Review: Rosemary’s Baby – Ira Levin

Rosemary’s Baby – Ira Levin

Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse, an ordinary young couple, settle into a New York City apartment, unaware that the elderly neighbors and their bizarre group of friends have taken a disturbing interest in them. But by the time Rosemary discovers the horrifying truth, it may be far too late!  

Review: I’m going to avoid huge spoilers, but this review might be a tiny bit spoilery. Rosemary’s Baby was first published in 1967 and is one of the most influential horror novels in the genre. I’m assuming that a lot of people already know the general story. I knew the entire plot of the book before I read it.

I wanted to read this novel because I heard that the author had mixed feelings about it. Ira Levin was a huge skeptic of religion and anything supernatural. He’d hoped that Rosemary’s Baby would encourage others to think critically about supernatural claims. Unfortunately, the book had the opposite effect. Levin said that Rosemary’s Baby and its thousands of knock-offs had “helped boost the universal stupidity quotient.” I couldn’t resist a book that supposedly causes mass stupidity.

Rosemary’s Baby is about an actor, Guy Woodhouse, and his wife, Rosemary. They move into a nice apartment in New York City, despite warnings that strange events have happened in the apartment building. Guy quickly becomes friends with the neighbors, but Rosemary is unsettled by how interested the neighbors are in her pregnancy. Soon, Guy’s secretive friendship with the neighbors puts strain on his and Rosemary’s marriage. When Rosemary starts experiencing bizarre pregnancy symptoms, she begins to suspect that something supernatural is interfering with her body. Guy and the neighbors could be behind whatever is happening to her baby.

“Like so many unhappinesses, this one had begun with silence in the place of honest open talk.” - Rosemary’s Baby

First, we have to discuss Guy because he’s the most interesting character. The dude is an asshat, and it’s perfect. He’s so charismatic that he’s easy to like at first, but over the course of the book, you get to see his jerk side. I like the suspense that his character creates because I was never sure how he’d act or what, exactly, was motivating his behavior. He’s a likeable, complicated, horrible, asshat.

Guy’s unpredictable character adds some brilliant suspense, but the tension in the novel still builds a little too unevenly for my tastes. The book starts off with a lot of tension, then it slows down in the middle, then it takes off suddenly at the end. I got bored in the middle, and the sudden rise in tension near the end pulled me out of the story.

Basically, near the end of the novel, Rosemary suspects that something strange is going on in her neighbors’ apartment. Her friend gives her a book about witchcraft, and she’s suddenly 100% convinced that the neighbors are witches. Then things get crazy. I had a hard time buying Rosemary’s spontaneous belief in witchcraft. Maybe I was supposed to question Rosemary’s sanity, but I didn’t because she hadn’t shown any signs of being insane earlier in the book. Her sudden certainty of witchcraft feels forced to me.

I also spent a lot of the book questioning Rosemary’s choices. I know that horror protagonists aren’t famous for their impeccable decision-making skills, but I did get frustrated with Rosemary. She lets people push her around. She lets the neighbors pick a doctor for her, even though she already has a doctor she likes. She keeps eating the food the neighbors give her, even though it makes her sick. The woman has no sense of self-preservation.

That being said, I can forgive Rosemary’s bad decisions because they tie in to the most impressive element of this novel. The best part of Rosemary’s Baby is that the “horror” part of the story doesn’t come from the supernatural. The witchcraft isn’t all that scary. Honestly, I found the “witches” kind of ridiculous. The terrifying part of this book is the lack of control that Rosemary has over her own life. She tries to be the perfect wife, the perfect mother, the perfect upper-class New York society woman. She pretends to be something she’s not.

"‘I’d like to have a spice garden some day,’ Rosemary said. ‘Out of the city, of course. If Guy ever gets a movie offer we’re going to grab it and go live in Los Angeles. I’m a country girl at heart.’"- Rosemary’s Baby

She lets her husband and the neighbors cut her off from her friends. She ignores her instincts so that she doesn’t upset anybody. When she finally reaches her breaking point, the people she runs to for help use her for their own gains.

This is far scarier than magical witchcraft because it feels real. Rosemary spends the entire book being controlled and manipulated, but she doesn’t notice until it’s too late.

“Could anyone know when an actor was true and not acting?” - Rosemary’s Baby

Rosemary’s Baby is an older book that does show its age. Some of the ideas are dated, and there are racist undertones, but I think the story sticks around because powerlessness will always be terrifying. 

