Scan barcode
kimberlyf's review against another edition
5.0
*new comfort read unlocked*
I think perhaps all of us go a little crazy at times.
I will skip the synopsis on this one because, well, come on… It’s Psycho… And I may be biased but I f*cking loved this.
I followed the timeline of Psycho adaptions completely backwards. When the television series Bates Motel premiered in 2013 on A&E, I was there watching and I obsessively consumed each ensuing episode. When my father saw me settling down in front of the TV to watch, he remarked that this wasn’t an original story; it came from the film Psycho, of course. So off I set to watch the 1960 classic film. Fast forward to this year where an itch began to grow on me to watch the film again and to where I realized that it had never occurred to me to see if the film was based on a book (most great movies are). Now here we are, present day. Psycho is a very short read at just over 200 pages and nearly 5.5 hours on audiobook.
I didn’t have any expectations going in to the book except for the excitement I felt to reunite with some of my most beloved television characters, Norman and Mother. This book delivered. You can feel the unease and dread swirling in the air, the prose luxuriously horrific and dripping with trepidation.
I was surprised to learn that the original Norman Bates, the one from this book, is 40 years old as the television adaptions of Norman portrays a young man in his 20s. This didn’t take away from the story in any way but was an interesting change that I didn’t know about. Apparently Hitchcock wanted to make Norman more of a boy-next-door type and give him a persona that people could sympathize with and he thought making him younger would do just that.
If I had any complains, I would say that I actually wanted the ending to be drawn out more. The last pages are ultimately an explanation of everything but it was too concise and straight-forward; a perfect example of an author telling the reader instead of showing.
Overall, it’s a horror classic—one that I loved and will return to. As another user mentioned “easy to read, hard to put down”.
I think perhaps all of us go a little crazy at times.
I will skip the synopsis on this one because, well, come on… It’s Psycho… And I may be biased but I f*cking loved this.
I followed the timeline of Psycho adaptions completely backwards. When the television series Bates Motel premiered in 2013 on A&E, I was there watching and I obsessively consumed each ensuing episode. When my father saw me settling down in front of the TV to watch, he remarked that this wasn’t an original story; it came from the film Psycho, of course. So off I set to watch the 1960 classic film. Fast forward to this year where an itch began to grow on me to watch the film again and to where I realized that it had never occurred to me to see if the film was based on a book (most great movies are). Now here we are, present day. Psycho is a very short read at just over 200 pages and nearly 5.5 hours on audiobook.
I didn’t have any expectations going in to the book except for the excitement I felt to reunite with some of my most beloved television characters, Norman and Mother. This book delivered. You can feel the unease and dread swirling in the air, the prose luxuriously horrific and dripping with trepidation.
I was surprised to learn that the original Norman Bates, the one from this book, is 40 years old as the television adaptions of Norman portrays a young man in his 20s. This didn’t take away from the story in any way but was an interesting change that I didn’t know about. Apparently Hitchcock wanted to make Norman more of a boy-next-door type and give him a persona that people could sympathize with and he thought making him younger would do just that.
If I had any complains, I would say that I actually wanted the ending to be drawn out more. The last pages are ultimately an explanation of everything but it was too concise and straight-forward; a perfect example of an author telling the reader instead of showing.
Overall, it’s a horror classic—one that I loved and will return to. As another user mentioned “easy to read, hard to put down”.
erinbrook's review against another edition
5.0
At this point, most of us have seen the movie, but I'd never read the book. Being on of the first horror movies i saw as a child, I can't remember being shocked by the twist, which makes me so sad because it's such a good one! The book was fantastic, and it held up through the years.
jmcook's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
busterkeaton15's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
paintedbypicasso's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
ronniegayreads's review against another edition
I didn't think it was that interesting tbh!
jenniferip's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
alejaeger's review against another edition
5.0
I'm a huge fan of the Psycho films, the last time I watched Hitchcock's version was last week, so I thought that I would not enjoy the book very much, as I already knew the story and the twists very well. However, I was surprised by how much of a page turner it is, it's a short book with many events, which keeps you interested and eager to see what happens next (even if you already know!). The film is very true to the book but the book is darker and more graphic (especially the famous shower scene....), making it a very different experience and I definitely recommend the book to anyone who knows and loves this story as much as I do.
liakos's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0