Diary of Ellen Rimbauer, The

by Joyce Reardon

At the turn of the twentieth century, Ellen Rimbauer became the young bride of Seattle industrialist John Rimbauer, and began keeping a remarkable diary. This diary became the secret place where Ellen could confess her fears of the new marriage, her confusion over her emerging sexuality, and the nightmare that her life would become. The diary not only follows the development of a girl into womanhood, it follows the construction of the Rimbauer mansion called Rose Red; an enormous home that would be the site of so many horrific and inexplicable tragedies in the years ahead. The Diary of Ellen My Life at Rose Red is a rare document, one that gives us an unusual view of daily life among the aristocracy in the early 1900s, a window into one woman's hidden emotional torment, and a record of the mysterious events at Rose Red that scandalized Seattle society at the time - events that can only be fully understood now that the diary has come to light. Edited by Joyce Reardon, Ph.D. as part of her research, the diary is being published as preparations are being made by Dr. Reardon to enter Rose Red and fully investigate its disturbing history.

Genres: Horror, Fiction

291 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2002

About the author

"Joyce Reardon" is a pseudonym of Ridley Pearson.

Reviews

[Danni May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rose Red the Stephen King miniseries had an absolute chokehold on me when it came out in the early 2000s. After watching it I then became obsessed with other similar topics like the real life Winchester mystery house and with fictional books about hungry possessed houses (how many time have I read The Haunting of Hill House)? Anyways…I saw Rose Red was streaming and wanted to rewatch it but first I wanted to read this movie tie in about the Ellen Rimbauer and the history and lore of the house. Loved this! It was really unsettling, the descent into madness was fantastic. I will never get over haunted houses ever, I feel my obsession will never end! Off to rewatch the series I hope it holds up after all these years!

[McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Diary Of Ellen Rimbauer is the perfect match to Rose Red. It gives you a deeper look at the main character and her mystery home. You can delve into the nitty gritty of her past, and why she built the house the way she did, and why so many think its cursed. This book is a page turner, and captures the readers interest. This book is quite powerful and could stand on its own.

[Amanda Groetzinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book

I always enjoy reading this book. It is actually authored by Stephen King in tandem with his Rose Red screenplay. The movie is about Joyce's foray into Rose Red. This book gives you many amazing insights into the characters and a much richer back story to the movie.

[Aimee Coia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

Interesting insight into the true story background for the Stephen King story that scared me and my sister to the bone.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's crazy to think that these thoughts were actually going through this woman's head. Really creepy, but also really intriguing. Reardon did an excellent job of putting the diary in a readable form.

[Sadie Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw the mini series on TV, and it intrigued me that her "diary" is where the story comes from! I found it at a book store, and scooped it up. I couldn't put it down! The story was captivating. It delves more into the main character Ellen's life, which is only given in small pieces as memories in the series, so it was nice to get the whole picture! It made it easy to imagine. Because the series had King attached, I presumed he had been the author, but he was not! This made it more difficult to find, but I did get lucky. I lost the book years ago so I ordered a new copy, but it is admittedly harder to find nowadays than it was 15 years ago! I still highly recommend it. It's captivating, and the characters have rich histories that are realistic, and is set in intriguing times!!

[Cali Bakker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got totally sucked into this book. I stayed up late two nights in a row and finished it quickly. I was fascinated by the house and its relationship to others as well as people making terrible decisions (as they tend to do in the horror genre). I can't really speak to quality, I'm not very familiar with horror novels, but it was an enjoyable and creepy read.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This can be read as a solo book or as a tie in with the miniseries. As a solo book it is a fantastic read for anyone looking for a haunted house with aspects of historical fiction thrown in. As a companion piece this book fleshes out the themes and mysteries of the miniseries. It was a very enjoyable read.

[Candace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a prequel to a limited television series written by Stephen King. It purports to be the diary of the wife of the man who built Red Rose. I read it in the hope of it explaining some of the more confusing aspects of the TV show. I wasn't much impressed with the series, but this book wasn't too bad.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very creep to think is was based on someone's diary. It was good for one of my October reads.

[Deb Dinapoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

Well written, spellbinding. I read this beginning to end in one sitting. Great fun! Good ghost story. I was wishing it went on longer.

[Diane Mackereth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

It really kept my interest the whole time. It went thru all of the family's ups and downs. But Rose Red 🌹 was something else altogether.

[Agnes Long]

4 stars

Love Stephen King,always a favorite. I should search for the movie on streaming apps! Kept me interested and I read it quickly.

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes me think differently about the movie, Rose Red.

[Suzanne Hess]

DNF

[Crystal Cramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It had a slow start but I really got into it and wish it had a sequel

[Gale Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

One of my favorite stories. Absolutely loved feeling like I was part of the story. For me that is one of the most important things that I look for in everything I read.

[Heather Qualkenbush · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good, I cannot wait to go back and watch the movie again after reading this.

[Devon Maas · Rating 4 out of 5]

After being traumatized by Stephen King’s Rose Red miniseries as a kid, I decided to read this before giving it a rewatch as an adult. It was different than I remembered but did not disappoint!

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was okay. Glad I read it but probably wont again.

[Mary Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know the TV production was campy as hell but the book is easy to get through and has an interesting story line. Don’t let shitty television scare you away from a good read

[J.C. Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an extraordinary read, I found myself closing the book after each chapter to relish in the written word, savor it if you will. The one thing that I love most about this book is it’s written as if real—as if the characters are actual people, which gives the story more an air of mystery and intrigue—wonderful.
The dark haunting of Rose Red and the reason’s behind the haunting creates a brilliantly, particular experience into the paranormal realm. With extensive dialogue, the diary of Ellen Rimbauer, a personal confession of Ellen, provides more of a racier side of sexual depravity then seen in King’s writing prior. The fiction editor of Joyce Reardon, a professor of paranormal studies, has thrown in a few of her own notes in explanation to give the book more authenticity or realism to the mystery of Rose Red, a living, breathing entity. A mansion born of evil, spawned on an Indian burial ground—what a fascinating read.
For anyone who considers themselves a passionate Stephen King fans, the book is an essential read. From start to finish the story is an adornment of his talent and a stimulating experience.

[Hope Adkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good

King is always good. I like the way it's written in diary form. It was a great prelude to the mini series.