Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Rosemary's Baby
    Unavailable
    Rosemary's Baby
    Unavailable
    Rosemary's Baby
    Ebook261 pages4 hours

    Rosemary's Baby

    By Ira Levin

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    Listen to the audiobook instead

    About this ebook

    Rosemary Woodhouse and her struggling actor husband Guy move into the Bramford, an old New York City apartment building with an ominous reputation and mostly elderly residents. Neighbors Roman and Minnie Castavet soon come nosing around to welcome the Woodhouses to the building, and despite Rosemary's reservations about their eccentricity and the weird noises that she keeps hearing, her husband takes a shine to them. Shortly after Guy lands a plum Broadway role, Rosemary becomes pregnant—and the Castavets start taking a special interest in her welfare. As the sickened Rosemary becomes increasingly isolated, she begins to suspect that the Castavets' circle is not what it seems...
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPegasus Books
    Release dateMar 7, 2017
    ISBN9781681774688
    Author

    Ira Levin

    Novelist and playwright Ira Levin (1929-2007) was a native New Yorker whose books include A Kiss Before Dying, Rosemary's Baby, This Perfect Day, The Stepford Wives, The Boys from Brazil, Sliver, and Son of Rosemary. His plays include No Time for Sergeants, Critic's Choice, and the longest-running thriller in Broadway history, Deathtrap. An alumnus of New York University, Levin also wrote the lyrics of the Barbra Streisand classic "He Touched Me," and was the recipient of three Edgar Allan Poe Awards from the Mystery Writers of America (including 2003's 'Grand Master'), as well as the Horror Writers Association's Bram Stoker Award for lifetime achievement.

    Read more from Ira Levin

    Related to Rosemary's Baby

    Related ebooks

    Suspense For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Quiet Boy

      Jan 28, 2019

      The Quiet Boy
      29 min read

    • Article

      Paul Tremblay

      Jun 17, 2020

      IT’S ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF MY BIGGEST FEARS that I would live to see the end of everything,” says Paul Tremblay, speaking to SFX from his Massachusetts home in the middle of lockdown. It’s a singularly peculiar time, and a peculiar interview for him to

      3 min read

    • Article

      Christopher Pike

      Jan 29, 2020

      Christopher Pike
      2 min read

    • Article

      Tender Is The Flesh

      Jan 29, 2020

      RELEASED 6 FEBRUARY 224 pages | Paperback/ebook Author Augustina Bazterrica Publisher Pushkin Press This is a pretty unpleasant book. It’s clearly meant to be, but knowing that doesn’t make it any less unsettling to read. It’s set in a near future wh

      1 min read

    • Article

      Anne Rice 1941-2021

      Jan 26, 2022

      “For me, vampires were the perfect voice to talk through,” said Anne Rice, who explored the souls of the undead in over 30 best-selling novels. “I could talk about every aspect of being an outsider in their voice… I was never interested in writing a

      1 min read

    • Article

      The Art of Fiction No. 259

      Jun 5, 2023

      The Art of Fiction No. 259
      32 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Brandon-Croft, Tate, Millner, and More

      Feb 7, 2023

      Here’s a quick look at some notable books—new release titles from Barbara Brandon-Croft, Dizz Tate, Maggie Millner, and more—that are publishing this week. Want to learn more about upcoming titles? Then go read our most recent book preview. Want to h

      5 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Washington, Amis, and More

      Oct 27, 2020

      Here’s a quick look at some notable books—new titles from the likes of Bryan Washington and Martin Amis—that are publishing this week. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Washington, Amis, and More appeared first on The Millions.

      5 min read

    • Article

      A Meeting Of The Minds

      Mar 5, 2020

      Astrology’s theme song could easily be “Getting to Know You,” the song that comes from the Broadway musical The King and I, which of course was later turned into the film of the same name. This Rodgers and Hammerstein creation is based on a 1944 best

      9 min read

    • Article

      The Rise of Queer Comics

      Dec 11, 2017

      The Rise of Queer Comics
      9 min read

    • Article

      August Preview: The Millions Anticipated (This Month)

      Jul 31, 2023

      New books from Elizabeth Acevedo, Jamel Brinkley, Ann Patchett, Lydia Kiesling, and many more—here's what we can't wait to read this month. The post August Preview: The Millions Anticipated (This Month) appeared first on The Millions.

