Room by Emma Donoghue - Book Club Reviews

November Book Club Choice

ARMADALE - Wilkie Collins

(Review Date 2nd December)

"I was moved, fascinated and gripped by the novel Room. While I normally don't respond to novels written in the voice of a child, in this instance hearing the story of an abducted mother and child from the child's point of view made the story all the more powerful. It's a book that will stay with me for a long time."




"Room - I think its a clever conceptual novel that also has emotional impact."





"My tuppence worth would be that it's a well written and nicely structured book, but not one I'll be putting on the favourite book shelf.  It's a good read, if you're stuck, but not a must read."




"I enjoyed the book a lot, I found it to be very readable. However, I thought that the narrator was too mature sometimes for a five-year-old. Also I thought it was just a little gimmicky to tell the story from that point of view. It was very similar to 'The Curious Incident...' and, overall, neither were very good stories if told straightforward."




"Room is the type of book that you could definitely read in one session as it captivates the reader.  The dialogue, character conception and sense of place were all strong and the novel was hugely emotive at times.  It was an interesting and unusual tale both in the selection of 'Room' as the primary setting for the novel and at the means by which an extremely difficult subject matter was approached."




"I thought Room was a great read and very moving.  The author was excellent at creating atmosphere and tension. I thought the mother’s depression was very well dealt with when she was 'Gone' I particularly liked Jacks grandmother. Her struggles to cope with the intensity of her daughter’s abduction and return were very believable. I read the book in three sittings and was a bit disappointed when it was Gone!"




"Room is an unusual combination of literary prose that is very accessible, thereby warranting it with both commercial and literary appeal."





"Room is an interesting novel but not necessarily an engaging one for the duration.  It moved me in parts and informed me but then there was the whiff of contrivance that detracted.  On more than one occasion the main character, a five year old boy named Jack, ceases to be himself and becomes the mouth piece of the author.  There is no doubting that it is a work of high standing.  It is ground breaking in that it deals with a subject matter that has not yet been dealt with in fiction, and for that reason alone, and there are others, it is worth reading.  But “Room” failed to climb that final mile into the books we rave about and somehow,  I wish it had made it to the very tip" 

All reviews sent in for 'Room' will be featured on this page.