2026-01 - Horror - ROSEMARY'S BABY - Discussion > Likes and Comments
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Theresa (mysteries.and.mayhem)
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Nov 24, 2025 08:50AM
Our first horror group read in 2026 is a doozy! If you haven't read Rosemary's Baby yet, you're in for a fun ride! I believe most people are familiar with the story from watching the classic horror adaptation, but the book is just as good! We look forward to having you join the read and discussion of the classic Ira Levin first published in 1967!
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I'm so looking forward to the collective opinion of this book if you haven't read it already, or the chatter about other people's experiences if you already have.Myself and Theresa both rate it 5 stars and there's a very good reason for that!
This thread is now live ⚡Happy reading and discussing throughout January 2026!
🎆🎈🥳HAPPY NEW YEAR💕⃝🕊️🥀What a superbly hellacious horror read to kick-off 2026! Read this decades ago and was 5-star scared out of my wits at the time. Have a hardcover copy🥰 and am looking forward to a reminiscing re-read with this dynamic group 💛🧚♀️🙋🏼!
If you'd like to discuss this book with potential spoilers you can do so on Discord:https://discord.com/channels/14455590...
Otherwise try to keep it clean for others, thanks.
I've been enjoying the book so far. Def has been giving me the creepy crawlies. 66% in.
Glad you're enjoying this classic vintage horror tale, Marisela! Looking forward to hearing your (non-spoiler) thoughts when you're done. I started a re-read last evening and after a few pages decided to read this only during daylight hours. I had to do the same thing when reading The Exorcist because the stories wierdly worm their way into my dreams and subvert sleep. Is anyone else affected like this when reading certain books in the evening🧚♀️🙋🏼?
I just started this book last night. I had read this book many years ago - sometime in the 80's but I don't remember any of the story so it is like reading it for the first time. lol I have a feeling that the book is going to be a creepy one. I am about 14% into it. :)
Marie wrote: "I just started this book last night. I had read this book many years ago - sometime in the 80's but I don't remember any of the story so it is like reading it for the first time. lol I have a fee..."
Hope you enjoy, Marie.
Let us know how you get along...
Richard Alex wrote: "Marie wrote: "I just started this book last night. I had read this book many years ago - sometime in the 80's but I don't remember any of the story so it is like reading it for the first time. lol ...Hope you enjoy, Marie.
Let us know how you get along..."
I will keep you all updated on my progress. :)
With this re-read I found the story much more tame than when I read it as a teenager, I suppose experience and maturity will do that to a reader. It is horrifying in the gaslighting and betrayal of Rosemary but it hardly qualifies as "Horror" in the contemporary sense. There's no gratuitous gore, or any descriptive blood/guts/gore of any kind. It is no where near as "in your face" as The Exorcist.This time around the story was more of a thought provoking read that could compel one to re-examine the "care", "kindness", and "agenda" of those individuals to whom one is closest, confides in and trusts. I found it to be an interesting, provocative, and 5-star satisfying read. Looking forward to hearing what you think about it 💛🧚♀️🙋🏼.
Valerie Book Valkyrie wrote: "With this re-read I found the story much more tame than when I read it as a teenager, I suppose experience and maturity will do that to a reader. It is horrifying in the gaslighting and betrayal of..."I love the book, Valerie.
It's the slow subtlety of living in the mind of Rosemary that does it for me, going from pillar to post, talking to everyone, convinced it's all perfectly natural.
I thought the same thing about The Exorcist, how light it seems on the horror in comparison to my movie memories, more of a thriller but an absolutely AMAZING book.
Glad you're finding this thriller unputdownable, Marie! I felt the same way, facilitated by the uncomplicated composition and plain vocabulary rendering it a fast and easy read as well.Love your observation, very perceptive! And, thanks so much for hiding it as a spoiler so others can enjoy the same spine-tingling type of sensations💛🧚♀️🙋🏼.
Valerie Book Valkyrie wrote: "Glad you're finding this thriller unputdownable, Marie! I felt the same way, facilitated by the uncomplicated composition and plain vocabulary rendering it a fast and easy read as well.Love your o..."
I always use spoilers on group reads - don't want to ruin it for everyone else. :)
The story is very mysterious to me and I can see why so many people love the story as it makes you think and wonder. :)
I am another one in the 'love this book' column.I see the horror genre as having a wide berth. There's slasher and gore horror, paranormal type horror, monster horror, gothic horror, action horror, body horror, psychological horror, terror, cosmic horror, folk horror, and even more. It seems almost endless, and certainly to the point that two books both in the horror genre could be completely different to the point of seeming to be completely unrelated. Realistically though, the same can be said of other genre's like Science Fiction. Wide,👐 Wiiiiiddde ↔ berth for sci-fi!
Something that I found interesting about Rosemary's Baby is that the way that Rosemary is treated as a woman is very much the sign of the times.
I tried to envision the differences of how Rosemary would be treated in the 70's, 80's, 90's, 00's, 10's, and today. I wondered which years would her treatment by her husband and medical professionals be considered a red flag directly, which would be consider status quo, and which would be questionable. In my mind, this is not a straight line and with the resurrection of trad wives I have to wonder if in certain groups, over 50 years after the book was originally published, if it would be considered normal to speak with and treat your wife the way Rosemary was spoken too, again.
As far as the movie is concerned, I haven't seen that in a very long time. I think I watched it last back in high school or maybe even junior high? It was an old movie back then. I would be into watching it again. I did read the audiobook version, however, and that was narrated by Mia Farrow, aka Rosemary in the movie! Fantastic, excellent narration btw!
Excellent selection this month.
Interesting thought experiment, Panda, to try to "envision the differences of how Rosemary would be treated in the 70's, 80's, 90's, 00's, 10's, and today. I wondered which years would her treatment by her husband and medical professionals be considered a red flag directly, which would be consider status quo, and which would be questionable." What did you come up with 💛🧚♀️🙋🏼?
I finished the book during the night as I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed it. Very creepy and mysterious right up to the end of the story. I gave it 5 stars. :)
Marie wrote: "I finished the book during the night as I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed it. Very creepy and mysterious right up to the end of the story. I gave it 5 stars. :)"Brilliant, Marie, we are one and the same in our admiration of this book and Ira Levin in general.
Read The Stepford Wives if you haven't already, I'm sure you'll really like it.
I had been putting off this book for years because I figured it was either going to be too creepy or disappointing. However, I am glad that I read it. It was definitely interesting. For anyone who wants more books with this vibe: The Nestlings by Nat Cassidy and The Changeling by Victor LaValle have many similarities to this one.
Finished this book earlier this week. 4-4.25 stars for me. I really enjoyed this book. Has anyone read the sequel??
Marisela wrote: "Finished this book earlier this week. 4-4.25 stars for me. I really enjoyed this book. Has anyone read the sequel??"I haven't read the sequel because its supposed to be crap!
Instead, read something else by Ira Levin, there are so many good options.
Valerie Book Valkyrie wrote: "Interesting thought experiment, Panda, to try to "envision the differences of how Rosemary would be treated in the 70's, 80's, 90's, 00's, 10's, and today. I wondered which years would her treatmen..."I Thought that the 60's and 70s it would be pretty status quo.
The 80s I think depends on where you live and even if it was thought to be a red flag, I think that many women likely would be uncomfortably quiet. If they confided in their mothers, they would likely tell them not to rock the boat and that hubby was a good man who they were lucky to have.
90s feels like it would lean into the 80s, but some would start to make a fuss, while others may just talk about it with friends, but not do anything.
The 00's is where some would start something and a small group would have none of that, mostly if they spoke with friends who would help them stand up for themselves.
The 10s women are more likely to just nope out of it, with some still feeling awkward and not able to do so alone, hopefully those few have friends to help them out.
Today, I feel a regression with some noping out, others spotting red flags and leaving even before the pregnancy, and then others back sliding into staying quiet because he is a good man, especially those following a more religious standard in some areas of the US, especially those considering themselves a trad wife.
What do you think? Could I have something or was I just over imaginatively bored? 😂
Yikes, Panda, I do so enjoy your bored overimaginative musings! You are soooo preceptive💡! I can't speak for the 60's & 70's, but the very thing you cited about the 80's happened to me with my mom regarding the BF I was involved with before I met my would-be husband! Needless to say, my mom and I didn't see eye to eye! Geographical location would have a great bearing on a woman's response to being treated like Rosemary was, as well as socioeconomic status, and education. It's much more difficult to "rock the boat", and end up overboard, if a woman is raised with a parochial mindset, is not financially secure separate from her spouse, and/or has no marketable skills (yes, there's a lot of overlap here as well as other exacerbating factors).
With the advent of the 70's, starting in more metropolitan areas increasing numbers of women were entering higher education programs, learning marketable skills, and earning their own income. Also there was that 70's thrust of Women's Lib and Feminism: The audacious idea that women are people too!
