Room

By: Emma Donoghue

Narrated by: Michal Friedman, Ellen Archer, Suzanne Toren, Robert Petkoff

A major film starring Brie Larson.
Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.
Shortlisted for the Orange Prize.

Unsentimental and sometimes funny, devastating yet uplifting, Room by Emma Donoghue is a story of boundless maternal love. Read by a full cast of narrators.

Scared is what you're feeling. Brave is what you're doing.

Jack lives with his Ma in Room, which has a locked door and a skylight, and measures 11 feet by 11 feet. He loves watching TV, and the cartoon characters he calls friends, but he knows that nothing he sees on screen is truly real – only him, Ma and the things in Room. Until the day Ma admits that there’s a world outside . . .

Told in Jack’s voice, Room is the story of a mother and son whose love lets them survive the impossible...

Part of the Picador Collection, a series celebrating fifty years of Picador books and showcasing the best of modern literature.

©2010 Emma Donoghue (P)2010 Hachette Audio US

Critic reviews

"Emma Donoghue's writing is superb alchemy, changing innocence into horror and horror into tenderness. Room is a book to read in one sitting. When it's over you look up: the world looks the same but you are somehow different and that feeling lingers for days." (Audrey Niffenegger)

" Room is one of the most profoundly affecting books I've read in a long time. Jack moved me greatly. His voice, his story, his innocence, his love for Ma combine to create something very unusual and, I think, something very important.... Room deserves to reach the widest possible audience." (John Boyne)

"I loved Room. Such incredible imagination, and dazzling use of language. And with all this, an entirely credible, endearing little boy. It's unlike anything I've ever read before." (Anita Shreve)

"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. In him, Donoghue has created 21st-century fiction's most uniquely loveable voice. She deserves to win this year's Man Booker Prize." ( Daily Mail)

"extraordinary power of Donoghue's utterly gripping story which, although not essentially just hers, has never been told in such a way before." ( Mirror Book of the Week)

"In filling this book with things that are both truly horrific and rather lovely, Emma Donoghue has achieved a work that is deeply unsettling on every level. It is a strange paradox that a book about imprisonment and torture should have become an arena for discussing the proper care and love of children. I think I am glad to have read it." ( Financial Times)

"What saves this beautifully nuanced book from being in any way a voyeuristic reaction to true crime is less the descriptions of captivity than the inevitably changing nature of the child / parent relationship, which Donoghue explores here so minutely, recognisably and exultantly." ( Sunday Telegraph)

This book is so good it's a freak!

Books like these only come by once in an eon, especially when the audiobook version is read so damn well, it just couldn't be better. There are so many layers of meaning in this book it gives you pause to reflect a long time after you finish reading it. It's about freedom and love, and ultimately about the human spirit's ability to transcend and move forward from one's own worst fears, memories and experiences. This book should be read by everyone.

Wished I loved this as much as I wanted to

Spoilers.

The first half of the book is magical, constantly tugging on my heartstrings. Unfortunately this beauty is lost the moment they manage to escape. Jack and Ma may have escaped the clutches of old Nick, but they were now being kept prisoner by the author, spewing sanctimonious sentiments about modern society, humanity and consumerism.

absolutely loved it!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

after listening to this version i have chosen this book for my book club to read i could not put it down, it even inspired me to go running so i could keep listening!!!

Who was your favorite character and why?

i loved jack such a stoic wee boy!

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

the narrators were great they made the story really come to life

If you could rename Room, what would you call it?

i woudlnt, and i love that its just 'room' and not 'the room' you need to read it to understand why

Any additional comments?

fab read it!!

Thoroughly enjoyable for a different listen.

This is one of the few books that I listened to in two days as it was entrancing.

Read this book

Would you listen to Room again? Why?

Definitely. I will listen to it again & will recommend it to family & friends. This story has been so beautifully constructed with superb characters. An unusual storyline, wonderfully told.

What other book might you compare Room to and why?

I can't compare it. It has a unique "voice" & quality.

Which scene was your favorite?

Can't say due to "spoilers". All scenes were delightful but there is a main part in the book, exceptionally well done which would be my favourite scene.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

11 foot x 11 foot room. No way out.

Any additional comments?

If you're wondering about getting this one, get it. It's remarkable. The main character/narrator of the story is delightful 5 year old Jack. His view transforms what would otherwise be a potentially terrifying tale into a story with a special perspective, one that no other character could offer.

Jack as the narrator of his & his mum's story is intelligent & eloquent.

This was listed for the Man-Booker in 2010 & now I know why.

agree its like a crash you cant look away from

Would you consider the audio edition of Room to be better than the print version?

The voice of the boy is to be congratulated. Very well done.

What did you like best about this story?

Not a 'likeable' story, but the honesty and innocent view of the world from a child's eye is endearing and hopeful.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Jack

If you could rename Room, what would you call it?

freedom

Any additional comments?

So glad I read this as a book-club book, needs a 'de-briefing' session. Surprisingly all 12 members read it, with initial apprehension, and all had positive appreciation for a confronting story.

Poignant

An excellent production - the performances in this reading are excellent and really help you to understand the story
As for the story, it's hard to comprehend being locked in a room for more than 5 years, let alone being born into that environment and thinking that's all there is to the world
Although a sad story, I really enjoyed this and would highly recommended it

Very nice

It was narrated beautifully. But I think we, as a society, are ready to be over the fake accents. That's my only complaint.

Intriguing and Beguiling

Would you consider the audio edition of Room to be better than the print version?

Yes as hearing the voice of the boy is very evocative.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Room?

The naivety of Jack and how he sees things.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The extra reminder of the realisation that the boy is just 5 and veyr innocent.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Jack escapes, it is very on the edge of your seat as it could go either way!

A new look

What made the experience of listening to Room the most enjoyable?

The narrator's voice and the perspective of the child.

What other book might you compare Room to and why?

James Thurber's work; the worlds one can inhabit in one's mind are so liberating from the humdrum existence one may be living!

Which scene was your favorite?

The point when Jack tries to think his way around the differences between real-real, TV-real and outside-real.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Many moments, especially Mom's attempts at rehabilitation.

Any additional comments?

An excellent 'read', not simply for the brilliant narration but also because of the new perspective offered on the link between emotions, development and freedom.