Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2010
Room
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Review
'So carefully and originally constructed that it's both hard to put down and profoundly affecting . . . Donoghue has crafted a narrative that moves as breathlessly as a thriller while convincingly portraying how a boy might believe a room is his whole world.' --Sunday Times Book of the Week
'The Man Booker shortlisted novel about an imprisoned child, with horrible intimations of the Fritzl case.' --The Times
'an extraordinarily plausible account of the deprivations of life in a domestic dungeon' --Guardian
'Beautifully written, this moving and ultimately uplifting novel is Donoghue's masterpiece.'
--Gay Community News
'Emma Donoghue's bestseller pulses with fierce intelligence as much as powerful emotion . . . Room seeks and finds a common truth, about the private worlds of language and feeling that we all inhabit.' --Independent
'This tale is a true rollercoaster of emotions and is both touching and tragic.' --No1 Magazine
'Part childhood adventure story, part adult thriller, Room is above all the most vivid, radiant and beautiful expression of maternal love I have ever read. Emma Donoghue has stared into the abyss, honoured her sources and returned with the literary equivalent of a great Madonna and Child. This book will break your heart.' --The Irish Times
`I haven't cried reading a book for years. This time the crying happened on a plane, when I reached the middle section of Emma Donoghue's Room I wasn't sad. I was just so in the boy's head, desperate with fear and anticipation.' --Helen Fitzgerald, Herald
'The Man Booker shortlisted novel about an imprisoned child, with horrible intimations of the Fritzl case.' --The Times
'an extraordinarily plausible account of the deprivations of life in a domestic dungeon' --Guardian
'Beautifully written, this moving and ultimately uplifting novel is Donoghue's masterpiece.'
--Gay Community News
'Emma Donoghue's bestseller pulses with fierce intelligence as much as powerful emotion . . . Room seeks and finds a common truth, about the private worlds of language and feeling that we all inhabit.' --Independent
'This tale is a true rollercoaster of emotions and is both touching and tragic.' --No1 Magazine
'Part childhood adventure story, part adult thriller, Room is above all the most vivid, radiant and beautiful expression of maternal love I have ever read. Emma Donoghue has stared into the abyss, honoured her sources and returned with the literary equivalent of a great Madonna and Child. This book will break your heart.' --The Irish Times
`I haven't cried reading a book for years. This time the crying happened on a plane, when I reached the middle section of Emma Donoghue's Room I wasn't sad. I was just so in the boy's head, desperate with fear and anticipation.' --Helen Fitzgerald, Herald
Book Description
Jack is five. He lives with his Ma. They live in a single, locked room. They don’t have the key. Jack and Ma are prisoners. ‘This book will break your heart . . . It is the most vivid, radiant and beautiful expression of maternal love I have ever read’ Irish Times ‘Startlingly original and moving . . . Endearing and as utterly compelling as THE LOVELY BONES’ Scotsman ‘I’ve never read a more heart-burstingly, gut wrenchingly compassionate novel . . . As for sweet, bright, funny Jack, I wanted to scoop him up out of the novel and never let him go’ Daily Mail ‘This is a truly remarkable novel. 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’ New York Times Book Review
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
57 of 59 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Being aware of the rather unappealing premise of 'Room', it wasn't a book I wanted to read. Despite the praise heaped upon it, I had expected it to be the sort of voyeuristic account of great suffering that passes as entertainment these days. My book group however, were keen to read it, and so I acquiesced agreeing to give it a try. I have to say my original assumption was well wide of the mark. Right from the beginning it is obvious that this novel is something special.
The story (as you probably already know) is narrated by 'Jack', a five year old, who has only ever lived in 'Room'. Jack's mother has been kidnapped and held for seven years. Jack is the product of her kidnapper's unwanted attentions. Knowing the book had a child narrator had also put me off reading it. I tend to find that books written with a child's voice are normally pretentious and hard to read. Room's Booker prize nomination had done nothing to allay these fears.