    

Top Ten Tuesday: Reasons I Love Book Blogging

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is top ten reasons I love ______. I’m filling in the blank with “book blogging.”

Reasons Why I Love Book Blogging

1. Nobody in my real life reads. If I talked to my family about books, their eyes would glaze over, and they’d make excuses to run away from me before I bored them to death. Nobody in my real life understands my bookish obsession.

2. Blogging allows me to talk about books. I’d probably spontaneously combust if I didn’t. Books give me so many opinions that I can’t keep them all inside. I must force them upon you for my own safety.

3. Blogging encourages me to read more. I don’t really need encouragement to read, but I’m a weirdo who works best with schedules and deadlines. My self-imposed blogging schedule encourages me to pick up a book instead of screwing around on YouTube.

4. Finding out about books before they happen. Aren’t ARCs awesome? Blogging helps me find out about books months before they’re released. Then I have something to look forward to.

5. Blogging is cheaper than a lot of other hobbies. Buying books is expensive, but I haven’t paid one cent for my blog. That probably makes me look unprofessional, but I’m a broke student. I have no money to spend on blogs. I’m so grateful that there are enough free blogging resources that I can do all the work myself.

6. Blogging improves my critical writing skills. I have spent a significant chunk of my life writing critical essays. I’ve attended four different colleges to learn critical writing. Critical writing is just what I do. My blog posts are like short, informal, ridiculous, meme-filled essays. Blogging helps me improve my essay skills, but it’s a lot less tedious than writing a formal essay.

7. Blogging forces me to think about what I read. The reason I started reviewing books is because I was reading a ton of them but not really thinking about what I read. Blogging requires me to use my brain-meat.

8. I can be myself. I’m an extreme introvert. Crowds make me anxious, and I have a hard time talking to strangers. (Probably ‘cause my mommy told me not to.) I’d rather put out a campfire with my face than go to a party. My blog allows me to express myself in ways that I can’t in real life. I feel like myself on this blog.

9. I’ve met so many cool people. This might seem to go against what I said in #8, but book bloggers are the kindest and most creative people I’ve ever met. I seriously love you guys.

  

10. Blogging challenges me. I had no idea how to design a website or make graphics, but blogging forced me to learn. I’m terrible at using social media, but blogging encourages me to try. I have a lot of ideas, but I’m nervous about sharing them, and blogging gives me a safe outlet to be creative. I feel like blogging has expanded my mind and comfort zone.

What do you love about book blogging?

Review: Saving Wonder – Mary Knight

Saving Wonder – Mary Knight

Having lost most of his family to coal-mining accidents as a little boy, Curley Hines lives with his grandfather in the Appalachian Mountains of Wonder Gap, Kentucky. Ever since Curley can remember, Papaw has been giving him a word each week to learn and live. Papaw says words are Curley's way out of the holler, even though Curley has no intention of ever leaving. 

When a new coal boss takes over the local mining company, life as Curley knows it is turned upside down. Suddenly, his best friend, Jules, is interested in the coal boss's son, and worse, the mining company threatens to destroy Curley and Papaw's mountain. Now Curley faces a difficult choice. Does he use his words to speak out against Big Coal and save his mountain, or does he remain silent and save his way of life?

Review: Eight words that I never thought would come from my keyboard: The love triangle in this book is adorable.

Normally, I hate love triangles with the stomach-churning fire of a thousand ultra-spicy burritos. Love triangles are disrespectful. If someone is in a relationship, then stop pursuing them. If you’re leading two people on, then make up your mind and knock it off. I have a hard time rooting for any character who creates a love triangle.

I can (mostly) forgive the love triangle in this book because it didn’t turn out the way I expected, and the characters are young. This is the characters’ first attempt at a relationship. They’re figuring it out as they go along. The love triangle feels believable because none of the characters really know what they’re doing.

In Saving Wonder, twelve-year-old Curley learns that the mountain near his house will be subjected to mountaintop removal mining. Basically, the mountain will be ground down layer by layer to get at the coal inside. Mountaintop removal is a dangerous mining practice that has a huge environmental impact. Coal mining has already killed Curley’s parents, and he doesn’t want it to take his mountain, too.

