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Book Reviews of Room: A Novel

Room: A Novel
Room A Novel
Author: Emma Donoghue
ISBN-13: 9780316120579
ISBN-10: 031612057X
Publication Date: 9/13/2010
Pages: 496
Edition: Lrg
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 23

3.8 stars, based on 23 ratings
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

8 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed Room: A Novel on + 3152 more book reviews
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone! I couldn't make it past the first chapter, the writing is so terrible, written from the view of a 5 yr old boy, the mentality of it is worse than that, being around a 5 yr old I found this more like a 3 yr old. The first part of the book where it has 'quotes' from various persons must be from the unknown, I didn't recognize any of those names or who they supposedly wrote for, therefore I have my doubts they exist and it is just the publisher trying to make it sound 'great'--well don't be fooled--it's terrible!
reviewed Room: A Novel on
Suspenseful and well paced story. Audio version features excellent readers.
dunnville avatar reviewed Room: A Novel on + 36 more book reviews
Quick and entertaining book. Told through the eyes of a five year old. Sometimes disturbing.
Makes you want to cry, get angry, and sometimes laugh and smile. Very good read.
BaileysBooks avatar reviewed Room: A Novel on + 491 more book reviews
I only read this book because my book club told me to. I suffered through it and I will join the minority by saying that I really did not like it.

First, I have a 5-year-old boy. That fact alone made this book difficult to read. And because my son is 5 and asks a million questions a day, this book wasn't much of an escape for me to read.

Second, the writing style was terribly annoying. I got used to it eventually, but that doesn't make it easier to read. However, the 5-year-old voice and perspective make this book bearable. I could not have read the same story had it been narrated with the mother's voice, thoughts, and reflections.

This book was interesting but it was difficult to read both emotionally and logistically. My book club loved it. I just couldn't get excited very about it, and I cannot say that I would willingly recommend it to anyone else.
paisleywings avatar reviewed Room: A Novel on + 232 more book reviews
I was riveted by the story, but I got sick of reading it about the last third. It is written in POV of a five year old and it is very aggravating because he is socially disfunctional.
BoysMom avatar reviewed Room: A Novel on + 846 more book reviews
Such a riveting book to listen to!

As mentioned above, the story is revealed through the eyes of Jack, a 5 year old... a precocious, curious 5 year old. It's a terrifying premise - a kidnapped woman kept hidden alone in 11 by 11 room for 7 years as a sex slave. In year 2, along comes a baby boy whom she names Jack. She raises Jack as if "room" is the entire world with a television as a window to "other planets."
debs avatar reviewed Room: A Novel on + 650 more book reviews
Told from the perspective of a little boy, this book is both startling(given the nature of the story) and innocent in the way the child perceives his world. Saw the movie and loved it -- then read the book. The movie follows the book pretty consistently, just with a bit less detail. I highly recommend both.
emmybeckwith avatar reviewed Room: A Novel on + 2 more book reviews
It's been maybe over a month since I finished this book, but still find it hard to review. It's an incredibly emotional book about a mother and son held captive in a small shed and their experience surviving in and out of that shed. Written from the perspective of the 5 year old boy, Jack. Being a stay at home mom of a young child so many themes in this book hit home for me. It's a thrilling read and will keep you wanting more all the way to the end.