Hi, Twilight fans!
October 19th, 2008Within the last twenty-four hours, I have devoured Twilight, New Moon, and 110 pages of Eclipse. That’s roughly 700 pages in the spanse of about 16 hours, or an average of 43 pages an hour if you don’t include the food breaks, cleaning my room (gone are the used kleenex, much to my mother’s satisfaction) and four lengthy phone calls; two business-related, two personal.
I am not as impressed with the series as I had hoped to be. Many of my girlfriends have claimed obsession and undying love for the series (and Edward), but I somehow don’t feel the same way—yet.
Furthermore, this is possibly the first instance of me ever reading a book which I did not closely identify or connect with the lead character/narrator. Maybe things will get better, but I have found Bella to be irritating at times and irrationally obsessed with Edward, and Edward to just be… well, not all that captivating. That, and I just don’t feel the connection between them.
This is extremely puzzling to me, as I am normally a huge fan of vampire fiction and fairly easily satisfied, literarily-speaking. (Did I just invent a new word? Yes, yes I did.) I am hoping Eclipse and Breaking Dawn will help this series make a comeback in my books.
Am I alone here, or has True Blood just spoiled me for life?
See, I hated Twilight. Flat out despised. I sped through it too, to see what the fuss was about, and was appalled. Then again, they embody every thing I hate about teen girl literature:
- Stupid, shallow, useless heroine (who is also a Mary Sue)
- Controlling, asshole love interest
- CHEEEEEEEEESE-EEEEE
I mean, sure, if you like them for being a straight-up romance novel then rock on! But what gets my goat is people treating them like their this great, life changing work of fiction.
ps. Also, if you want to keep liking this series, then DON’T read Breaking Dawn. It is LAUGHABLE. Actually, do read it. For the pure LOLZ it will bring.
Reply: See, when it comes to reading material, my preference range is very… black and white. I mostly read non-fiction—literature centered around psychology, business, personal development or sociology—however, when I’m not reading non-fiction, I usually veer in the total opposite direction to trashy romance novels and all those teen mystery books from my childhood (Nancy Drew, Sammy Keys, Stevie Diamond, etc.). So If *I* don’t like the Twilight series, that has to say something about it, considering that I am easily satisfied when it comes to mindless romance of no particular substance!
October 20th, 2008 at 12:05 am“I am hoping Eclipse and Breaking Dawn will help this series make a comeback in my books.”
I am sorry, but I have to say this: HAHAHAHAHAHA.
I have to agree with Jacky - Twilight sucks, especially once you start analysing it. The only good thing, in my eyes, is that it finally got me off my butt and writing a novel.
I suggest you read the parodies by Cleolinda on LJ (she of Movies in 15 Minutes fame) if you want to know what happens next, especially when it comes to Breaking Wind, I mean, Breaking Dawn.
If you are wanting a vampire romance/mystery/action book series, but with a strong and interesting narrator and well-developed characters, plots etc. then I suggest the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris. They’re the books the TV series True Blood is based off of. (On a side note, a lot of die-hard Twilight fans claim that True Blood is a Twilight ripoff… never mind that Dead Until Dark was published years before Twilight was even written).
Reply: After having gotten into True Blood, I am definitely going to have to read the Sookie Stackhouse novels! Maybe its just the more mature tone of the series (characters are older, more serious things are happening… more plot?) but I found them to be infinitely more captivating, so I assume the novels will be much the same way. :) .. Oh, and I will be sure to check out the Twilight parodies too, thanks!
October 20th, 2008 at 12:23 amI obviously cannot brain today; I have the dumb.
Since you like True Blood, I suggest you read the books that inspired them. Dead Until Dark is the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, and so far the TV show has been VERY faithful to the book. Only change is Tara, and that we actually see what on earth Jason has been getting up to.
Reply: Its good to hear that True Blood has been sticking to the book! It always irritates me when they deviate so far from the original source.
October 20th, 2008 at 12:31 amI’m surprised you were expecting to be drawn into the series - I’ve heard nothing but bad reviews about it. From the people who matter anyway (of whom, twelve-year-old girls are not). :P
Reply: See, now that is odd! For the most part, I haven’t heard anything but good reviews about it—however, only a handful of my friends have ever read (or heard of) it, so perhaps that is why. And all of them were in the 18-22 range, which is even more bizarre.
