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Rose Madder

3.53 of 5 stars 3.53 · rating details · 40,828 ratings · 845 reviews

After 14 years of being beaten, Rose Daniels wakes up one morning and leaves her husband -- but she keeps looking over her shoulder, because Norman has the instincts of a predator. And what is the strange work of art that has Rose in a kind of spell? In this brilliant dark-hued fable of the gender wars, Stephen King has fashioned yet another suspense thriller to keep reade...more

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Published (first published 1995)

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Feb 24, 2008 Shane Malcolm rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of Stephen King, anyone wanting inspiration to escape from domestic abuse

Shelves: novels-and-novellas

Stephen King novels occasionally annoy me by starting off strong but petering off to disappointing conclusions. Still, his characters and plots are almost always interesting, and none of his endings are bad enough to off-set the entire reading experience. However, Rose Madder bothered me, because he spent so much time writing a REAL story only to have it dissolve into typical supernatural fare towards the end. Yes, I realize that Stephen King is a horror writer, and I customarily love this genre...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Jane Stewart rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: abused-women, 5-star-other, suspense-thriller-with-paranormal

Great suspense. Wife runs from her abusive husband who is now tracking her.

STORY BRIEF:
The first 10% is Rose living with Norman. They’ve been married fourteen years. He bites, stabs, and punches her. (Most of this harm is told rather than shown so it’s a little less painful for the reader.) The next 80% is Rose leaving Norman, surviving with help from an organization, meeting someone, and Norman’s search for her. The organization helps abused women on the run. The women in the organization have...more

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Sep 04, 2010 Felina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, audiobook, star-3

This is definately my least favorite of the King books I've read so far. I simultaniously loved and hated this book. There were no parts that I just liked...seriously I was either loving it or hating it. Clearly since I gave it 3 stars I loved more parts then I hated.

First the good stuff. As usual Kings take on a crazy person is always amazing and terrifying. My first King book was Misery and I just love his crazy villians.

I was actually getting a little bored with the book until Rosie found he...more This is definately my least favorite of the King books I've read so far. I simultaniously loved and hated this book. There were no parts that I just liked...seriously I was either loving it or hating it. Clearly since I gave it 3 stars I loved more parts then I hated.

First the good stuff. As usual Kings take on a crazy person is always amazing and terrifying. My first King book was Misery and I just love his crazy villians.

I was actually getting a little bored with the book until Rosie found her painting and the weird stuff, that makes me love King so much, started to happen. I was entranced during Rosies whole 'adventure' in the painting trying to find the baby. I wish a few things had been explained a little more but he kind of left me to make up my own mind which is always bittersweet anyways.

And, of course, I loved the Misery references in this book. It made me feel like I was part of a special group of people who were in the know. *wink wink*

Now what I did not like. There was an aspect of this book that was so beyond reality and completely fake and phoney that I don't think even King pulled it off. His name was Bill. Rosie's heart of gold, love at first sight, commitment loving boyfriend. Hello...LAME!

"I've known you for two weeks and spent a total of 3 hours with you but I'm in love with you and I want to handle all of your baggage as well as your completely insane husband and take you away on my white horse." Total bull shit.

I kept expecting this dewey-eyed chick-lit cliche to turn into a hard core dose of reality, which is usually Kings specialty. Something a little more...
"You know what Rosie, you're great and I really like you but this is a little to much for me." Which would be totally understandable and expected from any normal guy who doesn't want his penis bitten off by Stormin' Norman.

Holy Christ...Nora Roberts fans don't even buy this guy. And I'm pretty sure I heard Nicholas Sparks call him a pussy.

Keep in mind that not all woman are waiting around for a white knight to rescue them on his valient steed. Some of us want realistic relationships with realistic men. This character almost completely ruined the female empowerment in this book...

