Rosemary's Baby

The genre-defining classic that ushered in the era of modern horror

One of the best-selling books of all time, Rosemary's Baby is a foundational work of suspense and psychological horror which remains as powerful and chilling as the day it was written. Hailed by Truman Capote as a "darkly brilliant tale" and adapted with near-total fidelity into the monumental film starring Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes, Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby ushered in the era of contemporary horror as we know it, opening the floodgates to later works such as The Exorcist and The Omen. Levin ingeniously fused gothic literary tradition with modern-day New York, creating an enduring classic which the New York Times placed on its recent list of "The 25 Most Significant New York City Novels From the Last 100 Years."

Rosemary Woodhouse and her struggling-actor husband Guy are thrilled to move into the Bramford, a sought-after Manhattan apartment building prized for its Victorian details and gargoyled facade. Yet as they learn of a darker side to the building's history--and become acquainted with their overly attentive neighbors, the Castevets--unspoken tensions enter into the young couples' relationship. Matters improve when Guy lands a major role, and Rosemary at last becomes pregnant. But as her pregnancy takes frightening turns, Rosemary begins to question if her neighbors' heightened interest is strictly innocent, or if their motivations--and those of Guy himself--portend terrifying consequences for her, and her unborn child. Is Rosemary "...going mad, or going sane"?

Foreword by Chuck Palahniuk.

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Published Oct 3, 2023

248 pages

Average rating: 7.77

114 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

ariannareads01
Dec 15, 2025
10/10 stars
This ISN'T my type of genre, but I actually loved it. It was just so sick and wrong... I don't know why I liked it. maybe I'm sick and twisted, too. Read this also for my "Gothic to Horror" class in college. But it was great! Would recommend
LitterBug
Nov 10, 2025
8/10 stars
This was a super interesting story, I think it really holds up. This had a surprising amount to say about the place of women and the horror of societal expectations.
Azrael_
Jan 09, 2025
1/10 star
Rosemary is a big dummy
Chloe._.23
Dec 07, 2024
9/10 stars
This book was sooo good
Sonia
Dec 03, 2024
8/10 stars
Definitely worth the read. It’s eerie and page turning

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