I Read Rosemary's Baby & Feel Anxious to Create
Nov 21, 2025
Hello! It's only been 11 days since my last blog update but I guess I feel talkative. I've been pretty tired from school... 
Actually, I had a presentation this week and it was terrifying, but it's over with. And school break starts tomorrow!!!!
A while back, I decided to read Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin. I was watching frankie's shelf on Youtube who made a video called “when you think you can outdo the blueprint.” I've decided I've watched enough book youtubers over actually reading books, so I downloaded Rosemary's Baby before watching the video. I've only read one other book this year, The Vegetarian by Han Kang, which was pretty good. I haven't been into reading since middle school, but I'd like to read more.
TW: mentions of rape
You can skip past this section.
Anyways, onto talking about the book. I should say that this will have spoilers for anyone who cares. Rosemary's Baby is such a well written horror novel. Immediately, I wondered where the story was leading. I expected something bad would come from Guy, Rosemary's husband, because his job and personality seemed misaligned with Rosemary's goals. Within the second half of the book, where many of the set-ups became fulfilled, I felt as shocked as Rosemary did when she had these revelations. I kept trying to think ahead of the book, but it beat me every time.
I was somewhat spoiled by the ending with the reveal of the satan baby. I had searched up the name of the novel and saw a book cover which had an arrow-tail sticking out from a bassinet. It was still a surprise of how it got there, but I guess I just wasn't too surprised about the baby being some sort of satanspawn.
The end of the book left me bewildered. Okay, so these people are witches and follow satan, but none of that stuff is real, right? I struggled to tell what was real from dream, if Rosemary was hallucinating, if she was to be trusted. Rosemary's character was so realistic and relatable, your emotions would align with hers exactly. When she mentioned Hutch's death and how she had forgotten about him, I felt guilt because I also had.
I feel like I don't have anything “smart” to say about this book. I have been interested in horror pregnancy recently, so I guess this is a good start lol. I'm surprised by how well this book depicted martial rape. For the time period, but even now, it's easy to downplay the situation. I felt like her thought process after what happened was realistic, but also heartbreaking.
I think a child born from rape is also an interesting topic. Recently, I found out that it was considered medically impossible for a child to be conceived from rape. I wonder if it's something the characters in this book also believed in. It didn't help that Rosemary did actually want a baby, which likely allowed her to forgive Guy.
I'd say a big part of this book is how quickly Rosemary does accept the terrible situations she's in. She unknowingly and unwillingly had her body exploited by others, but despite these circumstances, she wanted to, or needed to, raise a child. Again, I guess for the time period it is realistic. Taking her baby back and raising him how she wanted to, when she was put through hell to conceive and give birth was probably the most control she had in the situation.
Real quick, last thing I want to mention is how much I love the prose of Rosemary's Baby. Especially this entire passage from Part 1, Chapter 2:
Rosemary's spoon of melon stopped halfway to her mouth. “Are you honestly trying to talk us out of it?” she asked.I love how melodic and catchy it is to read.
“My dear girl,” Hutch said, “I had a perfectly good date with a charming woman this evening and broke it solely to see you and say my say. I am honestly trying to talk you out of it.”
“Well, Jesus, Hutch-” Guy began.
“I am not saying,” Hutch said, “that you will walk into the Bramford and be hit on the head with a piano or eaten by spinsters of turned to stone. I am simply saying that the record is there and ought to be considered along with the reasonable rent and the working fireplace: the house has a high incidence of unpleasant happenings. Why deliberately enter a danger zone? Go to the Dakota or the Osborne if you're dead set on nineteenth century splendor.”
Well, I guess that's it for reading Rosemary's Baby. I recently have been wanting to sculpt a doll. I have access to 3d printers at school, but man, I haven't even finished the donut tutorial for blender. I feel so anxious to make a doll though. Break is soon, so I may learn a bunch of stuff over it. I'm Indian, and I really want to make a doll with more South Asian features.
I made this drawing of a girl wearing an outfit from this article that couldn't leave my head, it was such a cute fit.
Hopefully, I had time to work on this stuff over break and after this semester ends. I'm really hyped to make my ideas come to life.
See you later!