Although Jack's voice is not entirely consistent with how I imagine a five-year-olds might be, it is the making of the novel. For a start, that something so pure and innocent can come from such bleak circumstances, makes the novel bearable. Secondly, Emma Donaghue uses Jack's over-simplified understanding of the world almost without fault. She uses the space between reality and Jack's view of reality to convey events in a much more powerful way than writing about them directly. The whole novel is the ultimate example of 'showing' rather than 'telling'.
It is curious that the most exciting point of the novel is about halfway through. Though I feel novel's the gradual relaxation of tension is entirely justified (mirroring, Jack's return to something like a normal life), it does make the last half of the novel feel over long. That said, following Jack coming to terms with 'Outside' is well-handled and almost as heart-breaking as his incarceration. For a book about such a dispiriting subject, `Room' contains a surprising amount of humour; Jack's unique view of the world, does show us all up to be rather foolish.
'Room' is a highly readable novel. Although not always pleasant, it is never depressing. If, like me, you are wavering about reading it, then I would say `Room' is well worth a view.
The story (as you probably already know) is narrated by 'Jack', a five year old, who has only ever lived in 'Room'. Jack's mother has been kidnapped and held for seven years. Jack is the product of her kidnapper's unwanted attentions. Knowing the book had a child narrator had also put me off reading it. I tend to find that books written with a child's voice are normally pretentious and hard to read. Room's Booker prize nomination had done nothing to allay these fears.
Although Jack's voice is not entirely consistent with how I imagine a five-year-olds might be, it is the making of the novel. For a start, that something so pure and innocent can come from such bleak circumstances, makes the novel bearable. Secondly, Emma Donaghue uses Jack's over-simplified understanding of the world almost without fault. She uses the space between reality and Jack's view of reality to convey events in a much more powerful way than writing about them directly. The whole novel is the ultimate example of 'showing' rather than 'telling'.
It is curious that the most exciting point of the novel is about halfway through. Though I feel novel's the gradual relaxation of tension is entirely justified (mirroring, Jack's return to something like a normal life), it does make the last half of the novel feel over long. That said, following Jack coming to terms with 'Outside' is well-handled and almost as heart-breaking as his incarceration. For a book about such a dispiriting subject, `Room' contains a surprising amount of humour; Jack's unique view of the world, does show us all up to be rather foolish.
'Room' is a highly readable novel. Although not always pleasant, it is never depressing. If, like me, you are wavering about reading it, then I would say `Room' is well worth a view.
258 of 273 people found the following review helpful
By Nicola F (Nic)
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
This is a book I hadn't heard much about prior to picking it up (I try to avoid too overly-hyped novels), but I'm so glad that I gave this a chance. There's not a lot I can add to all the previous reviews and comments that hasn't already been said, other than to afirm that this is a bloody good read.
Told from the point of view of five year old Jack, the novel sees him and his mother living in `Room,' a place the child has never left in his whole life. Unbeknownst to him however, that is because he and his mother are both prisoners and this little boy's world is about to be turned entirely upside down...
I am in awe at the authors ability to consistently maintain the voice of a child in telling this story; granted an incredibly *smart* child, but a child nonetheless. This is what for me made this book so fascinating, because Jack is such a memorable narrator. Also, the relationship between a mother and child who ultimately only have each other was told such in a moving way that for me that was the essence of the novel, despite the sinister plot twists, which were granted, a bit predictable but still very well portrayed.
I adored this book and couldn't put it down. The storyline is compelling, despite the sad turns of events, and characters are incredibly skilfully developed and believable. I would urge everyone to read this book- you won't be sorry you did.
Told from the point of view of five year old Jack, the novel sees him and his mother living in `Room,' a place the child has never left in his whole life. Unbeknownst to him however, that is because he and his mother are both prisoners and this little boy's world is about to be turned entirely upside down...
