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a_miller1289's review against another edition
2.0
I very much did not enjoy that. The ending was completely unexpected and out of place. I thought the way the book would randomly switch perspectives between character that didn’t have distinctive personalities or speaking styles made it very hard to follow.
freezing_moon's review against another edition
5.0
Believe the hype. This is not the typical book I would pick up, but something about the description drew me in (and all the glowing reviews I read in newspapers/magazines/websites helped get me excited to dive in to the novel). Normally I read fantasy, horror, and the occasional non-fiction book.
The story of Romy Hall(a single mother serving a life sentence in a California women’s prison), her fellow prisoners, and various men within her orbit is at times funny, heartbreaking, and it always feels a bit on edge. Through flashbacks to early times the reader learns about Hall’s life in San Francisco. One thing that stood out for me is that we also get a glimpse inside the past/present lives of other people that really brings a bit more weight to the story. Never once did feel let down by the story and by the time I reached the end...I can admit that a few tears were shed.
If you want a book that poses difficult questions, but pays off with fantastic writing and characters, then please read this brilliant novel.
The story of Romy Hall(a single mother serving a life sentence in a California women’s prison), her fellow prisoners, and various men within her orbit is at times funny, heartbreaking, and it always feels a bit on edge. Through flashbacks to early times the reader learns about Hall’s life in San Francisco. One thing that stood out for me is that we also get a glimpse inside the past/present lives of other people that really brings a bit more weight to the story. Never once did feel let down by the story and by the time I reached the end...I can admit that a few tears were shed.
If you want a book that poses difficult questions, but pays off with fantastic writing and characters, then please read this brilliant novel.
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
5.0
I was thrilled to be approved to read "The Mars Room" and even more thrilled to read it. The story is immediately engaging, each character is bright and immediate, and you crave learning more.
Romy Hall is sentenced to life in prison for killing a man who has stalked her since she was giving lap dances in a San Francisco "Gentleman's Club" called the Mars Room. Romy has had a rough life with an uninterested mother, occasional sex work and the lifestyle that goes with that. Romy is not stupid. She has made changes since she had her little boy, and one of those changes is to move to LA while her stalker is on vacation.
What hit me hardest is how completely powerless people who have no money or no one outside to run interference for them are in the justice system. Romy falls into both categories. She goes to prison and she has no way to communicate with her son or know what happened to him. Her lawyer does such a crappy job that even he feels bad about it. The other women she encounters in prison are similarly abandoned with no visitors and no one to even put a few bucks in their commissary so they can buy a bottle of liquid, rather than powdered, shampoo.
No more for fear of spoilers. This is a fine, strong novel that will hold you from first page to the last.
Romy Hall is sentenced to life in prison for killing a man who has stalked her since she was giving lap dances in a San Francisco "Gentleman's Club" called the Mars Room. Romy has had a rough life with an uninterested mother, occasional sex work and the lifestyle that goes with that. Romy is not stupid. She has made changes since she had her little boy, and one of those changes is to move to LA while her stalker is on vacation.
What hit me hardest is how completely powerless people who have no money or no one outside to run interference for them are in the justice system. Romy falls into both categories. She goes to prison and she has no way to communicate with her son or know what happened to him. Her lawyer does such a crappy job that even he feels bad about it. The other women she encounters in prison are similarly abandoned with no visitors and no one to even put a few bucks in their commissary so they can buy a bottle of liquid, rather than powdered, shampoo.
No more for fear of spoilers. This is a fine, strong novel that will hold you from first page to the last.
shelbscam's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
rykel_r's review against another edition
There is a raw emotional edge to Kushner's depiction of female incarceration in The Mars Room. Here she takes on the power structures of the legal and prison systems, while exposing the myriad socio-economic and psychological determinants related to crime, violence and victimhood.
She succeeds in impartially humanizing these characters but her observations made on the prison and judicial systems itself were largely scathing.
The novel balances several other themes including the transactional nature of the interactions that can occur between men and women; the experience of transgender inmates; motherhood and the value of social perception.
I found TMR to be a provocative intersectional narrative but lacking in style. Overall, I could never accuse Kushner of taking her readers on a "false emotional journey" but for me,The Mars Room landed somewhere between a form of new journalism and muckraking.
She succeeds in impartially humanizing these characters but her observations made on the prison and judicial systems itself were largely scathing.
The novel balances several other themes including the transactional nature of the interactions that can occur between men and women; the experience of transgender inmates; motherhood and the value of social perception.
I found TMR to be a provocative intersectional narrative but lacking in style. Overall, I could never accuse Kushner of taking her readers on a "false emotional journey" but for me,The Mars Room landed somewhere between a form of new journalism and muckraking.
karamajka's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
itsbecksmidwest's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sarahmsklar8's review against another edition
2.0
Age at time of reading: 36
Someone lied to Rachel Kushner and told her she could write in a style like Chuck Palahniuk. This book is like a dollar store knock off version of Palahniuk's short-story-compilation-esque novels, with unreliable/unlikeable characters, and stomach turning moments where you question how you got there and why you want to stay. The Kushner version is just a try-hard, "look at me, I'm edgy too" waste of time.
I can't say what it is about Palahniuk's writing that makes you connect with the most horrid of characters (if you've read Haunted, you know what I'm talking about), but everyone is Kushner's The Mars Room just lacks any true dimension. It just wasn't compelling to dive into the "how we got here" moments and interconnected stories. The attempts at provocative anecdotes were a huge miss, and left the reader with the ick instead of the quiet thrill I think was intended.
Someone lied to Rachel Kushner and told her she could write in a style like Chuck Palahniuk. This book is like a dollar store knock off version of Palahniuk's short-story-compilation-esque novels, with unreliable/unlikeable characters, and stomach turning moments where you question how you got there and why you want to stay. The Kushner version is just a try-hard, "look at me, I'm edgy too" waste of time.
I can't say what it is about Palahniuk's writing that makes you connect with the most horrid of characters (if you've read Haunted, you know what I'm talking about), but everyone is Kushner's The Mars Room just lacks any true dimension. It just wasn't compelling to dive into the "how we got here" moments and interconnected stories. The attempts at provocative anecdotes were a huge miss, and left the reader with the ick instead of the quiet thrill I think was intended.
jess_bee's review against another edition
challenging
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0