Rosemary's Baby

Never saw the movie, and haven't seen the 2014 Mother's Day adaptation either. It was the author's second and best known novel, though he wrote scripts and screenplays before that.

Though the characters are thoroughly unlikeable, they are well written. Only Rosemary has some growth (in more ways than one) - this is more of a characters meet situation story. Religion is a major theme, but feminism is a strong second, especially at the end. Gaslighting and paranoia are another theme.

Described as a "perfectly crafted thriller", I beg to differ. The reader can easily piece together what has happened, and we spend most of the book watching the worm wriggle on the hook. For a likeable character, the empathy could carry this, but I found Rosemary irritating - and nine months is a lot of irritation.

Unlike the ordinary bell curve, I found a lot more 4 and 2 star reviews. I liked some aspects and didn't like others. It's horror without being too bloody, but it's also not a thriller. 3 stars.