I am in awe at the authors ability to consistently maintain the voice of a child in telling this story; granted an incredibly *smart* child, but a child nonetheless. This is what for me made this book so fascinating, because Jack is such a memorable narrator. Also, the relationship between a mother and child who ultimately only have each other was told such in a moving way that for me that was the essence of the novel, despite the sinister plot twists, which were granted, a bit predictable but still very well portrayed.
I adored this book and couldn't put it down. The storyline is compelling, despite the sad turns of events, and characters are incredibly skilfully developed and believable. I would urge everyone to read this book- you won't be sorry you did.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
I loved this book. Even a month after finishing it I am thinking about the characters and thinking about how good it was and how beautifully written. Seeing things from the child's point of view and hearing his thoughts reminded me a little of The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night Time, although this book felt emotionally deeper that the Dog in the Night, probably because of the theme of captivity.
Despite that being the theme, it's not gruelling to read at all. At no point did I feel disgusted or disturbed, which I was worried about before I started it and was told it was inspired by the Josef Fritzel case. It IS about a mother and son being held captive, but the captor is given very little description and limited attention is given to him. Apparently Donaghue did that on purpose as she didn't want the book to be about him. She has said the main thing that gave her inspiration from the Fritzel case wasn't the torture or the assault or Fritzel himself; the thing she found fascinating was the idea of a child being born in that room and only knowing that for their whole life, then emerging into a world they've never seen before like an alien landing on earth. That's what comes through in the book and it's really eye-opening. The other overwhelming theme is the bond between a mother and child. That's what I found anyway. It's great - read it.
Despite that being the theme, it's not gruelling to read at all. At no point did I feel disgusted or disturbed, which I was worried about before I started it and was told it was inspired by the Josef Fritzel case. It IS about a mother and son being held captive, but the captor is given very little description and limited attention is given to him. Apparently Donaghue did that on purpose as she didn't want the book to be about him. She has said the main thing that gave her inspiration from the Fritzel case wasn't the torture or the assault or Fritzel himself; the thing she found fascinating was the idea of a child being born in that room and only knowing that for their whole life, then emerging into a world they've never seen before like an alien landing on earth. That's what comes through in the book and it's really eye-opening. The other overwhelming theme is the bond between a mother and child. That's what I found anyway. It's great - read it.
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4.2 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting
Very good book was really in to it. But the ending just ended and was very weird! But very good and well written
Published 8 hours ago by S.llewellyn
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good story but a little annoying
On the whole I enjoyed the story, but rather than feel compassion for the mother and child, I found them both a little annoying!
Published 1 day ago by Cathy
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW
I had heard so many good reviews of this book but it just never really appealed to me. I finally gave in and decided to give it a go. Boy am I glad I did. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Helen McTeague
4.0 out of 5 stars
room.
Could not put this book down, read it in a couple of days. Really makes you think how you would deal with such an awful situation.
Published 3 days ago by jJ A Dowdall
5.0 out of 5 stars
ROOM
This is a well written book and gives some insight from both the boy and ma's point of view how it would be to live in a room. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Dizzy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good way to spend an Atlantic crossing.
I read this on a single flight from the UK to Canada. Enclosed as I was in a confined space, the desperate circumstances if the central characters were vivid and true. Read more
Published 3 days ago by BettyBook
5.0 out of 5 stars
Different
This book is written from the perspective of a 5 year old boy who knows nothing more than the life he has led in "Room". Read more
Published 5 days ago by Rachel
4.0 out of 5 stars
Page turner
Easy read, deals with a difficult subject but story feels convincing and written in an interesting style with the child as narrator. Read more
Published 6 days ago by AEN
4.0 out of 5 stars
Shocking plot!
This kept me hooked from the start. Why are the mother and son in the room? Why don't they leave? A great story told from the innocent boy's view.
Published 6 days ago by Bookreader
5.0 out of 5 stars
Couldn't put it down.
This book gripped me all the way through. Especially with the recent events in America. I wasn't sure how a story could be told through the eyes of a child but it worked. Read more
Published 6 days ago by What's a life without a dog?
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