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Book Reviews of Rose Madder

Rose Madder
Rose Madder
Author: Stephen King
ISBN-13: 9780451188762
ISBN-10: 0451188764
Publication Date: 6/1996
Pages: 480
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 46

3.8 stars, based on 46 ratings
Publisher: Signet
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

70 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed Rose Madder on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
Wonderful book! I was absolutely impressed not as "gory" as some of stephens other books but it keeps you guessing through the whole thing, I will definitely re-read this one!
Ariadnae avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 356 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
King creates one of his most frightening characters in Norman, the psychotic husband after revenge on his wife. Great and frightening story!
reviewed Rose Madder on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
This was a very interesting read. I felt there was much more character development than a typical Stephen King book, and there were some very powerful images in it that will stick with me for a long time. And true to King's form, it got pretty crazy at the end.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Very surreal book; doesn't seem plausible but you'll find yourself drawn into this supernatural book! A battered woman finally finds the courage to leave her abusive husband. She finds a safe place to stay, and while out one day, she buys a painting that she is compelled to buy. For some reason, she was drawn to the painting. The strange thing about the painting is that it seems to change every day. Find out what happens when she gets lost (literally) in the painting when her husband comes chasing after her.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 13 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Not the usual Stephen King.. this one is very unusual for his style. I wasn't all that impressed. It's about a battered woman's escape from her husband.
jazzysmom avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 907 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
AAAAHHHH---Stephen King's Rose Madder. Even the name Stephen King makes you want to curl up in bed with his book-- the lights half low-- and read. Loved it, loved it, loved it. If you love King's stories this is just another you HAVE to read. Does not dissappoint.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 53 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
An early Stephen King novel....a journey with a brave and scared woman...Great!
reviewed Rose Madder on
Helpful Score: 3
Interesting story-unique story for Stephen King. Enjoyable and a fast read! Good if you're a King fan.
marydebrock avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Stephen King outdid himself with this one. I am not a fan of fiction, but this is the exception for me.
Bibliocrates avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 252 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I loved this book! This was my very first Stephen King read I believe. I must read it again.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 7 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Spooky King novel...
reviewed Rose Madder on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
An excellent story of a woman escaping an abusive relationship and finding help from an unusual source.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
While the book kept my attention, it meandered a bit at the end in my opinion. Not King's best writing, nor is it his worst.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 1568 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
The best single word I could think of to describe this novel would be 'relentless.' I kept hearing the song 'EVERY STEP YOU TAKE' in the background. Scary!

From back cover: Rose Daniels saw the single drop of blood on the bed sheet--and knew she must escape from her macabre marriage before it was too late.
But escape was not as easy as fleeing to a new city, picking a new name, finding a new job, lucking out with a man. Her husband, Norman, was a cop with a cop's training, a cop's knowledge of technology, a cop's bloodhound instincts. And even worse, Norman was--well, Norman. Rose knew she had been married to a savage brute. Now she realized she was being tracked down by a terrifying monster--but the only place she found to hide could be the most dangerous of all
reviewed Rose Madder on + 40 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
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 readers right at the edge.
meowysmiles avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 140 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Great Book by stephen King!! I have a few of his wonderful books come take a peek!!Fantastic read!!A++READ!!!
ChezGery avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 75 more book reviews
Stephen King's "Rose Madder" is a beautiful, if not a horrible side of reality that not only straddles the line of fiction but crosses it. And that's what he does in this novel of domestic abuse. It's hard to know where the two separate. Such reality weaves itself into this story with a violence that is all too common not to be recognized. However, things change, and for 'Rosie' it's a single drop of blood on her pillow. After fourteen-years of abuse that single drop of blood triggers a spontaneous will to take it no longer. A spur of the moment decision to once for all say,enough is enough and she walks out the door, leaving her past and her husband, Norman behind. But Norman is a 'cop', he knows how to find people. That's what he's good at and she knows it. For Rosie it's a brief escape where she finds support and the beginning of a new life. But Norman is always a look over her shoulder. Then she finds a painting that captures her interest. The mythic painting is encouragement where she can see hope in its strength and maybe even for herself. Yet, the fear of Norman looms in the haze of her past, he knows how to find people...
reviewed Rose Madder on
It's been years since I've read the book but I really enjoyed it!
reviewed Rose Madder on + 46 more book reviews
Not very scarey for a Stephen King book, but I did enjoy reading it.

