Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #379524 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 277 pages

Customer Reviews

Great companion to movie
Having seen 'Rose Red' on television here in the US I had to read this book. It gives great insight and answers many questions that the TV movie arose. A must have for any fan of the movie and also a book that holds its own as a great read. I definately recomment this to any suspense/horror reader.

The faux-diary to go with Stephen King's "Rose Red" series
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 it informs our enjoyment of the mini-series. Of course, after "Rose Red" was aired, most of the fun and a large chunk of the value of reading this faux-diary was gone. But there are people out there who have not seen it yet, right? Then this book might be for you.