Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

72 reviews

gucciscumbag's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

jackie_reads_314's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Kept me hooked until the very end. I watched the movie right after I finished the novel as well and it holds up as a pretty spectacular adaptation of the book. What makes this novel so captivating, for me, is that pregnancy is such a vulnerable stage in one's life, it's not that you expect people to take advantage of you at that point in time.

I believed Rosemary from the very beginning, but even if I didn't know the premise of the book, seeing her being gaslight by the people she wanted to trust the most, and then seeing all those who you love dearly drop like flies? It would make anyone go mad, and I was very happy to be along for the ride with her

. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

sinisterbeard's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Rape, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Abortion

jourdanicus's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy

Moderate: Rape and Sexual content

Minor: Racial slurs

thursdd4y's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Murder

pantteri's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Pregnancy

tipp_njam's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The characterisation is written into the story and the author does a good job of maintaining unease throughout the story even after the climax. 
I felt a lot of things throughout the book, like unhappiness etc but I was never mad about it, everything seemed to have a purpose.
Rosemary as a character was super annoying but her passiveness was something that made the novel feel more interesting because you get to see how easily she gives up on her resolve in favour of her idealistic desires of family/life/her future. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this read (despite everything) and it was quite horrifying. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy

Minor: Death and Drug abuse

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was a tense gothic tale that really dug into power dynamics in relationships, the dehumanization of women, and the horrors of disempowerment. It also showed the lack of autonomy that is often pushed upon pregnant people, as if your body is no longer your own, and the world is invited in to control you. Overall, I’m very glad to have read this book, an interesting social commentary with the tense gothic horror that makes you want to keep turning the page. And Mia Farrow as the narrator was excellent and added to the vintage vibes of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

aingealwroth's review

dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.75

1.75*
While this hasn't aged the best (the problematic aspects of misogyny and racism are so harsh) it still has a place as a "classic" and the horror aspects hold up well. Granted, most of the horror is in the ending because Rosemary's psychotic break results with her in giving into the gaslighting, but alas, it's still horrifying. Has a stronger level of "eerie" than most horror stories that this spawned in the subgenre of "demonic kids" and is one of the better examples.

TLDR: Original movie held very close to the original material, just presented things as more subjective.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Alcohol, and Classism

casparquarius's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting