Is Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel Based on a True Story?
- by CrafterFox
- in Book Club
- posted June 13, 2022
Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel draws upon the true story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard.
In 2015 24 year old Gypsy Rose Blanchard was charged with first degree murder. Although she wasn’t the one actually committing the crime, Gypsy Rose arranged for her mother to be killed by her boyfriend, Nick Godejohn. Her reasons? Dee Dee Blanchard was an abusive mother. Dee Dee suffered from Munchausen by Proxy which basically means that she couldn’t stop making her own child sick in order to feel needed by her. Not only that, but she profited off of her daughter’s ‘illnesses’, using her to get money and even a house from the kind people who wanted to help this sick child. Stephanie Wrobel’s Darling Rose Gold is loosely based on Gypsy Rose’s story. In the novel, however, Patty (aka Dee Dee) doesn’t get murdered. Instead, she goes to prison to serve time for her crimes.
The story has two different timelines that follow the two main characters: Rose Gold and Patty. Patty’s story is set right after her release from prison and presents her messed up way of thinking about how her daughter should apologise to her for testifying against her in court. Rose Gold’s storyline follows her through the years after her mother’s arrest. The two timelines cross paths at the end, of course, but I can’t really tell you details about them without revealing some important moments of the story.
Before reading the book, I watched HBO’s adaptation of Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee Blanchard’s true story, entitled ‘The Act’. The story captivated me as I couldn’t wrap my mind around why someone would do such horrific things to their own child. Gypsy Rose’s final act of revenge did not seem like that big of a surprise. She was not only physically, but also psychologically abused by her mother which, let’s face it, left her with scars that may never heal.
The psychological effects of living with a person who is so controlling and such a good liar, are perfectly reflected upon in Stephanie Wrobel’s Darling Rose Gold. I would even go so far as to say that the story serves a secondary purpose and it is meant to show how an innocent, abused child can become a person very similar to her abuser – if she lacks the support she needs from other members of the community.
Darling Rose Gold is a captivating story of a young woman who desperately tries to fit in but is unable to. It is the sad story of a person who, without the help of others, cannot find healthy ways of coping with the difficulties of life. It is also the story of a child ill-prepared to face the harshness of the world.
My Rating
I enjoyed Stephanie Wrobel’s Darling Rose Gold very much. It was well-written and very engaging. It definitely deserves a Five Fox rating. 🦊🦊🦊🦊🦊
Discussion Points
Have you heard about Gypsy Rose Blanchard before reading Darling Rose Gold? What were your expectations from this novel?
What do you think about Patty’s way of finding excuses for her own wrong-doings? Are they genuine? Does she really not know right from wrong?
Rose Gold’s father plays an interesting role in the story. What did you think about him and about his attitude towards his daughter?
You can find this book on:
Amazon 🇬🇧
Amazon 🇺🇸
If you would like to know more about Gypsy Rose Blanchard and the murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, watch this documentary:
Also check out HBO’s adaptation of the story:
If you liked this review, don’t forget to read some of my other Book Club picks as well!
As always, thank you for reading!
