Rating: Summary: AWESOME Review: I have never really thought a book like this could grab me. This one proved me wrong. Just the idea of being able to read someones diary that really puts you in the middle of the happenings in Rose Red. You feel exactly what she feels when you read this book. Like so many other people, I saw the mini series first and then bought the book. I understand a lot more of the mini series now. Ellen really had a hard time understanding what was going on but soon learned to accept things as they are. This is a must read for those that enjoy a good thriller.
Rating: Summary: Ooo, that one kind of missed the mark didn't it Review: I had to edit, I apologize. I have found out recently that it was Ridley Pearson apprently who wrote the diary of ellen rimbauer, so my critique such as it was, was misplaced. I love Stephen King, and for the most part I am always satisfied with his books, short stories and screenplays. But, you can't hit it on the nose everytime, and unfortunately in this case, its a big miss.The idea is good and I even like that it creates a bit of commercial buzz for the movie. I read in other reviews that many thought this publicity act devalued the work. I disagree, I think its a great idea. What I think devalues the work, is how bad the book is. Truly, I think its one of the worst. The attempt is to write it from the prospective of a diary of a 19th century gentlewomen. Okay, if thats the case then make her one, don't make her do raunchy things and pray to dark gods and then try and make her a proper uptight class bound lady by using such cheap dialogue as "Dare I write it, dear diary, dare I say it?!!", (which, by the way is written so many time that it boarders on once a diary entry). The diary doesn't convince, its not believable and most frustrating of all is that we are expected believe that its a diary of a 19th century women, just because the writer uses language like. "dare I",and "my condition being frail because of my monthly...." Honestly!!! Shame on you Mr. King...your constant readers expect more. One more thing I have to say, I have read a few of the other reviews for this. How could anyone really believe this was true??
Rating: Summary: Fictional novel??!! Review: I cannot believe I fell for this! I have read the book, visited the website and rented the movie just to find out more about Rose Red and Ellen Rimbauer. I am not one who typically reads Stephen King or anything remotely scary. I was so scared while reading this book (because I thought it was true!) that I would not even sleep in the same room as the book. Boy they got me good!
Rating: Summary: Ellen's diary pleases with minor consistency errors Review: The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red is the best book I've read in a while. Once I started I couldn't put it down. A wealthy oil tycoon marries Ellen and she experiences the troubles of her new life, realizing what her husband really wants. They move into Rose Red, a giant mansion that will be the site of many eerie and unexplained things in later years. The book does have a few problems though. Sometimes, a character is said to be dead but is mentioned alive later. This doesn't really take away from the book though. Anyone who liked the miniseries should read this book.
Rating: Summary: diary of ellen rimbauer Review: I too am scepticle of reality of book due to wording,doesnt fit in with that time and if King wrote it I would think he would know better.Also some things just didnt seem to fit with common sense of time period.Am disappointed.C.C.
Rating: Summary: Probably the best written book on the paranormal I have read Review: This is a fascinating book which flows easily through Ellen's life. I could feel her anticipation prior to John's marriage proposal. I was happy for her as her children were born, and felt her sorrow at her losses. The accounts of her growing love for Sukeena were heartbreaking as John added his perversion to their friendship. An easy read, I bought the paper back and finished it almost at once. I have tried accessing the omitted sections from Reardon's web site to no avail. I will also try to find friend Tina's diary pages. This one is a worthy read!
Rating: Summary: I still dream about this house... Review: This was my first experience of seeing a movie, or in this case a miniseries, then reading the book. This was even more unusual because the events in the book preceeded the events in the miniseries. I found this to be quite effective. Although most of the events in the book were alluded to in the miniseries, the book was much more detailed and illustory. I would say that if you did not see the miniseries, the book will doubtless be a satisfying read, but not near as fulfilling.