Your progression through the decades to today seems pretty spot on, Panda. Not sure how I feel about today's regression with the "trad wife" trend. I've always been of the belief that people should be able to live the lifestyle they want and had the attitude "live and let live", but I'm disturbed by the larger societal implications of the trad-wife. Seems that within a decade or so many of these ladies will find their silver has developed a thick coat of tarnish rather than a fine patina finish 💛🧚♀️🙋🏼👍!
Valerie Book Valkyrie wrote: "Yikes, Panda, I do so enjoy your bored overimaginative musings! You are soooo preceptive💡! I can't speak for the 60's & 70's, but the very thing you cited about the 80's happened to me with my mom ..."I agree with you that people should be able to life the lifestyle that they want, however, it's difficult to say who is living the life that they want vs who has been indoctrinated into it.
There is a reality show on TLC. While I am not one to watch relity shows outside of Survivor, which a family member talked me into in season two and after I joked about not wanting to watch a show about people camping, I got hooked on the social aspect of the game as well as the differences of how it looks from the inside as opposed to the outside, but I digress. The show I started to speak about is Sister Wives, which has been on for many seasons following a family of polygamists who originally lived in Utah, left due to fear of prosecution moving to Nevada and then to someplace else, I forget. Anyway, there are like 18 children plus involved and 4 wives. The tv show brought money and notoriety into the family, which expanded not only their influence but where they lives and how their lives were influenced, inevitably leading to at least three of the wives realizing that they were in fact in a cult and them breaking away from it. This is a very simplistic view of it considering the show follows the family for I believe over 10 years, but had they stayed in Utah living within the community of like minded people in their day to day, not only would they likely had a very different lifestyle today, but I would guess that many of the children, none of which seem to be interested in polygamy, would have remained in the religion and would like be practicing it due to their and their communities belief system.
Obviously we cannot possibly know what we don't know, but you can literally watch and see the change of attitudes, from the small changes in what they wear, how they talk, what they eat, and gradually moving away from being strict to no longer holding church, no longer wearing religious clothing, and so on. It is a show and they do try to portray things for longer than they actually practiced, which they admit to later, but it is as good of a look as any into the lives of a family and it's values as it changes with time and location.
Yes, people fascinate me.
Oh! Religions (as well as politics and cultural practices) are an additional ball of wax factor! I'm going to steer clear here, but I do agree with you about overtly oppressive, and self debasing/harming, indoctrination. I don't watch much TV/Network video, and am likely one of the minority who has never watched any type of "survivor" or "reality" show, but I'm glad those women and their children were able to escape their brutal situation. And, yes, people are "fascinating".Hope you'll read The Stepford Wives this month, too💛🧚♀️🙋🏼!
Yeah, I jumped right in there, didn't I? lol It was the first example that came up. 🤭Valerie Book Valkyrie wrote: "Hope you'll read The Stepford Wives this month, too💛🧚♀️🙋🏼!"
Oh? I missed something. I hadn't realized that The Stepford Wives was on the table. Let me see if I can get my hands on a copy!
I was able to put The Stepford Wives on hold, but it could take up to 7 weeks for me to get it. Sometimes it's faster. I legitimately don't see it listed anywhere but I am all in on reading this one as soon as I can get my hands on it. I've seen a couple of versions of the movie, I think the latest one was with Nicole Kidman, but I'm not sure if I ever actually read the book. If I had, it's been a while.
Panda, so glad you were able to reserve/hold a copy of this. It is the current Buddy Read with Horror or Heaven. The discussion thread is here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...I've purchased 2 well loved editions: a first edition hardcover (my christmas present to myself) and a 2011 mass market paperback with an into by Chuck Palahniuk (had to have it after reading MikeR's comment in msgs #6, 13, 15, 21....oh, gosh the whole thread is so worth reading!)
Ordered Jan 2nd & still awaiting delivery of both copies ( – ⌓ – ).
Good to know that all HORROR OR HEAVEN group threads will reamain open for 2mos after the month of the group read activity. So, even if it does take the full 7wks to obtain your copy, come join us now and continue commenting through later 💛🧚♀️🙋🏼!
Received my reserved copy from the county library today - - and, surprise, it's the original hardcover edition from 1967! 25 pages in so far.i appreciate Levin doing a bang-up job of conveying the excitement of Rosemary and Guy at landing the rental at Bramford.
