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Room

the unputdownable bestseller that inspired the Oscar-winning film

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Room

By: Emma Donoghue
Narrated by: Michal Friedman, Ellen Archer, Suzanne Toren, Robert Petkoff
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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.

 Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Movie, TV & Video Game Tie-Ins Psychological Heartfelt Scary Thought-Provoking Feel-Good
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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)
All stars
Most relevant
This is a great story which kept me hooked throughout - hence the 3 stars. However, I found this version difficult to listen to, since the narrator sounds like Ralph Wigham from The Simpsons.

The story is told by a 5 year-old boy, who - as is often done with voiceover work - is narrated by a woman putting on a childish voice. In this case, the voice was too blatantly female, as well as difficult to understand. I found this incredibly annoying, as it ruined the atmosphere which oozes from the book by making a tense situation sound simplified & cartoonish.

This is one of the few instances in which I would recommend reading the actual text version over the audiobook.

Narrator sounds like Ralph Wigham...

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Fantastic book. Very gripping story-line with some real tear-jerker moments.

The only thing I didn't like about this audio version is the voice of the child. It sounded like an adult woman pretending to be a 5-year-old boy. I realize they probably couldn't get a real 5-year-old boy to narrate it but surely they could have got an older boy to narrate, rather than a woman.

Great book but Jack's voice could have been better

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This is definitely my favourite book of 2010. I notice some reviewers have not liked the narrator, and am surprised to read one person deleted the book after only 10 minutes - my advice would be to give it some time, as you do get used to him, and actually I think as you warm to the character more, it becomes quite endearing. This book stayed with me for weeks after, and really got me thinking, mainly because it's been written from a child's perspective. Very clever, very touching - a real gem of a book.

Outstanding!

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Quite an amazing listen that brought tears to my eyes during a long train journey. I would advise to ignore any negative reviews that have been based soley upon the narration of 5-year-old Jack's voice. For me, it is the voice of Jack that had my emotions at breaking point at several points during the book. However, although I didn't find his voice difficult to overcome, obviously some did so bear it in mind - but DO stick with it because, as the book progresses, you will fall in love with him and want to take him home! Highly recommended!

It's right up there amongst the best I've heard!

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Would you listen to Room again? Why?

This is different from anything I've read before, and it was lifted into the category of brilliant by the performance. Beautifully constructed book.

What did you like best about this story?

Told from the viewpoint of a young child, this story is funny, heartbreaking and uplifting. The part of the child 'Jack' was beautifully read. I loved it from start to finish and couldn't stop listening.

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

This book is completely transformed by the narration. I found it to be exceptional and much more interesting than if I'd read the hard copy.

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

The ending of the book was very moving, but the entire book is just brilliant.

Any additional comments?

I read widely and this book is one of the best I've ever read. It stands out as different from the rest.

Outstanding

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