsive, the bestselling novel which became a famous film (20030723)

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Customer Reviews

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4.7 out of 5 stars

23 reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hidden treasure 6 Jun 2010

By Jackie HD

Format:Paperback

I loved this book! I read the L-shaped Room while following along with BBC Radio 4's Bookclub and did not know what to expect, never having seen the film. I absolutely loved it, drawn in from the first pages into a really evocative description of life and attitudes in England in the 1960's. All the characters were believable and the book keeps you guessing about the outcome right to the end. Itis a really easy read too.
Higly recommended.

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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favourite 'comfort reads' 18 Jan 2010

By Bookworm

Format:Paperback

I too first read this book at school in the early 80's and I have re-read it every few years ever since, it's very well written and draws you in so you are completely absorbed in Jane's world. The book hasn't lost it's freshness for me despite the fact that I have read it over and over and it's often one of my favourite books that I turn to when I feel disappointed with a recent read. My copy (that I've had since I was 13) is now looking rather unkempt but it's been much-loved, a bit like the L-shaped room itself. My husband has read it a couple of times having been intrigued by this scruffy little paperback that I kept rereading and he thoroughly enjoyed it too although it's nothing like his usual fodder - Clarkson and Tom Clancy.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written 14 Jan 2010

By Wobbly Wellies

Format:Paperback

It's the 1950s and twenty-seven-year-old Jane is forced to come to terms with the unpleasant realities of life for an unmarried, pregnant woman. Turned out of her home, fate leads her to a quirky bunch of souls among whom she learns more about life and herself than she could have imagined possible.

Readers of the totally modern perspective might be shocked by how marginalised women were in Western society a mere coin's throw back in time. Illegitimacy carried a hideous stigma for both mother and child, and Jane's situation isn't helped by her refusal to wear a wedding ring and pretend widowhood, so as to spare either society or herself shame. Her great aunt tells her she'll have to legally adopt her own child when it's born in order to give it her name and make it 'quasi legitimate'. 'The law pretends it's a waif or stray and that you're doing it a favour, and all is forgiven. The child becomes officially your adopted child instead of irregularly your own.' At Jane's disbelief, her aunt adds, 'I know, I know. The law's an a** (word for donkey I don't think I can use here).'

Wish I'd discovered this wonderful book years ago.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars best book ive read in a long time

brilliant book for most ages, me and my mum both read it and both loved it. the quality of the book was outstanding as well brand new. must buy

Published 2 months ago by Megan Dale

5.0 out of 5 stars A book every woman should read

The best book i've read in ages! Really nicely written, easy to read, and a great story. We read it for our book club and everyone enjoyed it and could identify with the characters... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Lauren Gold

5.0 out of 5 stars The L Shaped Room Triology

Any one who has read and enjoyed The L Shaped room must read the other two novels which form the triology. The Backword Shadow and
Two is Lonely.

Published 6 months ago by Mrs. J. M. Varley

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely fantastic

I found this one a bookshelf in a train station and I read it on the train (you're supposed to return the books after the trip but I took it home to read it first it was too good... Read more

Published 8 months ago by CarrotsCat

4.0 out of 5 stars Oddly addictive

I am sure that Lynne Reid Banks was not aiming this book at 20-year old males but that's what I was when I read it first in 1984. Read more

Published 9 months ago by R. Kay

4.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant and well written story

I bought this book on the back of seeing the film some years ago. I've only just got round to reading it, and only then because it was a book group read. Read more

Published 15 months ago by Nicola

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good read

I loved this book. Well written it was a very easy read and I read it in only a couple of sittings. Read more

Published 16 months ago by hudsont

5.0 out of 5 stars Ad Good as I rememberd

I remember reading this as a teenager (in the late 60's) and came across it again. The story, though very dated (Socially) was as moving as I remembered it. Read more

Published 22 months ago by Caz

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good 1960's Classic - but with a few contrived coincidences

The L-Shaped Room is a sensitive study of social morals at the dawning of the sixties sexual revolution. It's written in a journalistic style with an experienced eye for detail. Read more

Published on 4 April 2011 by Isola

5.0 out of 5 stars A good read!

I thoroughly enjoyed the L Shaped Room. It is now fascinating as a time line of life for an un-married pregnant girl in London in the 1960s. Read more

Published on 23 Jan 2011 by Caroline , London

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