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Room

the unputdownable bestseller that inspired the Oscar-winning film

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About this listen

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

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
Brilliantly written and well researched. I couldn't wait to be listening to this on my way to and from work. Really heart warming.

I also liked the focus on the child which rendered the abuser a historyless face and name. Probably not his real name. Often crime (particularly sex crimes and violent crime) are explained away by showcasing the history of the abuser. This book had an endearing child and a mother doing her best.

The crime perpetuated against them is never dealt with and that is the best feature. The victims are more than the crime they suffer.

One of the best reads I have had in a long time

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I'm afraid that I found myself getting annoyed at the boy's adult vocabulary and reading ability being at odds with his grasp of grammer to the point where I felt that the author was adding the odd grammer in an effor to remind us in what was otherwise an adult 'voice' that this was indeed a child.

OK

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A remarkable story narrated from an unconventional yet extremely compelling point of view of a five-year old boy. The harrowing tale of abduction and the life lived hidden from the rest of the world takes on a unique perspective when it's told from a child's point of view. A child born in captivity, who has never been outside and whose only link to that world is through his mother.

The narration is excellent, with a dialogue that moves seamlessly from one character to the next as the cast of voice actors deliver authentic performances. I would highly recommend this book to anyone in search of a compelling plot combined with first-class narration. A well-designed five stars!

Brilliant Plot, exceptionally narrated

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Having read the reviews saying how annoying the narration is I was put off this but then decided to give it a try. I loved it! The boys voice did not annoy me at all and I was totally hooked to the moving and funny story right from the start! This is one of my favorites, does not beat 'The Help' but a close 2nd! Give it a go!

One of my favorites

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It's an absolutely superb book! The poignancy, without being over sentimental, is amazing. This has been the best book I listened to this year by a long way!

Incredible book

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