Thursday, September 30, 2010

BAFFLING BINGO MYSTERY BOOK DAY: ROOM- REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

WELCOME TO
BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S
"BAFFLING BINGO DAY"
I'M EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THIS THURSDAY'S
"BAFFLING BINGO DAY"
MYSTERY BOOK CHOICE IS.....


GIVEAWAY ENDED
ROOM
BY EMMA DONOGHUE
Shortlisted for the 2010 Man Booker Prize

ABOUT THE BOOK:

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.

Take a virtual tour of Ma and Jack's 11x11 room on www.roomthebook.com.




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born in Dublin in 1969, Emma Donoghue is a writer of contemporary and historical fiction whose novels include the bestselling Slammerkin, The Sealed Letter, Landing, Life Mask, Hood, and Stirfry. Her story collections are The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits, Kissing the Witch, and Touchy Subjects. She also writes literary history, and plays for stage and radio. She lives in London, Ontario, with her partner and their two small children. For more information, go to www.emmadonoghue.com.

Audio and Video



"I was born in Ireland in 1969 and lived in England before moving to Canada. I write fiction (including the bestselling Slammerkin), drama for stage and radio, and literary history; Room is my seventh novel. Some of the places I found inspiration : Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe (1719), ), FeralChildren.com, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (2006), Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Aurora Leigh (1856), John Fowles’s The Collector (1963), Anne Frank’s Diary (1947), Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (1932), Terminator 2 : Judgment Day (1991), The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs (1966), but above all in conversation with my five-year-old son."





MY REVIEW:

Emma Donoghue's ROOM is an amazingly different kind of book that hit me unlike anything I have read in a very long time. I was concerned reading the first few pages as initially I thought that the five year old narrator’s way of expressing himself was too frustrating for me to get used to. However, I stuck with it and within a few minutes became intrigued at what Jack, the child, was saying. Jack referred to things like calling a pitifully wilted plant “Plant”, and his bed he called “Bed”, as if those were their names like his was Jack. The people he saw on television were “Only TV”, and you slowly realize that the likes of Bed and Plant are characters to him because this is Jack‘s world. These characters live in the only world Jack knows and so of course they have names just like his mother is “Ma”. This is Jack’s world and he literally believes that anything outside of ROOM is outer space.

Readers learn through Jack’s narration that “Ma” has been locked in ROOM for seven years. Thus one realizes that Jack has been in ROOM for all of his five years with neither ever having set foot outside of this eleven square foot converted shed in all that time. You ascertain that Ma was kidnapped as a young college student by a man whom she and Jack refer to as “Old Nick”. As details of Ma’s kidnapping and subsequent repeated rapes are revealed the horror of what is really going on goes far beyond a story told about just a five year old’s life. Readers are seeing the story through Jack’s eyes and so there is nothing graphic about the criminal assaults by “Old Nick”. However, the mere emotional tension as Jack counts and listens to how many times the bedsprings squeak when Old Nick visits at night allows one to feel the psychological terror Ma endures. Each and every evening that Old Nick comes in ROOM, Ma submits in order to keep her son safe and in return for Old Nick bringing them much needed bare bones supplies on Sundays. Ma realizes that they must find a way out for Jack’s safety if not her sanity.

Jack has no interaction with Old Nick as Ma wants to protect Jack from any contact with something so evil. But one night it all becomes too much for Ma and she realizes they must try and escape before Old Nick decides to do something to Jack. Her goal is to protect her son  and she worries about what could become of them and doesn’t let Old Nick see him lest Jack be tainted by his evil. 

Jack and Ma have such a strong bond and you have to admire Ma for her dedication to raising Jack as normally as possible in what is an anything but normal situation. And the suspense builds as Ma begins to plan an escape. The only world that Jack knows will be no more.

Looking at the world through Jack’s eyes is fascinating as well as frightening, whether in ROOM or not. What is Jack’s life really like in ROOM and how will that change if he leaves that prison he calls ROOM? What kind of life will Jack and Ma lead if they do escape? Will Jack be able to acclimate to the real world? 