...almost, until Gertie's scene with Normie in the amusement park. The woman's lib fanatic in me was jumping for joy when she pee'd all over his face but mostly when she called him a queer boy (I think that was her term) and he couldn't believe a woman was talking to him in that respect. Yep, Normie, its a woman...standing up for herself and being strong. Suck it!(less)

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Mar 03, 2008 Megan Lucas rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While reading this book I kept forgetting that it was a Stephen King novel. It has it's twists and turns (as his usual work does) but this was so much more than good vs. evil. Rose Madder is an emotional account of an abused woman who is trying to break free from a tormenting life, and has what is portrayed as a psychological break through as she goes on a journey to be free. King also touches on the downfalls of the system that fails to protect women from situations like Rose is in. Unfortunate...more

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Oct 30, 2007 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: thriller fans, horror fans

Shelves: horror, thriller

Probably my favorite King book, Rose Madder contains some of his creepiest imagery and the best characterization of a woman that he's managed thus far. It's hard not to get involved in Rosie's problems as she runs from a horrifically abusive marriage. The supernatural horror aspect of the story doesn't even enter into it until fairly late in the book; King gives you the chance to watch Rosie grow and change, and to set the stage for what will happen next.

Definitely the one I would loan to someon...more

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Dec 03, 2008 Pamela Trawick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: suspense-thriller, library, 2008

Not my usual kind of book. I loved the writing. I could have done without the fantasy part, but the entire book and title hinged upon it.

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Nov 25, 2008 Ubik rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Ubik by: Sheri

Shelves: own

I would have rather given it a 3.5, but I rounded it down just on overall feeling. I didnt feel totally satisfied with it at the end. It was a good book, just not great. A few things that annoyed me was the slang/the way Norman spoke (I had to keep reminding myself that it was 1994 and not 1956) and the repetition of the characters. It was fine when both characters were separate from each other, but if theyre in the same scene, I dont need a recap on what just happened ya know. Plus it just seem...more

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Jan 07, 2009 Lynai rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-a-copy

This is a story about a Rose Daniels, who escapes from her violent, psycopathic cop husband, Norman, and how she was able to survive in a not-so faraway city with only her husband's ATM card and the help of generous people along the way. It is more of a cat-and-mouse chase story with Norman as the predator and the Rose eventually finding the courage to be what she have to be -- strong and unafraid, including finding love in pawnshop owner, Bill Steiner. The plot is sort of John Sandford-ish in h...more

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Dec 24, 2008 Brent Soderstrum rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This contains both the good and bad (well not really bad) of Stephen King. I really loved the part of the book where he descibes Rose's relationship with her abusive husband, how she breaks away finally from that and then runs away from him across the country. Norman, a police officer hunts Rose down and begins to eliminate those who try to interfere with his pursuit of his wife. Great characters who are described in depth.

The bad part of the book begins with the painting Rose buys for her new a...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Clayton rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book contains awkward swearing and excessive breast references with a few suspenseful chase scenes and convenient science fiction in between. It started off with high hopes from me but just careened and never delivered as I'd hoped. Even King has admitted he 'tried too hard' on this one.

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May 26, 2012 Deneé rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Originally posted @ Novel Reveries
I'd give this book 3.5 stars. This story intrigued me from the beginning, confused me in the middle, and then recaptured my intrigue in the end. This has been my relationship with other Stephen King books in the past, so it's not out of the ordinary. The plot is definitely unique from other authors, and although the little "Alice in Wonderland" part became a little laughable in the middle, the reason for it forced sense in it. Rose Madder is a story of an abused...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Deirdre rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rose Madder was my introduction to Stephen King, and I loved it.

