Skip to main content

Rose Madder (1995)

Before reading: I honestly have no idea what Rose Madder is about. I got it mixed up with Rose Red so the fact that they aren't the same thing is news to me. I do know this is more in the realm of Gerald's Game and Dolores Claiborne. I've noticed more women King fans say they loved this one while men tend to say it wasn't their favorite. Color me intrigued. 

After reading: This has happened before where I just get so into reading and enjoying a book that I don't take too many notes. That was the case with this one, so I anticipate this blog being short and sweet. Similar to others, because I don't take a lot of notes doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book. I did enjoy this one, quite a bit. I just don't feel as though I have too much to say about it. I'll start off by saying that this was a very good book. Was it the best? No. However, it was quite good. Because I'm reading these books in publication order, that meant that this was the fourth book about a battered woman that I've read almost back to back to back. I'm not sure what was going on or why that was on King's mind, but we have a lot of battered women in his 90's era. The nature of that content can make this book pretty hard to read. 

I only have a few notes and they fall under two categories. The first of those being that this book is scary. Overall, it is scary in the same way that Misery and Cujo are scary. This is real, this could be you or someone that you know. That realistic part of it is what makes it frightening. On top of that, our villain in this story, Norman, is probably one of the most terrifying King villains to boot. The fact that he's just a regular guy just makes it all the more horrific. Now, what's different about this book compared to King's more realistic horror stories is that...it is also supernatural. I felt the book starting to go in that direction and got so excited when I realized we were entering the realm of the supernatural. I don't think we've really gotten anything from King so far that blends the two together the way this book did. So in addition to a realistic type of horror, it went up another level by also being an unrealistic type, as well. Regular schmegular guy Norman was already terrifying but then when you give him a creepy possessed mask...ten times worse. This leads me into the second category of my notes, which is references. 

I wasn't really going into this book expecting to find many references to King's other work, so finding quite a few was a pleasant surprise. Right off the bat we get Misery references, as Rosie is reading "Misery" books and she references to them throughout. We also got a blink-and-you'd-miss-it reference to Insomnia. Most excitingly, this book is related to The Dark Tower. Whaaa?! I had no idea going in! That was a lot of fun and I'd expect if you were reading this out of context, maybe a little confusing. 

If you enjoy reading and have never read anything King because you're "not into that," I'd definitely recommend reading this one. It has your quintessential King elements, it is scary, but it is also a lot different than anything else he has written. If you are a King fan I'd recommend this one because it's plain good and it also has some fun Easter eggs. I can completely see how this could be someone's favorite book, especially if this genre floats their boat more than typical King would. I can also see how people wouldn't like this book, especially if you prefer a more typical King read. Personally, I really liked it and would probably read it again. 

Buckle up cause our next stop is in Desperation.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

RanKING

I have randomly decided that in addition to reading these books, I'm also going to rank them from my most favorite to least favorite. I will do this as I read and I will add in the books I've already read after I re-read them. I also apologize for the horrible pun in the title but I couldn't pass it up :) All right! Here's my ever-changing list: The Long Walk It The Shining Pet Sematary The Institute Misery The Dark Tower: Wizard and Glass Black House Needful Things Dolores Claiborne The Green Mile The Regulators The Dark Tower: The Wastelands Insomnia Firestarter The Talisman The Dark Tower: Wolves of the Calla Christine The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger The Outsider The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three Desperation Rose Madder Bag of Bones Cujo The Dark Half Different Seasons Salem's Lot The Stand Hearts in Atlantis The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon From a Buick 8 Gerald's Game Everything's Eventual Four Past Midnight The Plant (unfinished) Thinner Rage The De
Post a Comment
Read more

What am I doing?

Being a true Mainer, while my mother was pregnant with me, she was reading a book by Stephen King. Specifically she was reading The Dark Half by Stephen King. In that book there is a character named Shayla and that is where my name came from. Growing up in Maine already gives you a sense of closeness with Mr. King but having him be the reason for my namesake always drew me even closer to him. In fact, for my 23rd birthday I was gifted with Stephen King’s personal copy of The Dark Half that he signed for me.  I grew up watching many Stephen King shows and movies and read a few books. My favorite book of all time being The Long Walk by Stephen King, himself. All in all, however, I’ve only read about 5 of Mr. King’s books in total. I feel like this weird connection and fascination I have with him has ultimately only led me to one place. And that place is right here, preparing to read all his books. With all honesty, I get crazy ideas like this all the time but only seldom do I see anyt
1 comment
Read more

The Long Walk (1979)

Before Reading:  I could go on and on and on about The Long Walk and I will (after I re-read it). For now I’m just going to keep it short and sweet. Remember when I said that I love Rage and have it on my bookshelf? Well I really love The Long Walk and have TWO copies of it on my bookshelf. The Long Walk is my absolute number one favorite book...ever. I even rank it above Harry Potter (which, if you know me, is saying a lot). When I was younger I was drawn to The Long Walk because it mentioned my hometown. But oh my God, this story is so great. You cringe, cry, laugh, and everything in between when you read it—or at least I do. It takes a lot for me to get emotionally invested in a book (or anything, really) but I feel so attached to this story. All of the characters and their lives are so real to me when I read this one. Also, Hunger Games-esque dystopia is my absolute favorite genre and The Long Walk is one of the best. I’m very much looking forward to re-reading this one, as I alway
2 comments
Read more