      10 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Flynn, Johnson, Diamond, and More

      Aug 25, 2020

      Here’s a quick look at some notable books—new titles from Nick Flynn, Daisy Johnson, Jason Diamond, and more—that are publishing this week. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Flynn, Johnson, Diamond, and More appeared first on The Millions.

      5 min read

    • Article

      Most Anticipated: The Great Second-Half 2020 Book Preview

      Jul 15, 2020

      Wash your hands, wear your mask, keep a safe distance from others, and pick out a book. The post Most Anticipated: The Great Second-Half 2020 Book Preview appeared first on The Millions.

      47 min read

    • Article

      Debutant Novels And Great Expectations

      May 27, 2021

      PULL UP YOUR CHAISE LONGUE for a tale of two debut novels which gives an insight into publishing in Britain. Debuts are fragile but commonplace things: like dandelion spores, they are sent out in their thousands in the knowledge that most will fall o

      6 min read

    • Article

      The Genius of Terry Southern

      Mar 18, 2019

      The Genius of Terry Southern
      5 min read

    • Article

      May Preview: The Millions Most Anticipated (This Month)

      May 1, 2018

      We wouldn’t dream of abandoning our vast semi–annual Most Anticipated Book Previews, but we thought a monthly reminder would be helpful (and give us a chance to note titles we missed the first time around).  Here’s what we’re looking out for this mon

      7 min read

    • Article

      The Art of Fiction No. 250

      Dec 7, 2021

      The Art of Fiction No. 250
      31 min read

    • Article

      Reinvention And Rediscoveries

      May 26, 2022

      THE LOT OF THE model-slash-actor-turned-author is not a happy one. Think of poor Naomi Campbell, who reportedly had not even read “her” ghostwritten novel Swan when it was published in 1994. Comedians generally fare better at the novelling game than

      6 min read

    Reviews for Rosemary's Baby

    4.5/5

    125 ratings61 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      As far as I can remember the movie followed the book pretty closely. It was nice to have Mia Farrow as the narrator. It helped me to picture Rosemary from the movie.
    • 5/5
      Excellent book from start to finish and magnificently written. 10/10 recommend.
    • 5/5
      Old school suspense. I suggest this book to anyone that like psychological thrillers.
    • 4/5
      It was good. Im not a huge fan of the ending. But the story had me hooked.
    • 5/5
      Celebrating the 50th anniversary of ROSEMARY'S BABY BY IRA LEVIN . ROSEMARY'S BABY is a classic in the horror genre. As you read this book you may wonder what is so scary about a young husband and wife living in an apartment building in New York? The more you read this book the more weird seems to be occurring, and I warn you , read it all so you can get the full weird effect! I love this book and all of Mr. Levin's books. He takes a rather mundane subject, like a couple living in New York and twists and turns it into the extreme bizarre! If you have read ROSEMARY'S BABY before or its your first shot at it I highly recommend it!I received this book free from goodreads in exchange for an open and honest review.
    • 5/5
      The foreshadowing was so great and the ending is the best.
    • 4/5
      Rosemary and Guy move into an famous apartment building in NYC despite the warnings of Rosemary's close friend about the strange and dangerous things that have happened there. She...should have listened to him.I loved the movie when I saw it years ago, so I was happy when the book came up on one of my lists. I enjoyed it, but possibly not as much as I would have if I didn't already know what was going to happen. Still, a fun little read and perfect for October.
    • 4/5
      I just finished this book in a couple of sittings and I am truly unsettled
    • 4/5
      I've changed my rating twice while typing out this review... My first thought was that I wanted to like it more than I did. I mean, the beginning was slow and boring but once it got going, I couldn't stop listening. Yes, it's from the 60s so there were plenty of patting the nice, young woman on the head and the husband laying down the law, and racist descriptions, of course.