Then, chapter two drops the disclaimer from friend Hutch and we readers get that feeling of apprehension while Rosemary and Guy shrug it off, and don't let it dampen their enthusiasm. They seem like such a cute couple (view spoiler)
@Michael: Don't you just love when that happens!?! The same glorious thing happened to me with my own library loan of Rosemary's Baby. It was a little stuck in my grasp the day I returned it! It's one I'd like to have for my physical bookshelf, and am likely to read again sometime, so I'm going to see how feasible purchasing a copy may be. Enjoy your read, looking forward to hearing your thought 🧚♀️🙋🏼!
Just finished Part One. A good place to stop and reflect. The scene where Rosemary is nearly unconscious/half-asleep was written tactfully.
(view spoiler)
Panda wrote: "Valerie Book Valkyrie wrote: "Interesting thought experiment, Panda, to try to "envision the differences of how Rosemary would be treated in the 70's, 80's, 90's, 00's, 10's, and today. I wondered ..."You are definitely onto something considering how each decade might alter how Rosemary reacts to any "red flags". i believe that with every decade following the 1960's the possibility of a red flag would increase, with the current decade being the most suspicous/cautious/call out the morality/rights police. I don't think the doctor's advice would be blindly accepted today the way that Rosemary went along with it in the story.
Oh, Michael, you are so right! With the mistrust currently blanketing today's for profit corporate-industrial-medical system, (largely controlled and directed by Big Pharma), patients' trust in doctors is truely waning. Having recently been a healthcare provider in that system for 20yrs,
I (fortunately/unfortunately) am all too aware of the corporate greed, corruption, and loss of integrity! No longer do I even go to "the doctor" for what ails me as all they seem to offer are expensive and invasive tests, toxic meds, and/or surgery; all with little known outcomes or assurance for improvement!
Now......here comes AI "doc" 🤖! Electronic med records in the exam room were patient-alienating enough, so glad I was able to retire before 🤖entered!
I'm grateful to the group for selecting this book for a community reading. I don't think I would have picked it up otherwise. Here's my Five-Star review . . . .
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I like how clean the language is but I also appreciate how much attention is given to making the apartment and the Bramford feelLike a real PLACE. I think the claustrophobia of the book only works because you can put yourself physically there
Michael wrote: "I'm grateful to the group for selecting this book for a community reading. I don't think I would have picked it up otherwise. Here's my Five-Star review . . . .
https://www.goodreads.com/review..."
Glad you liked it as much as me and so many others, Michael.
We're turning into big fans of Ira Levin in this group 😁.
@Panda - hello! I read this a couple of years ago and found it fascinating. I'm also finding your red flag scenarios based on decades very interesting. My thoughts/question would be do you think the red flags would be different for the husband's treatment of Rosemary vs the doctor's treatment in each decade? Maybe not so much in the 60s and 70s, but definitely they would start splitting in the 80s and 90s.For example, I had my daughters in the 90s. My mom was very forward thinking as far as feminism is concerned. I think she would be throwing red flags on my behalf all over the place when it comes to the husband, which I'd be apt to listen to. But the doctor - I think I'd still be incredibly trusting of their opinion on the matter and just go with it, regardless of what anyone else thought. They're the one with the medical degree, after all, not me. At least - that's what I believe at the time. I'd be different these days.
Richard Alex wrote: "...We're turning into big fans of Ira Levin in this group 😁...."Absolutely!
Cherise Isabella wrote: "Hey all! Happy New Year. It's been a while since I have done a group read. I started reading Rosemary's Baby tonight and I am really enjoying it. I am 23% in so far. So far, Guy is my favorite char..."So far so good.
Glad you're enjoying this one, Cherise.
Cherise Isabella wrote: "One of the scenes that stood out to me was Guy's violation of Rosemary when she was still asleep. I am pleased that despite the time period this was written in how tactfully it was handled. I also ..."Brilliant, glad you loved it so much, it's a wonderful book.
Be careful with spoilers.
Hide them in < spoiler > tags < /spoiler > without the spaces.
Believe it or not, not everyone has read this book, just as I hadn't read the Stepford Wives 😀.
I need to promote Discord a bit more.
It's wonderfully fluid for chitchat.
https://discord.com/channels/14455590...
Discuss spoilers all you like.
Cherise Isabella wrote: "Hey Alex, the link you sent is giving me an invalid prompt. Is there another one?"Here's the general link to the server:
https://discord.gg/Tuy5FY6nAj
Let me know if this one works.
I’ve recently read this book in the past year because it’s one of my favorite movies. I was so surprised how closely the movie follows specific descriptions and lines of dialogue from the book. Like Rosemary’s dream sequence in the film is almost identical to how it’s described by Levin in the prose. I suppose in the 60’s they were more true to books when adapting.
