A review by loverrbboy
A Room Called Earth by Madeleine Ryan

hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

i think this book found me exactly when i needed it. struggling to find my own identity outside of my friends and loving them, feeling lonely in a way that hanging out with them doesn’t fix, hurting deeply and afraid of being left alone with it all. 

the protag is deeply invested in herself and her environment above all else. with her background it makes sense, and she has a lot of privilege to be able to live her life the way she does - but it also seems lonely. she describes how she fights this loneliness and fear of the perceptions of others. 

i loved the concept of giving yourself a beautiful homemade meal to look forward to after a big scary outing. of the way her cat Porkchop looks at her, protect her space, is just a cat being a simple cat in the background of all her mess. 

i didn’t like the way she seems to judge all other women as performing for men all the time. although i’m sure a lot of it is true. 

i spent the second half of this book hoping that
she wouldn’t end up running away with this guy, and living happily ever after. i was so relieved that it just ended, after a fun and different and interesting night together. she held him, and enjoyed him, and let him go. not yearning to keep him around forever. not fearing the moment he should leave. just content to have had him for a little while, to know him, to observe him.
. i want to think more like her. 

i hadn’t managed to get through a paper book in months before this book screamed to me from the street library “hey!! there is still stories for you. there is still things you can do.”
Expand filter menu Content Warnings