My book club read this book last month. Here is how our book club session went basically:

Joy: Colleen, what was your favorite part of this book?

Me: Well, Joy, I'll get to that in a few, but would anyone like some chocolate? (I passed around a bowl of chocolate, and they all stared at me expectantly. Reluctantly, I continued.) You know, Joy, Stephen King never disappoints. Every time I turned the page, there were more words that formed sentences. The kind of sentences that make up all of Stephen King's books. There were long ones, short ones, and even incomplete ones. But that's the beauty of this book, right? The sentences tell a story in a way that only sentences could. And THAT is why this book was so brilliant.

Joy: You're a f*cking idiot. Why are you even in book club if you never actually read the books?

Me: Five stars!

This exchange in the book club shows the different perspectives and reactions. While I tried to give a somewhat convoluted and perhaps not entirely sincere response about the book, Joy was clearly frustrated with my lack of a proper answer. My final comment of "Five stars!" might have been more of a cheeky or defiant response rather than a true assessment of the book. It also highlights the importance of actually reading and engaging with the material in a book club to have a meaningful discussion.

A fine example of books that start out brilliantly, lose the grip somewhere in between, and just go downhill from there. I cannot believe I finished it. My only motivation behind finishing it was to find out if the end is really what I was thinking of. And no, it was worse.

An abused wife runs away from home. The descriptive scenes, the in-depth psychological insights about the male and female protagonists were just awesome. They hooked me to the book. And I had heard so much about Stephen King, I was so thrilled to find myself finally reading him. What a disappointment!

What started out as an abused wife's escape from a demented and mentally sick husband, soon turned into something boringly-Halloween. I mean, the heroine actually going INTO the painting! The writer did not explain the relation of Rosie with the woman in the picture, and why was it necessary for Rosie to go into the picture in the first place. It was unclear to me. What was the role of the fox in the novel? The heroin does not get the final revenge, and then she turns against her boyfriend and directs her rage towards him? The lovable heroin, that writer so beautifully and strongly portrayed in the beginning was lost, and what came out was just crap.

And the end!!! My God, could it be more abysmal than that? That was the most disappointing end to any story I have ever read. It was made even more disappointing by the fact that I really really really liked the book initially. Such a waste of time.

Anyway, I'm not going to let this one experience put me off of Stephen King forever. I'm going to give him another chance:) I've started reading Carrie - lets see if it helps me improve this writer's ratings.

The Worst Stephen King Book Ever

Stephen King is a highly regarded and prolific author, but there is one book that stands out as the worst in his extensive bibliography. I've heard that he wrote this particular book after he got off alcohol and drugs, and it truly shows.

The story lacks the usual depth and complexity that King is known for. The characters seem flat and one-dimensional, lacking the rich development that makes his other works so engaging. The plot meanders aimlessly, without a clear direction or purpose. There are no real surprises or twists to keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

Even the writing style seems off. It lacks the vivid descriptions and powerful prose that King is famous for. The dialogue feels stilted and unnatural, as if the characters are simply going through the motions. Overall, this book is a disappointment and a far cry from the high standards that Stephen King has set for himself in the past. It's a book that I would not recommend to anyone, even die-hard King fans.

Rose Madder is part of a group of King books that I had not yet read. However, I'm extremely glad that I finally did. Just like his best works, it is character-driven. And in Rose Daniels/McClendon, King presents one of the finest characters in all the books I've read by him. On the darker side, her abusive husband, Norman, is one of his most menacing villains. What makes both of them so fascinating is their complexity. Rose, with her innocence masking a core of rage, and Norman, for all his brutality, is ultimately a pathetic figure. King doesn't offer a simple black and white universe. Of course, there is a whole host of lesser but well-developed characters that drive the story forward.

As a novel, the plotting is quite good. However, around page 400, from a pacing perspective, I thought King should have wrapped things up. But that would have omitted Norman's horrible Bacchae-like fate (which almost makes you feel sorry for him - as some things are indeed worse than death) and an ending that, though strangely cryptic, felt right. There is some padding, but not nearly enough to give me Tommyknocker nightmares.

Some people have mentioned King's Dark Tower series and the symbolism he uses in Rose Madder. Since I haven't read those books, I can't comment on how effectively it works. I'm aware of King's statements about how he's trying to tie much of his work together in a way that relates to the Dark Tower series. To some extent, I think this is (in many cases) an afterthought by King - and perhaps a mistake. Nevertheless, on its own, the symbolism in Rose Madder is somewhat confusing. But I think the real-world foundation of the story helps the reader breeze over these areas fairly easily, with entertainment outweighing confusion. However, Madder does veer from a dark fairy tale beginning, into Greek mythology, and concludes with what some might consider a Christian allegory. Essentially, wrath is a deadly sin, and Norman's fate is tied to that fact. Rose herself is warned about her own susceptibility to anger - even if it's 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 goes beyond the earlier mythological meaning (King is getting quite deep here). Otherwise, Madder will turn into madness, as the spider goddess (clearly Diana) warns Rose. Underlining this Christian interpretation of Madder is the goddess being restrained by Dorcas (see the New Testament). It's all good stuff, with King (successfully) challenging himself while still working within the genre. It's not an easy feat to accomplish.

