Novel Review: Room by Emma Donoghue

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Genre: Adult/Literature Fiction, Realistic

Publisher: Back Bay Books (Little, Brown and Hachette Book Group)

Release Date: 2010

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

 
To five-year-old-Jack, Room is the world....

Told in the inventive, funny, and poignant voice of Jack, Room is a celebration of resilience—and a powerful story of a mother and son whose love lets them survive the impossible.

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough ... not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, Room is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

The Cover:

I really like the cover above, which is the one on my copy. I think it makes the emphasis on the title nice and clear, and shows the childishness of Jack, while all of the white gives an eerie or ominous feeling. There are a few other covers, as well, and I think most of them give a similarly good impression of the book. It's mostly the movie-version cover that I don't care too much for.

Review:

I've been wanting to read this book ever since it came out. I'm glad I finally got around to it.

Jack's mom was kidnapped by this guy seven years ago, but Jack is only five and he only knows this tiny room he's never left. He doesn't know what's beyond Door, and he doesn't know that he's missing anything. Anything he sees on TV, he knows is fictional.

Despite the very serious matter of this book, Jack is the one telling it, and he's a rather optimistic, cute kid. He's very smart for his age, but he also only knows the contents of Room. Everything else is fiction as far as he knows. Up until he leaves Room, at least.

I wouldn't say that Jack makes this book light-hearted, per se, but it does help. While he doesn't directly mention some of the things that happens, and a lot of things are merely said around him when they leave, it's always apparent that he's aware. He has an idea of things being wrong, even if he doesn't quite acknowledge them, or know what they are.

I really liked this book. Seeing Jack discover things is nice, even if some of those things are bad or have consequences. The ending was really well done, too. I wasn't sure where it was going to end, but the significance of that ending and where they are now, was really well done.

This is definitely a book worth reading. It was enjoyable to read, even if it was very sad at times.

Teaser Tuesday[213]: Room by Emma Donoghue

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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Room by Emma Donoghue

Genre: Adult Fiction

Publisher: Little, Brown/Hachette Book

Release Date: 2010

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Goodreads Synopsis:

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, Room is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

Excerpt:

“So hospitals are real too, and motorbikes. My head’s going to burst from all the new things I have to believe.” (Paperback, pg. 88)

What are you reading right now?

Novel Review: Dare to Surrender by Lilli Feisty

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Genre: Erotica/Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing/Forever (Hachette Book Group)

Release Date: 2010

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

HE MEETS HIS MATCH.
SHE MEETS HER MASTER.

Art gallery curator Joy Montgomery has never liked her body's generous curves. And she's always been too shy to explore her wild side. But tonight, everything is going to change . . . Desperate to save her job, Joy approaches bad-boy artist Ash Hunter and asks him to exhibit his erotic work at her gallery. Ash agrees on one condition: Joy must pose as his model. But business soon turns to pleasure, as Joy experiences a passion beyond her wildest imaginings and Ash finds more than just inspiration in his voluptuous new muse.

The Cover:

This cover is all right. I don't like it quite as much as the others, but it still fits the book pretty well. The couple, the position, and the color all fit with the feel of the book, which I like. It's still embarrassing, and not quite as good, but overall it's not too bad.

Review:

"'Maybe it’s true. Maybe opposites attract… and then you have to look at the core to see what matches up.’” (Mass Market Paperback, pg. 247)

I absolutely love this book. It is definitely my favorite of Feisty’s so far (and I’ve really enjoyed her other ones).

I liked both of the characters. Joy makes a dumb decision in this book, and she tries to avoid it, but she deals with so much other stuff throughout the book. Her (mostly) horrible grandmother, her job, everyone telling her what a mess she is. I feel like I understood her a little, and I liked her a lot. Ash is going through some stuff as well, but he grows up in this book, finally gets to stand on his own, see what he wants.

Ash was good for Joy, and Joy fit with Ash perfectly. They can be really good for each other. And the D/s elements, oh my… They were fantastic. Perfectly done. Ash already knows what he wants in that area, and Joy is interested but a little new to it. But Joy easily, happily gives into it, and I loved that. There were quite a few very nice, sexy scenes in this book, and I loved all of them. They were really good.

The romance in this book is definitely one of my favorites, but I also really liked the character development. Joy and Ash went through quite a bit in this book, and they came out of it even better. And the ending was perfect.

I loved this book. It’s definitely a favorite at this point. And I really want Feisty to release another full-length novel, because I don’t think she has, and I really, really want to read more.

Novel Review: Deliciously Sinful by Lilli Feisty

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group)

Release Date: 2011

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Things are cooking in the kitchen...and the bedroom.

Restaurant owner Phoebe Mayle thought she had it all under control. Sure, her new chef has a bad-boy reputation - and a chiseled body to match - but she's positive she can whip him into shape.

But from the moment Nick Avalon roars into town in his Hummer, he makes her whole world sizzle. Now Phoebe has lost control of her kitchen, and Nick has taken over her mind and her body. His insatiable appetite for pleasure leaves her breathless with carnal cravings only he can satisfy. Yet can their hunger for each other be a recipe for a love that lasts?

The Cover:

The cover is embarrassing, yes, but I also kind of like it. It's just rather fitting, I'm not sure why. The couple, the position, the way they're touching each other and undressing, the color--the whole thing just really fits with Phoebe and Nick, and I like that.

Quotes:

• "'I’m in charge of a lot of things. I have to be confident and sure of myself. The minute you back down, people start to run you over.’” (Mass Market Paperback, pg. 169)
• "'Every girl should go to Paris, at least once.’” (Pg. 205)
• "'And at the end of the day, you need to make yourself happy. And you’re the only one who can do that.’” (Pg. 207)
• "'You’ve been through a lot of loss in your life, Phoebe, and survived with a smile.’” (Pg. 277)

Review:

I surprisingly enjoyed this book a lot. I thought it would be good, but I was a little unsure by how much, and so I’m glad I really liked it.

I loved the attraction between Phoebe and Nick. The progression was nicely paced, it was apparent and very believable. They fought it a little too much at times, but they still fell into it really easily, and it was nice and intense at times. They were really good together, Phoebe had a frustratingly hard time accepting it, and I liked how they evened each other out. And the sexy parts were rather hot, and I really liked those. Some of them a little kinky, one in particular with a whisk (that so many people mention!). And while none of them mentioned or had a hugely apparent D/s element to them, I liked the subtle elements of it, particularly how Phoebe’s feelings were of the submissive variety, and how well that was done.

I liked the main plot line with the restaurant, and how that worked for Phoebe and Nick. There was a smaller plot with Phoebe’s niece, Jesse, and I really wanted to know where that went, but it kind of went nowhere, which bothers me. There was also a smaller plot with Phoebe’s brother in law and Nick’s friend, which I would have liked to see more of, but did like the little glimpses that were given. 

So far I’ve really enjoyed Feisty’s writing and stories and characters, a lot. Even when it’s not kinky, it’s hot. The character are well-rounded, the story well done, and the writing is pretty and easy to get into, the sex and attraction is well done, the humor is nice. I know she has at least one other novel out, so I hope to get my hands on it sometime soon.