All right, I didn't have anything to read new from Stephen King, so I went back and picked up one of the only books I haven't read from him: Rose Madder.
Rose Madder is essentially a domestic abuse escape story with a little magic and a whole lot of Mr. King's magic thrown in. The reason I never read this thing before is that the concept seemed pretty banal to me. I have to say after getting to know Rosie McClendon and the other folks who cross her path, I began to root for her and really became invested in her plight.
The magic realism, surrealism, and 'art is the gateway to archetypal exploration' part of it was all right, but I found in this regard it was perhaps too crucial to the climax of the story. I wanted Rosie to win because she could. I love Stephen King's writing, his villain was, as usual, psychologically complex, but there just wasn't enough of the story to stretch all that wonderful writing across. I can't say I didn't enjoy it, but I can say this was one of my least favorite Stephen King Novels.
A moving, and literate, story of suspense and recovery. Well worth the read, but maybe not for every Stephen King fan.
About Me
- T.L.Barrett
- I write and live with my beautiful wife, Sandra, and sons (Solstice, Finnegan and Brahms) in a little-big house on a dirt road in a valley in the hills. My secret identity struggles through the grind of teaching high school English to the denizens of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Summer's ending
Well, the crickets are sounding loud and clear outside my house. Sure its hot and humid, but I know what that song means. My kids have started to talk about going back to school, which means I will have to, as well. Not that I'm so lazy, I can't stand the fact that my entire life's not a vacation, but hey, Summer is the one time I get to really swim in the outdoors, canoe, and write.
Have I accomplished all I wanted so far this summer in lieu of writing. Not by a long shot. But, that's okay. I wrote a couple of okay stories, and a couple of good ones. I wrote the first third of a novel so far, and that will be a thread I can pick back up on the occasional night or on weekends. As usual, life got in the way. Children, long romantic canoe rides with the Mrs. You name it. I love writing, but my little guys are going to be little for a little while, I have the ghosts of childhood's summer's past lurking occasionally through my house (my step-children are all teenagers). So, I have embraced summer. I have swum under waterfalls and played games with my boys, had adventures with my lovely wife and continued to dream.
Then, hopefully, someday, when I can't find anyone who wants to play a game with me, and the house is quiet and I don't even have the grudging adolescent ghosts to keep me company, those dreams will return, and when I turn them over I'll find the threads that will lead me on, and more stories will be born. But, I guess that's what it's all about, we live, we hope, and most importantly, we enjoy ourselves.
As Bill Hicks said, Life is just a ride, people. Enjoy it. I hope you are well, and stay well.
Oh, and I heard from my editor: Test of a Prince is almost ready! Yay! I will tell you more when I know more.
Trav
Have I accomplished all I wanted so far this summer in lieu of writing. Not by a long shot. But, that's okay. I wrote a couple of okay stories, and a couple of good ones. I wrote the first third of a novel so far, and that will be a thread I can pick back up on the occasional night or on weekends. As usual, life got in the way. Children, long romantic canoe rides with the Mrs. You name it. I love writing, but my little guys are going to be little for a little while, I have the ghosts of childhood's summer's past lurking occasionally through my house (my step-children are all teenagers). So, I have embraced summer. I have swum under waterfalls and played games with my boys, had adventures with my lovely wife and continued to dream.
Then, hopefully, someday, when I can't find anyone who wants to play a game with me, and the house is quiet and I don't even have the grudging adolescent ghosts to keep me company, those dreams will return, and when I turn them over I'll find the threads that will lead me on, and more stories will be born. But, I guess that's what it's all about, we live, we hope, and most importantly, we enjoy ourselves.
As Bill Hicks said, Life is just a ride, people. Enjoy it. I hope you are well, and stay well.
Oh, and I heard from my editor: Test of a Prince is almost ready! Yay! I will tell you more when I know more.
Trav
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