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stephanieanneauthor's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Believe it or not, I haven't seen the movie yet (but it is on my list). But movie or no movie, I had to give the book a try as I'm a fan of Levin's writing style. I will note that the sound quality of the audiobook is less than stellar, but other than that this book is phenomenal.
As someone who's lived through it, I love stories that involve gaslighting as it adds to the tension and discomfort. And I wanted to scream at some of the obstacles Rosemary encountered. In those early chapters, I wasn't too sure how I would feel about her, but I came to love her character arc. I've also noticed recently that I tend to be more drawn to domestic horror stories. There's something delightfully unsettling about home life gone wrong, and situations that should be safe and comforting, but are not.
Can't wait to watch the movie now!
As someone who's lived through it, I love stories that involve gaslighting as it adds to the tension and discomfort. And I wanted to scream at some of the obstacles Rosemary encountered. In those early chapters, I wasn't too sure how I would feel about her, but I came to love her character arc. I've also noticed recently that I tend to be more drawn to domestic horror stories. There's something delightfully unsettling about home life gone wrong, and situations that should be safe and comforting, but are not.
Can't wait to watch the movie now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual violence, Blood, Rape, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Child death, and Sexual content
Minor: Addiction, Abortion, Miscarriage, and Homophobia
nebaker42's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
mariathemillennial's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
anna_2022's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child abuse
ttolbert915's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
coraline88's review against another edition
5.0
Rosemary's baby is about a couple, Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse, who move into the Bramford, which their friend Hutch strongly warns them against. Shortly after, strange things begin to happen, which their strange neighbours may know something about...
Even though I was already familiar with the story due to its status as a classic horror story (both as a book and as a movie), reading the book really surprised me in many ways. For one, the writing style was quite a quick read yet also effective: Ira Levin has the capacity of telling a layered story with key themes such as fear of a pregnancy going wrong as well as the excitement of being a new mother, contrasting feelings which Rosemary embodies throughout the novel. This fear is further heightened later on in the story when
However, even if at the end she gave birth to the spawn of Satan, she still managed to gain back some of her autonomy, even if it was only by naming her child Andrew John like she had initially wanted instead of succumbing to the Satanic cult's wishes of naming him Adrian Stephen. This makes the story end on a bittersweet note, which highlights the complex nature of this deceptively simple tale, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Even though I was already familiar with the story due to its status as a classic horror story (both as a book and as a movie), reading the book really surprised me in many ways. For one, the writing style was quite a quick read yet also effective: Ira Levin has the capacity of telling a layered story with key themes such as fear of a pregnancy going wrong as well as the excitement of being a new mother, contrasting feelings which Rosemary embodies throughout the novel. This fear is further heightened later on in the story when
Spoiler
she comes to realize that all of her neighbours, as well as her husband Guy and Dr. Saperstein were all in on the demon pregnancy that was ensured by making her drink a smoothie with Tannis root every day instead of the real medicine that she needed, depriving her of basic medical care. This coupled with Dr. Saperstein's insistence that she ought not to read any books also contributes to her slowly losing all of her autonomy throughout the course of the novel, both mentally and physically.However, even if at the end she gave birth to the spawn of Satan, she still managed to gain back some of her autonomy, even if it was only by naming her child Andrew John like she had initially wanted instead of succumbing to the Satanic cult's wishes of naming him Adrian Stephen. This makes the story end on a bittersweet note, which highlights the complex nature of this deceptively simple tale, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Spoiler
thequack4's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
holy shit
davirodcz's review against another edition
5.0
Se o diabo é o pai da mentira, o filho dele é o Pinóquio?