Rating: Summary: A pregnant woman discovers a satanic sacrifice plot Review: Rosemarys Baby is extremely easy to read and you will get through the book in no time at all. It is short, about 200 pages and is pretty much more of a novella than a full bloodied horror manuscript. None the less - it is still extremely satisfying and the size and depth of the story is particularly suitable for the subject matter at hand.The plot revolves around the newly wed Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse who have moved into a huge apartment in a building known as the Bramford in New York. Rosemary wants children and Guy, an actor, wants to further his career. Hutch, a friend of Rosemary, tells her that the Bramford is a "danger zone" because of previous murders, suicides and diabolical deeds that have gone on there in the past. Sure enough many of these atrocities slowly begin to unveil themselves much to the dismay of Rosemary. Guy sees these events as just a coincidence and the elderly occupants who live in the Bramford seem to be all too innocent to be involved in plotting murders or faking suicides. Eventually everything settles down and Rosemary gets pregnant during a nightmare that has her confused but she gradually calms down to prepare for her new born but not without the smothering attention of her neighbors who pop around twenty times a day to help her out. Rosemary casually begins to notice things in the Bramford or about its occupants in passing and slowly suspicion begins to develop in her mind that all may not be as it seems. There is a classic mystery lurking behind the more horrific avenues found in this great story as Rosemary slowly unravels the unknown which seems to have a diabolical nature. Doctors hint that her pregnancy may be causing undue stress and the reader is left guessing right up until the last few pages as to if there is a plot to sacrifice her baby or if she is going mad in some sort of prenatal depression. The ending is a total shock to the uninformed reader! Roman Polanski also directed the film version of this book. Both the film and book are excellent choices of entertainment. Highly recommended original horror!
Rating: Summary: Wonderfully creepy Review: This story is so effectively creepy because it seems so normal. Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse are in many ways your typical young couple (albeit in 1966). He's handsome, she's pretty, they hang out with friends, have a healthy sex life and generally enjoy each other's company. The main difference between the Woodhouse's and your average couple is that Guy aspires to be an actor, and Rosemary is so head over heels in love with him that she ignores his caddish, self-centered behavior. The events in this novel have been described at length by previous reviewers, and I will not repeat the summary here. I will add that the dialogue and descriptions of every day life are wonderful. The neighbors are well-characterized and seem like they could be your neighbors anywhere. This straight-forward storytelling method for me just adds to the creepiness--awful things are happening in broad daylight and being performed by the sweet grandma and grandpa next door. And to this poor unsuspecting young pregnant woman to boot! I read this book a few years ago and recently re-read it. On my second read, I was surprised that I didn't pick up on Guy's involvement sooner. But this time, since I knew what was coming, I noticed all the subtle details planted throughout the story that are each little strokes of genius (the missing glove, Guy's trip for ice cream, etc.) Ira Levin is a master storyteller, and here he delivers a story so disturbing that gorier, less artful horror stories cannot compete with it. If you get a chance, check out the movie. Mia Farrow's portrayal of Rosemary, and the depiction of Minnie and Roman are flawless. Plus, the movie lifts the dialogue almost word-for-word from the book. This is the perfect book to read when you want to be thoroughly disturbed in the blandest of settings.
Rating: Summary: Hauntingly chilling classic horror Review: Rosemary's Baby is the story of a young newly-wed couple who happen to move in to a building with a history of unfortunate and strange occurences. Rosemary is ready and willing to start a family, but little does she know she'll end up carrying the baby of, not her husband Guy, but rather Satan himself. This is a story of witches and devil worship coupled with real-life events and occurences. This fact is what made this novel so ground-breaking when it first came out in the 60's. It places horror in the home, and in someone's womb, as opposed to something slightly more abstract (ie-"Swamp Thing" or "The Blob"). "Fear where we never thought to look before." Is Rosemary being a worried soon-to-be mother? How many of her suspicions are rooted in fact? Does Rosemary need to protect her child from others, or is it everyone else who needs protection from him? For Rosemary, the line becomes blurred between fear and reality and she can trust no one as she struggles to discern the truth. Levin weaves the plot elements together so masterfully and intricately that the story is indeed flawless. The characters are believable, and the suspense very real. The twists are intriguing and exciting. I cranked this book out yesterday, so it's fair to say that Rosemary's Baby is an easy and fast-paced read. However, though this is a great suspense-type horror book, it is not really necessarily "spooky" or nail-biting per say. If you are looking for a suspensful page-turner that is a quick and simple read, then give this one a try!
Rating: Summary: A good plain tale. Review: Horror stories are best when they creep up on you. It is not necessary to resort to gutwrenchingly gross images or so much as spin your head around. Horror is about primordial feelings and emotions. Shirley Jackson knew about this. Here, Ira Levin takes an age-old idea -- the mother pregnant through supernatural means -- and puts a modern spin on it. We are drawn in so subtly that we think we're reading a plain novel, but the hints are scattered all through. We come to understand the nature of Rosemary's pregnancy long before Rosemary begins to suspect that anything is untoward. And when she does learn the truth about her neighbours, she jumps to an understandable erroneous conclusion that ensures the coven's success. We are left to wonder: do they ever actually perform the ceremonies that Rosemary fears? Brilliant. Read this, see the movie (closely based on the book) and leave "Son of Rosemary" quite alone.
