JOIN / SIGN IN

Welcome to Foyalty

Earn a Foyalty Stamp for every £10 you spend in our shops or online*

Every 10 Foyalty Stamps you earn adds £10 to your Foyalty Balance

Spend your Foyalty Balance in our shops or online, with no minimum redemption*

*Exclusions apply, see full T&Cs for details.

Learn More

Fiction & Poetry, Modern & Contemporary Fiction

Toby's Room

Pat Barker (author)

Paperback Published on: 07/02/2013

£10.99

18 reviews

Free UK delivery on orders over £25, otherwise £2.99

In stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days

Make and edit your lists in your account

Check click & collect stock near you
Collect today: Pay in shop

In stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days

Check click & collect stock near you
Collect today: Pay in shop

View other formats and editions

Bookseller Reviews

View all

Toby's Room

Desperate to break away from the shackles of her repressive [and, indeed, repressed] family and establish herself as a thoroughly modern young lady, Elinor... READ MORE

Erin Britton

Toby's Room

Desperate to break away from the shackles of her repressive [and, indeed, repressed] family and establish herself as a thoroughly modern young lady, Elinor... READ MORE

Erin Britton

Toby's Room

Toby and Elinor are brother and sister. Together, they harbour a secret so powerful that it has brought them as close as it is possible for siblings to be ... READ MORE

Ben Keenan at Bury St Edmunds Buttermarket

Synopsis

From the Booker Prize-winning and Women's Prize-shortlisted author of The Silence of the Girls

The second novel in Pat Barker's acclaimed 'Life Class' trilogy - a dark and compelling examination of desire, friendship and the horror of war, from one of our greatest writers on war and the human heart

'Heart-rending... Toby's Room anatomises a world where extreme emotion shatters the boundaries of identity, behaviour, gender' Independent

'Once again Barker skilfully moves between past and present, seamlessly weaving fact and fiction into a gripping narrative' Sunday Telegraph

When Toby is reported 'Missing, Believed Killed', another secret casts a lengthening shadow over Elinor's world: how exactly did Toby die - and why? Elinor determines to uncover the truth. Only then can she finally close the door to Toby's room. Moving from the Slade School of Art to Queen Mary's Hospital, where surgery and art intersect in the rebuilding of the shattered faces of the wounded, Toby's Room is a riveting drama of identity, damage, intimacy and loss.

The Life Class trilogy:
Life Class
Toby's Room
Noonday

Publisher information

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 9780141042206
Number of pages: 272
Dimensions: 200 x 132 x 19 mm
Weight: 202g
Languages: English

Customer Reviews

View all

Another great read from Pat Barker

Toby’s Room is the second in Pat Barker’s trilogy (the first one was Life Class). Some of the characters from the first book are re-introduced in this new ... READ MORE

Sarah Webb

A bit disappointing

I found the plot of this book fairly interesting but found it hard to engage with the story as the characters are so unsympathetic that it's hard to care w... READ MORE

LilythePink

A real page turner

This is a new author to me but must admit that the cover did draw me in. On this occasion you can read a book by its cover. It was an excellent descriptive... READ MORE

Mo C

Well written, evocative

The novel brings some aspects of pre and post First World War England to life. The different perspectives from which the story is told are effectively inte... READ MORE

AliM

Great story evokes the period beautifully

Elinor and Toby are inseparable they are more than brother and sister they are best friends and keeper of each other’s secrets. So when Toby is reported mi... READ MORE

Carol Edelston

Brilliant in places

I was really looking forward to reading Toby's Room, as some of Pat Barker's previous novels (such as the Regeneration trilogy) are amongst my all-time fav... READ MORE

Caroline Hadley

Stopped caring where Toby had gone.

I always think a novel which makes direct reference to the war must difficult to write. I personally cannot possibly begin to imagine the emotions involved... READ MORE

Bunzer25

Powerful & intense - a must read.

A detailed journey through the horrors of the war, this book will shock, entertain and keep you in suspence till the very end. It is brilliantly written, w... READ MORE

Enderit

A Compelling Novel

This is a dark and often poignant tale, spanning the First World War and centred around the relationships that carry Elinor Brooke from adolescence to matu... READ MORE

Reigate Reader

A bit disappointing

Overall this book is a bit of a disappointment. Whilst the writing is very 'readable' the story never really seems to get going. The beginning is good and ... READ MORE

TBird

Toby's Room

This is a great book. It is well written and keeps you engaged and wanting to know more as the story develops. I liked the fact it was set during the first... READ MORE

Elizabeth Johnson

An unusual war story

I had never heard of Pat Barker before, and read this as a monthly book group read. It is a sad story about a brother an sister, who share a very dark sec... READ MORE

Half Man Half Book

A little underwhelming

On the whole, I found ‘Toby’s Room’ underwhelming. Part One was quite compelling and reminded me of the innocence and nostalgia epitomised in MCMXIV by Phi... READ MORE

Lorna Hutton

A good, easy read

There is no doubting Pat Barker's excellent use of language. The horrific personal tragedies of war are made clear and the way in which the characters are ... READ MORE

AmberArt

Unnerving

I'm not sure that Barker meant this to be a trilogy, but perhaps she was haunted by the characters from Life Class to such a degree that she gave in to the... READ MORE

Katy Wheatley

Toby's Room

Bookseller Reviews

Synopsis

Publisher information

Customer Reviews

You may also like...