What Ever Happened to Baby Jane Paperback – January 1, 1960

One of the darkest & creepiest stories I have read in years. Never mind the creepy cover!!! Those eyes!!!! On my bookshelf, I have that cover facing the wall!!! The film came nowhere near the terror and hatred carried within these pages. Excellent writing. Henry Farrell should have been the Stephen King of his day!

I don't know if I got a randomly flawed copy of if they're all like this, but disc five contains chapters 12-15, except the chapters are played in reverse order. All tracks in each chapter is chronological, but how maddening! And chapter 12, the final 24th track, is only about a quarter of a short chapter and the rest of the tracks are nowhere to be found in the set. Good think I had a print copy to help me figure out where things went. Without the rest of chapter 12, I couldn't ever rip and burn a new CD for disc 5 in correct order. BEWARE!

I loved the movie & the book is very true to the movie. If you loved the movie you'll love the book.

It is a classic story of jelousy and murder with simple written wording. All in all a good little book.

This book reads like a dream. The language flows effortlessly and the imagery of even the simplest scenes creates vivid pictures in your mind.It is a psychological tale, yet the pages turn like a mystery. The two main characters are sisters Jane and Blanche. Both past middle age, lamenting the loss of their youth and the personal injustices life has befallen them. Blanche is crippled and at the mercy of Jane - wonderfully delusional and unbalanced. The terror mounts as matters get slowly but progressively dark, as Jane spirals into a deranged world. Jane reminds me of a sinister child in many ways... selfish, cruel, spiteful and completely delusional. And like a child - actions have no consequence, feelings are flippant and opinions are made on a whim. A situation that is a living hell for Blanche, crippled in her room cut off from all contact to the outside world.As Jane becomes increasingly unhinged, Blanche is subjected to the horrors of Jane's mind that manifect themselves in the most creative of psychological tortues. i.e There is an instance where Jane brings to Blanche's room her lunch tray, and leaving it pointedly covered, exits the room. When Blanche uncovers her lunch tray and settles in to eat... "She saw now what she had not seen before; the entire meal had been carefully sprinkled over with fine, white sand." And therein, the chapter ends. It leaves you to ponder the mental state of a person who would prepare a delightful meal, deliver it on a silver tray and go to the effort of painstakingly covering it with sand. Horror? No... but that's just the beginning...Clearly, the reader sides with Blanche and waits with baited breath to see her escape, yet Jane is at times portrayed achingly real. You find yourself empathising with this sad, disturbed, fragile creature.Having seen the movie, i can say in this instance the book and movie complement eachother. Both offering different things, both fabulous!

Film fans who love the movie version will enjoy the book on which it was based, but should be prepared for how very different the novel is. Readers will see what an arduous task it was to adapt as a screenplay...and what a commendable job they (and the director & stars) did, as well. Since virutally no one nowadays will read the book first, it serves as an interesting character study into the psychology of the Jane and Blanche characters. And if anyone saw the ghastly TV movie remake starring the Redgrave sisters and John Glover, you will hope they hold on tightly to the novel and leave well enough alone!!

If you liked the film, read the book, it's well worth it.

Estoy muy muy contento con la compra. Un ejemplar en muy buen estado y a un precio muy asequible. Genial!!!

This was going to be a present but when it cam it was brown with age and a bit tatty so just gave it to my son as a book to read