Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Jun
'08
I’ve been rather torn about this book. I meant to write a review earlier (it’s now been little more than a month and four other books since I finished it) but I’ve been trying to think of the best way to express my thoughts. I still haven’t though of it.
You see, I read this book in one day and immediately after I finished it I wanted nothing more than to read the next, New Moon, despite the fact that I’d heard less positive things about that than about Twilight. Yet I agreed with most of the negative thoughts on this book. It’s like having a really ridiculous storyline with underdeveloped characters, some of whom are utterly annoying, but really fantastic writing style which grabs you and doesn’t let you go until the end. It’s completely opposite of most books which have the problem of an interesting plot with lovable characters but awful writing through which I must coax myself to turn the page (this is sort of like the book I am currently reading, though I might be able to at least get used to it).
I read on someone’s review of this book that the only redeeming quality of Bella, the main character, is that she is adorably clumsy. I think I will agree with this, for now, though I did get the sense that she was too clumsy to be realistic, that perhaps Stephanie Meyer wished so much that she would be that adorably clumsy that she made her character annoyingly adorably clumsy. I would also agree that this, really, is her only redeeming quality. Perhaps it was the development, but to have your character tell someone that people tell her she seems older than she is… Well, I’d rather you just write her as a thoughtful, well-rounded, wise individual, because just saying that people are surprised by her young age isn’t going to cut it. I rather thought she acted very much her age. After all, she did fall in love within a week (it seemed) and decided that she would give up an entire lifetime just to be with her first boyfriend. Man, I would totally be regretting it if my first boyfriend was a vampire and I told him I’d like to spend eternity with him, even though I felt it at the time.
I can’t decide whether I enjoyed the “discovery,” either. So Edward is a vampire. Let’s look up some miscellaneous facts and vampire lore, then shrug and turn off our computer. Is the vampire so rooted in our culture now that if we met one in real life we wouldn’t mind? Personally, I would be slightly more disbelieving and much more terrified. Just because the stories illustrate romantic, loving vampires who suck the blood of their virgin victims with such care as to be admirable doesn’t mean that vampires should be kept around. I love vampire stories that have a lot of thought in them, history, description of belief and changes through the centuries. I love a good vampire novel which takes me to a different world and frightens me. Twilight didn’t do this so much. It just made me quesiton the reliability of my narrator, who already had lost me somewhere near the beginning while she was going on about thinking differently than everyone else, thus making it easier for her to accept vampires. Sorry, that’s just not very convincing to me. All teenagers think they think differently.
Then I have to question the love between the two main characters, which I mentioned as being rather unbelievable (teen love? but then I feel bad because I feel that all love is real love, though it may lack maturity). Edward loves Bella for her remarkable pheromones, which takes out the spontinaeity and richness of a passionate love. Bella seems to love Edward because he sparkles in the sunlight and is totally mysterious. When confronted with this question, fans say that they fell in love because they didn’t feel “lost” or “different” with each other. In the world outside of the two of them, they were different, outcasts, outsiders, lonely. Bella felt she didn’t belong with her peers, and Edward clearly didn’t belong anywhere among mortals (though one would argue that his family of vampires could have been sufficient in that department, and that if he acted his age he probably would have become accustomed to it by then instead of wandering the earth feeling like the only lonely vampire). But, again, most teenagers feel this way, especially before they’ve really figured out their identities, their “places” in the world. So why wasn’t Bella falling in love with a nerdy kid who had no friends?
Oh, right, there were no nerdy kids without friends in this book. How convenient.
So Bella has flaws, lots of them, so many that it’s annoying. What about Edward? Just the opposite, of course! Edward has no flaws, except that he’s a vampire, and even then he doesn’t suckle on humans late in the night (taking all the romance and intimacy out of this book, in my humble opinion). He’s beautiful, so they say, strong, immortal, clever, and courageous enough to face the love he feels for Bella, and protect her from himself. How can one person be so perfect? Well, a human couldn’t be. I suppose Meyer decided to write in the perfect vampire, who perhaps shadows her own image of a perfect man (or, on the other hand, takes all the sexy qualities from every romance novel man so that every female reader of this book will love him). Is it believable that there are no flaws? Slightly less than the reliability of Bella’s many flaws. He is a vampire, after all, and in this world vampires are perfect. He’s a supernatural creature - does he need to fit in the constraints of good character development?
I really loved some of the other characters while I was reading it, but I think the fact that I can no longer remember who they are says a lot. Perhaps it is because the reviews I’ve been reading only mention Edward and Bella so the other characters are not quite so fresh in my mind, but as one who understands the writing process and has read a lot of really disappointing books, I have to say: there is no need to introduce a character unless that character is going to be memorable. Otherwise you’re just putting in filler material, trying to bulk up your novel (perhaps to reach 50,000 words?), and in some cases you’re even confusing your reader. I have a big problem with books that only have a character as a means to an end; for example, the vampire who tracked Bella felt like his only purpose was to rush the ending of the book. I mean, it dragged on for so long with yearning as Bella’s obsession with Edward grew, awkward pauses and conversations that were totally movie-like - but then suddenly action picks up, and the book ends. Well, it had to end somehow.
That’s not to say that other characters in this book weren’t memorable, and of course “sidekicks” are always a necessity, but friends who do nothing but further plot development just seem useless to me. There are many better ways to introduce an idea than to have a friend pop in, say hello and recount the details, and then never be spoken of again. You’re going to ask me which character(s) I’m referring to but, sadly, I do not remember their names.
Overall, it wasn’t a bad book despite my criticisms. As I mentioned, it was a quick read not because of its stupidity but because it was written well with a sort of magical flow. I didn’t want to put it down and I can always appreciate that in books. It’s also made me criticize it; some books warrant no praise or criticsm, they are just there, pieces of fiction which reside in my mind and which will be forgotten on a day sooner than this one will. I always say that if something makes you complain, it’s just as well-done as something that makes you rave. In any case, I wouldn’t recommend it except to rid yourself of the questionable hype that it’s gotten.
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Hmm, that’s a bit disappointing. I’d heard nothing at all about this book before seeing it in Borders one day. Seemingly the very next day, it was being mentioned everywhere in book blog land and on LibraryThing. I thought I would have to pick it up, but maybe I should push it a bit farther down my priority list.
Jun
'08
after reading the host, by the same author, twilight seems so…. so…. unbelievable, in comparison. and believe me, the host has its obstacles. mailny the alien body snatchers. one of the most real characters to me from twiight is jacob. lots of my friends went on about how he was a jerk in new moon and eclipse, but i couldnt see it. he is gorgeous, sweet, funny and kind, but he is still just a kid, and acts like it. so what? it makes him more real.i read LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of books, and i thought twilight was good. but not as good as the host.
Jun
'08
I agree with most of the review above, except that I would actually recommend this book as a rip-roaring good read. It’s got the standard flaws of many romances (stock characters like the heroine who sees herself as unworthy and yet is insanely attractive to the hero, the hero who is dangerous yet tender) and page-turners (lack of true character development, plot contrivances), and it is definitely as poor an example of equal-partnership relationships as most romance novels tend to be, but that makes it no less hard to put down.
Jun
'08
This review sums up my feeling about Twilight perfectly. I couldn’t pin down why I was so bothered that Edward didn’t have sex with Bella or turn her into a vampire, but your observation that the love story lack intimacy helps me understand my reaction. I’m linking your review to my blog.
Jul
'08