Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Room by Emma Donoghue

37 reviews

readingwithmeredith's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Took a while to get adjusted to the story coming from a 5 year olds perspective but I was thankful it was because I don’t think I could have read this book if it had been from the mom’s. It was not an easy read, emotional and heavy but I had to know how it ended and I knew there was some hope for the ending. There were some details that felt pointless and sometimes I didn’t fully believe the narrator was a 5 year old child, but overall a thought provoking story that will stay with me for a while. It is scary to think this book is loosely based on a true story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

rosinawrites7's review against another edition

dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Jack's voice is so well written

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

foxgallagher's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping

Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Child death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

harraisin's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Miscarriage, Excrement, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Child death, Rape, Sexual violence, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

Minor: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Grief

grboph's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This was definitely one of the most depressing books I've read in quite a while, but I had to give it five stars because the premise and the way the story was told were both very intriguing. The story is told from the perspective of a five-year-old boy, which I felt added a lot of depth to the story - I was very impressed by Donoghue's ability to get inside this character's head and relate to him so strongly. This book nearly made me cry several times due to the pure emotionality with which Donoghue tells Jack and Ma's story. I found Jack's perceptions of the world around him to be very interesting, and thought a lot about all the tiny experiences and social conventions that I and those around me take for granted, and what navigating society for the first time at that age must be like. This was a very emotional and impactful book, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes true crime or stories about strong children.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Abortion

ksuazo94's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Miscarriage, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Vomit

daniellafrella's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt

brookey8888's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

At first I wasn’t really enjoying this that much because it is from the point of you have a five-year-old child so it was kind of annoying to hear his thoughts. But as it went on I got used to it and I kind of enjoyed it does also has a full cast narrated(I listened to the audiobook) which I really enjoyed. Also this might be a slight spoiler but they are in the room the whole time they get out like 50% through which I thought was interesting because you got to see how the child and everyone reacted. I do wish there was like some more I don’t know if closure is the right word or something but it makes sense because it’s the point of you have a five-year-old so everything that’s happening to the Mom we don’t really know like therapy and stuff like that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

beesbookss's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

katsbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

“Scared is what you're feeling. Brave is what you're doing.”

“Stories are a different kind of true.”

“I've seen the world and I'm tired now.”

I think it will come as no surprise that the most interesting part of this book is the point-of-view. I find it very compelling when authors use the perspectives of "innocents" like children to tell stories. It takes away some of the bias and assumptions that we have as the reader. And this novel goes even further by making the narrator incredibly young. Jack, the narrator, is just 5 years old and he's never known anything other than Room. Getting to experience the world for the first time through his eyes was so interesting and  provocative . My only major negative is also about the narrator, though. I've seen other people who've reviewed this book say that they found him annoying but for me, I just doubted that a 5 year old would be as articulate as he was sometimes portrayed. Granted, very few people can confirm or deny if it's actually possible but there were just instances when I felt like Jack was more articulate than any 5 year old would be even given the heinous and unique situation he was in. 

Given all that, this book was incredibly well written. The audiobook was incredibly well done. I really liked how the author didn't turn this into a run-of-the-mill true crime novel. The focus was 100% on Ma and Jack and how their characters grow and develop through the trauma of their ordeal. Old Nick, the perpetrator, is a part of the story, obviously, but he spends very little time on page. His backstory is never explained or rationalized and I love that. I am now very interested in seeing the film adaptation!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Miscarriage, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Minor: Self harm, Excrement, and Abortion