The L-shaped room door Lynne Reid Banks

Summary

The story goes about a woman. She is 27 years old. Her name is Jane. Her father thinks she is a prostitute. He wants her no longer in his house. She goes to Fulham an finds there a room to live in. It didn’t take her long to find a café. The café was called ‘Frank’s’ and wasn’t a bad place. It reminded her of the café where she once worked. That was years ago when she was trying to be an actress. She wasn’t very successful. She lied to her father. She wrote to him that she was playing in big parts and that she was getting on well but she got hardly paid and she was spending the most of the time behind the stage. Malcolm one of the actors is an queer and in love with another actor. He isn’t a queer. The actor was in fact her boyfriend. On one evening after a performance Jane and her boyfriend where kissing. They made sure Malcolm was somewhere nearby. He saw them kissing and flew at Jane like a wild cat. That was about seven years ago. The next day she and the actor realized that they weren’t really in love. He was leaving to London to work for a newspaper. Jane found a job as a waitress. Everyone recognized her from the fight with Malcolm. That fight was really a talking point. Everyone wanted to see her and the café had never done better. She was made to work so hard that after a week she gave up the job. But she where working the next day it was still hard but she got used to it. When she suspected that she was pregnant she felt frightened and couldn’t tell her father the truth. The next day she made a appointment with a doctor called John Grahmam. He gives her useful addresses. She did a pregnancy test and she was pregnant. After the test she went straight to her father and she told him she was pregnant. He covered his face with his hands. Jane felt deeply ashamed. Then he told her to leave the house. When she was back in the house she met Toby Coleman he lives on the floor below Jane. She wants to be alone and gets rude and unfriendly. And that works he left her room. The next morning Toby knocks on her door and they talk quiet a lot. She lies al lot to her boss, James Paige. When she wants a day off. She gets a day off and goes to her fathers house to collected some stuff. Jane goes to Doris her house boss to tell her about the bugs in her bed. Doris won’t believe it and says to Jane that it’s a filthy lie. That evening they fixed up her room. She felt very sick the next morning but she had to go to work. When she gets at work James was in a shock when he saw her face. Every morning she felt sick. She lived with it. After a few days she went back to a doctor and he said she must leave work for a week and gives her some pills. Then one day, just when she was about to take the doctors advice, she got better. John invited Toby en Jane to his club Soho. She was getting very drunk. Toby brings Jane to her room and suddenly she started to cry. They were making love that evening. When awaked she thought, ‘oh god, what have I done now?’ Her boss called very early she had to go to a press party at Drummonds. She dressed her self quickly and went to the party. When she was at the party she wanted Toby very much. She wanted to call him but she remembered that he was sleeping and she puts the telephone down. At the party Jane felt sick and ran out of the room. After the party was finished she called a taxi and went home. She wanted to wake Toby up but went she opened his room it was empty. She was disappointed. John cold hear everything last night and he said to Jane that he is very upset. They talked about it and they we’re still friends. Toby didn’t came back that night or all the next day. Jane sat in her room and worried. Then John knocks on the door and he begins to cry. He says to Jane that he told Toby that she is a tart. He also told Toby that she was pregnant. After a while crying John felt in sleep. She didn’t want the baby anymore and she called the doctor to remove the baby but he wasn’t there. Jane makes with the lady on the phone an appointment that the doctor ring Jane tomorrow morning. Then there was a light knock on the door it was Mavis. She wants to know how Jane is doing. Mavis knows Jane is pregnant. She heard the telephone conversation. Then takes Mavis a bottle of gin out of her heavy knitting bag. Mavis has also some pills for Jane. She says to Jane take every two hours 2 pills and drink a lot of gin with it. And try not to be sick. When Mavis was gone she tried to take 2 pills but she can’t do it. She turned the light out and went to bed. But she couldn’t sleep. She missed Toby. And she felt hungry. Jane only wanted to eat was hot Indian curry. She takes a bus to Chelsea and finds a restaurant. Jane ordered a heap of food. After two dishes she was full but she kept eating. When she was finished with eating she takes a bus. When she was off the bus she felt ill. She puts her head against a street lamp. Then someone says: ‘come on dear…….put your head forward. You can’t sit there all night’. Jan opened her eyes and saw Jane. The fog has made her eye make-up run and her hair was hanging lifelessly. She walks with Jane to her house. When she pasted Toby’s room she saw some light. She opened the door and saw that Toby was leaving. Toby asked Jane: ‘what’s the matter’? Jane said: ‘I’m just having a little miscarriage’. She shouted to Toby: ‘stop it, please make it stop’. Toby puts her on the bed and held her hand. Toby telephoned Dr Maxwell. When Dr Maxwell entered the room he says: ‘Now what’s all this’? He says also that Jane is a wicked girl. Jane tells the whole story to Dr Maxwell and says that she doesn’t want to lose the child. Dr Maxwell went downstairs to telephone the hospital. The first day in the hospital they said the baby would be safe. Toby never visited Jane in the hospital. She hated visiting hours. Everybody else hat visitors. On the six day in the hospital came someone into Jane’s room. It was Dottie. She has tracked Jane down. They talked about everything what was happened. After two days Jane left the hospital. An ambulance takes her to Fulham to her house. Jane went upstairs and stopped on the fourth floor. Toby opened his door and came out. Jane threw her arms around him but he just took a step back. She says to him: ‘I’m sorry’. ‘I’ am too’ said Toby. He takes her suitcase and brings it to her room. After some fight they were suddenly kissing. Toby was undressing Jane and after an while they were making love. Toby’s hand was on the stomach of Jane. Then for the first time Toby didn’t said ‘it’ to the baby but ‘he’. He said: ‘how is he?’ The next morning the went to buy a tree. Then Doris stopped them. ‘bought a tree’ she asked. ’That’s nice. Want a pot for it’? Doris invites them for Christmas Eve. She said ‘I will invite everyone.’ She also mentioned the name Charlie. ‘Who’s Charlie?’ asked Toby. ‘You’ll see’, Doris said. They spent the whole afternoon decorating for Christmas. The next day, Jane went out to shop. She wanted to buy some Christmas presents. Toby’s first words to Jane, when she got in, were, ‘somebody been to see you.’ ‘Who’ she said? ‘A big tough fellow. He didn’t leave his name.’ Toby looked at me searchingly. ‘It’s my old boss’, she said. She changed the subject. ‘How is writing’, she asked. ‘Not very good. Being happy stops me working.’ Jane was tired and went to her room to knit. She awoke from a loud knock on the door. She called, ‘come in.’ James threw the door open and marched in. They talked about what was happened and the Old man wanted to give Jane fifty pounds. But it wasn’t Old mans money it was James’s money. She didn’t accept the money and James got angry. He puts a bottle of whisky on the table and walks away. Jane told Toby what had happened. They arrived late at Doris’s Christmas Eve party because Toby and Jane had a fight. At the party Jane felt angry with Mavis. Toby was depressed just because of her stupid fortunetelling. Jane tried to cheer Toby up. After a while Jane and Toby thanked Doris for the party and went upstairs. On Christmas day John woke Jane up with a cup of hot tea. Jane gave John his Christmas present. Jane goes to Toby’s room and he is mad because he can’t buy her a Christmas present. After a while talking they get in a fight an Jane ran out of the room. Jane lay’s down on the bed and felt in sleep. She was woken up by knocking. She thought it was Toby but is was her aunt Addy. ‘Happy Christmas’ aunt Addy said. They talked about the family and that Jane’s father is drinking. Aunt Addy asks her ‘Will you come and stay with me?’ Jane said Yes, Addy, dear. I’d love to.’ Addy packed Jane’s clothes and taked her suitcase to her own car. Jane stopped at Toby’s room and typed a message for him. Then she went to Doris about the room. Then she got in the car and left to Addy’s little white country house. Jane thought a lot about Toby. And sometimes she thought about her father. Jane goes to work for Addy. Addy brings Jane back to London after a while. Jane was back in the l-shaped room. She went to Toby’s room and knocked. He wasn’t there. Nobody was at home. For a few days it was empty in the house. Then on one evening Jane heard the front door. Someone was coming up the stairs. Then someone was touching her door handle. She screamed, a hand went over her mouth and it was a familiar voice which said, ‘don’t, don’t.’ It was John. He turned the light on. He was in a terrible state. He tells everything what happened when Jane left the house. The sat for a long time and drunk some hot coffee. The next day Mavis and Doris where coming in. Jane went home to say ‘hello.’ Jane wants to know what happened with Toby. Mavis told everything and gives Jane a letter from Toby. He left the letter in case Jane ever came back. Addy’s book of letters was going well. Jane wrote Addy about the progress and she wanted to how her father was doing. She went home and was talking to John when suddenly the baby was kicking. Jane was spending most of the time buying baby stuff. She went to a park and felt in sleep there. When she woke up it was almost dark. Jane met in Terry in a coffee house. He watched Jane for about an hour in the park. They talked about everything what was happened. After Terry left Jane sat quietly on the bed. Jane phoned Terry and asks him of he can find Toby Cohen for her. The days passed, and eventually a letter came from Billie Lee. Billie Lee was not sure of they could sell the book but she was going to do her best. Jane tried to call Addy but she couldn’t get an answer. Jane asks her self why Addy didn’t wrote. Jane felt very miserable. Then John knocked on the door. He says ‘guess who came to see you today?’ ‘Your father, ’he said. The next day she decided to go home. When she climbed the steps the door opened. They talked for a long time. ‘He asks her of she wants to come home.’ ‘I would rather too,’ says Jane. She took a taxi to the house in Fulham. She met Doris and Doris asks her of she made a decision about the room. ‘I’m going home,’ I said. She went to her room and there was Terry with news about Toby. He told what he knew and helped Jane with packing. Then there was a knock on the door Terry opened the door and said ‘it is Cohen.’ After a few minutes Toby and Terry where fighting. After a while she saw lights passing over her head and she was in a hospital. Jane was having her baby. About a month later, Jane went back to the house in Fulham for the last time. Father didn’t touch his grandson David for a long time. Dottie Visited Jane in the hospital. Toby came, of course. He looked much older and calmer. John told Jane that there was a new girl in the room. Jane wondered if she’d made friends with Mavis. She goes to the girl an meets her. They go to the room and talked about the it. Then after a few minutes Jane said ‘goodbye.’

Titelverklaring:

Jane lives in a L-shaped room.

Characters:

-Jane is the woman who is pregnant.

-Doris is the owner of the house where Jane lives in. Jane has the room upstairs. The l-
shaped room.

-Jane is a hooker. She lives downstairs in the house.

-Dottie is a friend of Jane. The Jane who is pregnant.

-Toby is a boy who also lives in the house. Toby has a relationship with Jane.

-John is also a friend of the pregnant Jane. He lives also in the house.

-Terry is the father of the child that Jane carries.