I like a lot about this book, but I especially appreciate that the author didn’t ignore the complexities of mountaintop removal. This type of mining is a real-life issue in Appalachia, and the author didn’t oversimplify it. Yes, mountaintop removal is dangerous and horrible for the environment, but it provides jobs and electricity that the country needs. Even though Saving Wonder focuses on Kentucky, mining practices aren’t just an Appalachian issue. I live in Colorado, and we have surface mining here, too. I think that any reader who grew up (or is growing up) in the mountains will be able to relate to Curley’s struggle.

Curley is an easy character to love. He has a strong voice. The author does a wonderful job of showing how his lifestyle and culture are tied to the environment. This book is a coming-of-age story. Curley is angry about the changes happening in his world, and he doesn’t always take out his anger in healthy ways. Over the course of the novel, he learns to harness his anger and use it in an attempt to save his mountain. He discovers his passion and finds out that he can make a difference. He doesn’t have to feel powerless.

The irrevocable nature of life is a major theme in this book. A lot of Curley’s anger seems to come from the fact that some things can’t be undone. His parents can’t come back to life, extinct species can’t be replaced, tops can’t be put back on mountains. His frustration is understandable. It’s easy to empathize with him because this is a tough lesson to learn.

My only issue with the characters is that I think they occasionally act older than their ages. At one point, I actually flipped back through the book to re-check their ages. Also, the press conference at the end of the novel is a bit too idealistic and heavy-handed for my tastes, but it does have a good message about how kids can change the world. Or, change the fate of a mountain, at least.

Those are minor issues. Saving Wonder is well-written, well-researched, and compelling. It touches on issues surrounding politics, economics, culture, history, and the environment. Young readers will also learn a few new words. If you’re looking for an educational middlegrade book, I’d highly recommend this one.  

FF Friday: In Which I Tell You How My Bookish Ways Corrupted America’s Youth

Feature & Follow is a weekly blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. This week’s post is about interesting bookish memories or experiences.

Break out your cookies and juice boxes, kids, it’s story time.

How My Bookish Ways Corrupted America’s Youth: A True Story

Once upon a time (way back in the olden days of 2015), I was wandering through the young adult section of Barnes & Noble. I stopped at the New YA Releases shelf. A teenage girl and her mother came up beside me to look at the books.

“These aren’t new releases,” the girl whined. “I’ve already read that one, and that one, and that one. They don’t change this shelf often enough. Where are all the new books?” She lifted a stack of books off the shelf like the new ones might be hiding.

“These are the new books,” her mother said. “You’re reading them faster than the publishers can publish them.”

The girl wandered farther along the shelf. “I’ve already read these, too. I read them months ago.”

“Maybe that’s a sign that you’ve outgrown this section,” the mother suggested. “Nineteen is too old for young adult books. You should get some books from a different section.”

The girl didn’t say anything.

The mother turned to me. “Don’t you think that nineteen is too old for young adult books?”

“Not at all,” I said. “I’m way older than nineteen, and I’m getting a master’s degree in children’s lit. I read a ton of this stuff.”

The mother’s mouth dropped open. Her eyes bugged out. “You can get a degree in children’s literature? What do you plan to do with that degree?”

I shrugged and started walking away.

“Wait.” The girl jogged over to me. “Did you just say that you’re going to college for young adult books?”

“Well, kind of,” I said. “There’s more to it than that. I started out studying—”

“There are colleges that let you read young adult books?” the girl interrupted. “Are you allowed to write your essays on them and everything?”

“Yes and yes,” I said.

“Oh my God!” The girl grabbed her mother’s coat sleeve. “Mom, I changed my mind. I want to go to college. I want to study young adult books.”

Her mother’s mouth was still hanging open. Her eyes bugged out even farther. She looked horrified. Seriously, I’ve only ever seen that expression on cartoon characters.

The girl wandered back down the shelf. Her mother trailed after her, looking slightly shell-shocked.     

It all happened so fast that it took me a second to realize that I may have accidentally created a mini-me. At first I felt bad because the mother was staring at me like I was drenched in putrid roadkill slime, but then I decided that I should be proud of myself. I’m not ashamed of my love of young adult books, and no one else should be, either.

So, that’s the story of how my bookish ways corrupted America’s youth.

The follow part of FF Friday: If you are a book blogger and you leave a link to your blog in the comments below, I will follow you on Bloglovin’. If you want to be friends on Goodreads, Twitter, BookLikes, or G+, that would be awesome, too. Click the links to go to my pages on those sites. I’m looking forward to “meeting” you.