A Room on Lorelei Street

by Mary E. Pearson

Zoe's arms prickle. She turns, trying to take it all in. The ache inside returns. It is not for her. It is too much. A real room with real floors and walls. A room for sleeping, and reading and dancing and . . . in her imagination she has pictured the room, but she has never pictured herself in it.

Can seventeen-year-old Zoe make it on her own?

A room is not much. It is not arms holding you. Not a kiss on the forehead. Not a packed lunch or a remembered birthday. Just a room. But for seventeen-year-old Zoe, struggling to shed the suffocating responsibility of her alcoholic mother and the controlling guilt of her grandmother, a rented room on Lorelei Street is a fierce grab for control of her own future.

Zoe rents a small room from Opal Keats, an eccentric old lady who has a difficult past of her own, but who chooses to live in the possibility of the future. Zoe tries to find that same possibility in her own future, promising that she will never go crawling back. But with all odds against her, can a seventeen-year-old who only slings hash to make ends meet make it on her own? Zoe struggles with this worry and the guilt of abandoning her mother as she goes to lengths that even she never dreamed she would in order to keep the room on Lorelei Street.

Genres: Young Adult, Teen, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary, Childrens, High School

266 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2005

About the author

Mary E. Pearson is the International and NYT bestselling and award-winning author of multiple novels including her adult debut novel, The Courting of Bristol Keats, about a woman from a small town who is unexpectedly plunged into a world of gods, fae, and monsters.

Her other books include The Remnant Chronicles—The Kiss of Deception, The Heart of Betrayal, and The Beauty of Darkness—and its spin-off duology Dance of Thieves and Vow of Thieves. Mary's awards and honors include the Golden Kite for fiction, ALA Best Books, NYPL Best Books, IRA Choice Books, YALSA Teens Top Ten, Arkansas and South Carolina Young Adult Book Awards, and her science-fiction novel, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, was an Andre Norton Award Finalist. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages world-wide.

As a child she loved reading about and living in fantasy worlds. They were a portal to possibility that provided both escape and power. These days she loves writing about those worlds for the same reasons. She totally believes in magic, because, as one of her characters once whispered to her, “What is magic, but what we don’t yet understand?”

When she is not creating dangerous fantasy worlds, she enjoys the relatively safe pleasures of travel, gardening, friends, and family. Visit Mary on Instagram @maryepearson for book news and updates.

Reviews

[Colleen Houck]

I've honestly never read anything like it. The descriptions of the heroine's hopes and dreams are so vivid, especially as they are embodied in this room in a house on the street. I love the little old woman who lives there and the dog and the fact that they go to her tennis matches. I wanted to reach into the pages and pull this girl out and take care of her.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the age of seventeen, Zoe's known for awhile that her mother is far from perfect. An alcoholic pill-popper, she can't even be trusted to make it to work, let alone pay the bills on time. Zoe dreams of escape from her personal hell.

One day, the opportunity presents itself to her in the form of a "For Rent" sign in the window of a house on Lorelei Street. Relatively close to her mother's home, Zoe makes a decision - to gather her belongings in a couple of pillowcases and rent the room.

After awhile, though, she realizes that her tips as a waitress won't begin to cover her expenses. What lengths will Zoe go to in order to pay her rent? And will she ever make it out of the town that her mother and grandmother reside in?

This was a realistic, enjoyable story about what can happen to a family when both parents are alcoholics, and the extended family is in denial.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a teen fiction companion to Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. Like many teens, Zoe dreams of moving out, but it is a nightmare at home (dead father, alcoholic mother, and suffocating grandmother) that lets her make the move. And while there's the nice old lady (Opal) she rents the room from to lend support, and some friends, Zoe truly feels on her own. Just as much as Hatchet, this is a survival story as Zoe works as a waitress, trying to put food on her table and gas in her tank, pay sports fees at school, etc. The book is lyrical while describing her plight, yet Pearson doesn't pull her punches at the end when this young woman desperate for money makes a shocking decision. This novel is similar as well to Shelia O'Connor's Where No Gods Came about a young woman in comparable circumstances.

