A Room Made of Windows, by Eleanor Cameron

Rating: 7/10

Someone salvaged this book from being thrown away at a school and brought it to me. He has good taste-it's an intriguing title and cover, isn't it?

Julia Redfern lives in her own secure, dreamy world in which the inhabitants and places must stay the same, or it crumbles around her. Dramatic, spontaneous Julia, who aspires to be a writer, struggles with the changing lives of those around her, especially with the prospect of her widowed mother's remarriage. She especially loves her bedroom-a room made of windows.

Julia is a lovable protagonist despite the fact that she is quite self-centered. I can understand how much she just wants things to stay the same, safe and stable. By trying to hold on to everything, she loses it. That was interesting. The other characters were memorable and well-rounded. The ending was just a little too abrupt for me, though, and I wanted a little more elaboration on Julia's turn-around. And sometimes the events seemed a bit scattered and unconnected. Or maybe I was missing things...

However, I liked the feel of this book, it's homey atmosphere, and the nice descriptions and insights into writing. While I can't say I loved it, I would read it again, and at some point will check out the other books in the Julia Refern series.

All in all, I'm glad that the 'someone' dug the book out of the trash pile and brought it home to me.