3.5 Stars

If you have the stomach to handle a story filled with horrific abuse, Hannibal Lector's rather disturbing idea of a tasty dinner, and haunted dreams that seem to come from the great beyond, then you are likely going to have a deep appreciation for ROSE MADDER.

Norman "Bates" Daniels is a lunatic cop with a mouth that is as foul as his sick and evil mind. For his wife Rose, a life of fear and pain commences on the very night of their honeymoon. And for the reader, this realization hits almost immediately, serving as a real shocker.

Unprepared, filled with terror, and completely alone, after enduring a long and torturous 14 years of living in a personal hell, Rose finally musters the courage to flee for her life. She knows all too well that he will never stop searching for her.

ROSE MADDER is an intense thriller for the majority of its 600+ pages. However, for me, it lost some of its momentum when we delved into the mysterious, yet somewhat drawn-out world of the supernatural. And the ending, well, it was just okay.

As always, I truly enjoyed the tie-ins to other KING novels. These connections add an extra layer of depth and interest to the overall reading experience.

The 31st book in my long-term Stephen King reading project and the first one I had never read before.

Considering common opinion (including King's own) and my friends' views, I found myself enjoying it more than I initially thought I would. However, it's far from without issues.

For a long time, I had a rather vague idea about men like Rose's husband. I used to imagine that somewhere along the way, something had gone terribly wrong, and what causes the rest of us to behave like human beings was simply lost in them. The abundance of such individuals made me refine my theory, and now I firmly believe that whatever is missing in their heads was probably never there in the first place. When the rest of humanity evolved, a large group seemingly remained primitive, Homo Wasteofspaceis, a pitiful branch on the family tree that later took a turn for the worse.

Anyway, there's a great deal that could be said about them, but perhaps the best course of action is to just avoid them altogether. Reading about them is far from fun, and it's probably not good for you to read a book while being seriously angry all the time. After all, being inside one's head, well, any other place is probably more pleasurable.

Besides all the vitriolic, ugly, and hateful thoughts that I could do without, I simply did not get this guy's similes and references at all. At one point, he refers to a character that he does not perceive as a threat at all to be "as dangerous as Bambi's friend Thumper". I don't understand it in the slightest. What's not to fear?

Ah, I needed that break! Now, I'll get back to the story.

The first half of the book is truly excellent, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, at the mid-point, something changed, and I had difficulties just keeping my focus on what was happening (which really wasn't all that much) over the course of a few chapters (that felt incredibly long). Before I knew it, I was drifting - until the Dark Tower-references started dropping in. The book reminded me a bit of Lisey's Story, but while the dream sequences/traveling worked well in that one, here I was bored silly in fantasy land for some reason. But this was never a huge problem, because quite soon - the story was back on track. King does play quite a bit with our emotions, but hey, who isn't a sucker for a bit of feel-good, 'aww, that's nice', 'how cute' moment once in a while?

So, a few words on the ending. It's rather long. A significant portion of what is happening is first told from Rose's perspective - and then the very same events are recounted from the husband's perspective. There are two faults here; it drags on for far too long, and, we're unfortunately back inside that horrible mind again!

Because of the ending and the middle part, this book gets the "liked it" rating from me. I would say it's much better than its reputation might suggest.

I don't even know where to begin with this one. It is truly fantastic. King masterfully combines the everyday horror that an abused woman endures with actual supernatural horror. The story of an abused woman going to a different reality where a monster stalks her in a maze is both terrifying and captivating. I firmly believe that King has the ability to write women extremely well when he sets his mind to it. However, it frustrates me to no end when he fails to fully deliver in this regard.

The characters in "Rose Madder" are vivid and come to life on the page. I would have loved it if King had given them a nod in his other books, but unfortunately, he does not. The writing, at times, can get a bit too "Kingy," with repetitive elements like Norman's mantra of "I want to talk to you up close." Despite this, the flow of the story works, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat, full of tension, eager to see what King does next.

The ending was really good and somewhat reminded me of "Lisey's Story." We see a woman come full circle and make a decision about what she is going to do next. "Rose Madder" is about a 30-year-old housewife, Rose Daniels. The book begins with some vivid and violent imagery as Rose is beaten by her husband Norman, resulting in a miscarriage. With Norman looming over her and telling her to be quiet, Rose retreats into her own mind. Years later, she finally "wakes up" and realizes that if she doesn't leave him soon, he will either kill her or leave her incapacitated.

What follows is Rose's flight from Norman as she tries to find herself and have something just for herself. Along the way, King throws in some horror elements that add to the excitement. When Rosie discovers a painting called "Rose Madder" that seems to speak to her, things become even more interesting. Constant Readers know how much King loves to incorporate paintings into his stories.

