Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

14 reviews

b00murded's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Rape, Infertility, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Grief, Death, and Murder

Minor: Abortion and Confinement

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

auteaandtales's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Rape, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Homophobia, Body shaming, Misogyny, and Racism

bookbelle5_17's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Review of Rosemary’s Baby

By: Ira Levin

            Rosemary and Guy are a young happy couple eager to move into the famous Bramford apartment.  When they move in, they meet this elderly couple, Roman and Mini Castavets, who are very willing to insert themselves in Rosemary and Guy’s lives.  Rosemary finally gets pregnant the Castavets help Rosemary with it, but she begins to suspect they have wicked intensions for her baby.

Rosemary’s Baby focuses not only on the occult and devil worship, but also on the fears of expecting mothers.  Am I harming my child before its born?  How do make I sure my baby is born good?  It is one of those horror stories where our protagonists’ sanity is put to the test and can any of the other characters can be trusted.  Rosemary is constantly gaslighted and is condescended to by her husband, Guy, and she is so submissive to him in most of the story.  The Castavets are written in a way that makes them seem like they mean well, but they’re trying too hard to be involved with Rosemary’s pregnancy, especially when she barely knows them.  The horror is written in a subtle way where the reader doesn’t know for sure of what’s going on.  I found myself getting frustrated with Rosemary, because I wanted her to stand up for herself and not trust the Castavets.  Unless you don’t believe in the devil, this possibility is absolutely terrifying, but also even if you don’t believe the idea of these, who do believe is quite frightening as well.  This is an older novel published in the 60s and has casual racist mentalities.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Suicide, and Confinement

Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism

katherineellen's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

“Like so many unhappinesses, this one had begun with silence in the place of honest open talk.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Physical abuse, Rape, and Pregnancy

farrahsoa's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and Rape

Moderate: Misogyny

jj_tj's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape and Misogyny

essiie's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious relaxing sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy

Moderate: Gaslighting, Misogyny, Medical trauma, and Medical content

Minor: Rape and Suicide

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

xwritingstoriesx's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 A great mix of supernatural horror and psychological horror. I felt so sorry for Rosemary, unknowingly marrying someone so selfish and heartless to put his wife through such a betrayal. Though every other character was awful for their actions against Rosemary, Guy's betrayal was something else entirely, even to go so far as to persuade her of her own disillusionment and hysteria.

The ending was intriguing, to watch as Rosemary fell in love with the son of satan, in spite of her prior aversion to him. I kind of wished she had jumped out of the window to end it all, to displease the coven and to thwart their plans.

Overall, this book was incredible and I plan to read more of Ira Levin's work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Gaslighting, and Rape

Moderate: Drug use, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Death

Minor: Racial slurs