October 2012: Room

Mary:  Holy shit. This thing was terrifying. And also so amazing. At first I wasn't sure I'd be able to stomach it because I am so sensitive and I sort of hate to read things that are hard to read, especially when there are children involved.  But I persevered and the middle chapter was just incredible. The last part of the book was heart-wrenching. I cried and cried--even at just the simple things. This book is going to stay with me--I practically want to change my whole life because of it.

Jenn:   It feels wrong to say I liked Room, but I really did enjoy reading it.  The story was innovative and told in a really complex way revealing the circumstances slowly in a very intentional way. It got a bit Lifetime movie at points, but I defnitely recommend it to others as a worthwhile read.

Becca:  Loved it. Read it twice.

Barb:  It took me a while to get used to the narrative style but I was hooked after about 75 pages.  I appreciated the subtext-- a great reminder that kids don't need "stuff" to be happy; they simply crave love and attention from their parent(s). 

Amanda:  ROOM was very different.  The climax to the book was definitely (spoiler alert) the big escape.  After that, it just got tired.  The mother made me angry with her selfishness once they got out.  Plus, there were some things that were a little too personal that I could have done without.

Holly:  Intense!!

Aday:  This was a unique way to tell a complicated story, and I found the 5 year old main character to be very believable. There were times the book seemed slow and a little redundant at times, and then a page-turning section where you wanted to text all of your friends: "OMG, have you read ROOM??!!!!!" All in all, a good book and definitely one I would recommend.