      Rosemary ended up being much stronger than I figured she would be. Sort of. I mean, until the very end. I need to live with the story a bit more. I won't lie, I'm tempted to read the next book in the series.

      I listened to the Audible version and the sound quality left a lot to be desired. Mia Farrow's acting and voices were good but it sounded like it was recorded a few decades ago. How about some clean up there, Audible?

      Now I need to watch the movie because I don't remember anything about it at all.
    • 5/5
      Do books come any scarier than this? I guess they do. The Exorcist was pretty terrifying. But Ira Levin’s great skill as a story-teller reveals itself here in creating a world that is both unimaginably terrifying and yet familiar to us. Setting the book among middle class, middle aged New Yorkers living on the Upper West Side, rather than some isolated haunted house in the countryside, is part of that. But there are is no violence, no ghosts popping out of closets, no poltergeists, none of that. Just the quiet realisation that Satan is not a mythical creature, but a real presence in the world. That’s enough to keep anyone awake at night. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      It's 1965 and the cultural zeitgeist declaims that "God is Dead", the Pope is touring the US and, Rosemary and Guy move into a cursed apartment in NYC. The times are a crucial factor in the story: The re-defining of religious paradigms and women's roles play into the uncertainty and fear that fuel the horror. But even fifty-plus years later, the shock value is still sharp in the nightmarish scenes that Rosemary experiences and in the manipulations of those around her. It's a period piece that holds up well.
    • 5/5
      Damn I was surprised at how much I liked this book! I had not seen the movie actually, but I vaguely knew what it was about. The characters were so believable and distinctive. Like others mentioned, there wasn’t a lot of intense gore or horror throughout the book—just a feeling of discomfort and things being “not right.” But the lack of in-your-face horror actually made the tension build slowly and steadily throughout the book and I was so impressed with the ending!! THAT was a twist I couldn’t have expected but was entirely believable.
    • 4/5
      This novel has been on my TBR list for a very long time. I love me a good horror story, but I'm ashamed to admit that I wasn't able to find the time to fit this book in over the years. Well, since I live right beside my local library, I decided that I would borrow this book and make it my mission to FINALLY get it read!

      Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse are an ordinary couple. Guy is in the film industry, trying to make it onto the big screen. And Rosemary is happy to be by his side. When they land an apartment at The Bramford in New York City, it's like a dream come true. As they move in, they begin to meet some of the other tenants in this building, like their elderly neighbours and their bizarre group of friends. Unused to this much interest, Rosemary and Guy try to be polite and accept the occasional dinner invitations. But soon, these neighbours become a much larger force in their lives. And by the time Rosemary realizes the dangers of it all, it's too late...

      This story.... where shall I start? The writing style here is unusual yet well done. Everything always sounds just a tad perky, like a happy housewife show where anything unusual is just dismissed as a coincidence or an accident. Rosemary does get creeped out at times but it is usually quite easy for her to just push it aside and move on. I really liked that effect because it put the reader on hyper-alert, waiting for that moment where Rosemary really cannot deny the truth that is in front of her. I liked the interesting characters from the Bramford, all of whom are friendly and seemingly harmless; they're the kind of neighbours you wish you could have! Knowing that they are somehow involved made the story all the more creepy! I didn't really like Guy as a character. He wasn't a great husband and he was just so selfish throughout (this becomes even more apparent as you reach the end); I don't know why Rosemary put up with it all. He did quite a few things that really bothered me - but I'm not going to say what because that will give away parts of the story!

      I think the scariest part of this story wasn't even the ending when all of the "horrors" are revealed; truth be told, the ending actually came off as ridiculously funny (maybe I just have a warped sense of humor?). The scary part was how little control Rosemary had over her life and her body. She was forced - ahem, coerced - to switch doctors, trust strangers, receive weird concoctions, isolate her friends, and much much more. And it scared me how little say she had over everything. Anything she pointed out was dismissed, and she was made to feel as if she was making a big deal out of nothing. Trying to imagine myself in a vulnerable situation like that, having others make all sorts of decisions on my behalf without asking me... well, that scares me. It scares me a lot.

      Overall, this novel is quirky and set in the era of the "Sixties Housewife", and it definitely gives you the creepy vibes so if you are looking for a creepy story, give this one a shot!
    • 5/5
      This was for most of its duration an excellent, tense thriller, with a growing sense of creepy horror. I had never seen the famous film adaptation, so didn't know if the seemingly obvious solution would turn out to be true, or if Rosemary would be revealed to be insane. However, I found the last sixth to be rather less good and was unsure if this was supposed to be reality or a dream. The very ending was very abrupt.
    • 4/5
      I would like to start of this review by posting a special NOTICE for folks who own this novel from THE STEPHEN KING HORROR LIBRARY and have not read the novel before. DO NOT read the forward by Stephen King until after you have read the novel. I love King. I love King's analysis and opinions on things. But this is the first time that I have read something written by Stephen King that made me want to punch the man in the face. I don't mean that literally of course, but it's the best way that I can describe the frustration I felt after reading his very well-written analysis of the book and his reasons for including it in his collection. Not only does he disclose crucial plot-points from the story, he actually includes QUOTES from pivotal scenes. I mean, really, if you're going to analyze a novel that closely, please save it for an afterward!Anyway, even though the entire plot had been ruined, I did really enjoy the novel. For a storyline that develops super slowly, Mr. Levin has a writing style and has created quirky, fun characters that keep the reader interested in following along with their basically mundane lives. Instead of building up a huge amount of tension, Levin instead makes the reader uncomfortable with the events that are going on. There's not a lot of the feeling of "No, don't go there!!" so much as a feeling in the pit of your stomach that all is not well. Overall, an enjoyable novel and one of the classics of modern horror.
    • 5/5
      I have seen the movie, both the 1968 version with Mia Farrow and the 2014 version with Zoe Saldana. But I have never read the book. Since I have been wanting to read more horror books lately, I decided to read this classic.

