sandra’s Comments (group member since Dec 15, 2019)

sandra’s comments from the The Constantly Reading Book Club group.

I really like how King writes Norman. He gives us incredibly small pieces of back story throughout the book that help us piece together why he's such a monster. But it's never enough to make us sympathize with him, which I believe is crucial for us to continue hating him.

There is SO much tension in this book!

Yes Carol! I love how we visit Mid World in this book. Although the city of Lud looks way different!

For sure. It's such a heartbreaking story of abuse, but also incredibly inspiring!

No, I kind of think he does have a touch of the shine! It makes sense in this story since it does end up having other supernatural elements.

I think Rosie didn't take anything with her because it would have made her lose her nerve. And by doing so, it seemed to help her start completely anew to find her true self again. I like to see it this way at least lol

I agree! There would be no Rose Madder story without this element. This IS Rose Madder. And this is absolutely a Dark Tower book. The picture is actually a doorway to Mid World, to the city of Lud.

It's such a good recurring theme we see!

I love, love, LOVE The Temple of the Bull chapter! It's by far my favorite chapter. This is when things take wild left turns and that supernatural element that was hiding comes to life full force.

Krystle wrote: "I had to listen to the Carol King song just to get the vibe. Rosie is such a relatable character for me. Her husband is probably one of the worst villians Stephen King has written. I’m loving how f..."

Rosie's character is so inspiring! It's beautiful to see her relearn who she is and what she enjoys. Also fun fact, I have a "really rosie" tattoo :)

S. wrote: "Ze bull is damn brilliant my favorite character in the book is Z bull"
Like Erinyes (SP?)? Or Norman once he puts the bull mask on and quite get it off? Either way, I absolutely love when Norman keeps the bull mask on! I think here King really intends to show us how inhuman he is - he literally turns somewhat into a bull. He IS an animal with disgusting, beastly qualities. I really think this deserves to be mentioned.

Carol wrote: "..."
Norman's chapters have such a frantic feeling to them! I get anxiety every single time I see the italics coming. His investigative skill levels are scary, but his animalistic qualities are even more terrifying.

Derrick wrote: "I'll be starting this tomorrow!"
Yes! This is very realistic. I think that's one of the reasons why Norman is such a terrifying villain. He's all too real for many women and domestic abuse victims in general.

Yes, Rose Madder is a very powerful work and can be very triggering for domestic abuse victims. I hope your caregiver is okay! The prologue is certainly strong and we see right away what a monster Norman is.

I hear that....never ever veering off path lol

This read is going so quickly! It's pretty refreshing considering how dense and slow some of King's work can be. Loving it!

I finished The Wastelands a few weeks ago and was totally blown away! The imagery in this book is absolutely incredible, which shouldn't be surprising anymore with King, but it still is somehow. I am absolutely OBSESSED with Oy and the City of Lud. I want to revisit this book again already!

I started the other day!

Yay JC! So glad you joined!

Weslyn, you are in for some more surprises! Definitely post your thoughts once you finish!