It is no surprise that ROOM is on the short list for the Man Booker Prize to be announced in October. This psychological thriller will get inside your head as much as Jack will get inside your heart. Living in Jack’s world is disturbing while fascinating. The creativity with which Donoghue portrays such a disturbing and terrifying subject will draw you in and not let you alone even long after you have left the ROOM. She has created a believable portrait of what we sadly know from today’s headlines every day in our  WORLD could happen and does. I strongly recommend you get a copy of this BOOK and go to your ROOM and start reading right away. I am pretty sure you won’t stop until you finish the BOOK.

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO MIRIAM AND THE GOOD FOLKS
AT THE HACHETTE BOOK GROUP,
I HAVE 3 COPIES OF THIS FASCINATING
NEW BOOK TO GIVE AWAY!

THE RULES:

--U.S. AND CANADIAN RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE
--INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT
--ALL ENTRIES/COMMENTS MUST BE
SEPARATE IN ORDER TO COUNT
AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY



HOW TO ENTER:


+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING ABOUT ROOM AND/OR AUTHOR EMMA DONOGHUE ABOVE THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK

+1 MORE ENTRY:
BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK I CAN FOLLOW IN THE ENTRY


+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY THAT YOU FOLLOW THIS BLOG.

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING OVER AT EMMA DONOGHUE'S WEBSITE BY GOING HERE


GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, OCTOBER 27!


GOOD LUCK!

114 comments:

PoCoKat said...

Nominated for a Booker...obviously an excellent read...would love to win it!

littleone AT shaw DOT ca

PoCoKat said...

I follow on GFC.

littleone AT shaw DOT ca

petite said...

This book sounds unique and captivating although totally different from what I usually read. Thanks for this excellent background on The Room. rojosho(at)hotmail(dot)com

petite said...

I am a follower. rojosho(at)hotmail(dot)com

petite said...

The author has written a great deal and this is impressive. rojosho(at)hotmail(dot)com

traveler said...

The perspective in which this book is written appeals to me. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

I am an e-mail subscriber. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

By being nominated for The booker which is an award that is one of the highest in Canada is an honor. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

Reading said...

Thanks for the giveaway. I like the fact that this is written from the point of view of a 5 year. Sounds different.

lizzi0915 at aol dot com

Reading said...

I follow on GFC

lizzi0915 at aol dot com

Reading said...

I find it funny that the author was fired from her job as a chambermaid. I think writing is more her forte.

lizzi0915 at aol dot com

Unknown said...

I want to read it because it was nominated for the Booker Prize. Also, it sounds different from other books I've read.
amandarwest at gmaildotcom

Unknown said...

Tweeted http://twitter.com/amandawk/status/25994118289

Unknown said...

I'm a follower on google reader.

Unknown said...

It is interesting that the author was born in Dublin and now lives in Canada.

Renee said...

an adult book told through the eyes of a child intrigues me.

reneesuz82(at)msn.com

Renee said...

I follow on google friends connect


reneesuz82(at)msn.com

Renee said...

the author has an alternative lifestyle


reneesuz82(at)msn.com

Steve Capell said...

This sounds like a unique mystery read and also one that sounds like an emotional read. Oprah Magazine had also recommended this book by Emma Donoghue. I really would like to read this book so I thank you for the opportunity.

steven(dot)capell(at)gmail(dot)com

rhapsodyinbooks said...

I'm interested because everyone is talking about this one!

nbmars AT yahoo DOT com

rhapsodyinbooks said...

I follow on GFC

nbmars AT yahoo DOT com

rhapsodyinbooks said...

I love that she was fired as a chambermaid. I was fired as an ice cream server, so I can sort of relate!

nbmars AT yahoo DOT com

debbie said...

