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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
3/5 — meh! i learned only recently that the movie was a book, so i was very excited to read it! but it left me wanting more in places. i think it was probably very scary at the time it was published, but all the “multiple personality” stuff just…eh. not sure i buy it! it was a fast read—i probably could’ve finished it in a day—and the fact that i didn’t fly through it is pretty telling. still fun though!
“to know that you are real—that’s sanity, isn’t it?”
“to know that you are real—that’s sanity, isn’t it?”
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
fast-paced
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A delicious, quick read. The creepy motel in the heavy rain is an amazing setting, and I can definitely see how this scared so many people back in the day.
A great book with a great twist which made a great movie. I loved it.
A great book with a great twist which made a great movie. I loved it.
i really enjoyed reading the creepy unraveling of the storyline as well as the psychosis of bates. Hitchcock was true to Bloch's story.
-- always a fun revisit
-- always a fun revisit
3.5 stars. I wish I could have read this back in the day of of the publication. Being the 1950s, it must have been a real shock to read something that is absolutely as effective today. If someone hasn't yet heard about Norman Bates and his mommy issues, I'd be really surprised. There are certain iconic film moments that are etched into the popular culture memory, and that Janet Leigh's shower scene is one of them. The movie is better in my opinion, it really creeped me out when I finally got around seeing it a while back. Even if I hadn't seen it before reading the book, I wouldn't have been able to separate myself from the movie since the basic story was already so familiar.
That's why I couldn't enjoy myself as much with the book when I knew exactly what would happen, which actually applies to almost all situations where I read the book after seeing the movie. However, I would very much recommend this to those who don't care about the modern torture porn (in film or in literature). There really are some fine moments (such as the changing point of view, which works quite well), and if it happens that for some reason you are not familiar with the story you'll probably be seriously mindfucked. Good horror also gives you something to think about. In this case it's the definition of a villain. In what respects you are responsible for your actions, if... well, I'll leave the spoiler out just in case ;)
That's why I couldn't enjoy myself as much with the book when I knew exactly what would happen, which actually applies to almost all situations where I read the book after seeing the movie. However, I would very much recommend this to those who don't care about the modern torture porn (in film or in literature). There really are some fine moments (such as the changing point of view, which works quite well), and if it happens that for some reason you are not familiar with the story you'll probably be seriously mindfucked. Good horror also gives you something to think about. In this case it's the definition of a villain. In what respects you are responsible for your actions, if... well, I'll leave the spoiler out just in case ;)
Different from the movie, but still very much enjoyable!
I think the movie was actually better, they were very similar but Norman was better in the movie, and I don’t think it worked the best as a book