Rating: Summary: STEPHEN KINGS : DIARY OF ELLEN RIMAUER : MY LIFE AT ROSE RED Review: JUST AWESOME WHAT CAN I SAY STEPHEN KING AT HIS FINEST. I KNOW , I KNOW IT SAYS BY JOYCE REARDON . BUT IF YOUR A TRUE KING FAN LIKE MYSELF YOU CAN TELL ITS KING. LOVED THE BOOK !!! I ORDERED THE DVD . SHOULD BE GOOD TOO. READ THE BOOK YOU WONT BE DISAPPOINTED KEEPS THE READER ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT
Rating: Summary: Schlock, AND a cheap shill. Zero stars, please! Review: I'm very sad that S. King would allow such a cheap ploy, perhaps even directly participate in it, to advance a reputation that needs no such tactics. I bought this book thinking it was what it purported to be: a period journal. I was skeptical, given the subject matter, but thought I was at least dealing with well-intentioned lunacy and I was interested in a woman's thoughts of that time period. I was somewhat confused by the promo for King's "Rose Red," which I'd never heard of, but thought perhaps this was source material he'd drawn from, as well. The "author's" forward is very convincing, though the "found in a trunk" claim should have tipped me off, as well as the photos and the .net listing for "Beaumont University." All the same, in a hurry and looking for an entertaining weekend read, I picked it up. Less than a chapter in I knew it had to be some sort of hoax. Not only did it not read like a journal, it was the cheapest sort of bodice ripper, full of over-the-top sex scenes, and not particularly original at that. A house built on an Indian burial ground? Pu-leeeeeeeze! Conversations recorded verbatim, in proper manucript format? Give me a break! Long, circular logic emotings written at Mother's dressing table the morning of the ill-starred wedding? Where's the bucket? And don't get me started on the strangely powerful, all-knowing African servant woman who becomes "Ellen's" best friend and protector after curing her VD with "bitter teas". Someone alert the NAACP. The larding of stale cliche, as well as the pandering to those hungry for porn-quality lesbian scenes are so thick it's actually impressive. I've read better quality work on fanfiction sites. This book is on the same artistic, intellectual, and cultural level as Xena: Warrior Princess, but far less honest. It's not that it's such a silly, derivative book (it is) that upsets me-- it's the incredibly cheap tactics the author and publisher took to place it in my hands. Send publishers everywhere a message by not buying into this scam. Wish I hadn't. I only hope that this turkey reached #1 on the NYT's Bestseller list due to people who knew what it was, though that's still a sad statement on America's reading tastes. Or maybe the publisher made that part up, too? To the author: if you're wondering why I didn't put my name to this, consider us even.
Rating: Summary: The Horror, the Horror - Of Crass Commercialism! Review: As the book that sells the movie that sells the book, the book is much better than the movie, which is awful. It's actually a pretty entertaining read, though probably not for the reasons Stephen King intended. The conceit of the book being the edited diary of a turn of the century woman falls flat pretty much from the start, for a number of reasons. The viewpoints are very much those of a contemporary man, however hard they might try to appear otherwise. The language is archaic, not as actual old speech is archaic, but in an artificially theatrical sense. King uses the word "did" so often, it becomes a joke - as in, "The curtains did part," or "The smoke did rise," or "Her face did turn pale." This is the way a contemporary author or a soap opera actress imagines people from a past age to have written or spoken, not the way those people really did. There are bad continuity problems, which should have been caught in editing. At one point, King clearly states that a character hemorrhaged to death after clawing out his own eyes, and later that same character is referred to as still being alive and in prison. At another point, a character is referred to as pacing throughout a certain piece of dramatic business, and on the very next page he contradicts the assertion by taking a seat which he doesn't leave until the said business is concluded. There are times when the action is over-the-top, but nowhere near as badly as in the miniseries/movie. There is, however, a great deal of comically melodramatic foreshadowing - i.e., lightning striking at precisely the moment someone makes a shocking announcement, or has a dire thought. The funniest line in the book is one in which the writer of the diary hopes that "some scientist" will one day explain what is happening in Rose Red, since she cannot - and, of course, we all know what happens in the miniseries. It's all pretty silly, and not scary (or even very suspenseful) in the slightest, but it's great fun if you're in the mood for this kind of thing.
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