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Summary: Great story with lots of references to it's real author
Review: I finished this book in about eight hours (it would have been straight through, except for that pesky thing called sleep). I loved it! Although the sexuality in it did smack of a man writing in a woman's voice, Stephen King did a decent job writing in Ellen's voice. I enjoyed the use of period language which led to a better immersion in the story. I also loved the references to King. On page 182, Ellen intercepts a letter from a delivery man with a bum right leg and thick glasses. He also mumbles "Pisa for Rimbauer". This is especially funny if you read the article in TV Guide that shows King doing his scene in the upcoming miniseries; he is a pizza guy delivering to Rose Red.
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Summary: Blairwitch comes to writing!
Review: Having been a Stephen King fan since Carrie, I spotted his style of writing right away, but because the hoax is so well done, there was still a little doubt, until I checked a few facts out.
The story itself is very well written and will have you looking over your shoulder, if you catch something out of the corner of your eye or those noises in the house you can't explain. Curl up with it and enjoy! The master is back in good form. Be sure and check out the web site also, verrrrry intresting.
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Summary: Rose Red will leave you heart pumping and your face blushing
Review: I found this book to be excellent! I could not put it down. However, I do believe the work is fiction. For example, if you go to the university website and click on the other options it has listed (e.g. financial aid, housing. etc.) you will find they are under construction. BUT and I stress BUT to find the missing excerpts of the diary as mentioned on page 221, you must got to the link that says "Diary excerpts" and page through to the end. At the bottom of the last page is a link for the missing excerpts!
I agree with another reviewer that this book could possibly be the work of Stephen King himself. And as he always does, this is another great work by him. It's an excellent work by whoever wrote it.
After I finished the book, I found I wanted the book to keep going! I can't wait for the miniseries!
Rating: 
Summary: Um, I would not go in there Dr. Reardon, if I were you...
Review: This faux-diary will remind many of the brilliant publicity campaign orchestrated for "The Blair Witch Project," although it certainly does not reach the depth and detail of that infamous effort. For me, "The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer," the back story for the upcoming "Rose Red" mini-series whipped up by Stephen King is more reminiscent of "The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer" from "Twin Peaks." The different is that the latter came out AFTER the first season and only served to obscure what was happening in that bizarre little town. "The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer" certainly sets the stage for the mini-series. We know a lot of what happened and we have some theories as to what is going on in that strange mansion overlooking Seattle, but the mystery is not even close to be solved.The character of Ellen Rimbauer also reminds me strongly of Edna Pontellier, the heroine in Kate Chopin's 1899 classic "The Awakening." Both deal with the issue of a woman embracing her sexuality at the turn of the century and while both tales are tragedies, Ellen's is of a different fate. Her character is the strongest part of the "Diary," and if you are expecting the traditional heroine afflicted by a haunted house, you are going to be in for a surprise. The book suffers from the necessity of leaving massive holes in the narrative so that the cat does not end up entirely out of the bag. There are a couple of photographs and several relatively crude drawings that add little to the aura of authenticity (although I have seen better in both regards elsewhere associated with this enterprise). This is a relatively simple division: If you are going to watch "Rose Red," then you should read "The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer." Yes, on one level it is a blatant attempt to make money off of our interest in anything Stephen King. But on the other hand, it is a solid back story and if it does NOT inform our enjoyment of the mini-series, I really will be surprised. After "Rose Red" is aired, most of the fun and a large chunk of the value of reading this faux-diary will be gone. So, who do I think wrote the book, Stephen or Tabitha? I certainly think he could do it and I suppose at some point a figure will emerge from behind the curtain and we will learn the truth, but it does not matter to me if this turns out to be Richard Bachman revisited. For now, we can just be content to go along for the ride. Besides, I am curious as to why so much seems to happen on the 15th of the month and will overlook the fact that if they indeed believe everything in the diary to be true, then Joyce Reardon, Ph.D. and his team of investigators are idiots to attempt to wake up Rose Red. But then there would be no mini-series, right? WARNING: Do not pursue the URL to discover the "other" diary excerpts, considered "too graphic and disturbing" to be printed in this volume by the "editor" until you have finished reading the diary.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining...but not THAT scary....
Review: I was in on this "diary" from the beginning because my mom read it first and figured out it was fiction and probably written by King himself. Knowing that it was probably written by the master, I was expecting to be a little more scared than I was. I mean it wasn't "It" or "Salem's Lot" scary. However, it was very hard to put down and I couldn't wait to check out the website which was also great fun. Once again I am amazed at how King can "write" women. I am also constantly amazed at how this man can find new and interesting ways to challenge himself and us. WORTH THE READ!
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Summary: Rose Red-What a story!
Review: From the beginning to the end a great read! I was drawn in by the writer (Stephen/Tabitha?). Every King fan has to read this one.
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Summary: Story Circle Network Review
Review: BEWARE: This is a hoax - but a clever one! Welcome to the wacky world of psychic phenomena, aristocracy and marketing. With a beguiling introduction, the purported author, Joyce Reardon, sucks you in with her account of discovering the long lost diary of Ellen Rimbauer, a notorious Seattle socialite from the turn of the twentieth century. According to Reardon, at least 26 people died or vanished within Rimbauer's enormous estate, Rose Red, over a period of four decades. In a masterful marketing ploy promoting his upcoming miniseries "Rose Red" on ABC, Stephen King obviously wrote this book under the pseudonym of Joyce Reardon. Regardless of authorship, it is a good weekend read - or even a day if you find it as difficult to put down as I did. It was also rather intriguing to read King's interpretation of a woman's deepest thoughts. Well-written stories well woven into a fascinating book.
A little informal research on the Beaumont University website referred to in Reardon's introduction revealed a home page with no address and most links "under construction." The Special Programs link listed four courses in the paranormal realm - three of which are taught by the illusive Dr. Reardon. The Contact button requested, "Please submit email address and we will keep you informed of paranormal activity in your area." Did I sign up for Beaumont University's contact list, you ask? For now, I prefer to remain in the psychic dark and deal with the real world. But I will be watching the miniseries on ABC now scheduled for late January - hoping for a solution to the puzzle and even more titillating entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: it works on every level
Review: First, the story of Rose Red is quite scary. The "diary" succeeds in giving it's readers a good case of the creeps. The only thing I want to know is who really wrote it? Was it Stephen King, who wrote the script for the upcoming TV movie, or was it Tabitha King or some unknown?
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: I loved this book. In fact, I had thoughts while reading it that it may be a hoax, but finished it anyway. While searching the web for the "missing excerpts" did I realize the dupe. Oh, but what an exciting dupe it was. Great marketing ideas for the miniseries. I highly recommend the book. Especially, if you are at all voyeristic.
Rating: 
Summary: mildly entertaining, but wait for the miniseries
Review: I have to admit that I finished this in a night -- it does have a pull that keeps you reading till the end. However, I would advise you to save your money and just watch it on tv. If this indeed is King's work, then he's going downhill. This is "The Shining" revamped, and my love for that other, greater, book and movie is probably what kept me going through this one. The attraction of this book is mainly that "is it real or isn't it" feeling -- had the book been released as a work of fiction from the beginning, it's mediocre writing, predictability, and at times slow pacing would surely do it in. Hold out for the miniseries/paperback!
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