I think it is a unique way to tell a story. Through the eyes of a 5 year old. I am interested to see how he describes their ordeal. I would really like to read this book.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

debbie said...

I am a email subscriber.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

gcpeach17 said...

Your review was excellant. It has me so anxious to read this book and the fact that you said you had difficulty with the first couple pages is very helpful. If you hadn't said that I may have put it down. Although, I have grandchildren that are 5 years old & I love to listen to them so....an unbelievable situation to be in, one I've not heard of or dreamt of ever happening. Thanks, for the giveaway.

gcpeach17 at aol dot com

gcpeach17 said...

I am an old follower with Google Reader.

gcpeach17 at aol dot com

rubynreba said...

I'm curious to read this since it is told from a 5 year olds view. Sounds interesting.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

rubynreba said...

I follow on google friend
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

rubynreba said...

The author says that most of her characters are gabby (they talk too much!)
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

Lu said...

I would love to win a copy of this book. I think it would be interesting to read a book that is not written for children, that is written from a child's perspective.
Please enter me. Thanks!

lusravesandrants AT gmail DOT COM

Lu said...

I follow through google friend connect!

lusravesandrants AT gmail DOT COM

Debbie said...

I have been wanting to read this book since I first heard about it. I have not read anything but glowing reviews about it. I love that it is written from the son's point of view and that it parallels a true life story without sensationalizing it.
fourkidsrgreat(at)gmail.com

Lu said...

While checking out Emma's website I learned that she resides less than an hour drive from me. I thought that was kind of neat!
Thanks for the entries!
lusravesandrants AT gmail DOT COM

Debbie said...

Tweeted here: http://twitter.com/suburbsanity/status/26040484742
fourkidsrgreat(at)gmail.com

Debbie said...

I bet it was a culture shock for her to go from convent schools in Ireland to New York for a year at the age of 10!
fourkidsrgreat(at)gmail.com

Martha Lawson said...

I find everything I've read about this book fascinating! I know this would be an awesome book. I'd love to win.

I follow on gfc

mlawson17 at hotmail dot com

throuthehaze said...

This sounds like such an interesting story. The fact that the Jack has lived his entire life in that place and has never seen anything of the world is so sad and intriguing.
throuthehaze at gmail dot com

throuthehaze said...

follow via GFC (Throuthehaze)
throuthehaze at gmail dot com

SquirrelQueen said...

While most stories of this type would be from the woman's point of view I find it interesting that it is written from a child's perspective. I suspect that will make for a very chilling read.

squirrelqueen2001 at gmail.com

SquirrelQueen said...

Follower on GFC. Thanks for follwing me.

squirrelqueen2001 at gmail.com

Glenn said...

Interesting and unique plot concept. Thanks for the giveaway.

glenn_pessano AT yahoo DOT com

Unknown said...

I am a follower and email subscriber. This kind of crime seems to be happening more and more in the world. I really want to read this book. It sounds very interesting and good. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

holdenj said...

I find the premise a bit unsettling, but keep seeing great reviews for it!
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

hendy said...

I've never read a book told from a child's language so this book is intriguing.
hmhenderson AT yahoo DOT com

hendy said...

I learned that she has written 13 other books.
hmhenderson AT yahoo DOT com

justpeachy36 said...

One thing I find interesting about this book is that Jack has never been out of that room... he was even born there. What kind of experience could that have been? His mother had all her time to devote to him but he was still in grave danger as well as being at a huge disadvantage. Heart wrenching story... I can't wait to read it.

Please enter me in the giveaway.

justpeachy36@yahoo.com

justpeachy36 said...

I am a GFC follower and an e-mail subscriber.

justpeachy36@yahoo.com

justpeachy36 said...

I find it interesting that Emma was born in Ireland, because I am of Scottish decent...

justpeachy36@yahoo.com

Colleen Turner said...

The whole concept of this book sounds fascinating! A boy who has never left the room he shares with his mom and what happens when the outside world becomes known...I cannot wait to read this!
Thanks,
candc320@gmail.com

Colleen Turner said...

