Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) by Stephenie Meyer
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Book Reviews of Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)
Book Review: Your enjoyment depends on your expectations, perceptions and preconceptions.
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a 31 yr old female of above average IQ and I LOVE this series. Stephenie Meyer has created characters that I care about and enjoy spending time with. I've read the books several times.
If you're looking for a typical action-packed vampire story then look elsewhere (not that there isn't action and suspense in the story).The Twilight series is essentially a love story that yes, involves vampires. It is the element of the "vampire" in the story that makes it so heart-wrenching. I found the story compelling because of the feelings it evoked in me - Twilight: the intense emotions of falling in love for the very first time; New Moon: the pain that can come with loving someone; Eclipse: the complexity of emotions that come with self-awareness, realizing mistakes and making difficult choices, knowing the consequences. I laughed, cried and sometimes even forgot to breathe (I felt so much)!
The Twilight saga seems to incite love or hate. I was surprised by the 1-star reviews, but then saw a pattern: criticism of the writing style, the dialogue, the alleged wrong messages to YA, the superficiality of Bella's and Edward's love, and dislike for the characters (cries of either "too perfect" or "too flawed" to be likable). And as I read those reviews, I thought to myself: "Did we read the same book/s? Are these the same characters we are talking about?"
I think a person's enjoyment of the books will depend on one's perceptions (how you see things) which is influenced by one's preconceptions (ideas or views of the world based on experiences and beliefs). And perhaps the hype around the books has only served to antagonize, dare I say it, the more cynical or critical amongst us. I admit to being a romantic. I enjoyed the dialogue and interaction between the characters (yes, even the cheesy bits). I found it real and believable despite the supernatural subject matter, but mostly I could relate to the characters and empathize with them. I have come to love the characters of Bella and Edward (and the secondary characters) and am captivated by their love for each other, even if it happened quickly.
For me, Bella is an independent girl, overwhelmed by an attraction to the enigmatic vampire Edward, who struggles for inter-dependency (this is evident later in the series). Yes, Bella is dazzled by Edward's looks, but her love for him is not superficial. Bella realizes her feelings for Edward AFTER she finds out he is a vampire. Quote from Twilight: Bella: "I can't explain it right...he is even more unbelievable BEHIND the face. The vampire who wants to be good - who ran around saving people's lives so he wouldn't be a monster."
And how could one not love Edward? He is such a gentleman, a good, moral character with unimaginable self-restraint. Edward painfully struggles with his natural instincts as a vampire to drink Bella's blood because he cares for Bella and could not bear hurting her. He struggles with doing what is right and what he wants. Bella fascinates Edward because she is not afraid of him. Bella sees through the mask he wears amongst humans and is not afraid to argue with him. Isn't that what we all want? To be yourself and be loved despite your flaws; to be able to communicate freely.
Can love work between a human and a vampire? What is it that draws one person to another? When can we say we have fallen in love - years, months or days? Is it when you have seen to the heart of the person and want to be with them despite obstacles/flaws? Perhaps you can fall in love quickly, but staying in love over time is the true test.
The message isn't "you are nothing without a man" but that one can love so deeply that it hurts to be without them... that love makes you vulnerable. When you love someone you give them the power to make you happy, but also the power to hurt you. What would you sacrifice to be with the one you loved? Bella considers the implications in the sequels.
My advice: Enjoy it for the fiction/fantasy that it is! And if you have concerns about "wrong" messages your kids might get from it then by all means use it as a platform for discussion and to develop their critical thinking skills to help them make choices in life.
Book Review: a true fan
Summary: 5 Stars
Twilight is about a young girl who we can all identify with, she is clumsy, doesnt think she is pretty, shes smart but tends to keep that to herself, shes terrible in sports.
bella moves to a rainy damp place called forks to live with her dad and to finish high school, her dad and mom divorced whenshe was small and she is used to arizona, not the great north west and the near constant rain.
her dad buys her an ugly old clunker of a truck, that back fires as she pulls up to the school.
she sees these kids who are pale, and have unusual eyes and drive really cool cars, in the lunch room, they buy food but never eat it.
one of them catches her eye, its edward, the veggie vampire, actually , he eats or drinks rather the blood of deer, bear, elk, bear and mountain lion.
his eyes are topaz when hes full and black when hes hungry and they were red during the ten years that he did feed on humans, even then he picked on murderes, rapists and robbers, before returning to his creator/father and deciding to feed on animals only.
he has done well but when bella shows up, shes like a demon to him, sent to test him, he tells her later that she is like a drug to him.
her scent is stronger than anything he ever encountered before or even dreamed about, if he could in fact sleep or dream.
in class he stops breathing so he wont kill her.
he tells himself to stay away from her, he even tries to get out of the classes that they share.later he tries to be civil to her but he tells her that they shouldnt be friends.
but he cant stay away from her and the bond is sealed when he saved her from certain death, then from rape, he is frustrated that he cant touch her for fear of losing control and killing her and he cant read her mind, he can read everyone elses but not hers.
he even tells her that hes never tried to keep any one person alive before and that it was harder than he thought it would be, that she seemed to attract trouble.
later bella realizes that edward is a vampire, he shows herwhat his skin look like in the sunlight, like diamonds.
but she tells him, much to his disbelief that she is not afriad of him, that she knows he wont hurt her.
he tells her that his eyes, voice, skin, breath are designed to draw her in, to be his victim and even if she was afraid and ran away , like he kept expecting her to do, he tells her, you cant fight me, you can out run me. thats why im so dangerous.
they start spending as much time together as possible, he even stays in her room at night and watches her sleep, she talks in her sleep, so he is stunned to hear her talk about him.
then she wakes up and hes really there and he stays and talks to her until she falls asleep and he still stays there.