I enjoy reading fantasy stories, but even before the introduction of the more fantastical elements of this book I was completely intrigued. I haven't read many novels regarding domestic abuse, particularly not to the extent of physical harm as outlined in this book, and how it is related in this book was compelling for me as a reader. The relationship between Rose and her husband, as well as the extent of his abuse, is described ve...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Apps *๒l๏๏๔ ๏ภ เςє* rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: got-me-hyperventilating, not-sure-what-to-think, human-superhumans-books

Be Careful! The revie- Hey wait, if you are planning to read this book or have already read this book then I don't need to warn you...I guess *shrug*

"Please don't rape me! Please don't, but if you do, if you have to, then please wear a condom, I'm so scared of AIDS"

A dialogue that every gal should know...

*Squeeze. Squeeze. Squeeze. Squueeeezzzeeee!!!*

The best way to get an answer out of someone(male).'squeeze'.

*bitebitebitebitebitebitebitebite...Burrp!* Woopsie, I think I swallowed something I w...more

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Sep 30, 2012 bakanekonomama rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Seberapa jauh seorang manusia dapat berbuat kasar dan jahat pada manusia lainnya? Atau dalam kasus ini, seorang suami kepada istrinya?

Seberapa jauh juga sang istri harus bertahan dari sikap kasar suaminya? Apakah ketika ginjalnya mulai rusak karena tak tahan sering dipukul suaminya? Atau ketika tulang rusuknya patah karena suaminya marah atas kesalahan yang tak pernah dilakukannya? Atau ketika bayi yang diidam-idamkan harus direlakan ketika sang suami pulang dalam keadaan murka karena kejadiaan...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Rosemarie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the ultimate, husband abuses wife and she takes off book. Rose's husband is a cop and he controls Rose's every move. She had been beaten many many times in their marriage and she is tired of it. As you read, or a least I did, you are drawn right into Roses' head, as she walks down the street that last time she leaves him. On the road when she fears he will find her.
As Rose makes here way farther and farther away from the husband that is perusing her she is ever in the realization that sh...more

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Jul 13, 2012 Sakura87 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: autori-nordamericani, la-torre-nera, novecento, thriller

Sono Rosie. Rosie Vera.

Rose Madder dell’horror fantastico ha ben poco, ma certo non si può dire che il terrore scarseggi tra le sue pagine, un terrore molto concreto e reale: incarnato in un marito violento. Un marito folle, brutale e tendente al cannibalismo.
Rose ha trentadue anni, e ha trascorso buona parte della sua vita annichilita da Norman, poliziotto in carriera. Non ha avuto il coraggio di lasciarlo nemmeno quando lui, a calci, le ha causato un aborto; ma, chissà perché, è bastata la vi...more Sono Rosie. Rosie Vera.

Rose Madder dell’horror fantastico ha ben poco, ma certo non si può dire che il terrore scarseggi tra le sue pagine, un terrore molto concreto e reale: incarnato in un marito violento. Un marito folle, brutale e tendente al cannibalismo.
Rose ha trentadue anni, e ha trascorso buona parte della sua vita annichilita da Norman, poliziotto in carriera. Non ha avuto il coraggio di lasciarlo nemmeno quando lui, a calci, le ha causato un aborto; ma, chissà perché, è bastata la vista di una macchia di sangue sulle lenzuola per convincerla a prendere la borsetta e la carta di credito, e ad abbandonare in fretta e furia la città.
Grazie alla gentilezza di un bigliettaio della stazione, che la indirizza alla casa famiglia ‘Figlie e sorelle’, e a quella della direttrice, Rose riesce a rifarsi una nuova vita, e il suo primo acquisto per il piccolo appartamento che riesce ad affittare è un quadro, scambiato in un banco di pegni con la sua fede nuziale, che la attrae inspiegabilmente: raffigura un paesaggio dal sapore classico, con una donna di spalle avvolta in un chitone color rosa di robbia (Rose Madder) che contempla le rovine di un tempio.
Grazie al banco di pegni, Rose non solo trova un bel lavoro (uno sconosciuto la assume come lettrice nella sua ditta di audiolibri), ma anche una bella conoscenza nella persona del titolare del banco, Bill Steiner, nonché un biglietto d’ingresso nel mondo del soprannaturale, dato che il quadro è più vivo di quanto si sarebbe mai aspettata. E la donna in chitone è l’unico aiuto su cui può contare, dato che Norman non intende abbandonare l’idea di trovarla per far quattro chiacchiere con lei.
Il mondo del quadro è un guazzabuglio mitologico, con neonate intrappolate nel labirinto del Minotauro, donne in chitone molto simili a oracoli, o forse Gorgoni, acque che causano l’oblio e antiche scalinate. King suggerisce molti particolari che potrebbero far identificare il mondo del quadro come Lud, una città del Medio-Mondo più volte incontrata nella saga della Torre Nera.
E non è forse il ka che permea questo romanzo?
Chissà?

