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Twilight (Twilight, Book 1) Review
User Submitted Twilight (Twilight, Book 1) ReviewsAugust 28, 2008 Mediocre I've read many young adult novels and a few vampire novels before reading Twilight. The hype around this book was crazy, and with a movie coming out, I was excited to read this book. Unfortunately, I was not impressed. The book was entertaining, but nothing more than that. Maybe if I was in high school, I would have enjoyed it more. What I didn't like: the message, the characters, and the relationship. Like another review wrote, the message is really bad for girls. A pretty girl meets a pretty boy, and life is meaningless without him. I've read so many young adult books for girls that is empowering towards women. It's another Cinderella story of a beautiful girl devoted to a beautiful boy. Shallow. Bella Swann comes off as any pretty, a little socially awkward, clumsy high school girl. This is realistic. However, if you're going to make a perfect vampire fall in love with a human for the first time, shouldn't she be a little more interesting? A little more wise? A little more dark? I don't know, but she is lacking. And Edward is perfect and cocky. BO-RING! And their relationship. She smells good. He looks good. They have a few conversations. It really seems like she fell in love with his good looks. Why do I think that? Because he has no personality. I'm still going to the rest of the series, but my standards won't be as high. August 28, 2008 Twilight I love books about vampires and feel this is well written. Can't wait to read the other three books. August 28, 2008 As good as the buzz, even for us adults Ok, so I'm new to this series, I saw someone reading it on a plane Sunday and picked one up too, having never HEARD of it. Also felt a little silly going to the YA section to get it, but whatever, it was worth it. The book is amazing. The author can somehow propel the readers back to that completely awkward highschool experience and also throw in an arm-tingling, breathless, chilling, sometimes heartbreaking story all at the same time. I couldn't put it down. Finished it in 4 days and went out for the rest. I put it up there second to my favorite series, Harry Potter, and I'll admit it, I'm 33 year old mom. Give it a try. August 28, 2008 Twilight - not another teen novel This book is amazing! Not just for teens. I am 40 and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I bought the entire series and am almost finished the second book, New Moon. August 28, 2008 Greatness...addicting...fantastic read! The way Stephenie Meyer can make you feel for her characters is phenomenal! You get emotionally attached to them and can't wait to turn the pages to see what happens. It's great that she is also a 'happy ending kind of girl' so that makes the books that much more enjoyable. I like that I can read these books with my daughters because there aren't graphic sex scenes ~ just enough to keep a thirty something year old mom interested! Love it and definitely recommend all for books of this series!!!! They were all wonderful!! August 28, 2008 Knock off! Let me begin by saying that I read a lot. I've read a lot of romance, horror, and paranormal. So this should be right up there among my favorites, right? Wrong. The series as a whole disappointed me. I read the collection for book club and barely got through it I was so bored. The reason I was bored is in part my fault for being such a jaded reader. I've seen characters like these, plots like these, fluff like this a hundred times before, and in most cases done a lot more effectively. Ann Rice attempted to make us sympathize with vampires, as we are supposed to sympathize with Edward. Laurel K. Hamilton created elaborate plots based on vampire politics and power struggles-I see the fight between the clans as comparable to this. Countless romance novels by authors like Maggie Shayne, Christine Feehen, and J. Ward to name a few based romances on vampires-as in Twilight, you have helpless girl meets gorgeous irresistible vampire. If you pay attention you will see how often the Twilight series mirrors, barrows, and copies from other vampire fiction. I really believe that most of the hype surrounding these books is just that-hype. The marketing is extremely effective-eye catching covers, displayed up front at most bookstores in plain site of those readers who might be craving something dark and different to read. And perhaps if you are not as jaded as I you will be satisfied. But for those pickier readers, beware-this book is not as different, as thrilling, as romantic as it may seem. It is, in fact, a distorted compilation of hundreds of vampire books both good and bad disguised as something new. August 28, 2008 Mysteriously enjoyable Finally tired of feeling left out of the next big thing in young adult literature, I conquered my embarrassment and borrowed Twilight from a friend. Though not usually a fan of romance, happy ending, or even horror stories, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this story of teenage love and vampirism. I had read many a review maligning the main character, Bella, as a spineless anti-feminist mockery of a role-model for teen girls, and I was thusly expecting to be exasperated by her throughout the novel. Again I was surprised. In my eyes Bella is actually quite mature, insightful enough to see her parent's faults but loving enough to forgive them. I think most parents of teens would be thrilled if their children would take responsibility for planning and cooking dinner, manage their school work, and work part-time all with very little drama or parental guidance, as Bella does. Then this eminently reasonable girl has to fall in love with a vampire. Not very logical, and yet love so rarely is. Turns out Bella is