Rating: Summary: Chilling Review: Rosemary and Guy move into the Bramford, an old but prestigous apartment in New York. Their friend Hutch warns them not to do this because there have been so many tragic accidents in the building. Once they move in Rosemary befriends a young woman, Terry Gionoffrio. Unfortunately this friendship doesn't last long; Terry commits suicide. After this tragic accident, Rosemary learns that Terry lived next door with Mr and Mrs. Castevet, who treated her like their daughter. Rosemary begins to have strange dreams and hears strange noises and Guy becomes remote and distant. Then Rosemary becomes pregnant and begins to suspect that her neighbours have special plans for her child. She has a new problem - the protection of her forthcoming child. But it may not be the child that needs protection. This book was fantastic! Nothing grusome or scary but it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.
Rating: Summary: Disappointing. Review: I found this book to be a letdown. The plot was slow and painful. The story seemed too simplistic to be truly frightening or even slightly creepy. And the ending was extremely simple and anti-climactic. While one would expect Rosemary to have a terrible reaction to her baby, she instead calmly accepts the kid. Not very scary. I just wasn't impressed with this book.
Rating: Summary: Not Bad But... Review: So I'm sitting here wondering about what I loved about this book and what I hated about it. The plot moves swiftly and the suspense is well painted throughtout making the reader move fast from page to page, as a suspense novel it's great as a horror novel it falls short and I'm not to sure what Ira Levin was aiming for. The ending leaves a lot to be desired but after reading it your not exactly kicking yourself for doing so due to the fact it isn't a huge book to read, the ending although a little weak does not detract altogether from this book cause it's still a good book, but it isn't for those searching for edge of your seat stuff, this is a suspenseful thriller and the ending wasn't gripping enough for me to run out and buy the sequel THE SON OF ROSEMARY, those of you who are looking for a suspense with more chilling results should look to the EXORCIST. As for Rosemarys Baby it reaches for the above average score and holds it firmly.
Rating: Summary: What the devil? Review: My school librarian recommended this book to me. I had know idea what she was thinking. I did not enjoy it at all. To be honest I was falling asleep through the the first paragraph. The authors writting was horrible. Save your money and buy an amazing book like Dracula or BackRoads.
Rating: Summary: Superb Writing, Unsatisfying Ending Review: The first three quarters of the book were not very suspenseful--storywise--but were written well enough to create curiosity and interest in the story and its characters. The last quarter of the book was highly suspenseful and absorbing--I couldn't put it down. This is where Rosemary comes to discover and understand what has really been happening to her, her husband, and her fetus. But the hostility and vengeance she develops for those who are exploiting her is never fulfilled. So the ending is a super letdown. I expected better from such a good writer. I hoped that she would deal with the criminal witches--who blinded one man and killed another through their witchcraft--and give them their just comeuppance. That would have made a heroine out of her. But instead, she just accepts them (and apparently their philosophy that killing and maiming are okay as long as it leads to material success.... This was hard for me to believe because Rosemary was a moral, not criminal, person with a catholic background. She herself expresses the idea of leaving her husband and his witchy friends for better, cleaner pastures. So how could she so easily, at the end, accept them as tolerable people. Why didn't she leave or fight. She does neither. What the story clearly shows is that when one has no strong faith in God as well as a predisposition to being amoral (as a result of the faithlessness), one can very easily be sucked into an immoral group and become one of them (as Guy did). But overall, the book was captivating even if the ending was disappointing, as many other reviewers have remarked.
Rating: Summary: It will leave you wondering! Review: Rosemary's Baby is about a newly wed couple that moves into a beautiful apartment, only to find their lives turning into something new and strange. This apartment building has had a history of witchcraft, suicide, and other unusual happenings. They meet their bizarre neighbors, and this older couple with whom they suddenly become very close. The neighbors were even nice enough to cook for them. The night that Rosemary and Guy were planning to conceive their child, the two old couple brought them dessert. Later on that night Rose starts feeling sick and gets dizzy. Rosemary passes out and had a terrible dream about naked people dancing and a ceremony of magic. As Guy was making love to her, he got violent, and even seemed possessed. As she wakes up the next morning she notices scratch marks on her thighs. Rosemary discovers that she is pregnant. The doctor gives her vitamins. The couple announces the god news to their neighbors, and the neighbors insist that the doctor they know personally would be much better. This doctor has Minnie, the neighbor, make Rosemary a special drink everyday. This drink is supposedly strongly needed for the baby. After a few months, Rose starts getting bad pains that keep her from doing everything, she even begins losing weight. Strange thought start developing in her mind about the neighbors. Her one true friend, give her a book about witchcraft and Satanism. She finds herself not trusting anyone. It's even possible that Guy is behind it. What will happen to the baby? What exactly are they doing to her? Read the book and find out for yourself. I really enjoyed this book. Just like the cover said, the suspense will keep the reader coming back for more. This is the first book that I actually finished. I was so into it that it bothered me all day everyday. The only thing that I didn't like was the ending. I felt that it left my craving unfilled. It left me wondering still what was to come. However, I would still give it four stars.
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