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emmiemopho's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It’s true. I don’t like reading most SK stories but there are a few that I really like. And with a silly little goal to read the rest of his books, I hope I can add some more faves to that list. But sometimes, I’m just fed up and at this point, on a first name basis with Stephen when complaints arise.
Rose Madder is horrific and there should be so many trigger warnings on it. The first chapter jumps in with detailed abuse, rape, and lots of blood. I think I was nauseous for about 80% of the read. Would I recommend? Definitely not. But if you do, just know the detailed abuse is on the same level as the parts they had to take out of 13 Reasons Why on Netflix.
Graphic: Racism, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Death, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Infertility, Misogyny, Murder, Body horror, Rape, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Cannibalism, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Stalking
avrorae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Stalking, Blood, Gore, Miscarriage, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abortion, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Death, Racial slurs, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Vomit and Death of parent
jennalerm's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Rape, Stalking, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Murder, Torture, and Gore
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Police brutality
zone_a3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Blood, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Lesbophobia, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Police brutality
stars_and_stags's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The first chapter is very dark and the opening pages are horrific to read.
There are also quite a few words & phrases that were quite shocking to hear in 2023.
Overall, I like the journey Rose goes on but I perfectly understand why some choose not to read this. It’s a tough read.
Graphic: Abortion, Antisemitism, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexism, Torture, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder, Addiction, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Transphobia, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual harassment, Stalking, and Toxic relationship
tifftastic87's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
It made me more emotional this time around for sure but it was... Definitely 90s. Its always hard when King writes from his villain's perspective because they are always truly horrible and its hard to hear the language they use about other people. However it does truly make you hate Norman.
Graphic: Bullying, Cannibalism, Classism, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Stalking, Torture, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gore, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Murder, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Homophobia, Body horror, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexism
srags's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Blood, and Racial slurs
dani_j_norwell's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.5
Personally, I'm mostly only familiar with King's most popular titles (The Shining, Pet Sematary, Misery, 11.22.63) and so I was intirgued when I found this older book of his that I hadn't heard of in an Audible 2 for 1 sale. I'm glad I listened to the audiobook for two reasons:
(1)it was a really cool experience; the production of it was excellent with music, sound effects, and background noise related to the scene AND Stephen King himself reads the parts of book that tell Norman's story but also
(2) I truly don't think I could have powered through this book if I had read it.
Rose Madder needs some serious trigger warnings.
I expected domestic violence due to the blurb of the book, but I was not prepared for how detailed and explicit it was. In particular, the book opens with a scene of Norman abusing his pregnant wife, Rose, and, as a result, she loses her baby. The way I just wrote that is ions and ions more gentle than the delivery in the book, however. Sure, it established how evil of a character Norman is from the very beginning but in a story this long and winding, I think such information could have been delivered in a less revolting manner. Aside from that, there's a lot of murdering (with graphic detail, blood, and other bodily fluids), and there's some really sickening thought processes from Norman as he loses his mind. Childhood sexual abuse is also mentioned.
As long as you're prepared for the dark nature of this story, I think you'll find that King's real talent for creating characters with depth, flaws, and demons shines through in this book. No one person is pure evil nor pure benevolence, and King's character development clearly shows that. I found the fantastical, mythological elements of this story to be interesting, but at the same time, (not having a deep knowledge of such things) I didn't quite understand the need for so much of it. Unlike in other King novels, I felt like the story relied heavily on the symbolism of the Rose Madder painting but the significance of/necessity for that was never really made clear.
All in all, I don't think this is one of King's best works. It drags on a bit and it gets disgusting at time, but I don't regret reading it. If nothing else, it was cool to experience a lesser-known novel of a well-known author and therefore analyze all the ways in which it was similar to his more popular tiltes as well as the way it was not.
Graphic: Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Blood, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Racial slurs, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Torture
bgmylc's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Child death, Rape, Racial slurs, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Blood, Cannibalism, Death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Torture
sheryl_macca's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Rose Madder is a combination of a quintessential King thriller and Greek mythology. The story is told from the 2 main characters points of view in alternate chapters which very slowly reduce in length. It's barely noticeable until the final third of the book where you are being swept into the faster pace this trick creates, like a whirlpool.
Rose Madder is brutal, tense, thrilling, violent and supernatural but it's also moving, emotional and hopeful. For me, the mirror world/largest metaphor ever used was almost too much. It takes a significant suspension in disbelief but I learned to appreciate it.
I also found it difficult to believe that a woman traumatised by domestic abuse would so easily enter into a new relationship and so smoothly. I was rooting for them though.
My final criticism is in the very end of the book. It's hard to describe it without giving any spoilers so I'll just say that I found 'remember the tree' unnecessary.
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence