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William March (1) (1893–1954)

Forfatter af The Bad Seed

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15+ Works 1,235 Members 42 Reviews 1 Favorited

Værker af William March

The Bad Seed (1954) 859 eksemplarer
Company K (1933) 251 eksemplarer
The Bad Seed [1956 film] (1956) — Novel; Novel — 42 eksemplarer
October Island (1960) 13 eksemplarer
99 Fables (1960) 8 eksemplarer
A William March omnibus (1956) 7 eksemplarer
Looking-Glass (2015) 6 eksemplarer
Come in at the Door (1934) 6 eksemplarer
The Tallons (2015) 6 eksemplarer
The Little Wife And Other Stories (1935) 2 eksemplarer
Some like them short (1939) 2 eksemplarer
Company K [DVD] 2 eksemplarer

Associated Works

American Short Stories (1976) — Bidragyder, nogle udgaver95 eksemplarer
The Best American Short Stories 1944 (1944) — Bidragyder — 18 eksemplarer
A New Southern Harvest (1957) — Bidragyder — 10 eksemplarer
O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1930 (1930) — Bidragyder — 2 eksemplarer
Eleven American Stories — Bidragyder — 1 eksemplar

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I had, of course, seen the 1956 movie, but had never realized that it was an adaptation of a novel published two years earlier. It's not unusual for horror movies to have been adapted from some fairly bad books, but I couldn't resist picking this up despite my low expectations.

I suppose the idea of an evil sociopath hiding under the veneer of a polite, neat, well-mannered little girl might have been shockingly novel in 1954, but it's been worn so threadbare in 2019 that I found myself paying more attention to the characters around little Rhoda than the child herself.

Not that Rhoda is uninteresting - she's entirely self-aware and surprisingly upfront about her true nature. She wants what she wants and does not tolerate anyone standing in her way. Her imitations of normal childish behavior are so stilted that it's incredible that hardly anyone sees through her. At least, people who are exposed to her long enough eventually conclude that she's a bully and a liar, but none seem willing or able to take the next logical step in connection with the injuries and death that seem to trail in her wake.

The story features a number of characters, all of whom are flawed and unlikeable in some way. Even the most sympathetic character, Rhoda's mother, is weak, whining, and ineffectual,
even when she finally tries to do something about her daughter
.

I don't want to spoil the story beyond what would be impossible to not know about it for anyone who hasn't been living under a rock, so I'll say no more about the characters or plot. But the book is overall well written and interesting, if a bit dragging in places, and well worth the read.

Paperback version, with a short foreword by Anna Holmes, reflecting on the story from a modern feminist perspective.
… (mere)
 
Markeret
Doodlebug34 | 29 andre anmeldelser | Jan 1, 2024 |
The first page is one whole paragraph, the writing is stunning, and highlights the fascination with psychology and Freud. The scariest part of this story is that it could easily be non-fiction, The psychological profiles of all characters are so powerfully depicted as to spawn many other stories.
 
Markeret
ourBooksLuvUs | 29 andre anmeldelser | Aug 20, 2023 |
Sometimes the truth can only be told via the anguish of Fiction
 
Markeret
ourBooksLuvUs | 9 andre anmeldelser | Aug 20, 2023 |
I've read many evil and/or psychotic child books. I've recently read a few new ones....We need to talk about Kevin and Baby teeth......and revisited a few old classics....The Omen and The bad seed. Little Rhoda Penmark is without a doubt the most disturbing of the bunch in my opinion.

William March setting this book in his hometown.....Mobile Alabama....makes this story seem close to home for me in an unsettling way.

It remains one of my favorite horror classics and I highly recommend it for anyone who loves horror, especiall evil child horror.… (mere)
 
Markeret
Jfranklin592262 | 29 andre anmeldelser | Aug 2, 2023 |

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Statistikker

Værker
15
Also by
7
Medlemmer
1,235
Popularitet
#20,793
Vurdering
3.9
Anmeldelser
42
ISBN
67
Sprog
7
Udvalgt
1

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