Product Description

Jane Graham, alone and pregnant, retreats to a bug-infested attic bedsit in Fulham, where she finds unexpected companionship, happiness and love.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18714 in Books
• Published on: 2004-01-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

About the Author
Lynne Reid Banks has written a number of books for children and young adults. Her children's books include The Adventures of King Midas; The Farthest-Away Mountain; Maura's Angel; The Indian in the Cupboard, recently made into a major Hollywood film; Return of the Indian; The Fairy Rebel; and The Magic Hare. Her books for teenagers include One More River, Sarah and After, My Darling Villain, The Writing on the Wall, Melusine: A Mystery and Broken Bridge. In addition, she has written two historical books about Israel: Letters to My Israeli Sons and Torn Country

Customer Reviews

A wonderful Book
I first read this book when i was at school, and i simply devoured it. It follows the story of Jane, who becomes pregnant, whilst unmarried in the 1960's, the story is poignant and really draws the reader in to a time and a place that is so believable and yet so different from our lives today. I can't begin to tell you how much i enjoyed this book, and any review i wrote, would simply not do it justice, i would just urge you to read it as it is a simply stunning read. I read it again every few years.

The L - Shaped Room: The book I wish I'd discovered earlier!
Wow! What an amazingly well written book! Set in a time when people looked down on pregnant women who were unmarried, this book follows the ups and downs of Jane, the main character of the book.

Thrown out of her home by her father, she has to look for a place of her own to live in. this is when she stumbles across the L-Shaped room, at the top of a dark and dingy house with its vast array of occupants ranging from a Jewish writer to the prostitutes who live in the basement.

I was unable to put this book down and was drawn into an entirely different era from which I know now. This book allowed me to follow Jane and her new found friends around as if they were there in real life, experiencing the raw emotion of everyday life living in 1960’s London, with Jane striving to survive on her wages after she is sacked: sacked for being pregnant and unmarried.

This book opens your eyes and comparisons are able to be made between today’s acceptance of unmarried single mother’s and the chastising of the unmarried single mother’s of the 1960’s.

There are two other books which follow Jane and her child as they are growing up and I cannot wait to read them. The only regret I have is not finding them sooner. Lynne Ried Banks is an excellent author and once again excels herself in her unique style loved and adored by millions the world over.

My Favourite Book EVER
I read this when I was in my teens and have re-read it several times since - a very evocative, compelling novel.The 2 sequels are also very good. Highly recommended.