Reviews - Psycho | The StoryGraph

1.32k reviews for:

Psycho

Robert Bloch

3.99 AVERAGE

miakoda_exe's review against another edition

4.0

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

bookdrgn99's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I wish I'd had the opportunity to have read this without the knowledge of the movie. As is, I don't remember ever not knowing the ending of this story even though I don't remember actually watching the movie. Going into either unspoiled must've been quite the experience. What I didn't remember were all the beats between the iconic shower scene and the shocking end.

I was totally suspicious of Sam initially. The way they met and fell in love in like six hours was just bonkers. It screamed he was playing her, IMO, but no. I felt for Mary (I do like the change to Marion in the movie) and her situation. An ordinary lady in a lousy life who went to desperate measures. What I didn't expect was to feel, in the long run, for Norman. He did horrible things but he never had a chance at a normal life from the start. Even if

Norma wasn't the literal villain, she was the true villain of the story.

The sheriff made Barney Fife look like a first rate detective. Good grief he was infuriating. Lila was the only one with determination and grit and who actually got anything done, but the way she was written - or perhaps how the narrator chose to read her lines - made her grate terribly for a large part of the book. Whichever it was, it was a disservice to her character.

Content Warnings

nullgnu's review against another edition

2.75

mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

brylp's review against another edition

5.0

Psycho is considered one of the best books in the horror genre for a reason. Robert Bloch builds suspense from start to finish, and the descriptive chapters between action sequences don’t kill it. The most characteristic feature of the book is the way the author creates scenes designed to shock the reader – they appear out of nowhere and leave us stunned (iconic shower scene ❤️). This may be the main aspect that brought Bloch such success. The plot is not like a typical crime story orbiting around 'who killed' and 'where the money is'. In the book we can notice various perspectives that are constantly changing throughout the storyline; this is another ploy to maintain suspense. Characters in the book are also well-developed, especially Norman Bates, whose psychological description is brutal. Expect for the very naive sheriff, there is nothing to complain about. This book is a must-read for every horror fan.
Advantages:
+ Uncommon plot
+ One of the best antagonists in the horror genre
+ Well-executed action scenes
+ Atmosphere setting
+ Unexpected twists
+ Huge influence on pop culture
Disadvantages:
- Some descriptions feel overly long at time

carismajayne's review against another edition

3.0

dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

i figured that he blacked out and that none of the acts were committed by the mother, it seemed like his mental health was poor from the first few pages and that would be the reason why all along

reiding's review against another edition

4.0

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

i think perhaps all of us go a little crazy at times

haunting, terrifying, exactly what i signed up for thanks!!

pumpkin_ig's review against another edition

3.75

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

cjm1419's review against another edition

4.0

dark tense

greta_m's review against another edition

3.0

I never realized this book was so short. Predictable (I’d seen the movie years ago) but interesting. Bloch really does a good job making Norman as creepy as possible. Knowing this story is based on Ed Gein’s crimes makes it somehow worse. I’ve wanted to read Psycho for years. I have no idea why it took me so long to read this book but glad I finally did.

kaceyjoy's review against another edition

4.0

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Today I learned that the movie was based on a book!

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