a b "The L-shaped Room (1962)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 28 February 2016. Caron's performance earned her the Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award for best actress, as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. [8] [9] [10]

For Jane now faces a familiar situation. It is her father she is running away from, a distant, awkward man, who, like most English males of his generation, has survived Depression and two World Wars without ever expressing his feelings. The combination of confessing her plight to him and the situation surrounding her own birth invoke emotions in Jane too terrible to bear. Oh come now, father,” I said, not able to help laughing. “Polecats smell vile. John doesn’t smell like one at all.” Though The L-Shaped Room had a much more sordid setting, it was more fairy tale-ish in its conclusions. From my remembrance, The Millstone was more humorous, yet more realistic. Characteristically, I prefer the latter.Jane hides her pregnancy (she thinks) very well from those around her, feeling that to avoid the discussion at all is better somehow than lying about it. Jane eventually loses her job when her condition becomes too obvious to further ignore, but she finds solace in her growing friendships with her fellow tenants, and in a blossoming love affair with Toby. One of my ongoing, unsuccessful (and, to be fair, fairly inactive) battles is to convince Rachel that we should read The L-Shaped Room (1960) on the Tea or Books? podcast. It’s one of my favourite books, and I’ve read it a fair few times – and it’s not often I’ll re-read a book at all, let alone more than once. In the end, I decided just to re-read it (again) myself. And, rather than write another review of it, I’ll take you through the experience I had…

I wasn't expecting too much from this novel, so I went into it not feeling terribly hopeful, but what I received was a compelling and a somewhat poignant story of what it was to be a pregnant, unmarried woman in 1950's London.

girl in the film) and takes her home again, all forgiven. In the book her aunt Addy has died and left her quite a lot of money (convenient, that) but her relationship with Toby is left But she knows she won’t be able to hold on to her job for too long, and she doesn’t know how she will cope when she has to give it up. This read is in the first person, Jane who is just under 30 but who still acts like a teenager, seemingly unable to make clear decisions regarding her life.

it's funny - like, undignified.' She started going through her bag, making sure she had everything, like a woman going out for an ordinary evening. 'Girl I knew - Holy Roman she was,Irish Jane feels an overwhelming sense of shame when she understands the full extent of the public’s opinion of her: “I was right in the middle of a moment of truth, and it was still and quiet and empty in there, as it is supposed to be in the heart of a tornado.” However, the novel is certainly not all bleak as she also experiences wonderful moments of sympathy and kindness from strangers, a friend and another family member. Nor are doctors all bad once she manages to find a sensible one. It’s encouraging to read a story about someone who can survive and thrive despite the social stigma which has been attached to her – much in the same way as Joyce Carol Oates portrayed in her novel “We Were the Mulvaneys.” Where Reid Banks’ novel really excels is the complex way she shows how Jane can overcome her own self-loathing about her situation and transform it into a source of strength. I'm looking forward to going to the reading group and considering the parallels and differences between Jean Rhys' writing and Reid Banks'. She forms friendships. With John, the affable musician who lives in the room next to hers. With Mavis, the elderly spinster who lives in the room below hers. And with Toby, a struggling writer, who could maybe become more than a friend. I sat there, savouring an uncanny feeling of omniscience. I could see the future as clearly as if I were sitting

7th Annual Canadian Book Challenge

Now that you are aware of the problems with the room, the next step is to find some solutions! But first it’s worth considering the function of your room.