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elissalynn's review against another edition
2.0
I’m not really sure what to say about this book. It was clear that the author was making a statement about race and poverty and the prison system, but i think the way she went about it just didn’t resonate with me.
There were multiple storylines that really jumped around, and i didn’t find myself caring about any of them. Even the main character told her story in an aloof, removed way.
I thought this book was fine...it took me longer than I expected to finish it because some sections were really a trudge. I don’t think I would recommend it...
There were multiple storylines that really jumped around, and i didn’t find myself caring about any of them. Even the main character told her story in an aloof, removed way.
I thought this book was fine...it took me longer than I expected to finish it because some sections were really a trudge. I don’t think I would recommend it...
thbarretta's review against another edition
2.0
Would’ve given this three stars but the ending was weak, clichéd, flat. Good character sketches that hang together by virtue of being about prison or breaking the law or having loosely held, if any, morals. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but in this case, there were too many loose ends left untied by the end.
Excellent writing. As often happens with contemporary fiction, I’m carried through it by the excellent writing. I was also carried through this one by wanting to see Romy somehow reconnected with her son.
Kushner’s depictions of prison life are terrific in every sense of the word.
Excellent writing. As often happens with contemporary fiction, I’m carried through it by the excellent writing. I was also carried through this one by wanting to see Romy somehow reconnected with her son.
Kushner’s depictions of prison life are terrific in every sense of the word.
readerjae777's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
blemishedhearth's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sarahgri's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.5
stardust_priestess's review against another edition
3.0
Good view point to read from. I get that the character kept having difficulties but its hard to be sympathetic with a character who consistently places herself in situations that are lacking in judgement. I did not care for the end so much.
jenpaul13's review against another edition
2.0
Sentenced to two consecutive life sentences, Romy Hall enters the correctional system in California and meets a wide variety of people in Rachel Kushner's The Mars Room.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Serving out her two life sentences in Stanville Women's Correctional Facility in California, Romy Hall is separated from her young son Jackson and everything familiar in San Francisco. Thrown into the deep end, Romy learns the things she needs to do and understand in order to survive inside the system. Meeting different women, committed for a variety of crimes, Romy comes to understand the oddities and intricacies of interactions and relationships within the confines of institutionalized life.
Roaming far too much through various characters with little relevance to Romy's life, as well as in time, a cohesive narrative is difficult to achieve, making it easy to put down as the disjointed nature of this narrative frustrates - it left me thinking SO WHAT!? It's clear that a lot of research and care went into the writing, but the outcome feels detached instead of evocative. This novel does a good job of offering diverse characters and pointing out the harsh realities of life within the correctional system, which are often overlooked, and how socioeconomics plays a role in it; however, there's no real sense of connection between the characters presented, which leaves the point being made lack a more powerful punch due to the impersonality of the stories offered.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Serving out her two life sentences in Stanville Women's Correctional Facility in California, Romy Hall is separated from her young son Jackson and everything familiar in San Francisco. Thrown into the deep end, Romy learns the things she needs to do and understand in order to survive inside the system. Meeting different women, committed for a variety of crimes, Romy comes to understand the oddities and intricacies of interactions and relationships within the confines of institutionalized life.
Roaming far too much through various characters with little relevance to Romy's life, as well as in time, a cohesive narrative is difficult to achieve, making it easy to put down as the disjointed nature of this narrative frustrates - it left me thinking SO WHAT!? It's clear that a lot of research and care went into the writing, but the outcome feels detached instead of evocative. This novel does a good job of offering diverse characters and pointing out the harsh realities of life within the correctional system, which are often overlooked, and how socioeconomics plays a role in it; however, there's no real sense of connection between the characters presented, which leaves the point being made lack a more powerful punch due to the impersonality of the stories offered.
babyguac's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
3.5
indoorswoman's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jaclyncrupi's review
5.0
This is definitely Kushner’s best work and it’s the absolute perfect follow up to THE FLAMETHROWERS. This is a book only Kushner could write and I loved it completely. Set in a women’s prison in California, encapsulating multiple voices and stories, revealing brutal truths about life and hardships, THE MARS ROOM will light you up. I don’t even have the words right now to attempt to capture how good this book is. And that ending!