strangely attractive to an aloof young man at her new school, and she quickly uncovers the secret of his strange behavior. Bella is not particularly prone to flights of fancy, as well as obstinately head-strong once she has made a decision, and the reality of vampires is not enough to deter her from pursuing a relationship. Again criticism is leveled at this section of the book as not being a good model for teenage relationships. While it is true that Edward is a little physically and intellectually domineering, it helps to remember that he is both immensely strong and very old, and thus has some pretty valid excuses for thinking he knows best. Proximity to vampires eventually leads Bella into danger, and I think she comports herself quite well for a mere human up against immortals. In summary, Twilight is a surprisingly well-written and enjoyable soppy love story, with a few vampires thrown in for good measure. I probably would never have touched this book as a teenager, but I've since learned to temper my cynicism with a dose of humor. Concerns about helpless females and abusive boyfriends are utterly unfounded, and actually appear to me to be rooted in a kind of reactive sexism. Why do we never hear this type of "role-model" concern for novels targeted at young men? I think I'll just assume that most teenage girls are smart enough not to base their relationships on the fictional exploits of a vampire, and continue to enjoy this harmless escapism. August 28, 2008 Pleasantly surprised This book caught me by surprise from the first page to the last. I didn't buy it expecting more than a decent read of young adult fiction, but I couldn't help being emotionally involved with Edward and Bella from their first meeting to the end of this book. The first person point of view was written by Stephenie Meyer in such a unique way that I was really able to understand Bella and how she thought, whether or not I "agreed" with everything she thought, said and did (which is NOT the point of reading a work of fiction by the way). That, to me, involved me in something more than just a "tragic mortal girl loves tortured vampire guy" story. It made me feel the things that Bella was feeling because I could grasp it from the emotions displayed on the page and move along with her train of thought, and her opinions on events as they happened, and I could even sympathize with her mistakes like I would with a friend who was telling me her story. A lot of authors who write in the first person can't seem to manage portraying that kind of one person-ness to a character and maintain it throughout successfully. That's part of what makes this tale such a point of obsession for me. Something else I wanted to note was that I noticed right away that I felt the same way about Edward and Bella as I did about Max and Liz from the 3 seasons of "Roswell" (TV show from the late 90s in case anyone is too young to remember); the parallels between the two stories being very apparent to anyone who knows them. Just in case there are others out there who noticed too. Maybe Stephenie Meyer saw the show back in the day...hmmm? If not, she should check it out... August 28, 2008 All Fluff, No Substance If you love Twilight, have an open mind. If you don't, WOW - we're a rare breed. If you haven't read it, I suggest you don't. Here's why: At the start of the summer, I bought into the hype and ordered my copy of Twilight from Amazon. I figured if this much people love it, how bad can it be? Very bad, apparently. The premise is a teenage girl, Bella Swan, who moves to a new town where she falls in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen. It really had the potential to be good, or at least decent. But it is at the plot and character development where Meyer failed - big time. The heroine, Bella, is completely one-dimensional. Everything about her seems highly unrealistic. I know this is fiction, but fiction writers are supposed to make things more interesting - not the other way around. She is unbelievably clumsy, describes herself as plain-looking, and unbearably dull. Her favourite activities include glaring and grimacing. Yet somehow, she inexplicably attracts several boys at her new school, including Edward. When Bella first sees Edward, she is struck by how beautiful he is. After a series of damsel-in-distress and hero-to-the-rescue mishaps, she falls in love with him. When Edward reciprocates her affection, despite his attempt not to, they engage in verboten romance. Unfortunately, Meyer spent way too much time dwelling on Edward's impossibly good looks and Bella's boring life that it just didn't work. Eventually, after seventeen chapters of mushy stuff, the plot finally picked up. The action was highly predictable, though admittedly exciting. But it died quickly, and we're back to where we started from - Bella and Edward, the star-crossed lovers and their forbidden love. My biggest complaint about the book is Bella's total dependence on Edward. She is completely helpless as a person, and needs a boy to validate her worth. Not to mention superficial. Would she have even fallen in love with Edward in the first place if it weren't for his looks? Probably not. Meyer could be a good romance novelist. Certainly, her long-winded descriptions are impeccable. But as YA fiction writer, her debut novel is mediocre at best. August 27, 2008 Twilight is Awesome!!! The Twilight book is absolutely awesome. It is one of the best books I have ever read. This book tells the tale of a wonderful love story but also has the element of suprise and danger that makes the story very inticing. I loved it and am currently on the second book of the series. I give it two tumbs up. Twilight is a MUST read. For more Twilight (Twilight, Book 1) reviews click here.
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