[Sheena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the biggest reaction I had to this book was frustration. I was frustrated at Zoe’s teacher, her grandmother, her mother, just her life in general. I felt for her as she tried to create a better life for herself and things just kept pushing down. Unfortunately I think there are many teens out there that are going through the same ordeal. They are stuck in situations that they can’t get out of and are broken by it. I think this book can offer them hope. I think the best lesson from this book is to keep trying and don’t give up. I think that’s the strength of the book. I do like the cover art. If gives a sense of the calmness of the room. I think the colors attract the eye and will draw teens in.

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember really being on your own for the first time? Paying bills on your own? The high when you could pay them and have a little left, the low of an unexpected expense that made it all seem impossible.
This is that story except Zoe is only 17 years old, her father has died, and her mother is an alcoholic with little hope for recovery. Other family members provide a support system that is there, yet weak. Zoe has a job, attends high school, plays tennis and is now on her own. Realistic in the fact that it is neither a sappy "with a little help from my friends" happily ever after story. Nor is it a story of a downward spiral into darkness. The toughest part of this story is wondering what happens next to Zoe as the story ends.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Something's off about this book. I picked it up four times and really wanted to like it yet each time I found myself feeling so bored and totally disconnected from the novel. I think I dislike that it's written from third person point of view rather than first, which would probably work a lot better. Zoe, the main character, feels way too distant and the others in the book (Mama, Grandma, Opal, Zoe's brother) barely feel like characters. They almost seemed like props in the background. I wanted to like the book and I think the premise is interesting (a 17-year-old girl decides to leave home) but the writing and the overall plot are just so boring. I got to page 104 and called it quits. Read Pearson's Jenna Fox instead.

[Zhiqing · Rating 2 out of 5]

17 year old Zoe moved out of the house she shared with her alcoholic mother, rented a room from an eccentric lady on Lorelei street, and tried to make it on her own while joggling between school, sports, work and family obligations.

I really wanted to like this book more and wish I could feel more sympathetic towards Zoe, but I was not moved by her dire situation in life somehow. The author doesn't seem to have enough material to build the story on and thus has to rely on her writing skills to fill the pages with redundant detailed descriptions of many little things that I doubt young adults will find interesting. Also the lack of humor, and the underdevelopment of any of the side characters give the whole book a bland feel that I found myself impatient to shake off.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary E. Pearson is the author of The Adoration of Jenna Fox, which is one of my favorite books.

This book is right on the mark regarding a child of an alcoholic and the emotions as a result of a highly dysfunctional adult-- the guilt, the anger, the abandonment, the overwhelming struggle of sadness. Writing with this depth of power and knowledge is difficult to portray without experience, and therefore I believe the author might have real life experience regarding this complicated issue.

When seventeen year old Zoe simply can no longer accept the terrible life of enabling and taking care of her alcoholic mother, somehow she finds the courage to rent "a room of her own."

Both mother and father were alcoholics. When her father dies, her mother spins more and more out of control. Responsible for her little brother, Zoe's heart aches when he is taken away and raised by family members who want him, but claim there is no room for her. Left behind, Zoe's grandmother demands that Zoe be responsible for Zoe's mother.

The grandmother is a real piece of work -- a manipulator, a user and abuser. Emotionally trying to thwart Zoe's independence, Zoe remains strong.

This is a wonderful story of hope, of struggle and of courage. Zoe longed for things many children take for granted. She desperately wanted not to pay the bills for her mother. She wanted a mother who could go to work and function. She wanted a parent to attend school functions. She wanted someone to love her, to listen to her rather than self absorption and neglect.

Zoe is strong. She is a survivor. I loved and related to Zoe.

This is well written and highly recommended!

