Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

8 reviews

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

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 against another edition

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

b00murded's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Rape, Suicide, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Moderate: Death, Grief, and Murder

Minor: Confinement and Abortion

coco78337's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Cursing, Miscarriage, and Toxic friendship

rumade's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Probably one of the first explorations of pregnancy as a horrifying experience and the alienation and pain that can come with it. Rosemary is a likeable character and easy to root for- a normal Midwestern girl almost estranged from her huge Catholic family back in Omaha as she lives with her WASP husband in New York and longs for a baby. I wish I could have read this without knowing the premise; so I could feel the tension build up more and more. Even if you roughly know the story, it's worth a read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Suicide

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Minor: Addiction, Child death, Blood, Abortion, and Alcohol

There is a scene where a husband is very dismissive of him raping his wife the night before when she was passed out drunk

draconia's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Minor: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Vomit

mfrisk's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I watched the movie before reading the book but honestly that kind of works in this case given how closely they mirror each other and being able to back the reading experience with visuals. I quite enjoyed this read and look forward to the sequel too. This was a quick read which I really enjoyed delving into given my love of the movie. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Death, Sexism, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Abortion

scarlettreadsbooks's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Pregnancy

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Blood, and Alcohol