Thanks for reading our main horror group read in January 2026.A few more days left in the spotlight and then we'll be moving on to three new group reads for February 2026.
Michael wrote: "i believe that with every decade following the 1960's the possibility of a red flag would increase, with the current decade being the most suspicous/cautious/call out the morality/rights police. I don't think the doctor's advice would be blindly accepted today the way that Rosemary went along with it..."Great point! The medical slant is one that i was thinking about as I was reading. I'm unsure if there were women obgyn's in the 60's. I would think that there were some, but the bulk of the profession were likely white men, in the US, and the general way that women were treated would definitely include doctors.
Valerie Book Valkyrie wrote: "Now......here comes AI "doc" 🤖! Electronic med records in the exam room were patient-alienating enough, so glad I was able to retire before 🤖entered.."This would be a book for the sci-fi read. I'm not saying that it wouldn't or couldn't also be a horror.
Are we thinking an actual AI baby, Robot baby, or just the doctor, because I mean, we could go really futuristic here.
Theresa (mysteries.and.mayhem) wrote: "@Panda - hello! I read this a couple of years ago and found it fascinating. I'm also finding your red flag scenarios based on decades very interesting. My thoughts/question would be do you think th..."I agree with you, Theresa. The breakdown of the red flags from husband to medical profession would be different and much later. While men started changing attitudes and attitudes towards and about men started changing earlier, people continued to see those in the medical profession, especially doctors as someone who deserved respect and whose word was 'law'.
The God complex is something that is known among doctors and has gotten patients killed. There was a case that I got lost in a couple of years ago about a doctor who was doing ground breaking surgery that was supposed to be life saving, but it was murder. He kept doing it and eventually he was caught, but so many people believed him, believed his explanations and thought that he was a gift.
It's only been fairly recent when people have stood up for and advocated for their rights for a second opinion or for the hospital that they want their surgery in or to have some say in the way a procedure will go or the aftercare. Even now some of those in the older generation, over 80, trust and believe in their doctor explicitly and may even fight family on getting a second opinion as they hold old beliefs that the doctor knows best. Not everyone, obviously, but enough that it can create an issue with unnecessary tests and/or procedures.
I would like to say that the diversity in the medical profession makes childbirth and gynecology procedures less apt to have issues, but it isn't always the case. Rosemary, I think, was pretty affluent, and a white lady so she would likely have great care today. If we made her a black woman, this could still be plausable even if she was affluent as we have seen people like Sarina Williams and Beyonce had serious medical issues while giving birth that were not taken seriously. Outside of labor there's an ongoing issue with some gynos giving pain meds for iud insertion and others gaslighting patients who are crying or making noises due to pain, telling them to stop that it doesn't hurt! Even women gynos do this, so yeah. you have very valid points here.
I think that books like Rosemary's Baby are powerful because outside of the obvious horror it taps into the fear that parents have throughout pregnancy, especially for the first child, and all that entails. Throughout society, even today it is pretty standard for people to say things like 'yeah it's like that for your first one, but for your second, your a pro and by the time you have your third you won't even care.' or something similar, which can make first time parents feel like they are being overly dramatic or worrisome. Reading about it ignites or reignites those fears or memories, which play into the tension of the book along with all of the other weirdness that is going on.
Then for women, not to say that men never feel this, but the hormonal emotional roller coaster and brain fog also makes us feel like well maybe it isn't that weird and it's just me being pregnant, second guesses, that don't matter what generation it happens in. Making some women, especially those without a solid support system, more easily manipulated into thinking it's them.
It's a lot. But again. My mind spirals out in all of these different ways when I really start thinking about what is going on and trying to put myself into the situation as written, and this one has a lot more in it than appears at first blush.
I'm so glad that all are wanting to chat about it!
Justin wrote: "I’ve recently read this book in the past year because it’s one of my favorite movies. I was so surprised how closely the movie follows specific descriptions and lines of dialogue from the book. Lik..."I think you are right about movie adaptations being more like the book in the 60s. I think that The Godfather film in 1972 was the first big adaptation that had a full script re-write. Feel free to correct me. It is frequently spoken about, but I may be missing or forgetting details since I last visited the topic.
DAMN. (quote intended)The website has just deleted various paragraphs of commentary I was writing. I'll be back when I'm less furious.
Alistair wrote: "DAMN. (quote intended)The website has just deleted various paragraphs of commentary I was writing. I'll be back when I'm less furious."
What's that got to do with Rosemary's Baby, Alistair?
Fill us in?