Five Stars

[d Kate dooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

"She stops in the jelly aisle. Rupert's Deluxe Concord is endless black-purple and promises satisfaction or your money back. The twelve-ounce jar mimics cut glass and costs $3.89. It would look pretty on her hutch. But not $2.40 prettier than the Food Star brand that is a little less purple and a whole lot bigger."

Zoe has accidentally rented a room. She can afford the room if she doesn't eat, and the car she drives doesn't break down, and she isn't given a ticket for speeding, and she can earn enough tips by flirting with the sleezebags at the restaurant where she works, and her grandmother doesn't cheat her out of $90... and she can stave off hunger at The Taco Shack where tacos are two for a dollar and the fountain cokes offer all the free refills you can drink.

She can stay in school if she doesn't say "fuck" to any more teachers, she can manage the counseling sessions on the only day of the week that really counts, eating into the time set aside for the one thing that matters, if she can juggle school and the real world so one doesn't collide with the other.

An alcoholic mother, a vicious grandmother, a vindictive teacher, and thankfully, a batty old woman named Opal who owns a room on Lorelei Street that gives Zoe a second chance.

If she can hang on.

That's the story.
I gave it 3 stars. It probably deserves more, but it was a book I'd only read once, so it doesn't get 4 stars and it doesn't go on my "books I can't live without" shelf, so it doesn't get 5 stars. Well worth reading once, though. And I'm looking for other books by Mary E. Pearson.

[02codys · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked how Zoe escaped from her reality. She rented a room on Lorelei Street to be at ease away from her alcoholic mother.
She didn't want to end up like her mother, in her alcoholic state. She wanted to live clean and pure, in a positive environment.
And she also had problems with her grandmother. The seventeen-year-old Zoe wanted to escape from her misery at home.
She finally found a for rent sign in front of a house on Lorelei Street. She took this into consideration and decided to rent it out
on her own. She also worked as a waitress to cover the expenses. She wanted to live at ease without the hectic actions that her
mother was going through. I thought the book was alright. Not my favorite genre of reading. But, it was alright for me. I give it
three stars because I liked it, but I probably won't be reading more books like it.

[Cherylann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zoe, a high school senior, realizes that she doesn't need her mother to care for her anymore. After all, Zoe has been caring for both of them for the last two years - making sure there's food, the bills have been paid, there is an income, and that her brother is safe. When she sees a room for rent sign in a window of a house on Lorelei Street, Zoe wonders what if - could she actually afford to support herself and live on her own. In this beautiful novel, Pearson explores what it means to be family, and what it means to be needed and loved.

[Bailee S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has 266 pages. The main character Zoe is no where near being self conscious. She is brave and not afraid to stand up to the people she use to love. This character reminds me of my friend who is selfless and will do any thing for a friend. I gave it four stars because this was a good book but the book did not fit me very well, although the author,Mary E. Pearson, is a very good a very good writer. I feel the ending was the best part about the book in my opinion. I think everybody should give this book a try.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the picturesque writing about the rented room, and the kooky old lady who owns the house it's located in. It's the one magical component, that tantalizing symbol of adult independence and autonomy, that elevates it from just a bleak story about poverty and parental alcoholism.

[Mell kingsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though it was a tad depressing, it was a fantastic read. It really lets you know how greatful you should be, that you still get hugs, your not forgotten. Over all, sad but amazing.

[katarina! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knjiga je meni lično toliko bliska srcu, mnogo se suosecam sa Zoe i bas mi je fino seo opis prirode i njene okoline.
Malo je niche read ali vredi pročitati svakojako

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am very split about this book. I listened to the audiobook, a format that I despise because 99% of narrators don't sound right, and I'm debating on whether or not I liked this book. Do I not like it because the story is tough and bitter, or is it because the narrator sucks at reading it?

I liked this story fine enough, but it was just really hard to swallow at times. The book talks about suicide, a neglectful mother who sleeps around to gain alcohol, a villainous grandma, and a 17 year old girl who rents out a room on Lorelei street to escape it all.