Il risultato è un bellissimo libro, magari dall’inizio un po’ lento, ma che acquista sempre più velocità con il procedere della storia. Norman è un personaggio crudamente realistico, mentre Rosie purtroppo rappresenta una visione fin troppo ottimistica della realtà: la donna che, finalmente, trova il coraggio di fuggire, e grazie a fortuite (e a volte soprannaturali) coincidenze riesce a rifarsi una vita.
Se si esclude il modo in cui Rose prende coscienza di dover fuggire dal marito, un po’ affrettato e superficiale, l’evoluzione del suo personaggio è ben congegnata e affascinante –è una donna che non può risultare antipatica-, mentre Norman instilla la dovuta dose di furia castratrice. Sono i veri protagonisti del palcoscenico, anche se, ergendosi dalla machina, su di loro si staglia l’inquietante ombra color rosa di robbia di Rose Madder.
Consigliato a tutti, ma, se proprio volete che ve lo dica, penso che le donne ne saranno inevitabilmente più catturate, data la loro (nostra) nota tendenza alla solidarietà.
(less)

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Jul 08, 2012 Ally Atherton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 52-books-in-52-weeks

A single drop of blood on a bedsheet is the pivotal moment that sends an abused housewife over the edge and grasping for the front door handle.

Norman is a two faced coin. In the eyes of the public he is a hero but in the eyes of Rosie Daniels he is a monster. Terrified and in a noisy city hundreds of miles from home she is like a square peg in a round hole and she is like a red rag to a bull that is her husband.Can she escape his grasp and who is the woman in the painting?

'I'm really Rosie,

And I...more

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May 08, 2012 Manini rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book sometime back. I am very found of thrillers and my friends suggested me to start with Stephen King novels. I loved the way the plot is developed. The vivid description of the scenes gives you a enthralling experience. The events in the book are so engrossing that they keep you hooked to the story. However towards the end, the story becomes a unrealistic which was a little turnoff. Expected a better ending.
The story is about a tormented wife who after fourteen years of her marria...more

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Jan 21, 2012 Frank Tibbetts rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is by far one of Stephen Kings best novels! Rose Daniels is a battered housewife who, on the spur of the moment, decides to leave her ruthless husband, Norman. Unfortunately for Rose, he is a cop. As Rose enters her new life in a new city, Norman becomes the utltimate psychopath as he leaves no stone unturned and kills anyone who dares to withhold information leading to her forthcoming vengeance.
Rose finds a beautiful picture in a second hand pawn shop of a woman standing on a hill far awa...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Bookrater rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is without a doubt the worst Stephen King book I've read. Why he felt the need to add the fantasy element in I don't know, but I found it absolutely ridiculous.

