Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

9 reviews

thegayestghost's review against another edition

dark 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Rape, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Death, Sexism, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Racism and Homophobia

Minor: Vomit

smolhandsdan's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Stalking, Misogyny, Body horror, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Confinement, Kidnapping, and Mental illness

Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexism, and Religious bigotry

kbaker45's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Rape, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Suicide, Abortion, Addiction, Cannibalism, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Child death, Infertility, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

mandi_lea's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, and Rape

Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Confinement

notthatcosta's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

I watched Rosemary's Baby for the first time in 2021 and I became besotted with it quite quickly. It's worth saying that my original reference for the film was Tyra Banks' obsession with Mia Farrow's haircut in the film, which she proceeded to force on a season 5 contestant (and then a season 6 contestant) of America's Next Top Model.

Even more so than The Stepford Wives, the book is pretty much a mirror of the film's plot, with the exception of a brief trip that Rosemary makes to Hutch's cabin (which doesn't feature in the film). I was impressed at how much more concise the book is than the film, but both feel equally weighty and intricate. 

While the book is highly disturbing and frustrating in equal measure, the most salient aspect is the resolve and determination of Rosemary, which Mia Farrow channels excellently in the film adaptation. The way she is surrounded/smothered by people who are almost all conspiring against her and using her body to carry Satan's child (spoiler alert), and yet manages to figure out the plot and intervene is a testament to Ira Levin's ability to craft dynamic heroines in the most wild of circumstances.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Gaslighting, Death, and Rape

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Medical trauma, Child death, Confinement, Medical content, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Addiction and Homophobia

aquariusvintage's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Personally, I found the writing outdated. A lot of harmful tropes and slurs added. Appreciate the creepiness of the story line. A horror that is horrifying because it so closely mirrors reality. The book is considered a classic so there wasn't any jump scares or major twists in the storyline. Seemed pretty predictable. Didn't realize there would be a cliffhanger because the book is the beginning of a series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Homophobia and Racial slurs

Minor: Vomit and Child death

lydiavsbooks's review

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

Wow this was brilliant. Such a dark compelling horror that reflects on how women are disbelieved and the very real horror of how (especially pregnant) women are treated. Definitely one that will stay with me for a while.

 I think I have a soft spot for the very niche tropes of a) creepy culty appartment blocks and b) exploring how shitty men treat women and mothers, and this combined the two perfectly. A true classic of the genre, it's cool to be able to see the influence this book has had on so many others since. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting and Rape

Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

georgiaaa's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Body horror, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Suicide

Minor: Homophobia

trop_de_livres's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

After previously finding The Stepford Wives less than well-written, I decided to give this one a try after listening to a podcast about the movie. I went in with a different attitude when reading it, not expecting a brilliantly-written book but instead imagining it as a script with stage directions. The sparse writing makes more sense and I found certain sentences less annoying that way. ("Good," Margaret said. "Take care of yourself." "I will," Rosemary said. "You too, Margaret." "I will. Good-by." "Good-by.") I would normally stop reading a book if it were written like that but thinking about it as a play was the perfect solution. Even though I basically knew how it would end it kept my suspense and attention and I enjoyed it. There are some unfortunate racist things that were most likely not considered racist at the time and there is a 

rape scene

which is obviously essential to the plot but very upsetting.  I was born in Year One myself so this made the novel more intriguing to me, to think my parents were having their first child the same year as Rosemary and Guy. Since I was raised in a 

Catholic family where the devil is considered to be real

  this made it even more creepy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, and Rape

Moderate: Racism