Zoe was an interesting character, but not someone I could really relate to. I can't relate to a neglectful mother or a grandmother who is spiteful and manipulative, a suicidal father who might have been sexually abusive - overall, an experience that pushes me out of my home and makes me search for a little bit of respite and peace.

This type of story and experience is very much foreign to me, and I'm lucky that I haven't experienced it. It was an interesting, brutal slice of life. And it honestly sucks that some people have or are dealing with these types of issues in their life.

Therefore, I feel like this story is relatable for some, but not for all. Overall, it was good, but the narration was soo dramatic at times, and I wonder if I would have liked it better if I had read it myself.

[BooklyBasics · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just can't read it any longer.
This is the first book that I decided to drop out in the middle of nothing.
The first few chapters are well-written.I particularly like the scene that Zoe is wandering above the river.It is so realistic and the thought is so vivid that I instantly recalled that feeling.
But then shit happens,or should I say nothing happens at all. The pace is so slow that I cannot read any longer,especially some of the scenes makes me feels so awkward. Like the scene that Zoe talks about where the Group room is located(far from main building) and people maybe afraid of the people who swear,i mean,oh my god,is Zoe like 11 years old or something?Who keeps talking about the damn curse word??? Not to mention Zoe is self-contradicting,like the scene where she ditched the whole family thing and next second she was like omg i care for my mama.Like what??? I judt don't get it. And the book is like all adults are neither annoying,needy and being bitch.The character is so blank that in fact all teachers can be treated as one. And the description of them is so little that I cannot even picture their face.
And the slow pace bored me too,or is it just me tend to like a book with faster pace?
I don't know but I guess I am dropping out anyway
. :(

[Isaías · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zoe is a seventeen year old who decides to rent a room in a house in Lorelei Street to finally walk away from her negligent addict mother and control-freak grandmother.
The writing was so gorgeous, Zoe is a smart character with very specific purposes and so many dreams that seem so far away because of the life she had and because her whole family doesn’t really wanna take care of her. But sometimes the best people we find are not within our relatives but on the outside, and her landlady and her dog become Zoe’s new and only friends.
It’s a story that moves quickly and has a sad aura all throughout it. And the ending was just as sad but also very hopeful, which is why I loved it so much, because that’s what Zoe deserved, even more than a family. Hope.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and half stars (Wish there was that option!) An interesting YA read with a tough premise for 17-year-old Zoe, who decides to live on her own to escape an alcoholic, neglectful mother.

The writing overall is good; some of it reads, though, like stream-of-consciousness or maybe tidbits from a young girl's diary. Loved Opal (the older lady who rents Zoe the room) Felt nothing but anger for most of the other adults in the book. And I wondered how many 17-year-olds could have handled things with as much detachment and maturity as Zoe. Maybe a teen reader would see things differently.

[Melissa L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it isn’t necessarily one of the best books I’ve ever read, this book held my interest and when I wasn’t reading it, I was was thinking about Zoe and her room on Lorelei Street. I’m not sure I’m really satisfied with the ending. It seemed abrupt and I had hoped that some questions in regards to Zoe’s extended family would have been answered in more detail, but overall it was a good story that kept me coming back for more.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

**Perhaps a small spoiler here** A thoroughly depressing and frustrating book. I kept waiting for the main character (Zoe) to tell SOMEONE (her stubborn grandmother, her friendly advisor, her kindly landlady (Opal) exactly why she moved out--and all she had been forced to deal with at the age of 17--but she never did. By the end of the book, nothing in her life had really improved--she just relocated herself like she could leave all the problems behind out-of-sight, out-of-mind.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rate 2.5
It was hard to read because of the third person but also because of how boring it could get. It repeated a lot and could get borring as a result. Though the story was nice and had some interesting points in it to explain Zoe more.

[Lora A Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though I found this a fast read (decided to have a lazy day and read all day), I was extremely disappointed. So many unanswered questions.

