Customer Reviews

A Room Made of Windows

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I loved this book when I first read it 25 years ago and it's still as wonderful today. It will be especially wonderful for readers wishing to become writers and people who love to observe the world and discover the small mysteries of life.

Twelve year old Julia is struggling with changes in her family and in herself. This is a book about thoughts and dreams as well as growing up. Eleanor Cameron fills the book with vivid descriptions of nature and people. There are memorable scenes between Julia and several special people: Daddy Chandler, a lovable, funny old man; Mrs. Moore, an elegant and mysterious former concert pianist; Paul, a kind 14 year old boy; and Leslie, another aspiring writer. There are also moments of pain and fear, especially Julia's encounters with the "disfunctional" family of her best friend Addie. But these moments are handled well and add to the plot.

A host of living, complicated people live in this book and you will come to feel part of the family. As part of the family, you will laugh and cry with Julia and never forget this remarkable book, nor look at the world in the same way.

"A Room Made of Windows" is told in the simple and straightforward style of a children's book, but its subject matter is subtle and complex enough to be savored by older readers as well. Eleanor Cameron paints a vivid picture of a few months in the life of a twelve-year-old girl who is dealing with her changing world. The chapter illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman are beautiful as well. This is a lyrical gem about writing, living and moving on.

This was the best and most intriguing book I have ever read in my whole life. Even though I am almost 15 I absolutely loved this book! The way Eleanor Cameron desribes every little detail in the book makes Julia's world so perfect and beautiful!! Julia lives in the most enchanting world ever imaginable. I would just love to switch lives with her. She doesn't even realize how grand her life is!! I would recommend this book to anybody, old or young.

"I'm ashamed of you."

Julia's mom says this to the main character Julia Redfern in A Room Made of Windows. On its heels is her brother's admonition: "You're a selfish kid. Why couldn't you let her go and have some fun?"

Julia's father died at war and her mom is dating again. On this particular night, fourteen-year-old Julia tells her mother off for not taking her to attend a play. Her mom explains that it's a play for adults. Besides, no one had promised Julia that she could attend. Julia feels that is a lie. Moreover, she'd bragged about attending the play and will be embarrassed when her friends find out the truth.

When her mother and `That One' (her despised boyfriend) leave, Julia escapes to her room to vent. She pours out her feelings in her Book of Strangeness, where she also compiles lists. Then she turns to her story. Julia's so excited when she finishes that despite the late hour she heads out to mail it. Her best friend's drunken father intercepts her, steals her envelope, and refuses to return it until neighbor Rhiannon Moore appears.

A Room Made of Windows contains lengthy chapters that are heavier on character development than action. In the first half of the book, Julia has met with an editor about her story, gone out with her family to celebrate her publication success, and lost her two cats. Otherwise, most of the other happenings amount to interactions between characters. These people include Julia's family: her mom, her brother who's a history addict, her grandparents with whom the family's moved in, along with aunts and uncles. As for Julia's friends, there is Addie and her dysfunctional family, Leslie who writes poetry, and Rhiannon who's a retired pianist. There's also her mother's boyfriend: Phil.

Despite the book's slow pace, I grew up loving it because of how I much identified with Julia. We're both sensitive. Julia also wishes to become a writer. She loved words and kept lists of them, wrote stories and would think them out before going to bed, and tried turning dreams into stories. Like Julia, I view writing as my special work. I intend to keep working on it and making grow. And, like her, I'm pretty sure that my feelings and pains will help me as a writer.

My aunt got me this book for my 15th birthday and I loved it!! I misplaced it though and could only remember part of the title but did a search and found it here after many years of searching. Thank you, Amazon!! I love how the girl in the story talked about her cats and her life.