Book reviews

Rose Madder
Stephen King Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography History
Stephen King Books
New book search
Stephen King Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of Rose Madder
"After a decade and a half of abuse and torture by her sadistic policeman husband, Rose Daniels makes a desperate bid for freedom and runs halfway across America to escape.
Frightened and broke, she attempts to forge a knew life for herself in a major mid-western city. And for a while it appears that she is succeeding, but deep down in her consciousness she is still fearful, plagued by the knowledge that Norman, the monster she is trying to escape, will never stop looking for her. And she knows that if he finds her he will want to talk to her "up close" and personal. An exciting psychological thriller with more than a pinch of the macabre thrown in for seasoning."

Bill Brumlow, Resident Scholar

"This horror story is all about a cop-husband, Norman, who is a REAL MONSTER to his wife, and then to others. Rosie has tolerated his abuse for 14 years, and she has had it. She needs to escape and she does just that, taking Norman's ATM card with her, and fetching the nearest taxi. She draws money out of his account to pull her through, (a few hundred dollars), and trashes the ATM card after. She ends up 750 miles away from home in a resort for battered women. When Norman discovers her disappearance, he comes after her, picking up clues from the trashed ATM card someone located.

He tracks her down, and poor Rosie, who has felt safe for the first time in years, suddenly doesn't anymore. She feels that Norman is after her somehow, and she's right!"

Boppy, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Rose Madder
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%




Tone of story - scarey (primal ax-wielding fear)
Time/era of story: - 1980's-1999
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller Yes
General Crime (including known murderer) Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here? - hunted by BAD vigilante getting revenge
If story PRIMARILY about main chr. being hunted... - hunted by dangerous boy/girlfriend/spouse

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - unemployed
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How much violence does he/she use? - just the right amount
How sensitive is this character? - soggy whimpering jelly muffin
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Motive of antagonist - revenge
Monster of some sort? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Midwest
City? Yes

Style
Unusual forms of death - eaten
Unusual form of death? Yes
Most similar books to Rose Madder
Promise Him Everything by Carla Cassidy
The Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner
Secret Smile by Nicci French
The Seventh Survivor by Lori Lacefield
A Ticket to the Boneyard by Lawrence Block


Click here for more information about this book


Stephen King Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Mellie  

SCHOLARS:
William Henning  Yosef Shapiro  Tom Fletcher  Mariann Lilly  David Fletcher  Janet Johnson  Gary Pullman  Stephen Bailey  David Rhodes  


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for Thriller/Action books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Big vehicle disaster?

Crime Thriller

Disaster, natural or nuclear

Exploring into the wild

Horror Story?

Legal Thriller

Medical Thriller

Religious overtones?

Spying/Terrorism Thriller

War Thriller

Water adventure

Western



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
Feedback
About us




Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
.
Jean Sasson 6:45:07 AM
David R. Palmer 4:24:35 AM
Anthony Horowitz 3:50:41 AM
Lurlene McDaniel 3:49:08 AM
Suzanne Weyn 10:53:04 PM
Jean M. Auel 10:13:28 PM
Suzanne Collins 10:04:43 PM
Shannon Holmes 8:05:43 PM
R. Garcia Y Robertson 6:56:32 PM
Marlo Morgan 6:30:00 PM
Robert Segarra 5:12:00 PM
Dennis L. McKiernan 4:47:04 PM
Mary Downing Hahn 4:04:51 PM
Margaret Peterson Haddix 3:40:45 PM
Natasha Friend 3:14:44 PM
Deric Longden 3:02:09 PM
Lori Wick 2:04:58 PM
George W. Bush 1:36:15 PM
Lilian Jackson Braun 12:53:34 PM
James H. Cobb 10:05:36 AM

More message boards