[Amy Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book I needed as a teen, but read at age 42 instead. That's all I will say. It's lovely, if dated, it's still what I call great writing.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have found that I am really getting interested in reading YA lately. And that being said, I really hit the jackpot with this one. This book was such an emotional read that at times I felt like I was almost holding my breath. The main character went through so much in her mere seventeen years of living, and her struggle completely broke my heart.

A Room on Lorelei Street takes place in a town called Ruby, Texas. It is a tired, small town full of basically nothing, where Ruby is living with her alcoholic mother as the book begins. Zoe has never really had the chance to be a child. Her father died mysteriously - hinting at a possible suicide, her mother crawled inside a bottle, and her beloved brother is sent to live with her aunt and uncle who have no room for her. Her grandmother is overbearing and manipulative, and Zoe is thrown into a life of being a caretaker to her mother. The author, Mary E. Pearson unfolds this hauntingly beautiful story of Zoe's life with such raw emotion that I will definitely not forget for a long time.

Zoe's life is one that no teenager should have to endure. Trying to take care of her mother, while working at the local diner and attending school proves to be more than Zoe can handle one day when a teacher mispronounces her name and Zoe blows a major gasket. It is at this point that Zoe realizes she has to make some changes if she is ever going to survive this life. She comes upon a house on Lorelei Street where she sees a room for rent sign. She keeps stopping by every day just to dream about the room and what it would be like to have someplace to call her own. One day she talks to the owner, and elderly woman named Opal. Opal is quite a character and I found her fast-becoming my favorite. She talks Zoe into taking the room, and the rest of the story is about Zoe's new struggle of how to make it on her own.

I can't think of anyone who would not fall in love with this story. I was captivated every second until I closed the back cover. It is a beautiful coming-of-age tale of a teenager's struggle to overcome the hand that life has dealt to her. The book is very well-written, and I can definitely understand why the author won the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Award for fiction for this wonderful book. I highly recommend this book.

[Maddie Juul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary E. Pearson is a good book for many reasons. One reason for this is that it has interesting main characters. In the beginning of the novel, the main character, Zoe, is living with her mother, who is a drunk: “What Mama wouldn’t do for a drink” (Pearson 256). Zoe faces many dilemmas because of her mother’s drunkenness. She runs her home by paying the bills, buying groceries, even handling car payments.Zoe is very bothered by the fact that she might as well be taking care of her mother, but unfortunately, she has done it most of her life. Another reason that A Room on Lorelei Street is an astonishing novel is that the author uses things that speaks to the reader’s emotions and feelings. The author uses a common belief to play into the reader’s feelings; “‘There’s already a precious life growing in there. I bet it’s a girl as beautiful as you. I’m gonna give her a name right now. Zoe. That means ‘life’. You can’t just flush it away.’” (Pearson 14). Many people are perturbed by the idea of abortion; the author uses this to make it clear to the reader that Zoe was truly unwanted. The author relies on the hope that her reader is open-minded about seeing other people’s sides of a story, especially if they disagree with the idea that abortion is killing babies. If the reader is not open-minded, this technique would not be as effective. A third reason of why the novel A Room on Lorelei Street is a heart-stopping book is that the author does not use language that is too complicated for the target audience- teenagers- to understand. The author particularly does not use metaphors and similes that are beyond the intended readers. “The black asphalt surrounding trailer 10A shimmers like tar, like the late summer heat has melted it into black ooze.” (Pearson 175). The author does not make the metaphor so confusing that the reader has to deeply ponder it’s meaning, but Pearson makes the metaphor clear, concise, and requiring only a little bit of thinking about what it means. The author’s development of interesting characters, ability to play into the reader’s feelings and use of language intended for the target audience all play important roles in why the novel A Room on Lorelei Street is a stupefying novel.

[Steve Duong · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I guess I'm not alone on this.
Mary E. Pearson has talent somewhere. Somewhere lurking beneath her skin and it was demonstrated in her newest novel (Imo) The Miles Between. But this book along with The Adoration does not sum up half the skills she has in writing.

A Room on Lorelei Street is about a girl who can't handle the everyday stresses of life.
Her mom, school, life.

The story is idyllic in the sense that nothing severe ever happens to her, yet everything that does happens comes down hard, and the writing is lovely for amplifying those minor things in her life.

Anyways back to the story.
Zoe, finds, get this. A room, but not just any room. A room on Lorelei Street. She does, I swear to god. Who would've predicted this? Unnerving right?
The room is almost beyond her means. Her job pays enough for the room but barely enough for her to eat everyday. She struggles to keep this room because it's her sanctuary away from everything. A mere 10 minutes spreading galaxies away from her life.
But impending expenses cuts the ride short.
She can never expect, month after month what other expenses might lurk.

The story highlights alot of occurrences in her life but does a shoddy job of giving closure, i.e. her father (dead)- to bring closure, she gives exactly 1 page of what happened. 1 page about the pivotal moment in her life that forces her mom and grandma to act like total dicks. The one thing that almost for sure deeply affected her, left scars, broke her.

And know what? Here's the damn spoiler.
Her father presumably raped her. Or so it seems in the eyes of Mother and Grandma before his death. That was it.

[J.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is
about a 17-year-old, Zoe, who finally leaves her alcoholic mother and rents a room on a street in another part of town, hoping she can make it on her tips and salary as a part-time waitress. I didn’t want to like this book, I’m not even sure why. The first part of it didn’t draw me in, I guess. I think part of what I didn’t like about this book at first was the lack of dialogue, the way the narrative was almost completely centered in Zoe’s head, only occasionally breaking out into dialogue and interaction with other characters. But over time, the main character endeared herself to me, and I found myself very worried about what would happen to her, and very frustrated at the fact that none of the adults in her life seemed to care about her at all. Zoe’s relatives leave her at the mercy of her mother, even though they rescued her little brother years ago; in fact, when she manages to escape, they all come to try to hound her to return, using guilt to suggest that she’s abandoning her mother, who needs her. The teachers and administrators at her school never try to find out what’s going on her life or why she’s suddenly acting up. The one adult who ends up really caring about her is her landlord, and it is because of her landlord that she’s able to make it, in the end. It’s a very dark book and I’m not sure I think the ending is believable, the hope that is offered there, but my fingers are crossed for this protagonist.

[Teen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: Zoe’s lst period teacher mispronounces her name. When Zoe corrects her, the teacher makes Zoe sit in the front row, right under Mrs. Garrett’s nose, & then proceeds to totally ignore her. Zoe has some problems with school anyway. Her priorities are her after school job as a waitress because she is the only wage earner at home; Zoe certainly can’t depend on her alcoholic mother to make sure there is food on the table. Zoe is increasingly frustrated with the responsibility of taking care of her mom, and she chaffs at her grandmother’s insistence that she put her mother’s care at the top of her list. Finally Zoe decides she will leave her mom, and let Grandma deal with her mother’s drunken behavior. But will Zoe’s job slinging hash pay her rent plus the cost of smoking? And, if not, then what will she do? Pearson paints a very realistic picture of what it is like to be 17 years old in a totally disfunctional family, where alcoholism and poverty cause family bonds to fray, leaving a teenage girl to fend for herself, doing whatever she can to survive. Peg Dombek

[Kricket · Rating 2 out of 5]

17 year old zoe attempts to move out of her mother's home and live on her own in this dramatically depressing Problem Novel. zoe's mom is an alchoholic who spends her days sleeping and drinking. this behavior is enabled by her own mother and the rest of the extended family, and zoe is expected to take care of her and keep the bills paid. zoe's father is dead. when zoe tries to live on her own, it's harder than she expected. how far will she go?

lord, this was bleak. i don't deny that things like this happen but that doesn't mean i have to enjoy reading about them. zoe's family sucked. zoe kind of sucked too, for not getting the help she needed. ugh. i'm not sure who i would recommend this to. even if i knew a teenager in a situation like zoe's i'm not sure this book would be that helpful.