"Vivd, Startling...A Compelling Page Turner"
Houston Chronicle
charlimo avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 23 more book reviews
Suspenseful, as only Stephen King can be!
marishka avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 23 more book reviews
This was a good book but I don't think as fun a read as other Steve King books.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 579 more book reviews
rose daniels saw a single drop of blood on the bed sheet, and knew she must escape from her macabre marriage before it was too late,
reviewed Rose Madder on + 46 more book reviews
"Riveting, Engrossing...Packed with suspence"....People
reviewed Rose Madder on + 19 more book reviews
The second Stephen King book I have read. I can feel Rose's pain as she suffers abuse from her husband's hand. I did not like the ending.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 7 more book reviews
TRUE TO FORM, STEVEN KING'S BOOK IS AWSOME.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 404 more book reviews
" The more I read by Stephen King, the more entranced I become by his work as a whole... Rose Madder, which does indeed weave itself into King's masterwork (while maintaining its viability as a "stand-alone" novel) is a masterpiece.

Norman Daniels, though thoroughly human, is a monster more horrible that many of King's worst beasts.. .
Yet evil is not the whole name of the game in Rose Madder. It is more of a story about finding life-even in the shadow of death. Norman's wife Rose is a character for the ages (one of King's greatest creations)-and in spite of Norman-this is her story.

I don't want to give away too much of this wonderful story. Rose Madder is a masterpiece of gradual revelation.

First, I give this book my full recommendation. There are scenes of horrid nastiness here...yet there are also moments of great hope and beauty. King captures a great truth of life in this.

Rose Madder has some wonderfully developed minor characters... Rose Madder is certainly not King's most "important" or even representative novel. That said--it still gets my five stars." amazon review
reviewed Rose Madder on + 145 more book reviews
Good one by the King.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 58 more book reviews
Loved this one
reviewed Rose Madder on + 209 more book reviews
What a read. Don't let yourself get lost in her tale!
reviewed Rose Madder on + 38 more book reviews
One of his best!!
reviewed Rose Madder on + 76 more book reviews
Surprisingly realistic portrayal of a battered woman with a twist only Stephen King could come up with.
bookluver-in-sc avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 229 more book reviews
The classic Stephen King. Good read.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 14 more book reviews
"Rose Daniels saw the single drop of blood on the bed sheet-and knew she must escape from the macabre marriage before it was too late"
reviewed Rose Madder on + 15 more book reviews
An interesting story but not one of King's best
LillyLove avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 5 more book reviews
LOVED IT SO MUCH I READ IT TWICE!!!
reviewed Rose Madder on + 135 more book reviews
Abused woman escapes husband and buys a magical painting. It's a good story.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 12 more book reviews
Rose Daniels is trying to get out of an abusive marriage. I couldn't really get through this book, there are alot of itallicized pages and it hurt my eyes.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 8 more book reviews
Rose Daniels saw the single drop of blood on the bed sheet and knew she must escape from her macabre marriage before it was to late.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 612 more book reviews
I really enjoyed reading this book.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 10 more book reviews
Stephen King as always puts you inside the mind of some very unusual people. I liked this book because it moved fast and felt realistic.
karenscreams avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 6 more book reviews
I liked this book, it drew me in from the first page. Very suspenseful.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 48 more book reviews
this is a typical Stephen King so scary, so so engrossing.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 44 more book reviews
Excellent book, gave me chills and goosebumps.
duffeybooks avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 59 more book reviews
very good
reviewed Rose Madder on
It was a very good book, I highly recomend it for any one who likes Stephen King
reviewed Rose Madder on + 28 more book reviews
Great Book. Stephen King is one of my favorites, and this one does not disappoint.
darkcoffeeclouds avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 114 more book reviews
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. Stephen King 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 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
reviewed Rose Madder on + 9 more book reviews
Good book
reviewed Rose Madder on + 109 more book reviews
Rose Daniels saw the single drop of blood on the bed sheet--and knew she must escape from her macabre marriage before it was too late. But escape would not be easy. Her husband, was a cop, with a cops training, technology, and a cops bloodhound instincts. Rose knew she had been married to a savage brute. Now she realized she was being tracked down by a terrifying monster.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 9 more book reviews
I loved this one I got to know the main character I didn't want it to end
cyndij avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 1032 more book reviews
This seems like kind of a mess to me. I'm certain King was trying to evoke classical myths, but it feels very clumsy and I couldn't figure out who was meant to represent what in the mythical parts. I didn't like the POV of Norman, and not the least because it's all written in italics, pages and pages of italic, very annoying to get through. Very repetitive as well, and while I realize this is a Stephen King novel, seriously noxious. Rose was okay, although the Bill Steiner romance was just too pat. King always has a gift for dialogue, so that's good. And I loved Gert, she's the best part of the book.
ORION9 avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 56 more book reviews
Stephen King is one of the few authors that can produce a story of this quality about such a truly disgusting subject as wife beating. He will escort you through being more than a little ashamed to be male (even if you have never beaten a female) and on through making your blood boil in anger at the subhuman husband. He will continue to escort you through the story to the point where you will want to stand up and cheer for the beaten wife. A gritty but entertaining read.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 22 more book reviews
Good Stephen King book
reviewed Rose Madder on + 9 more book reviews
Great book!
aea21-dosd avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 2 more book reviews
I have only read 2-3 other Stephen King books, but I truly enjoy his writing. This goes a little out there, but so do many others of his. The main character, Rosie Daniels, decides to leave her police abuser husband finally, after 14 years with him. All I can say is that he's an ass and a willing to kill to get her back. If you enjoy Stephen King, and haven't read this yet, I hope that you decide to. It's full of craziness, love, hope, insanity, and a bit of magic.
MTtyper avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 4 more book reviews
Another great bood from Stephen King. If you love his books you will love this one. Very unique.
romeo avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 334 more book reviews
Roused by a single drop of blood on the bedsheet, Rosie Daniels wakes from 14 years of a nightmare marriage and suddenly takes flight. She uses her husband's ATM card to buy a bus ticket, determined to lose herself in a place where Norman won't find her. She'll worry about the rest later. Alone in a strange city, she begins to make a new life, and good things start to happen. Meeting Bill Steiner is one; finding a junk-shop painting is another. Stiil, it's hard for Rosie not to look over her shoulder, and with good reason. Her husband is a cop, with the instincts of a predator. He's very good at finding people. The fact that he's losing his mind might be an advantage. Rose-Maddened and on the rampage, Norman becomes a force of relentless terror and savageness, a man almost mythic in his monstrosity. For Rosie to survive, she must enter her own myth-a world that lies beyond the surface of a work of art-and become a woman she never knew she could be:Rose Madder.
morebooks avatar reviewed Rose Madder on
Great story from the master story teller.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 60 more book reviews
thrilling
reviewed Rose Madder on + 5 more book reviews
i thought this was a great awsome loyal terific amazing god giving book ever
angelatres avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 72 more book reviews
My least favorite Stephen King book. This story is just plain weird. The beginning was very good and had the potential to be a great book but somewhere towards the middle the plot just got bizarre. The whole girls in the painting thing was dumb.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 27 more book reviews
Rose Daniels saw the single drop of blood on the bed sheet-and knew she must escape from her macabre marriage before it was too late. But escape was not as easy as fleeing to a new city, picking a new name, finding a new job, lucking out with a new man. Her husband was a cop, with a cop's training. Now Rose realizes she is being tracked down by a terrifying monster- but the only place she found to hide could be the most dangerous of all...
RaccoonGirl avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 97 more book reviews
Rose Daniels saw the single drop of blood on the bed sheet--- and knew she must escape from her macabre marriage before it was too late.

