Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - Rose Madder

Giving this 4 stars because I was pretty entertained but it's about 100 pages too long. I loved Rose's journey to find herself but the supernatural stuff came out of nowhere and it felt unnecessary.

Content Warnings

killerpancake's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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cryptidcorvid's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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usedtobe's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I echo the views of other reviewers that the first 1/2 to 3/4 of the book is much stronger than the last. Recommended to fans of King’s more ‘literary’ works and those drawn to the dark and mythical.

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jennalerm's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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cvrios's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes

5.0

they had this in my middle school library! i first read it when i was like 13! this is not for a 13 yr old to read!

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illtakethenightshiftx's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Rose Madder has been on my “King need to read” list for a long time and I’m glad I finally read it! It’s a brutal look at domestic abuse, the dangers survivors face, and their journey to escaping. There are also some magical elements because it isn’t a Stephen King book without them!

This novel isn’t so much horror like ghosts and killer clowns, it’s much more real. If I had read this in a different point in my life, it probably would’ve become my favorite book. It’s full of tension, creeping dread, and truly lovable characters who you’re rooting for all the way until the end (except Norman. He’s the embodiment of evil.) This time period of King novels (late 80s-early 90s) shows a marked change in his writing, specifically the subjects that he’s writing about which coincides with his sobriety. The Losers’ Club has talked about this shift in King’s writing in great detail on their podcast, so you should probably listen to their conversations because they’re fantastic.

There are also several Dark Tower connections mentioned throughout this novel, if you’re a Dark Tower fan!

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