Rosemary's Baby

Well, well, well. I have been meaning to read this book for YEARS! YEARS! And I finally made it a priority to pick it up, sit down, and read it. And guess what? I'm impressed. For a book that is over 50 years old this was really good. Not the best or scariest book of all time, but really very good. You get a huge sense of foreboding when reading and had I not already seen the movie, these feelings would probably been much worse.Rosemary's Baby is all about the buildup. Scary things don't just pop out and make you scream. Rather, the tension builds and builds as the story progresses and them BAM something creepy happens. Something that makes your skin crawl. Ira Levin did a great job here and I really appreciate the detail he put into this one.If you enjoy the horror genre, you should definitely pick this one up. I find it to be a classic myself and think all fans of the genre should read it at some point in their lives. It's an easy read, one you can breeze through if you want to, and it's got excellent creep factor.

I could not for a second put this book down. What a story! Now I see why it's a well known horror classic, and why it's so highly rated. I wish I'd read it sooner. I felt myself panicking for Rosemary way before she even panicked for herself. I had no prior knowledge to book and could see that Devil's work was being done just from the way she mentioned sulfur after her dream, and not being able to have salt. I'm not sure how I knew, but I just did. I literally sat with my hand on my mouth at times, in horror, after reading about all of the terrible things she was going through. In the room, when she is defenseless in the corner, I literally felt my blood boiling within me and I have never been pregnant, or know what it's like to love something inside of you. The description and the emotions made me feel as though I had and I cared about the baby just as much as she did! What a shocker. I won't give too much away, and will stop soon.... But I must say that the ending left me feeling very disturbed and uncomfortable. It was marvelous. Everything I want in a good book that's going to scare me.

Rosemary's Baby is not very scary but it was pretty strange and I enjoyed it.Rosemary and her husband were really wanting to get into the Bramford apartment complex and right when they had signed a lease on another apartment it becomes available and Rosemary begs her husband Guy to get them out of the lease and into the Bramford. Wrong move on her part! :)Not real long after they had been living there they meet an old couple who really seems to take over their lives but Rosemary doesn't see it until it's to late. Rosemary doesn't see a lot of things till it's too late. I know I keep saying wake up woman!It wasn't to long after they met the old couple that Guy gets his big break in acting and it seems he is on fire with his career and then Rosemary gets pregnant and that is when the old couple really become a bit obsessed with her and the care of her baby, they even get her to go to a doctor they recommend, give her  vitamin drinks, etc.Like a lot of older horror it was more atmospheric than scary. The reader can see what his happening and is worried for Rosemary though she is a bit slow to realize what is happening. There was a few times I really wanted to scream at Rosemary for not catching onto things that were happening around her.The ending is a little strange and well I don't know. I am not even sure what I was expecting. I do think I am glad that I read this one before seeing the movie and now I would like to watch the movie. (Seeing the movie ruined my enjoyment of The Exorcist novel).I am reading this book called Paperbacks from Hell and it's the history of the horror industry from the 70's and 80's and the author says there was three books that really was a turning point for horror and those are The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby and The Other. So I have one more to go and I will have all three read. :) Let me tell you this book is wreaking havoc on my TBR...lol.Even though it's classed as horror I think I would put it as more suspense than horror, especially towards the end. I would recommend it to those who might like a little spooky suspense as it would be great for those who don't like to get to scared. I know a few of you out there...lol.

I'd seen the movie several times. I finally read the novel. Like other reviewers, the way the movie holds to the book, in plot, rhythm, character, and even dialogue, is uncanny. Almost like reading a screenplay. I found myself hoping for any scene that wasn't in the film. Making matters worse, Mia Farrow did such a good job playing Rosemary, that even the inner thoughts and motivations that a book provides, were not surprising and did not add much. So, kudos to the film makers and performers for such a faithful and accurate adaptation.As the novel progressed to its inevitable conclusion, one that I was well aware of, thanks to multiple viewings and several decades of cultural references, I felt a little apprehensive that I would end up feeling it was a waste of my time reading the book.And then I reached those last few pages!There it was! The thing the movie did not get right. They tried, but the viewer sees only the horror. The reader gets to be inside Rosemary's head. To me, that final statement about a mother's love is really the whole point.So, that's what my 5 stars are for.

