Helpful Score: 2
When We Were Romans is a relatively short but very moving novel. Lawrence is a 9 year old boy, and the narrator of the tale. When the story begins, Lawrence is living with his mother and younger sister in a cabin following his parents' divorce. He is uprooted abruptly when his mother decides to move the family to Rome, where she once lived. The children each are allowed one box full of toys, Lawrence brings along his pet mouse Herman and they set off in the family car for Rome.
Once in Rome, they rely on the kindness of the mother's friends for lodging. Eventually they move into a rented apartment, and Lawrence's mother finds a job. However, she gets restless again and the reason for the initial move to Rome is revealed.
This book is very sad because of the young narrator's naiveté - it becomes clear to the reader that Lawrence's mother is struggling with mental illness, but of course Lawrence is too young to realize this. Instead he is drawn into his mother's paranoia, and bravely tries to please her and defend his family from his mother's many perceived enemies.
There are a couple of things in this book that did not work for me. Because of the first person narrative, there are misspellings throughout the text. This seemed like a gimmick to me, because simple words were often misspelled whereas complex ones were not, and the misspellings did not appear consistently throughout the book. Also, there are a number of lengthy stories about Roman emperors, etc. that I found distracting - the side discussions of astronomy did much more to add to the story. However, these gripes are very minor.
Overall this is a well-written and very unique book. Fans of The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Nighttime will find much to appreciate here.
Once in Rome, they rely on the kindness of the mother's friends for lodging. Eventually they move into a rented apartment, and Lawrence's mother finds a job. However, she gets restless again and the reason for the initial move to Rome is revealed.
This book is very sad because of the young narrator's naiveté - it becomes clear to the reader that Lawrence's mother is struggling with mental illness, but of course Lawrence is too young to realize this. Instead he is drawn into his mother's paranoia, and bravely tries to please her and defend his family from his mother's many perceived enemies.
There are a couple of things in this book that did not work for me. Because of the first person narrative, there are misspellings throughout the text. This seemed like a gimmick to me, because simple words were often misspelled whereas complex ones were not, and the misspellings did not appear consistently throughout the book. Also, there are a number of lengthy stories about Roman emperors, etc. that I found distracting - the side discussions of astronomy did much more to add to the story. However, these gripes are very minor.
Overall this is a well-written and very unique book. Fans of The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Nighttime will find much to appreciate here.
Helpful Score: 1
My Rating: A+
At first this was a hard book to get into. The writing style takes a few pages. But thankfully about 20 pages in I was in love. This book could only be written with the misspelled words and the odd grammar. I've never read something that made me go back to when I was nine or ten and got mad at things that now seem so very trivial or happy about things as simple as getting to eat the food you want for dinner.
I was surprised by the amount of sadness in this book though. It's really a very sad story. I often wanted to just shake Hannah and say "Look at what you're doing to this sweet wonderful child!" But that I do believe is the whole point of being an author.
This is a very unique and eye opening look at how mental illness in a parent affects the child. It's written on a deeply intimate level that will take much to top.
I highly recommend this book!
At first this was a hard book to get into. The writing style takes a few pages. But thankfully about 20 pages in I was in love. This book could only be written with the misspelled words and the odd grammar. I've never read something that made me go back to when I was nine or ten and got mad at things that now seem so very trivial or happy about things as simple as getting to eat the food you want for dinner.
I was surprised by the amount of sadness in this book though. It's really a very sad story. I often wanted to just shake Hannah and say "Look at what you're doing to this sweet wonderful child!" But that I do believe is the whole point of being an author.
This is a very unique and eye opening look at how mental illness in a parent affects the child. It's written on a deeply intimate level that will take much to top.
I highly recommend this book!
Helpful Score: 1
When We Were Romans is told entirely from the perspective of 9 year old Lawrence. This makes for an absolutely fascinating read. Its so fun to see how a 9 year old perceives things. It is also filled with poor grammar and misspellings, but his only adds to the effect.
When We Were Romans is about Lawrence, his sister, Jemima, and his mom Hannah. Lawrence is the man of the house, and he has his work cut out for him. The family flees England to Rome, where Hannah previously lived, in order to escape from Lawrences father.
As the story moves forward, we begin to see that things are not quite right.
I highly recommend that you read When We Were Romans. Its a wonderfully told story. If youve ever wondered what went through a 3rd graders mind, this is your answer. Pick it up today. Read more at www.carriesclassics.com
When We Were Romans is about Lawrence, his sister, Jemima, and his mom Hannah. Lawrence is the man of the house, and he has his work cut out for him. The family flees England to Rome, where Hannah previously lived, in order to escape from Lawrences father.
As the story moves forward, we begin to see that things are not quite right.
I highly recommend that you read When We Were Romans. Its a wonderfully told story. If youve ever wondered what went through a 3rd graders mind, this is your answer. Pick it up today. Read more at www.carriesclassics.com