But escape was not as easy as fleeing to a new city, picking a new name, finding a new job, lucking out with a new man. Her husband, Norman, was a cop, with a cops training, a cops technology, a cops bloodhound instincts. And even worse, Norman was---well, Norman. Rose knew she had been married to a savage brute. Now she realized she was being tracked down by a terrifying monster---but the only place she found to hide could be the most dangerous of all
reviewed Rose Madder on + 113 more book reviews
Excellent Steven King book. A real thriller
reviewed Rose Madder on
Rose Daniels saw the single drop of blood on the bedsheet--and knew she must escape from her macabre marriage before it was too late.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 8 more book reviews
This book is slighty worn I've had it for quite awhile, from what I remember it wasn't a bad story.
romeo avatar reviewed Rose Madder on + 334 more book reviews
Rose Daniels saw the single drop of blood on the bed sheet-and knew she must escape from her macabre marriage before it was too late.
But escape was not as easy as fleeing to a new city, picking a new name, finding a new job, lucking out with a new man. Her husband, Norman, was a cop, with a cop's training, a cop's technology, a cop's bloodhound instincts. And even worse, Norman was-well, Norman. Rose knew she had been married to a savage brute. Now she realized she was being tracked down by a terrifying monster-but the only place she found to hide could be the most dangerous of all...
reviewed Rose Madder on + 224 more book reviews
Another good Stephen King story.
Rose Daniels saw the single drop of blood on the bed sheet---and knew she must escape form her macabre marriage before it waw too late.
But excape isn't as easy as fleeing to a new city with a new name, her husband, Norman is a cop with cop's training. And even worse, Norman was--well, Norman is Norman.
reviewed Rose Madder on + 3 more book reviews
never read new condition
that70sgirl avatar reviewed Rose Madder on
I never had a chance to read this one.