Rosemary and actor-husband, Guy, are desperate to move out of their one-room bachelor pad when they hear about an apartment in the Bramford. The old New York City building might have a worrying reputation and a tenant list that seems only to include ‘mature’ residents, but the couple pull a few strings and soon move into the four-room apartment. Two of their new neighbours, Roman and Minnie Castevet, become regular visitors to the young couple’s residence and while they may be a little eccentric, seem fairly harmless. However, when Rosemary becomes pregnant, the Castevets take her forthcoming happy event a little too seriously and begin foisting gifts on Rosemary, some of which are just plain weird. As well as insisting she go to their own doctor rather than the one she had chosen, the mother-to-be soon finds herself becoming suspicious of the amount of time her husband spends with the old couple as well as the pair’s elderly, and equally weird, friends. When a young woman staying with the Castevets dies suddenly, Rosemary begins to wonder…Although not an out-and-out horror novel, Rosemary’s Baby is nevertheless pretty damn creepy. Levin manages to create a gradual feeling of uncertainty and suspicion in his main character, pushing her towards increasingly bizarre theories concerning her neighbours. The book is an easy read and the author doesn’t waste time on irrelevancies, moving the plot continually forwards. My only criticism is that the paperback edition I bought has rather a lot of typos and additional (misplaced and repeated) commas dotted here and there, which you’d think, with a book first published in the sixties, would have been ironed out by now.Aside from that, this is a cracking good read leading to an unsettling and sinister denouement that no doubt inspired horror writers the world over.

It is nearly 40 years since I either read the book or saw the film. I thought it was about time that this was remedied.I ordered the book, which was reasonably priced, and was delivered very quickly. Over the next 2 evenings I read the book which was every bit as good I remembered. If you have heard the hype about the book or the film, believe it. A very highly recommended book by an excellent author.

Ira Levin’s great horror novel not only made him popular, but made this probably the biggest selling horror story in the Sixties, whilst also starting a boom in the genre which is still being felt to this day. In some ways turning the gothic novel on its head this also helped to bring horror to a more normal setting, after all this takes place right in the middle of New York City.Guy and Rosemary Woodhouse, and quite newly married manage to get an apartment in the Bramford building. For Rosemary she feels like she has hit the big time, and all the couple need now is for Guy’s acting career to be a bit more successful, then she can settle down and start having children.But as Rosemary is about to start finding out, there is a certain notorious reputation to the building, according to a friend, and although the neighbours seem friendly she does seem to have become isolated from most of her previous friends and acquaintances. Then with Guy’s career really taking off and he deciding it is time for them to have a child, so worries and concerns start to surface.Although a horror tale this is also one that falls into the thriller end of the market, as we see our main character get paranoid and possibly delusional. But is Mrs Woodhouse going nuts, or is what she believes is happening really the truth?Although most people are more than aware of this story nowadays it is interesting when reading this to see how Levin used some very good misdirection at times to keep people away from what the expected ending would be, thus giving us some nice twists. Always something worth reading this has been tried by others but not beaten, and has inspired many a modern author to write in this genre.

If you've ever watched the film, then read this. It's well written and you can actually picture the film in your head as you progress through the novel, which is a great compliment to Roman Polanski. You'll get through this book extremely quickly as it draws you in from page to page. Not a chiller, by any means, but certainly a psychological thriller that totally immerses. It's funny how a film can affect your reading experience - I was imagining the faces of Cassavetes and Farrow and the little imp like face of Ruth Gordon as Minnie Castavet the devilishly friendly satan worshipper. Thoroughly enjoyed

My actual rating would be 4.5The story is very well written and gripping!I'm a huge fan of the film and it's been very well adapted from the novel.So, why 4.5?First of all for the usual stereotypes around witchcraft and witches. Glad we moved on (mostly) from that today.Second, there are quite few sentences in which black people and homosexuals are addressed in a way that it wouldn't be acceptable today.But I suppose this was acceptable at the time the book was written and needs to be placed in that context.Overall, a very good story that any horror and mystery fan will enjoy!