Rosemary’s Baby (Rosemary's Baby, #1) in The Complete Idiots Guide to the Ultimate Reading List

Oct 16, 2010 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it liked it

Shelves: ultimate-reading-list, novels, contemporary, fiction, fantasy, horror

Having seen the film might taint my judgment and enjoyment of this novel, and certainly cut any factor of suspense. Despite that, I did enjoy the book, partly for it's look at my neighborhood, New York City's Upper West Side, in the mid 1960s. Although in 2010 it's much harder to see witches as evil satanists rather than good-hearted New Age Pagans than it would have been when it was published in 1967, the book doesn't feel dated.

I think this is one of the cases where the film is better than th ...more

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Sep 28, 2013 Udit rated it really liked it

I had never read a proper and mature horror book before this. I used to read Goosebumps by RL Stine in school but that was it. I remember enjoying them too. I started this book in the afternoon and finished it by midnight. It was creepy no doubt. I felt claustrophobhic and slightly scared when i had to move around the house that night. This is the story of Rosemary and Giy a newlywed couple who move into a new house. The building is known for very notorious people who lived and died there. Their I had never read a proper and mature horror book before this. I used to read Goosebumps by RL Stine in school but that was it. I remember enjoying them too. I started this book in the afternoon and finished it by midnight. It was creepy no doubt. I felt claustrophobhic and slightly scared when i had to move around the house that night. This is the story of Rosemary and Giy a newlywed couple who move into a new house. The building is known for very notorious people who lived and died there. Their elderly neighbors though appear sweet and friendly are however very nosy. The story progresses and Rosemary gets pregnant. Their neighbour Minnie takes a lot of care of her and gives her a drink made of homemade herbs everyday. Her husband has started acting weird and is getting disconnected. She hears weird noises at night as if a ritual is going on next door. SPOILERS SO finally we get to know that her husband Guy has made a deal with the neighbours who are actually witches. Roman and Minnie who live next door. Roman is the son of a man who claimed to have brought Satan to earth and was killed by people. So Guy makes a deal with them so that he gets success in his career in return for the newly born kid. A ritual happens and an unconscious Rosemary is impregnated by the devil. Ultimately the kid is delivered but he is devil like. His eyes have no irises. He has a tail. He has sharp claws. Rosemary is in a dilemma. On one side is her maternal love for the child and on the other it is actually a devil's child. However finally she feels that half of the child is still hers and if she loves her he might turn out to be fine. She accepts the baby then SPOILERS END
The story started off very well, came straight to the point continued fine but got predictable in the middle. It was pretty clear who is what. So yes 90% of the book is very intriguing but the ending is not very satisfying. But still the book is lingering in my mind. Watching horror and reading horror are two different things and both have an impact of their own. ...more

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