Norman Daniels (the psychopath husband) was almost a caricature more than a character. A purely evil, hateful man with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, yet we're expected to believe this psycopath functions perfectly well in the police force and is a highly decorated detective? Trying to imagine this man being sympathetic and kind...more

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Jan 08, 2011 Samantha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ammetto che speravo in qualcosa di più, mi è piaciuto ma non mi ha entusiasmata. Rose Madder si lascia leggere volentieri e non si fa fatica a odiare Norman!
Mi era stato consigliato da un amico per la trama tremendamente paurosa: Rose fugge. Fugge da quattordici anni di soprusi, da un marito violento e da una vita che non promette più nulla. Ricominciare da capo è l'unica via d'uscita. Una città sconosciuta, una nuova occupazione e un nuovo compagno: finalmente tutto sembra girare per il verso g...more

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Nov 15, 2010 Phillip rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: advisory-11th

What would you do if you felt like you were hunted down by someone who is suppose to love you? This is the book about Rose Daniels the main character who is escaping abusive husband who is a cop. After more than a decade of abuse she finally had it and runs away with his atm card and for the first time in her life she feels that she is away and safe from all the abuse. But not only is she not safe her husband is mentally insane and wants track her down. Rose feels very paranoid trying to escape...more

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Nov 11, 2010 My Inner Shelf rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporains, fantastique

J’ai lu pas mal de King, mais le dernier date d’avant ce blog, il était temps de m’y remettre et de faire baisser un peu ma PAL par la même occasion. Si Rose Madder est loin d’être le plus transcendant de ses romans, j’ai toutefois dévoré ce pavé rapidement. King se met dans la peau d’une femme battue, qui au bout de quatorze ans décide subitement de fuir l’emprise de son mari. Sa fuite inexpliquée et soudaine la conduira dans un foyer pour femmes battues, où elle apprendra à vivre en société, à...more J’ai lu pas mal de King, mais le dernier date d’avant ce blog, il était temps de m’y remettre et de faire baisser un peu ma PAL par la même occasion. Si Rose Madder est loin d’être le plus transcendant de ses romans, j’ai toutefois dévoré ce pavé rapidement. King se met dans la peau d’une femme battue, qui au bout de quatorze ans décide subitement de fuir l’emprise de son mari. Sa fuite inexpliquée et soudaine la conduira dans un foyer pour femmes battues, où elle apprendra à vivre en société, à côtoyer du monde, à pendre confiance en elle, bref, à avoir une vie normale. La menace de son mari pèse pourtant encore sur elle et ce dernier se mettra rapidement à suivre ses traces, aidé par son savoir-faire de flic et un sixième sens très aiguisé. Sur le point d’accéder à une nouvelle indépendance, Rosie fait l’acquisition d’un surprenant tableau qui la fascine dès le premier regard. Un tableau pas comme les autres, mystérieusement intitulé Rose Madder.
Fragile mais volontaire, Rosie s’installe dans un studio et démarre un nouveau boulot, jusqu’à ce son de mari retrouve sa trace.
Le personnage de Rosie est très fouillé, celui de Norman ne l’est pas moins. Une femme battue, fragilisée à l’extrême, et un pervers à moitié impuissant, mais d’un sadisme rare, voilà ce que nous propose Stephen King, avec son génie légendaire. On entre autant dans la peau de l’un que de l’autre. La rage est aussi un personnage central de l’histoire. La rage de Norman envers les femmes, envers Rosie lorsqu’elle quitte le foyer conjugal, et la rage de Rosie, lorsqu’elle se réveille après de quatorze ans de sévices, et qui ne la quittera pas si facilement.
Rose Madder, sorte de double de Rosie, apparaît sous la forme d’un tableau vivant, porte ouverte vers un autre monde, celui, entre autres, de l’inconscient de Rosie.
Malgré quelques longueurs et pas mal de répétitions, le roman se lit vite et avec intérêt. Norman n’est pas simplement un mari violent, c’est aussi un grand cinglé situé entre le psychopathe et le schizophrène, de plus en plus en dehors de la réalité, qui s’enfonce progressivement dans la violence et le sadisme.(less)

