Room

This is unlike any book I've read. It's a story told by a 5-year old boy, Jack, in the halting but often beautiful and innocent prose of a child. Written by Emma Donoghue, it was a NYTimes Book Review best book of the year. Jack and his mother, Ma, live in a tiny shed behind the house of Ma's kidnapper, who Jack calls Old Nick and who is Jack's biological father. Jack and Ma are securely locked into the tiny "Room", where Jack was conceived and born. Their room has no windows and Jack's view is limited to what little he can see when held up to the skylight. He believes that Room is the entire world and the things he sees on TV are part of an unreal TV world. It was Ma's wish that Jack would think that Room was the entire world but, now that he's reached the age of five, she's starting to teach him that there are other things "out there".

This is a disturbing, heart-wrenching book about the love between a mother and her child and the evil exemplified by Old Nick. There were times I had to put it down because it became too intense. But the book included lovely, lovely moments as well and I thought the story hung together in a satisfying way.

Cal

Charlotte and Emily: A Novel of the Brontes, by Jude Morgan

This book touched my emotions on many pages and I had trouble putting it down. Although the title includes only Charlotte and Emily, it's really about all five of the Bronte sisters and their brother and their father, a Christian minister. Though it was mostly the details of the story and the satisfying ending that touched my heart, it was also the sensitivity, thoughtfulness, and writing skills of the author, Jude Morgan. Many times I found myself rereading entire sections, not because I didn't understand them the first time, but to experience them again while trying to learn how the author was able to convey so much with so few well-chosen words.

Each of the books many characters quickly became real to me and I truly cared about their fates, perhaps because the author was writing about real people. Though I have several "favorite" books, this one will be remembered by me as one of the most beautifully written.

As a result of reading this book, I have a strong desire to see either the movie entitled "Jane Eyre" (based on the book written by Charlotte Bronte) or the DVD of the Masterpiece Theatre production having the same title. I do recall reading "Jane Eyre", perhaps twenty years ago, and enjoying it very much. Also, because I was so impressed with Jude Morgan's writing, I have begun reading another of his historical, biographical novels entitled "Symphony", about Hector Berlioz, the composer, and his wife, Harriet Smithson, an actress. I am finding the story equally compelling and look forward to continue reading it when I head off for bed tonight.

Reviewed by Cal