Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

45 reviews

automatic_rae's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

An interesting concept, but not my cup of tea.
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stephanieanneauthor's review against another edition

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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!
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amanda_flynn's review against another edition

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4.0

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samwisery's review

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
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b00murded's review against another edition

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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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alex60517's review against another edition

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

5.0

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alliebranca's review against another edition

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

5.0

Loved this. It was a case of is the character being gaslit or is something nefarious going on? Or perhaps both. The main character, Rosemary, is smart and not a meek idiot which makes the story great to follow. The conclusion is both sad and scary - and very interesting. 
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afternoonlight's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
Creepy but entertaining. I thought the horror would be about the baby but maybe the real horror was being a housewife in the 1960’s. 
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vbarsi's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.5

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bookbelle5_17's review against another edition

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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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