I follow via email.
candc320@gmail.com

Colleen Turner said...

+5 swagbucks!
candc320@gmail.com

Carol W. said...

The fact that this story is told entirely in the language of a five year old is intriguing. It didn't take many reviews for Room to make it to the top of my must-read book list!

wolfcarol451(at)gmail(dot)com

Carol W. said...

I follow with GFC (Carol Wolf).

wolfcarol451(at)gmail(dot)com

Carol W. said...

I was amused to discover that the author wanted to be a ballerina when she was young. She gave that up for writing after realizing she was too tall to be a dancer.

wolfcarol451(at)gmail(dot)com

christina said...

Yay. I soooo wanna read this book!

c (dot) beumer (at) gmail (dot) com

christina said...

And I follow you through my google reader. :)

c (dot) beumer (at) gmail (dot) com

christina said...

I also can't believe how Donoghue wrote so many other books. Some perfect for the GLBT challenge that Amanda is hosting.

c (dot) beumer (at) gmail (dot) com

Unknown said...

She is a mom the same age as I am who has written

Unknown said...

I follow via GFC

Pamela Keener said...

What an interesting a timely premise. I have read good reviews about this book and have it on my TBB list.
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

Pamela Keener said...

I follow your blog via Google Reader.
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

Pamela Keener said...

At eight years old she wanted to be a ballerina but was too tall. She can get to eat more cake now.
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

bison61 said...

I like that the Readers are seeing the story through Jack’s eyes

tiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

It sounds interesting that the story is told from the point of view of a child who has never left that room in his entire life.
peacelily_2006(at)yahoo(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I follow on GFC as Melanie L.
peacelily_2006(at)yahoo(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I follow on GFC as Melanie L.
peacelily_2006(at)yahoo(dot)com

Anonymous said...

On her website she said if she could time travel anywhere she'd go to eighteenth century London and "be a rich spinster of scandalous habits, my hats would be enormous, chocolate drops would have been recently invented, and there'd be revolutions to provide a little excitement."
peacelily_2006(at)yahoo(dot)com

Ruthie said...

I have heard sooo much about this book! It reminds me of 'A Child Called It'. Please enter me, thanks.

ruthiekb72@yahoo.com

Ruthie said...

I follow you on Facebook.

ruthiekb72@yahoo.com

Irene said...

Interesting that her conversations with her five-year-old son inspired ROOM. I would like to win. Thank you.

cyeates AT nycap DOT rr DOT com

Irene said...

I "tweeted" @saratoga



cyeates AT nycap DOT rr DOT com

Irene said...

I am an email subscriber/Google follower.


cyeates AT nycap DOT rr DOT com

Unknown said...

I love that it is written from the viewpoint of a 5 year old!
mommyfreetime at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

I follow with gfc
mommyfreetime at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

I follow you on twitter
mommyfreetime at gmail dot com

StephTheBookworm said...

OOOH this has been on my wishlist! I am so glad I saw this giveaway! I really want to read it because it is so cool that it's told from a young child's perspective.

stephaniet117@yahoo.com

StephTheBookworm said...

I follow gfc!

StephTheBookworm said...

Wow, I found out that Emma is from Ireland! How cool!

nfmgirl said...

It's fascinating-- a room that is the entire world to a child. Please count me in. Thank you!

nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com

nfmgirl said...

I follow via GFC

nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com

Benita said...

I like that she writes in the voice of a five year old child.

bgcchs(at)yahoo(dot)com

Benita said...

I found it interesting that the author was born in Dublin and now lives in Canada.

bgcchs(at)yahoo(dot)com

Benita said...

I'm an email subscriber.

bgcchs(at)yahoo(dot)com

minishoes1 said...

Wow! This sounds like a great book and not the kind of book I usually read either. She has wrote 7 other books too. jacquecurl1(at)gmail(dot)com

minishoes1 said...

I am an email subscriber. jacquecurl1(at)gmail(dot)com

minishoes1 said...

She wanted to be a ballarina before being a writer.jacquecurl1(at)gmail(dot)com

Laura H. said...

After taking a virtual tour of the "Room" I want to win this book to see how two people can co-exist in such a small space.

BornajhawkATaolDOTcom

Laura H. said...

Tweeted giveaway: http://twitter.com/#!/MamaHendo3/status/27796620601

BornajhawkATaolDOTcom

Laura H. said...

I'm a GFC follower.

BornajhawkATaolDOTcom

Laura H. said...

Emma was a chambermaid for a month.

BornajhawkATaolDOTcom

sablelexi said...

This has been on my list for awhile. Sounds like it could be a fascinating read.

jlynettes @ hotmail . com

sablelexi said...

I'm a follower via GFC as sablelexi.

jlynettes @ hotmail . com

Unknown said...

The author, Emma Donoghue found inspiration for "Room" in a variety of placed including Elizabeth Barret Browning's "Aurora Leigh" "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley and Terminator 2: Judgement Day! How interesting and no wonder this is a great book with all the rearch she did and the varied sources she culled info. from!

Aimala127 AT gmail DOT com

Unknown said...

I follow your blog on GFC and I'm an email subscriber

Aimala127 AT gmail DOT com

Eileen said...

One of the most imaginative plots I've come across in a long time...think it will be gripping.

Eileen
wiseowlreviews@aol dot com

Sarah E said...

I want to win this book because the storyline sounds captivating.

Please enter me in this giveaway!

saemmerson at yahoo dot com

Sarah E

Sarah E said...

Tweeted:

http://twitter.com/BookLoverSarah/status/28005785527

saemmerson at yahoo dot com

Sarah E

Sarah E said...

I follow via GFC.

saemmerson at yahoo dot com

Sarah E

Sarah E said...

It is interesting and impressive that Donoghue is a Booker short-listed author.

saemmerson at yahoo dot com

Sarah E

Unknown said...

Emma Donogue received her PhD in 1997, writing thesis on the concept of friendship between men and women in eighteenth-century English fiction. I think this would be an interesting thesis paper to read!

~ Amy
Aimala127 AT gmail DOT com

Unknown said...

I tweeted this giveaway here:
http://twitter.com/Amestir/status/28065732537
(Twitter id: Amestir)

Aimala127 AT gmail DOT com

LoveMyCoffee said...

I would love to win this book. I've been on the waiting list at the library for Room forever. I've read great reviews on numerous blogs. Thanks for commenting that it was a bit odd in the beginning of the book, but that you kept on with it and didn't regret it.

Dutchlvr1(at)aol(dot)com

LoveMyCoffee said...

I am a GFC follower
also an email subscriber

Dutchlvr1(at)aol(dot)com

LoveMyCoffee said...

The author was born in Dublin, and now lives in Canada.

She's written numerous books.

Dutchlvr1(at)aol(dot)com

Jolee said...

I think the premise sounds fascinating and scary! I have LOVED her work in the past, and would love to own this. joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot] net

Jolee said...

follow you on gfc and fb. joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot] net

Jolee said...

Learned she was born in Ireland (did not know....this also was on your site) and that she loves hearing from readers. joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot] net

hendy said...

tweeted
http://twitter.com/HendyMartin/status/28574861670
hmhenderson AT yahoo DOT com

Lisa said...

Great giveaway!

litandlifeATgmailDOTcom

Lisa said...

I'd love to read about the lengths a mother would go to to make her son feel like everything was okay.

litandlifeATgmailDOTcom

lag123 said...

I like the way the story is told from a five year old's perspective.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

Tweeted: http://twitter.com/lag32583/status/28833385457

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

I follow via email, GFC, and google reader.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

Emma was the youngest of eight children.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

CLICK HERE TO
SEE MY POLICY