Rosemary's Baby

Most people are familiar with the movie, and I was, too, before I read the novel—which is shockingly good! Though published in 1967, the prose is modern and restrained.

Rosemary is betrayed by those she trusts, most heinously by her opportunistic husband, but she’s no passive victim; instead, she becomes ferocious. I give props to Levin for channeling the burgeoning feminist rage of the times, which he also did in his 1972 classic, The Stepford Wives. The dream/hallucination scene where Satan impregnates Rosemary and her confrontation with Guy the morning after is so well-written and horrific it made me want… show more.

Written in 1967, this short book packs a psychological wallop. It also influenced so many thrillers to come. I love to laugh, and this is a little bit of comedy, and a little bit of social commentary, all wrapped up in a horror story. It’s not gory in a physical sense. But we recognize the universal experience: the murderous betrayal of trust, which is central to so much psychological suspense. People are not what they seem, it seems.

Now this is definitely a cult classic. The devil, a woman, the baby she wants desperately, and a deal that haunts everyone involved. I don’t have much to say about this book's style, it was good but nothing to write home about. The story, though—the very concept—was brilliantly done. Sharp twists and turns keep you gasping, which is nice for a read. I loved the imagery in this book and lost some sleep over it. Definitely recommended. 

I usually like to read a book before watching an adaptation, but with Rosemary’s Baby I’d already seen the iconic film so the novel, by Ira Levin, had a lot to live up to. It’s a masterpiece, as flawlessly crafted and vivid as the film. The Woodhouses, a young married couple, move into the Bramford, a desirable ‘old, black, and elephantine’ New York apartment building with an unpleasant reputation. Guy takes a shine to their elderly neighbours but Rosemary finds them overfriendly. As the neighbours become increasingly intrusive and Guy’s behaviour begins to trouble Rosemary, she falls pregnant. When I… show more.

“Oh, he’s picking another book that was turned into an even bigger hit movie.” You bet your sweet britches I am, and there is a very good reason for that! The story of Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse is downright horrifying, mainly due to Levin’s whimsical way of writing realistic, humorous dialogue, while at the same time getting downright creepy without missing a beat. Is the devil involved again? You betchya, and both book and movie make a great pairing to show how surreally dreadful things can be. Gaslighting, insanity, the eventual revelation of what has been growing in Rosemary’s womb… show more.

Ira Levin is one of my favorite writers. Rosemary never should have moved into the Bramford apartments with her struggling-actor husband, or befriended their weird, pushy-old-people neighbors. She definitely shouldn’t have let her husband talk her into eating the chocolate mousse roofie. This book is a genuine masterpiece of horror, and having been raised Catholic, Satanic horror can really scare the hell out of me.

The book was a huge success. It satirized an established religion, the upwardly mobile, and motherhood, and included social commentary on the stress of being young and ambitious while weighing the choices of what has… show more.