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May 30, 2010 Kirsten rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I wanted to read Under the Dome, but it was $17 on the Kindle. Whatev', Stephen King. You don't own me. I was traveling and desperate for a book, so I browsed his other offerings. Rose Madder was cheap and I was hoping it would have some allusions to The Dark Tower that I could appreciate and feel smart for doing so. It does, which was a nice surprise, but it's very, very loosely connected. Mostly it concerns an abused wife who leaves her cop husband, becoming essentially a fugitive. (The Goodre...more

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Mar 30, 2010 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, fiction

Rose Madder is part of a group of King books I had yet not read. Well, I'm glad I did. Like his best efforts, it is character driven. And in Rose Daniels/McClendon King supplies one of the best characters in all the books I've read by him. On the dark side of things, her abusive husband is one of his darkest villains. What makes both so interesting is that they are also complex. Rose, whose innocence covers a core of rage; and Norman, who for all of his brutality, is ultimately pathetic. What Ki...more Rose Madder is part of a group of King books I had yet not read. Well, I'm glad I did. Like his best efforts, it is character driven. And in Rose Daniels/McClendon King supplies one of the best characters in all the books I've read by him. On the dark side of things, her abusive husband is one of his darkest villains. What makes both so interesting is that they are also complex. Rose, whose innocence covers a core of rage; and Norman, who for all of his brutality, is ultimately pathetic. What King offers up is not a black and white universe. And of course there is a whole slew of lesser but well drawn characters that propel the story along.

As a novel, the plotting is pretty good. However, somewhere around page 400 I thought, from a pacing point of view, King should of wrapped things up. But that would of left out Norman's horrible Bacchae-like fate (which practically has you feeling sorry for him - some things ARE worse than death), and an ending that did seem, though strangely cryptic, right. There is some padding, but not nearly enough to give me Tommyknocker nightmares.

There is mention here from others about King's Dark Tower series, and the symbolism King employs in Rose Madder. Since I have not read those books, I can't comment on how effectively that works. I am aware of King's statements regarding how he is trying to tie much of his work together in such a way it relates to the Dark Tower series. To some extent I think this is (in a number of cases) an after the fact effort by King - and a mistake. Whatever. By itself, the symbolism of Rose Madder is somewhat confusing, but I think the real-world rooting of the story helps the reader skate over these areas fairly lightly, with entertainment trumping confusion. HOwever, Madder does veer from a dark fairy tale beginning, into Greek mythology, and closes with what some might consider a Christian allegory. Basically, Wrath is a deadly sin, and Norman's fate is linked to that fact. Rose herself is warned of her own susceptibility to anger - even if it is well justified. Rose's remembrance of the "tree" is simply a need to bury the past. Read tree here as "cross," but in a way that supercedes the earlier mythological meaning (King getting deep here). Otherwise, Madder will become madness, as the spider goddess (clearly Diana) warns Rose. Underscoring this Christian take on Madder, is the goddess being restrained by Dorcas (see the New Testament). Good stuff, with King (successfully) stretching himself, while still operating within genre. Not an easy thing to do. (less)

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Feb 14, 2010 Lauren rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi, thriller-horror-mystery

Er. This book was alright. Not the best from Stephen King, who is an excellent writer in my book (And a fellow Mainer!), it just confused me in parts. I grasped what was going on in the real world, but whenever they entered the Rose Madder world, I was confused. I couldn't differentiate between Dorcas and "Rose Madder", and the scenes in the Bull Maze were odd.
However, the characters were very well developed, which always means a lot to me when I'm reading. Rosie was the perfect picture of a...more

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Aug 06, 2011 T.L. Barrett rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

All right, I didn't have anything to read new from Stephen King, so I went back and picked up one of the only books I haven't read from him: Rose Madder.