The character of Rose McClendon Daniels, later known as Rosie McClendon and sometimes as Rosie Real, is truly engaging. King does an excellent job of showing how abusive men can isolate a person from their friends and family. I loved seeing the grit and determination that Rosie展现 as the book progresses. The final showdown was epic and had me on the edge of my seat.

The other characters in this book also have their moments. Some are well-developed, while others fall a bit flat. But, it's Stephen King, so you know that not everyone is going to make it out alive. The horror of what happens to some of the characters may stay with you, so be warned if you have a weak stomach.

The villain, Norman, reminds me of some of King's other antagonists. He is a man who wants to hurt a woman simply because he can. We do get some insights into what made him this way, but to be honest, I wasn't really interested. Some of the things he does to Rosie and others are so despicable that I had no sympathy for him at all.

The writing in "Rose Madder" is, at times, lyrical and beautiful. However, as with many of King's books, it can also be repetitive. The use of italics to show Norman's thoughts and feelings was a bit of a challenge for me, as it made it hard to switch back and forth between the regular font. But, despite these minor flaws, the flow of the story works and keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end.

The world building in this book is a great treat for Constant Readers. There are some interesting tie-ins to "The Dark Tower" and other King books. We also see some of King's favorite narrative plot points, such as a painting that is not what it seems and a great big beast in a different land or reality. The ending was really good and tied up all the loose ends in a satisfying way.

I read this book for the "King of Fear" square, and I'm so glad I did. It's a great addition to King's body of work and a must-read for any fan of horror or psychological thrillers.

Wow! I truly adored this book.

It presents such a brutally honest and harrowing story about domestic abuse. The character of Norman Daniels is one of the most disturbing I've ever come across in literature. What makes him incredibly scary is his realism. He represents a very real and terrifying aspect of society.

I have a deep affection for Rosie. It was inspiring to see how she gradually learned to stand up for herself. Despite the horrifying circumstances she was in, she found the strength within to fight back.

The addition of the fantasy element was a stroke of genius. It added an interesting layer to the story and lent a unique perspective to Rosie's situation. It made the whole narrative even more engaging and captivating.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. It's a powerful and thought-provoking read that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

This is, without a doubt, the worst Stephen King book I've ever had the misfortune to read.

I simply cannot fathom why he felt compelled to introduce the fantasy element into this story. It seemed completely out of place and, quite frankly, utterly ridiculous.

The character of Norman Daniels, the psychopath husband, was more of a caricature than a believable character. He was portrayed as a purely evil and hateful man with not a single redeeming quality. And yet, we are expected to swallow the idea that this psycopath not only functions perfectly well within the police force but is also a highly decorated detective? It is simply impossible for me to envision this man being sympathetic and kind to the victims of serious crime or being a credible witness in court.

It's truly a shame because the basic premise of a much-abused wife finally "snapping," taking her husband's bank card, and running off to start a new life elsewhere while the cop husband tries to track her down had potential. Granted, it's not the most original concept, but King is a talented enough writer that he could have made it work. Instead, he produced a half-hearted (or half-assed, as some might say) fantasy novel.

I'm one of those individuals who simply can't abandon a book once I've read past the first few chapters, so I stubbornly stuck with it until the very end. What I found was poor writing, weak characterisation, and the inclusion of absurd fantasy elements. I would not recommend this novel to anyone. It is, quite simply, a terrible piece of work.

3.75 stars. But the more I think about it, the more I like it. It's really strange like that. There's a possibility that by the end of the month, this will become a four-star.

I've read perhaps a third of King's novels so far, and this one definitely has the creepiest imagery. The descriptions are so vivid that they seem to jump out of the page and haunt your mind.

I loved that this one doesn't end sad. It felt very powerful, especially for Rosie and her overcoming a fucking nightmare of a marriage. She shows great strength and courage in breaking free from the abusive relationship and starting a new life. It's an inspiring story that makes you believe in the power of hope and perseverance.

Overall, I'm really enjoying this novel and can't wait to see how it ends. I think it has the potential to be one of King's best works.

It is a bad idea to read it at night

At its core, this was an incredibly compelling book by King.

It tells the story of how a woman, Rosie, escapes her abusive husband and endeavors to build a new life while he is relentlessly on the hunt for her. I was completely enthralled as I followed Rosie's journey. King's handling of this subject matter was truly masterful.

The supernatural aspect of the book didn't quite resonate with me as much, but fortunately, it didn't overshadow the entire narrative. It was more of a slice of life with a touch of thriller that constantly kept me on the edge of my seat.

However, there were a few elements that held the book back for me. Some of the characters felt a bit excessive. For instance, Rose's ex-husband didn't necessarily have to be such an extreme psycho to convey the intended point. Additionally, her new love interest seemed almost too perfect. Moreover, I really could have done without that prologue. It felt a bit unnecessary and didn't add as much value as it could have.

Overall, despite these minor drawbacks, the book was still a captivating read that delved into important themes and had me hooked from start to finish.