'Rosemary's Baby' is out-of-the-ordinary novel
I recently read "Rosemary’s Baby" by Ira Levin, and I recommend it to anyone in the reading audience in the mood for an out-of-the-ordinary horror novel.
First published by Random House in 1967, "Rosemary’s Baby" is about a young woman named Rosemary Woodhouse and her new husband, Guy. They maneuver themselves into a swanky apartment in an old New York City building, a building with a bad reputation because of a series of mysterious events that took place there decades before. Not long after they move in, they discover that their neighbors are a very friendly (maybe too friendly) elderly couple named Roman and Minnie Castevet. Guy, who is an aspiring actor, begins spending a lot of time with them.
Things go OK for a while, and then strange things start to happen. Rosemary meets a woman in the building’s laundry room and then the woman dies mysteriously. Around that same time, Rosemary begins to have strange dreams and hears strange noises from neighboring apartments. Next, a friend of Rosemary’s, who warns her about the dangers of modern day witches, suddenly dies. Guy, who is spending more and more time with the Castevets, becomes more remote and distant.
On top of all this, Rosemary becomes pregnant. As she carries the book’s namesake to term, she begins to suspect that her neighbors might have ominous plans for her child. What happens next? You’ll have to read the book to find out. I won’t spoil it for you here.
I decided to read the book for two reasons. "Rosemary’s Baby" is No. 22 on the Horror Writers Association’s Recommended Reading List, and I’d seen the 1968 movie version of "Rosemary’s Baby." The movie starred Mia Farrow as Rosemary and was directed by Roman Polanski. (By the way, the movie needs updating. Badly. The 1968 movie can’t touch the book. I’d definitely buy a ticket to see a modern movie version of the story.)
I enjoyed the book because Levin did a great of job of creating tension and suspense. At first, everything seemed fine in Rosemary’s world and by the end of the tale, Levin had whipped the tension and suspense to a level that made you forget that you were even reading a book. If for no other reason, the book is worth reading for that experience alone.
Will "Rosemary’s Baby" be read 100 years from now? Will it stand the test of time? I think so. When first published, the book was one of the first contemporary horror novels to become a national bestseller. Levin, who also wrote "The Stepford Wives," had given horror an innocent new face. He caused a worldwide sensation. He found fear where we’d never thought to look for it before. I feel the book will be read by generations to come for those reasons.
In the end, the book is pretty good. The suspense is good, the characters were believable and the story is compelling and out of the ordinary. I recommend the book to anyone in the reading audience with an interest in a well-written horror novel, probably one of the best you'll be able to find. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give the book a 9.0.
First published by Random House in 1967, "Rosemary’s Baby" is about a young woman named Rosemary Woodhouse and her new husband, Guy. They maneuver themselves into a swanky apartment in an old New York City building, a building with a bad reputation because of a series of mysterious events that took place there decades before. Not long after they move in, they discover that their neighbors are a very friendly (maybe too friendly) elderly couple named Roman and Minnie Castevet. Guy, who is an aspiring actor, begins spending a lot of time with them.
Things go OK for a while, and then strange things start to happen. Rosemary meets a woman in the building’s laundry room and then the woman dies mysteriously. Around that same time, Rosemary begins to have strange dreams and hears strange noises from neighboring apartments. Next, a friend of Rosemary’s, who warns her about the dangers of modern day witches, suddenly dies. Guy, who is spending more and more time with the Castevets, becomes more remote and distant.
On top of all this, Rosemary becomes pregnant. As she carries the book’s namesake to term, she begins to suspect that her neighbors might have ominous plans for her child. What happens next? You’ll have to read the book to find out. I won’t spoil it for you here.
I decided to read the book for two reasons. "Rosemary’s Baby" is No. 22 on the Horror Writers Association’s Recommended Reading List, and I’d seen the 1968 movie version of "Rosemary’s Baby." The movie starred Mia Farrow as Rosemary and was directed by Roman Polanski. (By the way, the movie needs updating. Badly. The 1968 movie can’t touch the book. I’d definitely buy a ticket to see a modern movie version of the story.)
I enjoyed the book because Levin did a great of job of creating tension and suspense. At first, everything seemed fine in Rosemary’s world and by the end of the tale, Levin had whipped the tension and suspense to a level that made you forget that you were even reading a book. If for no other reason, the book is worth reading for that experience alone.
Will "Rosemary’s Baby" be read 100 years from now? Will it stand the test of time? I think so. When first published, the book was one of the first contemporary horror novels to become a national bestseller. Levin, who also wrote "The Stepford Wives," had given horror an innocent new face. He caused a worldwide sensation. He found fear where we’d never thought to look for it before. I feel the book will be read by generations to come for those reasons.
In the end, the book is pretty good. The suspense is good, the characters were believable and the story is compelling and out of the ordinary. I recommend the book to anyone in the reading audience with an interest in a well-written horror novel, probably one of the best you'll be able to find. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give the book a 9.0.
posted by Lee Peacock at 3:27 PM
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