Rose Madder
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4.3 • 223 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The #1 national bestseller about a woman who escapes an abusive marriage is “one of Stephen King’s most engrossing horror novels. Relentlessly paced and brilliantly orchestrated...fueled by an air of danger immediate and overwhelming” (Publishers Weekly).
"What woke her up was a single drop of blood, no larger than a dime."
After surviving fourteen years of hell in a violently abusive marriage, Rosie Daniels finally summons the courage to flee for her life. But leaving her husband, Norman, for a new city and a new start is a very daunting prospect. It's hard for Rosie not to keep looking over her shoulder, and with good reason—Norman's a police officer with the instincts of a predator, a force of relentless terror and savagery…a man almost mythic in his monstrosity. He's very good at finding people, even if he is losing his mind. Rosie’s only hope for salvation may lie in a far more dangerous place, where she must become her own myth and the woman she never knew she could be....
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Relentlessly paced and brilliantly orchestrated, this cat-and-mouse game of a novel is one of King's most engrossing and topical horror stories. At the center of the action is heroine Rose McClendon, a battered wife who starts life anew by leaving her police officer husband, a consummately cruel man depicted by King as a paragon of evil. Crowded with character and incident, the novel builds to a nearly apocalyptic conclusion that combines the best of King's long novels--the breadth of vision of The Stand, for example--with the focused plot and careful psychological portraiture of Dolores Claiborne. The story of Rose's joyous growth from tortured wife (her persecution gruesomely but realistically portrayed) to independent woman alternates with the terrifying details of her husband's deliberate pursuit to create unflagging tension. The book is a phantasmagorical roller-coaster ride, peopled by a broad array of indelibly characterized men and women and fueled by an air of danger that is immediate and overwhelming. 1.75 million first printing; BOMC main selection; simultaneous Penguin Audio; paperback sale to Signet.
Customer Reviews
Great book about a marriage that becomes a nightmare!
I’ve read better books by Stephen King, but this is an enjoyable, terrifying story! When Rose Daniels sees a single drop of blood on the bedsheets, she realizes that her life depends on her courage to leave her vicious, abusive husband, a cop named Norman. But, after leaving and starting a new life, Rose finds that staying safe from Norman’s wrath is easier said than done. Her one refuge proves to be a place of strength, but it can also be as fearsome as her husband’s temper. Strangely enough, it’s a painting she bought. This painting is supernatural, providing a place of safety and strength for Rose, but, at the same time, proving to be Norman’s worst nightmare. This is a wonderful, terrifying horror story for King’s fans!
Violent, Gory, Hopeful
Not as inspiring as Duma Key, but inspirational in its own way. A little drawn out, but another great title from Mr. King.
Among my favorite Stephen King novels
Terrifying and unpredictable. How this hasn’t been adapted to film yet is beyond me. Rosie is a powerful character and Norman is one of the best villains Stephen King had conjured to date. This is the anthem for powerful, free women that was conspicuously missing from it’s predecessor, “Insomnia” (although that’s a must read for anyone interest in the Tower and Ka. This makes my Stephen King top 10 list.