Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


Nov 10

2

Room by Emma Donoghue

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on November 2, 2010
Posted in Books Read in 2010 • Emma Donoghue  | 9 Comments

Right after Jack turns 5 years old, the world as he know it starts to change. He always thought that the room that his ma and him lived in was the whole world. He’s never been outside and doesn’t even know it exists. Ma told Jack that everything on television was pretend.

Jack is the narrator of the story and as it unfolds he and the reader slowly learn the truth. His Ma was kidnapped off of her college campus at the age of 19, by Old Nick. She was taken to the room, which is a converted from garden shed into a prison and she was repeatedly raped. She has been there for 7 years and gave birth to Jack while there, with no assistance.
Ma did everything she could to protect Jack from Old Nick and the truth. She tried to give Jack as normal a life as possible within the confines of the room. Each day of the week they have a routine which includes reading, writing, arithmetic, and even physical education. However, with Jack growing up it was time to reveal the truth. Room was not going to be big enough for a growing Jack for much longer.
It took a bit of time for me to get use to Jack as the narrator. He talked about the room and just about everything in it as if they were people. He knew a big vocabulary for his age however, had poor grammar, that of a 5 year old boy. Jack said, “Eggsnake is more longer than all around Room, we’ve been making him since I was three, he lives in Under Bed all coiled up keeping us safe.”
I wasn’t sure at first if I would be able to look beyond Jack’s poor grammar and enjoy the story. However, I was able to and really enjoyed the book, in an uncomfortable sort of way. The subject matter was uncomfortable and my heart ached for both Ma and Jack. By the time I was finished reading ‘Room’, I didn’t want it to end.
I recently saw Emma Donoghue at the 23 Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival. You can read my coverage of it and my question to Ms. Donoghue, with her response, here.
4/5
Thanks to Brad Parsons of Hachette Book Group for sending me this book for review.
Also reviewed by:

Thoughts of Joy
The Written World
Farm Lane Books
A Bookworm’s World
Shhh I’m Reading… 
BookLust

Did you review this book as well?  Leave a link in the comments and I will post it.

Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Oct 10

27

Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on October 27, 2010
Posted in Books Read in 2010  | 6 Comments

Spanning over 50 years, Last Night is a family saga about father and son. Dominic Baciagalupo and his twelve-year-old son Danny live in a small logging town, called Twisted River, in northern New Hampshire. Dominic is the cook for the entire camp. The loggers call him “Cookie.”

One day, in 1954 there is a tragic accident and in the river and a boy, Angel dies. He is just a bit older than Danny. Dominic is having an affair with the local sheriff’s girlfriend, Injun Jane. One night while they are making love, Danny comes in and mistakes Jane for a bear and hits her hard with a skillet. She dies and Dominic and Danny flee from Twisted River and change their names. They are on the run for decades.
They settle again in New England and Dominic gets a job with Angel’s family in their restaurant. He also has an affair with Angels mother but doesn’t marry her because he doesn’t want to drag her into his mess. Danny becomes a famous author and uses the name Danny Angel. Many years later, there are visitors to the restaurant, from the past and Dominic and Danny must run again. This time, they go to Iowa but later, they flee to Canada.
This book is packed with a cast of quirky characters, great plot development, and descriptions of beautiful and harsh landscapes. Some of the relationships that both Dominic and Danny had were a bit much. My only problem with the book is that none of the female characters havwe very little dimension to them and are not portrayed in a flattering light. However, since they are secondary characters, I can overlook that.
I saw John Irving last year at the Vancouver International Writers and Readers festival. he admitted to the audience that there are some similarities between himself and his character, Danny Baciagalupo.
I have only read one John Irving book before this, ‘A Widow for One Year.’ I thought it was a good book but nothing special. I’m so glad I gave Irving another try, this book was a really page turner for me. Now I see why there are so many John Irving fans! I look forward to read more John Irving books.
4/5
Also reviewed by:

A Novel Menagerie
Caribousmom
Luxury Reading

If you reviewed this book, please leave a link in the comments.

Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Oct 10

19

Bow Grip by Ivan E. Coyote

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on October 19, 2010
Posted in 23rd Writers Festival • Books Read in 2010  | 2 Comments

Bow Grip takes place in present tense, in around Drumheller and Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Joseph is a 40-something divorced auto mechanic, trying to move on with his life. His wife Allyson left him for his hockey buddy’s wife, Kathleen and moved from Drumheller to Calgary.

The story opens with Joseph trying to sell his car for cash but James Carson doesn’t have any money. He does however have a cello and talks Joseph into a trade. Joseph figure that he can sell the cello but from the moment he opens the case he wants to learn how to play it. Besides, his mom has been after him to get some kind of hobbies to take his mind off his problems.
James calls him back a couple of days later and said that the car wouldn’t start and that he needs to go out of town. Joseph goes to take a look and finds more than he bargains for. There is a residue all over the inside of the car and he finds duct tape and a hose on the inside of the truck. Joseph doesn’t know how to deal with James suicide attempt, should he talk to him about it or just keep quiet and fix the car? He doesn’t know him very well, has only seen him around town a few times. He decides to buy some time and James that he needs to bring it into the shop but will personally deliver it as soon as it’s fixed.
He gets the car fixed by the next day but when he goes to deliver it, James is gone. His land-lord said that he left town. This is what sparks a trip to Calgary and a journey of self-discovery and forgiveness.
This is a short novel, all of 165 pages but it really packs a punch. It is choke full of quirky characters, vivid descriptions of landscape, and beautiful prose.
Bow Gip is the winner of the 2007 ReLit Award for Best Novel and has been Shortlisted for the 2007 Ferro-Grumley Award for Women’s Fiction . This is Ivan E. Coyote’s first novel. She has also written several short story collections including her latest, Missed Her, published in December 2010. Bow Grip is the first book I have read by Coyote but certainly won’t be the last!
4.5/5
Ivan E. Coyote was born in Whitehorse, Canada and now resides in Victoria, BC, Canada. She will be appearing at the 23rd Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival. Event #64 Short Stories, Varied Voices. I will be attending this event, so stay tuned for my coverage of it.
If you have reviewed this book, please leave a link in the comments.
Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

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