October 20th, 2008 at 12:50 amWell, I don’t see what the fuss is. I am not interested into reading something everybody else is talking about. I much prefer other types of literature. Besides, I as Amanda have only heard bad reviews about it. Cleolinda also painted a very good picture of the book, so I am NOT reading/trying them.
Reply: Well I’m not usually interested in reading something just because a whole lot of people are talking about, but I will usually check it out just to find out what the whole fuss is about. No sense in ignoring a trend just because it’s popular! I’ve found some AMAZING books (like Blink, for example) through word-or-mouth, although admittedly, from a whole different crowd than the ones who recommended Twilight…
October 20th, 2008 at 1:37 amI read the first two a few months ago, just because everyone kept going on (and on, and on) about it. At the time, I had only heard one bad review about it, but that was from my friend who liked to recreationally read Hamlet. So I dove in, expecting to be fascinated. I was disappointed, big time. Shortly after I read the books is when the huge mega-hype was created. AND I STILL DO NOT UNDERSTAND. Like I get it that most of the fans are, like, twelve, but C’MON. BABYSITTERS CLUB CONTAINS MORE LITERARY GENIUS THAN THIS. D: D: D:
Reply: See, I wasn’t even aware that most of the fans are twelve! Almost all of the people who recommended the series to me were in their late teens to early twenties, so I was even more shocked when I actually read it. :P
October 20th, 2008 at 6:25 amI thought Twilight kinda… sucked. The writing style was HORRIBLE, the plot was predictable, Bella is annoying and dumb as hell and Ed is someone who only some really young girl would fall in love with. I guess I didn’t have such high expectations for the book or if I read it when I was younger, I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more but I have to give it props because it did keep me intrigued and made me want to read the second and third book in the trilogy even though I haven’t bothered starting yet. =P
Reply: That’s something that struck me, too—I usually fall in love with the male lead without much effort, yet I wasn’t very impressed with Edward, especially with his “first impression” in the book. Like you though, I will read the rest of the books (there are actually four haha) just because.
October 20th, 2008 at 12:09 pmMost fans are young girls, young women and middle-aged women. There are hardly any male fans. Die-hard Twilight fans (especially the Twilight Moms, who STALK the cast etc.) are crazy as anything. Some even get violent. D:
Reply: I actually know a guy who is reading Twilight of his own free will. That’s when I decided I better check it out to see what all the fuss is about, because if boys are reading it, there must be something. :P
Err, the crazy stalking fan thing sounds totally scary. Wow, it’s just a book. You’d think some people would realize that the cast has nothing to do with the book or series itself, only that they’re getting paid to pretend to be the characters!
October 20th, 2008 at 1:54 pmI looooooooooved Twilight, as you know!
I’d never heard anything about it until a couple of months ago when Kirstin and Marissa told me they loved it and I should read it. I borrowed Kirstin’s copy that day we were all at Foundation for Marissa’s birthday. Like you, I devoured all three books in about two days, haha. The only difference is that I wasn’t expecting much (like I said, I’d never really heard of it, and didn’t even know what it is about when I started reading it), but I fell in love with it within the first three chapters. It’s certainly not a work of literary genius, and I can’t say it changed my life, but as far as sucking me into the story and feeling like I MUST find out how it ends, it was definitely captivating! Edward and Bella are both extremely flawed, but that’s what I like about it. You can’t have a love story with two perfect beings who never make any mistakes or do anything irrational. Bella was intentionally left as a bit of a blank page by the author so that the average reader, who is female, could step into her shoes while reading the story.
After I finished the books, I lent them to my mom, who also devoured them all in two or three days, LOL. We are going to the movie together on opening night. ;-)
I’ve never read an actual professional book review for Twilight that didn’t criticize it and call it a piece of shit. But, I also don’t know anyone personally who has read it and hated it. In the months that have passed since I finished it, about half of my female friends have read it, the majority being between 20-30 years old, and they all adored it.
So yeah, in conclusion, not a work of literary genius, not life-changing, not my favourite book series, and technically not all that well written at all. But it’s been a book that most people physically cannot put down until they’re finished, and it has legions of fans. There’s SOMETHING about it that makes it good, so I’ve just left it at that!
