Ira Levin: Son of Rosemary

[Anamnesis]

Has anyone read this book? I finished SoR earlier in the month and felt like commenting on it. Now while I enjoyed Rosemary’s Baby, I didn’t fall in love with the book the way so many other fans of the horror genre did (probably because I knew most of the story’s events). Still, I felt like Levin carefully planned the story of Rosemary’s Baby and that he wasn’t making things up as he went along. I can’t say the same for Son of Rosemary. The book feels rushed and amateurish, almost like a film novelization. Perhaps Ira Levin was hoping for another film adaptation of his work; so far that has yet to happen. Anyway the increasingly outlandish and silly story is concluded with an ending that is insulting to fans of Rosemary’s Baby.

I could go on, but if you loved Rosemary’s Baby much and never got around to reading Son of Rosemary… don’t bother. It’s the Hannibal Rising of Ira Levin’s career (although Hannibal Rising was better than this tripe).

 

[Frozeninside]

I haven't read that one, I've read Rosemary's Baby last year and I thought it was really great. It's disappointing to hear that the sequel isn't not so good.

 

[beer good]

Read Son of Rosemary years and years ago. Let's see, there was something about an adult Rosemary baby trying to become some sort of... evil televangelist... wait, that's a tautology, isn't it? Anyway, he was evil, but he still cared about his mom, or something... am I in the ballpark? I mainly remember how awful it was.

 

[Fantasy Moon]

I read both books several years ago, and have cheap paperback copies of them. Son of Rosemary was something that I asked for my birthday though. Yeah, I know that it wasn't as good by any stretch of the imagination, but I still wanted it due to one scene that I rather liked.

Am I the only one who didn't understand the ending though?

 

[Anamnesis]

What didn't you understand about it?

 

[Fantasy Moon]

It's been so long that I really don't remember what it was exactly that I didn't understand about it. Maybe if I re-read it that will clear up, but so many other good books are awaiting my attention that it might take awhile before I get to the stage of re-reading the books in my collection.

I seen Rosemary's Baby on DVD at Best Buy. It was tempting to get it since the VCR ate my tape years ago. I've always liked the theme music to that movie.