Rose Madder

This was July's pick for the #KeeperofKing readalong group on Instagram. When I started this book I was loving it. Honestly I loved all of the realistic stuff. What ruined this book for me was all of the supernatural/paranormal crap. This book would have totally been a 5 star read for me if King would have just kept it realistic but he had to go and add a supernatural element to it. I was torn on what to give this book because like I said that supernatural element literally ruined the book for me but I absolutely loved everything else about the book which is why I ended up going with a 3 star rating. I know this isn't much of a review but I don't really have much else to say about it.

Rose Madder was one of my earliest King reads, after Carrie, but before It. I was 12-14 at the time, and my mom, also a King fan (Pet Semetary was a family favorite), but I recall Rose Madder being the only King book on her shelf. It was a battered copy with the ‘96 Signet cover. Ugly, but oddly poignant.

Even though it's been well over 20 years since I've read it, I was surprised by how much I'd forgotten. I just remember it being a heavy and traumatic read, since my mom had a bad track record with men. Most of her boyfriends back then were abusive, and she married the worse of the lot, who was her own personal Norman.

It all hit pretty close to home, and I can see why she held onto her copy for so long. The one complaint I have about it are some of the more fantasy elements, but that final reveal of Rose Madder’s true form was perfect horror.

I'm also glad I experienced the second read in audiobook format, as the contrasting narrators added more to the experience. And I'm not good at making suitable voices in my head. My inner voice sounds like Jason Mantzoukas, which doesn't suit the vibe at all.

For those with a sensitivity to physical abuse, this one should be carefully considered before you read it. I mean it's King but from the first chapter it is on...

Rosie Daniels has been in an abusive marriage for 14 years...one day a single drop of blood on a white bedsheet snaps her in reality and wakens her spirit. She leaves.

Norman Daniels isn't one to take crap from anyone, let alone a woman. How dare his Rose just walk out and leave. Oh he will find her...and they will talk...up close.

What a crazy ride. Typical King...long-winded in some parts...graphic in others, yet vividly keeping the story alive. I enjoy the supernatural elements of his books and the painting with sinister yet somewhat helpful assistance in this story was interesting.

This was a brutal read, some bits were hard to digest...but overall I enjoyed it and would recommend.

If you disagree I'd like to talk to you.. You know “Up Close...”.

This is the first Stephen King book I´ve read. I don´t usually read horror and tend to only read realistic fiction. My husband recommended I read this book and I was skeptical but I´m very glad I did. This story is amazing and I tore through it. He took an idea that is very real for a lot of people, being trapped in an abusive relationship, and he crafted that idea into something that you don´t just read but absorb. This story isn´t just a story, it is something to mentally chew on. It is full of symbolism and interesting little connections. It does have a lot of bad language so this book isn´t for everyone.

The story is told from two different points of view, Rosie´s and his. As the book goes on he becomes obsessed with finding her and slips more and more away from reality becoming a murderous monster.

The story is told from two different points of view, Rosie´s and Norman. As the book goes on he becomes obsessed with finding her and slips more and more away from reality, becoming a murderous monster.

The story starts with Rosie sitting on the floor in the corner of their living room losing her baby. Her abusive husband (understatement of the year) has beaten her, punching her in the stomach several times. He calls 911 but then he moves her to the bottom of the stairs and tells her what to say when they arrive. If she doesn´t say what she is supposed to he will kill her. She does not doubt that for a minute either. She can´t tell anyone what really happened anyway because they wouldn´t believe her. Her husband is a cop and cops back each other up. He´s part of a brotherhood and he´s a detective. Finding people is what he does.

Rosie stays with him several more years until one day she notices a single drop of blood on the sheet by her pillow. He punched her in the nose the night before and although she thought the bleeding had stopped that one drop had seeped out during the night. She had gone numb and was just living from moment to moment but this single drop of blood was pulling her back. She finally got the nerve up to run out the door. She takes his ATM card and uses it to get some money to help her get away. She is terrified because she knows he will come for her and he will kill her.

One of my favorite works from my favorite author. Preternatural events aside, this woman's journey – a woman so utterly broken mentally, physically, and emotionally from years of systematic, and totally random domestic violence – to leave her situation with nothing but a bus ticket and restart her life in a strange city where she knows no soul and change her life no matter what, is POWERFUL. You don't have to be a Stephen King fan to appreciate this book, and it is inspirational to those who have experienced abuse. There is no “horror” in this book, aside from the very sick and demented behavior of her husband, a respected police officer. It IS, however a thriller and you won't be able to put it down.

This book had everything I like in it:
- A good storyline
- Good characters who can create an emotional bond with and that are relatable.
- A thrilling page turning writing style.

Everything was amazing for me for half of the book. Then the supernatural elemenent was introduced and that's when Stephen King lost me.
I went into this book with loads of expectations and with an idea of a more realistic book but, unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
I guess that's entirely my fault for asking the book to be something else than what it is. However, I think that if King would have committed to a “normal” resolution to the problem, I'd like it a lot better.

Not sure where this was written in the sequence of his other books in the Dark Tower universe but it does include the spider and the spider's baby from the last 1 or 2 books in the series. And most importantly, it has the wonderful mix of you not being sure if this is in the land of time-space that we know, or if it's somewhere between known and some alternate reality.

I also enjoy that the main character is a woman pulling her self up out of physical and mental abuse and making a new life for herself.