The Host, however, which is a sci-fi novel by the same author (but directed towards adults), was AMAZING. *That* book could be classified as life-changing, for sure. At least, it was for me. I know a lot of Twilight fans didn’t like it, but maybe that’s because it’s absolutely nothing like Twilight.
Reply: I was telling Marissa a bit about True Blood on Saturday; you NEED TO SEE IT. Apparently its a lot like Twilight, but has more depth and maturity—I also like the main character a lot more too.
I see what you mean about not being able to put it down—when I was reading it, I couldn’t, even though I didn’t think it was that great. :P And I will probably finish the series unless it gets worse, because I’m curious to see how things pan out.
I’ve heard from a couple people that The Host is a lot better, so I’ll be checking that one out after. :) Oh, and I’m definitely going to see Twilight in theaters, because I think it will make a better movie than a book. I’m actually quite excited, despite not enjoying the book itself that much, haha.
October 20th, 2008 at 2:02 pmI used to like Twilight, but once I reread it I was like: Is this really good, or did I just *want* it to be good? The other three in the series are even worse - New Moon is the weakest, in my opinion, although I can’t pass proper judgment on Breaking Dawn because I’ve only read parts on the internet (it seems like a bit of a trainwreck).
The Host is much better. I read it this summer and actually really liked it - the main character is a lot more likeable, and the whole story has a certain depth that Twilight lacks completely.
Reply: I actually enjoyed New Moon more than Twilight or what I’ve read of Eclipse; I found that Jacob’s element in the story provided a more healthy balance in her life - I get that she’s obsessed with Edward, but I guess it just irritates me in real life when girls become lost in a boyfriend and seem to have no life outside of them. Its very… highschool-esque, although it happens to people after high school, too.
October 20th, 2008 at 2:12 pmI’m sorry to say this, but Eclipse and Breaking Dawn will not be any better. It’s an interesting story, but I really don’t understand why everyone is so absorbed in it. Like you, I couldn’t connect with Bella (I actually found her to be the most annoying character in the book), and Edward was just… meh.
Reply: *Sighs* … That’s too bad. It always make me sad to see such a great idea in theory fall apart on paper; think of how many hundreds of pagers Stephanie Meyer wrote. That’s quite a feat. :(
October 20th, 2008 at 3:27 pmVirtually everything I’ve read online about Twilight has been negative, while a huge percentage of my RL friends (female) actually read and loved it D:
I didn’t like it; it just annoyed me too much.
Reply: Kaylee! :D
October 20th, 2008 at 4:25 pmObviously I haven’t been around parts of the internet where this Twilight negativity has been. Bizarre.
Twilight…is that the book where it as made into like, a movie or a tv show?
I’m not sure, but I have a friend who read the book and he hates the fact they have it on film/tv, because I guess it ruined his views on what he imagined the characters to look like. hahah
Reply: Made into a movie, yup!
October 20th, 2008 at 4:35 pmIt does suck sometimes when a favorite book is made into a movie or TV show, because some good books can paint rather vivid images of characters and scenes, and often that gets ruined when you watch the movie or show.
I agree with Clem…I liked it at the beginning, but after re-reading it, I thought to myself: “WTF?” I’m not too fond of Edward as a character anymore and unfortunately at times Bella can seem a little weak when her strength should come out. I would have much preferred Bella and Jacob together, as they seem to have much more chemistry then Bella and Edward, imo.
As for the movie that is to appear, well the actors don’t fit very well with their character counter-parts. It’s a little disappointing, but nevertheless, I will see it. Hopefully it will prove me wrong. =/
Reply: Yeah actually, I thought Bella and Jacob had way more chemistry than she did with Edward, too. Interesting!
October 21st, 2008 at 8:51 amI haven’t read Twilight and I don’t think I have any intention of doing so, lol. Partly because I don’t think I’d enjoy it, but also partly because I’m secretly worried that if I started reading it I might end up enjoying it so much that it would consume my life, LMAO! o.O
Reply: Hahaha oh dear. Totally legit reason to stay away!
October 31st, 2008 at 8:14 pm[…] I begin, let me preface this by saying that I actually had hopes for this movie. Even though I did not enjoy the books, I felt that Twilight was the kind of story that would make a better movie than a book; and it […]
November 27th, 2008 at 1:11 pm