Rose Madder essentially a domestic abuse escape story with a little magic and a whole lot of Mr. King's magic thrown in. The reason I never read this thing before is that the concept seemed pretty banal to me. I have to say after getting to know Rosie McClendon and the other folks who cross her path, I began to root for her and really became inv...more

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Jun 03, 2010 Andrea Sumrall rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rose Madder is a story, basically (Stephen King is famous for his crazy mass of subplots)about a middle-aged woman who runs away from her abusive husband, and his chase for her, and also about her escape. Her husband, Norman Daniels, is a kind of mixed socio/psychopath. He is a cop who covers his tracks well, and knows how to blend in.

While reading this story, I thought a lot about mental health, and how society views it. I mean, I wrote a story about it, and while researching the topic, there s...more Rose Madder is a story, basically (Stephen King is famous for his crazy mass of subplots)about a middle-aged woman who runs away from her abusive husband, and his chase for her, and also about her escape. Her husband, Norman Daniels, is a kind of mixed socio/psychopath. He is a cop who covers his tracks well, and knows how to blend in.

While reading this story, I thought a lot about mental health, and how society views it. I mean, I wrote a story about it, and while researching the topic, there seemed to be a lot of junk about it on the internet. There are a lot of fictional books on mental health, and there are textbooks and large, collage educated reports, but nothing for the casual student to use as a reference point. Once I realized this, I also came to realize that, in general, people didn't seem to know a lot about mental health. They, meaning various bloggers and website-makers, made assumptions using the few honest resources they could find-the first things that came up on Google, and anything on Wikipedia.

I guess what bothered me the most was that people would just pick one, or the other, and roll with it. They would make stuff up, and elaborate on it. Then they make a couple of citations and assume no on will investigate them. But I did, to a few of them, and it really upset me how dishonest people can be, and the efforts to which they will go to cover their asses.

These people's dishonesty actually made me think about the character Norman, from the book. In Rose Madder, Norman is a ruthless psychopath killer who goes to extremes to cover his tracks. He's very clever, and knows when to lie low and not take it too far, except if his victim really pisses him off. Maybe the comparison is extreme, but I don't understand why so many people on the World-Wide-Web would want to lie so much about their sources. Do they really want to be quoted that badly? Why not just come out and say that they couldn't find sources, but they THINK that... blah, blah, blah. I mean really.

I have to admit, I did consider for a moment that perhaps all these people WERE sociopaths who were just afraid to show that they are pretentious, assuming people, and that they were murderers who wanted to kill anyone who discovered their secret....but then again, I had just finished the book, and was really paranoid. I guess Stephen King does that to you. (less)

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Apr 18, 2012 Kascha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of my favorite King books, although it is very hard to just pick out a few and leave out the rest.

This book is very well written, although the initial premise has seen its share of coverage in many novels. In fact it is so cliche that as soon as I thought of Rose Madder right now I instantly thought of the movies Enough and Sleeping With the Enemy.

The hook in here is magically delicious though. Not only that, but the imagery and idea behind it, specifically of the natures of some of the peop...more

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May 11, 2012 Jennifer Shepherd rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It seems like I have been picking out mediocre books by Stephen King lately, Rose Madder being one of them. This book wasn't necessarily horrible, but it was lacking in some aspects. For example, I probably could have skipped about 100 pages in the middle of book and still had a sense of what was going on. As I have said before about Stephen King, he lost himself in descriptiveness. Not that I mind an author being descriptive, but there should be at least some limitation. This story was also a l...more

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About Stephen King

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his parents separated when Stephen was a toddler, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family...more Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his parents separated when Stephen was a toddler, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of the elderly couple. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.

Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and then Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated from the University of Maine at Orono in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.

He and Tabitha Spruce married in January of 1971. He met Tabitha in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University of Maine at Orono, where they both worked as students. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.

Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many of these were later gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.

In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching high school English classes at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.(less)

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Trivia About Rose Madder

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Quotes from Rose Madder

“The concept of dreaming is known to the waking mind but to the dreamer there is no waking, no real world, no sanity; there is only the screaming bedlam of sleep.” — 24 people liked it

“It's best to be ruthless with the past.” — 14 people liked it

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Rose Madder

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