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The Bad Seed

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About this listen

The best-selling novel that inspired Mervyn LeRoy's classic horror film about the little girl who can get away with anything - even murder.

There's something special about eight-year-old Rhoda Penmark. With her carefully plaited hair and her sweet cotton dresses, she's the very picture of old-fashioned innocence. But when their neighborhood suffers a series of terrible accidents, her mother begins to wonder: Why do bad things seem to happen when little Rhoda is around?

Originally published in 1954, William March's final novel was an instant best seller and National Book Award finalist before it was adapted for the stage and made into a 1956 film. The Bad Seed is an indelible portrait of an evil that wears an innocent face, one which still resonates in popular culture today.

©1954 W. E. Campbell LLC; copyright renewed 1982 by W. E. Campbell LLC (P)2018 Tantor Classics Genre Fiction Horror Literary Fiction Movie, TV & Video Game Tie-Ins Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Scary Fiction Horror Fiction
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I did heaitate before choosing this book due to the 1954 publication date, but it was great. Well narrated and a good story, worth a listen.

Well worth a listen

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I loved this book from beginning to end, the narrator was wonderful to listen to - I don't usually connect well with American narrators but this lady was so good.
This is a very old book which may put some people off but believe me this is a wonderful story. You can't help getting caught up in this story and it's definitely a page turner. I loved every minute of it and loved stepping back into the past.

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT !

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Currently reading The Bad Seed by William March, written in 1953. It concerns a mother who tries desperately to explain away the increasingly obvious psychopathic tendancies of her daughter. I watched the rather sensationalist film adaption years ago, but the book is a bit of a mid century masterpiece, beautifully written, psychologically astute and chilling. One of the signs of a great book is a timeless quality, and though this was published over 70 years old, it feels as relevant as the day it was written.

Great read, still relevant

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Elizabeth Wiley narration is outstanding. Her transition between the psychopathic child character and her sad be good mother was amazing and all other characters in between. Want to watch the film now. I believe the film in someways is very different which is

Episode the film, but wanted to read the book. Glad I did.

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