      I really like the writing style of the book. Right from the first page I was caught up in the story. Even when just detailing the day to day life, I find myself intrigued. The creepiness builds up slowly, but I thought the pacing was perfect. The big reveal at the end was not as shocking for me, but I think that is because almost everyone knows how this story ends. At the time it was written, it would have been horrifying. After 50 years, this book still holds up.
    • 3/5
      A classic horror story about a pregnancy with serious religious overtones.
    • 4/5
      A creepy classic horror novel. Really enjoyed it.
    • 5/5
      I really liked this book! I think it builds up just as it should, and when it reveals itself, it does so beautifully! I don't want to spoil anything, it just really is a great read! And it was sort of weird reading it at this time of year. Sort of the antithesis of the Christmas story. Now I'm not sure if I want to see the movie. I kinda want to read it again! :-)
    • 4/5
      Not too bad. I like it more than many other horror novels, and which there are those critics who say it's not that creepy or scary, recall that when this was published, we weren't publishing books like those that came later from Edward Lee and some others that may have a more true "horror" feel to them. At the time, I'd wager this was pretty radical. However, maybe it's because I saw the film a couple of times before I ever read the book, I've long ever so slightly preferred the film over the book, which is rare. Still, a great book, and I certainly think it has a creepy element to it, so recommended.
    • 5/5
      Rosemary Woodhouse and her husband, Guy, a struggling actor move into a creepy apartment in Manhattan and discover a coven that sets its sights on the young couple. They are drawn into a history of witchcraft and the occult by the granting of their deepest desires. I loved this book and give it an A+!
    • 4/5
      A great horror classic that will survive the ages (the movie also helps its status as well.) Ira Levin delves into the fear of both satanism and motherhood with a clever, witty, and horrifying tale.
    • 5/5
      Rosemary is a happy and healthy young woman, who is ecstatic about moving into the Bramford with her husband. It's building with character, and in her mind, the perfect place to have their first child. Then strange things begin to happen.But to say it like that is to over dramatize it, because this book is superbly understated. Every event is presented as mundane and ordinary. The language itself is crisp and clean and understated; there is no overdramatizing for the sake of hyping the horror. Instead every strange occurrence is slipped subtly in with the everyday aspects of preparing a new home and dealing with the strangeness of pregnancy. Violence and death crops up, but even these happen in a "these things happen" kind of way and can be written off as coincidence. It would be easy as the reader to wonder why Rosemary didn't pick up on the clues sooner, but as the reader, we have foreknowledge that she wouldn't. In experience truth the clues can be good easily written off as just one's imagination. And if I'm honest with myself, I would have to admit that I would be no more conscious of what was really going on than Rosemary. (In fact, I might not have get caught on at all.)I haven't seen the movie, but I've seen clips and knew what was going to happen at the end from discussions while reading (also, I had Mia Farrow firmly planted in my head). Knowing in advance the end did not ruin my enjoyment I the slightest. I was captivated from the start, didn't want to put it down halfway in, and by the end I was so absorbed I became resentful of working and eating and having to commute home. In fact, I couldn't even handle walking from the car into the house; I just sat in the driver's seat reading until the last 40 pages were done. Then I walked in the house with a huge smile on my face and haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. I can't even bring myself to start another book yet, because I just want to read this one over again.
    • 3/5
      Hurt mostly by being massively imitated, this is still quite an engaging little horror story. The ending is a bit on the nose, and doesn't quite live up to the ambiguous tension of the preceding pages, but as a whole this is very much worth reading.
    • 4/5
      As a fan of the movie I was surprised to find out there was a sequel to this book. So I thought I should actually read this book first. It was very like the movie. It did explain a few things that movie did not. I read it in just a few hours. I enjoyed it.
    • 5/5
      I snagged this for my Kindle when Amazon was running a daily deal. I hadn't read it in years and wanted to see how it held up. Well, I tore through it in about two days. Even knowing how it all turns out, Rosemary's Baby is still a very scary-creepy book. Because it is told entirely from Rosemary's point of view as she slowly puts the pieces together, we readers share in her paranoia, helplessness and ever-growing terror. The ending still gives me chills. This is one horror classic that endures.
    • 5/5
      A little slow developing, but it rises to an exciting climax. I'm probably one of only a few people who never saw the movie!
    • 5/5
      There's not a wasted paragraph in this incredibly creepy tale of Rosemary Woodhouse and her unnatural child. Told solely through her eyes, the reader feels trapped with her as she attempts to put together several seemingly random incidents and reaches the unfortunate but inevitable conclusion. "He has his father's eyes." may be the most eerie sentence I've ever read, and I've read my share of horror stories.
    • 4/5
      I don't think I have ever seen the film (1968) based on this book, starring Mia Farrow. That was probably a good thing as I didn't know how the story ended.The Introduction by Chuck Palahniuk prepared me a little though. He begins "Before Ira Levin, horror always happened soemwhere else... it was a comfort to know that real life-threatening horror never occurred at home. You had to be baited far, far away. For the century leading up to 1967 the real horrors had been elsewhere in the world, always outside the borders of England and the United States. If you stayed home you'd be safe... Home constituted this safe little island where women could raise children in domestic bliss."But Ira Levin changed all that, for, on the very edges of crime fiction, ROSEMARY'S BABY is a horror story, showing that there is no safety in your own home either.There is a cinematographic quality to the action, and I kept imagining how chilling it would be on the silver screen.During her early pregnancy Rosemary Woodhouse has incredible pain, and then peculiar dreams. A friend who warned her about the apartment house she and her husband have moved, is taken ill just before meeting with her, and then falls into a coma from which he never recovers. Rosemary thinks her husband has developed an unhealthy affection for their elderly neighbours but continues to trust Guy.An interesting read.
    • 5/5
      I had read this book about a year ago and just revisited it on audio. It is besides the Exorcist one of the creepiest horror novels written.