Customer Reviews

The Enigma of the Wishing Rock

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you were raised in the Pasadena/Elvaton area, and are expecting to read cool stories about your childhood home, you're going to be very disapointed in this book. It's not even really about the Wishing Rock! The author recounts a series of events that took place in Glen Burnie and, very laboriously, tries to blame them on the sometimes evil, (?)sometimes benign (?) influence of Rock Hill (that's what the locals always called it.) Not one single story takes place in Pasadena! He obviously does not have first-hand knowledge of the site, because he states that "the locals never go there." As kids, my brothers and I and all the neighborhood kids played on the rocks all the time. As a matter of fact, the rocks are covered with the graffiti of generations of kids!

If you were raised in Glen Burnie, you might find this book mildly entertaining, but please don't blame Pasadena's Wishing Rock for those occurances. There's got to be an undiscovered enigma in Glen Burnie somewhere! Find that, and you'll find the true culprit in this book.

Hey, the house I grew up in is the subject of one chapter in this book. That alone is worth the cover price! Now I know why I was always afraid of the basement and attic, especially after dark. Darn, I loved that house--too bad builders do not build like that anymore!

A few of the stories in this book are fun, but certainly don't expect pulse pounding tension. That's not really the problem, though. What really bothers someone from the area are the simple inaccuracies and silly assertions. A quote from page 12 comes to mind:

"Despite the isolated nature of the Rock, no one ever bothers to visit the unsettling site after dark."

Huh? I spent many nights in high school there with many friends, and judging by the ubiquitous beer bottles found there, so did many others. In fact, after spending an evening exploring the rock and cleaning up much of the trash, my companions and I were detained by Anne Arundel County police officers for several hours. After being searched and held, we were finally told that 'county property closes at 10:30 pm'. The site isn't the least bit 'unsettling'; it is actually quite pleasant. It is simply strange to see such large rocks in the coastal plain of central Maryland.

The book itself rarely focuses on Pasadena or the Rock, but spends its time making tenous connections between bad things occuring in Glen Burnie to the grouping of rocks.

This could have been a neat little book about a hangout spot and unusual geologic formation back in my hometown. It was not at all. Considering that this book is bound to be only of local interest; that's a damning statement.

Decent read. Not very scary but enjoyable. Made me want to drive around my hometown (Pasadena) and look for the buildings and landmarks mentioned.

John Romine's first book rivals Stephen King at his scariest! There is too much in this book to go into detail. The episodes in Anne Arundel County, Maryland will keep you turning the pages. Suffice it to say Romine has burst onto the literary scene with a spectacular thriller!

A masterpiece!!! A great read but entirely too short. I'm waiting for his next work.