Rooms: A Novel

By: Lauren Oliver

Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy, Barbara Caruso, Elizabeth Evans, Noah Galvin, Cynthia Darlow, Courtney Shaw

Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

After a number of highly acclaimed New York Times best sellers, including the Delirium trilogy and the standalone novels Before I Fall and Panic, Lauren Oliver returns with a spellbinding tale that confirms her place as one of our finest storytellers. Fueled by the same inspired feel for plot and character that drew readers to Oliver's earlier works, Rooms is a mesmerizing and suspenseful story of guilt, love, and family secrets.

Estranged patriarch Richard Walker has died, leaving behind a country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime. His alienated family - bitter ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and unforgiving daughter Minna - have arrived for their inheritance. But the Walkers are not alone.

Alice and Sandra, two long-dead and restless ghosts, linger within the house's claustrophobic walls, bound eternally to its physical structure. Jostling for space and memory, they observe the family, trading barbs and reminiscences about their past lives. Though their voices cannot be heard, Alice and Sandra speak through the house itself - in the hiss of the radiator, a creak in the stairs, the dimming of a light bulb. The living and dead are haunted by painful truths that surface with explosive force. When a new ghost appears, and Trenton begins to communicate with her, the spirit and human worlds collide - with cataclysmic results.

Elegantly constructed and brilliantly paced, Rooms is an enticing and imaginative ghost story and a searing family drama that is as haunting as it is resonant.

©2014 Laura Schechter (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

well put together book

outstanding definition of characters by the narrator overall story enjoyable No Award winner but certainly worth your credit and your time

Heartbreaking

A beautiful story about life and death from all perspectives. It is both horrible and comforting and I have never come across a story quite like this one.
One the narrator's voices is awkward, either too loud or too soft so I ended up having to go back through and relisten to parts or constantly adjust the volume. Other than this it is a unique tale to hear.

If you're listening to the audio book...

it may be hard to tell when a flashback begins. so be sure you can pay closer attention to this one or you may get lost.

I love Lauren Oliver books but...

to me this was my least favorite so far. it was still an ok read while I was trying to keep distracted but I feel like it was a slow going book . I finished it only in Hope there would be a big ending but the ending was even a little weak for me. stil love the author just not thrilled by this one

Great story

A little difficult to listen to because of extreme volumes… loud to whispers. Nevertheless, a fascinating story.

Boring!

Any additional comments?

Lordy, did this book move slow. I am actually a fan of Lauren Oliver's YA novels. I guess this was her foray into "adult" fiction. It was like the story was supposed to be "deep and thought provoking", but just ended up ridiculously over-dramatic and dull. I kept thinking it was going to get better, but the end was just as boring and melodramatic as the rest of it. The narration was decent, and was far better than the storyline. The best part of the book was the "Raven Heliotrope", which is a work of fiction created by one of the characters, that was provided to the listener in bits and pieces. I wish I could have listened to that book instead of "Rooms". Spend your well-earned credits on one of Lauren Oliver's YA books like "Before I Fall" or "Delirium" and you won't be so disappointed.

Not for me

What would have made Rooms: A Novel better?

Please don't misunderstand my review. I think the author is very talented and the idea of using a different performer for each of the characters was great, but the book just wasn't for me. I could not get into it and really struggled to finish it. It bored me, but it wasn't a bad book and should not take away from the talents of the author or the performers.

Not what I expected from Lauren Oliver

I love Lauren Oliver. But this book disappointed me. I made myself finish the book but wish I wouldn't have. However, I won't let it stop me from trying Lauren Oliver again.

Meh

What disappointed you about Rooms: A Novel?

Being an adult but a long time fan of Oliver's YA novels, I was very excited for this book. This novel has certainly crossed over into the "adult realm" on account of touching on the topics of sex, drugs, alcohol, suicidal thoughts, uncomfortable situations and by using a plethora of fowl language. Normally, these things wouldn't bother me at all, however I found the story boring and non of the characters likable in the least.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Amy Poehler's new book and Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Great acting and the voices seemed appropriate for the characters they portrayed.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Rooms: A Novel?

Too much mention of masturbation.

Any additional comments?

I think I'll stick to Lauren Oliver's Young Adult books as they're much more interesting.

I hated this book and I'm a mostly easy to please

skip it!. boring.yawn......this is my 5ty book by her but this is nothing like her much easier to read YA books.