Rose Madder

Starred review from July 3, 1995
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.

Anonymous - This book is thrilling. This book explains a woman named, Rose. She was married to Norman* and he abused her. He described her losing her baby as, "we could get another one", thinking on the wrong side of things. He should be helping his wife recover, and he shouldn't be abusing her. I find this book thrilling because the way Rose has the courage to stand up to him, and create a life of her own and enjoy. If this happened to me I would have stayed in my house all day afraid of him, (Norman). Meanwhile, she still had to look behind her shoulder every so often because her "ex" or current husband. That is still remarkable from where she has been before. Rose's R in her name stands for remarkable. I recommend this book to upper / more advanced 7th graders and older. If your are with the seventh grade and have a normal grade, maybe this is too hard for you. Check with your teacher prior and use a dictionary if necessary.