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cagebox 's review for:
Rose Madder
by Stephen King
Parts of Rose Madder are peak Stephen King, but other parts show his worst artistic qualities. Both the heroine and the abusive villain are solid characters. The story could have (and should have) taken place in a purely realistic fashion and been told quite effectively. I was leaning to a 4 star review before King decided to solve the main conflict by turning it all into an odd and unwelcome Minotaur in the Labyrinth. The villain, who is so evil I was excited to get his comeuppance, is transported into a bull as he is pulled into a painting while he was wearing a Ferdinand the Bull mask. King takes a thrilling story of an abused runaway wife from her serial killer husband and mangles it into a silly fantasy mess. This book still gets 3 stars since the non-fantasy side of the book is very good. King said he was trying too hard in Rose Madder. He was right.