Reading Bingo: Room

A few weeks ago I posted about the fun challenge Random House of Canada came up with for this year - reading bingo! (If you missed it, you can check out my post here) I'm going to try to fill in as many boxes as possible before the end of 2013 and I'm happy that I've already marked off one of the boxes this month - a book that is out of my comfort zone. Room by Emma Donoghue was definitely a book that I wouldn't normally pick up. I've heard fabulous things about it and know many people really enjoyed it but I just never planned on reading it because it wasn't something I was drawn to. So why did I read it? Because it was a book club pick. I'm interested to see what the other ladies have to say about it when we meet tonight because I certainly did not have a good time while reading it.

Here's the 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.

I don't think I've ever been so disturbed by a novel before. I finished this book about ten days ago and I still shudder when I think about it. I suppose I can see why it is an award winning novel. It still has me thinking about it and I really felt like I was there with Ma and Jack. But that doesn't mean it was enjoyable for me. Others may like it but it was so not my thing.

I was pretty conflicted about writing a review about this book since I didn't like it. I think I wanted to put my thoughts out there in hopes that others might offer their thoughts in response. This subject matter was just so...horrifying, really. These things actually happen. There are predators out there like Old Nick. It was hard to separate that knowledge from the fiction I was reading and it was very uncomfortable for me.

I just have to bring up how it was written. The whole novel is told from the perspective of Jack. He's quite a bright little guy but reading the story in his words makes it clear how hard it could be to raise a child in such conditions. Ma (so weird that we don't actually know her name) was a real heroine. Thinking about what she had to go through to keep both of them alive and trying to stay with it enough for her son...unbelievable.

In a way I'm glad I got to read Room. I've been hearing about Emma Donoghue's novel for awhile now (it was a huge deal when it was published in 2010) so now I know what all the hype is about. Like I said, I'm sure others may like it and may be able to handle the disturbing plot. I just have no idea who I would be able to recommend it to. Has anyone else read this one? I'd love to know what you thought of this novel.

Here's hoping for a more cheerful pick for the next reading bingo book!

Happy reading :)

This will be filled in by the end of 2013!

Mini Review: Chasing Harry Winston

Raise your hand if you belong to a book club! Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger was my club's pick for November. The group of ladies meets every other month because other people have lives and don't read nearly as much as I do. Hm. Perhaps I need more of a life since I finished this one in a weekend... :) Anywho, this one got picked because we wanted something light. I was happy since I already owned a copy! It ended up being a really fun and enjoyable read and I look forward to seeing what the other ladies thought of it when we meet on Tuesday.

Here's the synopsis:

The bestselling author of "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Everyone Worth Knowing" returns with the story of three best friends who vow to change their entire lives...and change them fast. Emmy is newly single, and not by choice. She was this close to the ring and the baby she's wanted her whole life when her boyfriend left her for his twenty-three-year-old personal trainer -- whose fees are paid by Emmy. With her plans for the perfect white wedding in the trash, Emmy is now ordering takeout for one. Her friends insist an around-the-world sex-fueled adventure will solve all her problems -- could they be right? 

Leigh, a young star in the publishing business, is within striking distance of landing her dream job as senior editor and marrying her dream guy. And to top it all off, she has just purchased her dream apartment. Only when Leigh begins to edit the enfant terrible of the literary world, the brilliant and brooding Jesse Chapman, does she start to notice some cracks in her perfect life... 

Adriana is the drop-dead-gorgeous daughter of a famous supermodel. She possesses the kind of feminine wiles made only in Brazil, and she never hesitates to use them. But she's about to turn thirty and -- as her mother keeps reminding her -- she won't have her pick of the men forever. Everyone knows beauty is ephemeral and there's always someone younger and prettier right around the corner. Suddenly she's wondering...does Mother know best? 

One Saturday night at the Waverly Inn, Adriana and Emmy make a pact: within a single year, each will drastically change her life. Leigh watches from the sidelines, not making any promises, but she'll soon discover she has the most to lose. Their friendship is forever, but everything else is on the table. Three best friends. Two resolutions. One year to pull it off.

OK, that was an insanely long synopsis - and I cut a bit out!

This novel had a very Sex and the City type feel to it, which I loved. The women all had different personalities so every reader should be able to relate to one of the characters. They also felt very real to me, with very real issues. None of the women were perfect by any stretch of the imagination. Emmy gets way too focused on marriage and the future, Leigh couldn't own up that her relationship really wasn't working, and Adriana hadn't realized that maybe she should change her attitude towards life and men and "grow up" just a bit.

Once I got to thinking about this book (and honestly, I've been thinking about it for awhile since I actually read this last month...eep) I couldn't quite pinpoint what it was about this novel that I liked so much. I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent reading this book and I will definitely make a point of reading more of her books (haven't actually read The Devil Wears Prada but I have read - and reviewed - Everyone Worth Knowing and I enjoyed that one, too). I definitely cared about the characters. I wanted to see how they grew over the course of the novel. I think there could have been a bit more...well, just a bit more. It could be that I wanted the ending to be expanded a little bit more or that I wanted a more personal connection with the characters. I know that kind of contradicts what I said earlier but I did care about what happened with the women and I wanted everything to work out for them...but...I couldn't personally understand why they were doing some of the things they were doing. I think it was the same sort of thing that keeps me from looooooving the Shopaholic series. Those books are a lot of fun and I always enjoy reading them but Becky is a twit. I've probably just confused you now, haven't I? :)

Overall, I really liked Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger and would recommend it to anyone who likes SATC, chick lit, and Weisberger's other novels. I'll try to update this post after book club next week if anyone else had some interesting thoughts about the book.

Happy reading :)

Update:
I had book club this week and it seemed like a lot of the ladies felt the same way I did about this book. One person actually couldn't even finish it and another read the first 100 pages and then the last twenty. It seemed like the general feeling was that we liked it, we did want to find out what happened to the characters, but we didn't really care about them. And what was with that parrot anyway? :)