she meets his family, they are all non related vampires from different decades. all like bella except rose and jasper. rose is jealous of her because rose wants to be human,not a vampire and she is mad that edward wants bella and not her and jasper is still weak for human blood.
alice can see the future, jasper affects moods, emmett and just strong and he was saved by rose from a bear attack,esme is dr.cullen wife and dr.cullen is no longer botherd by blood, in face he works in a hospital.
they decide to have bella come watch them play baseball.
they only play when there is a thunderstorm to cover the sound of them hitting the ball so hard.
but they attract the attention of three murderous vampires and the tracker in the group decides he wants to hunt down bella.
so they hide her, but the tracker tricks her into meet him, he breaks bellas leg and films it,she gets her femoral artery cut in the ensuing fight. he wants to fight edward next, and james bites her, edward has to kill james, and then draw out the venom or let her turn, he doesnt want her to lose her human self but hes afriad he wont be able to stop and that he will kill her. but he is able to stop.
they make up a story to cover her injuries.
edward tells her that he will stay with her as long as it is best for her.... to be continued in the next book.
Book Review: I Loved It, Here's Why You May Not...
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is not a lot of things: linguistically complex, rich in description, full of well-developed characters. Lovers of vampire lore will find that it is not particularly dark or detailed - Meyer seems more interested in the way being a vampire might affect your relationships than any other aspect of the myth. On the other hand, it's very fun to read.
This book might not meet any definition of masterpiece: it would be fair to call the narrative simplistic and the style is meant for teenagers, and it's meant to entertain, not to challenge. The plot is not hard to follow or hard to predict. The characters are fairly one-dimensional, especially the minor characters such as the mother and father and the "ordinary" friends at school.
And yet, this is one of the literary confections I have most enjoyed in recent years. The metaphor for teenage love is apt: what teenager has not fallen recklessly for someone who clearly might hurt her? What teenager doesn't seem, at times, ravenous for destruction and a risk to himself and those he loves the most? As metaphors for different kinds of transformation, vampires and werewolves are very powerful.
It's light reading, to be sure, five hundred pages of Meyer's book fly by faster than fifty of a Jane Austen novel I recently read. More story could have been condensed into the pages, but to what end? I enjoyed how she lingered indulgently on moments that are meant to be satisfying and titillating.
Is this about inspiring young women? Does it need to be? The protagonist of this book is caught up in the events around her: rather than seeking adventure, she finds she has attracted it. She rises to the occasion in a believable way for a teenager, but she's not meant to be exceptionally gifted. She's good at biology and she's a loner, but she's not a hero figure. Her talent if any, is balancing two realities - something many children from divorced families know how to do well.
And that should be enough. There is something very pleasurable about the idea that you might be whisked away from ordinary life by coincidence or destiny. Having a heroine who is outspoken or remarkable shouldn't be a requirement for young adult reading. Some characters get to stumble into great lives, just like in adult fiction.
The character of Edward is more extraordinary and more noteworthy both - and for good reason - the revelation of his existence and the unraveling of his mystery are the real drivers of the plot. Full of self-restraint, he harkens back to characters in 19th-century novels. He is in control and represents the ideal of a man who can act for selfless reasons even while racked with selfish desires.
Is this an exaggeration? Of course. But it's a brilliant insight into a teenage (and adult) fantasy: to have a lover both young (seventeen) and mature (he's been alive for a lot longer); someone who is passionately in love with you and yet must express himself in the quaintest, most innocent ways. It may be ground well-covered, but it's ground that has been well-covered for a reason: it's a very appealing fantasy. Meyer picked an excellent and evocative premise when she chose the idea of a teenage vampire in love with a human girl, and she deserves credit for making the most of that premise.
With all this having been said, I feel obligated to note, I am a reader of romance novels and a lover of romantic comedies who enjoys stories that strike an emotional nerve and fulfill a fanstasy even if they do so at expense of realism, artistic vision, or meaningful depth. I know that it matters more, in some cases, how well a story meets my expectations for it than how well it is written. Great prose can also disappoint you with an usatisfying ending and still be worth reading. Really masterful prose can lack a beginning or ending and still be worth reading. But sometimes as readers, we'll trade a certain amount of quality for a happy ending.
As a fulfillment of a fantasy of being considered mysterious by someone mysterious, being drawn into a world that is unique and apart from the banal, being singled out as special - this book is magnificent.
Book Review: AMAZZING!
Summary: 5 Stars
Forget about the nagative reviews..this book is the "ish". First of all, I don't care too much for reading. In fact, I find it kinda boring at times, and anytime I find myself doing it, I almost always fall asleep never finishing the novel. Therefore, you can imagine how many unfinished books I have at my bedside still waiting to be read. On top of that, when I saw how thick this book was, I ran from it even more, not knowing what I was missing. I see a lot of people wanna trash all over the "sparkly/glittery vampire" theme...WHO CARES? Then people wanna knock the fact that they played baseball..WHO CARES? Vampires gotta have fun too! I guess they missed the part where these vamps are still teenagers. Quite frankly, not all vampires have to be the same... not all vampires have to be beautiful like the Anne Rice novels... not all vampires have to be ravenous or savage predators who prey on the weak. If all I wanted to see is vampires eating people up, until a vampire slayer, or group of vampire rebels, come bearing crucifixes and holy water to stake everybody there are about a dozen movies I can think of to watch. Instead, I wanted an escape, and that's what this book provided, an escape into Bella and Edward's world. This book shows how two people that are on totally different ends of the food chain can actually fall in love with each other. It brings new meaning to "opposites attract". This is a touching, and quite beautifully written love story who just so happens to be about a vampire and his family. Therefore, if you are not moved by love stories this book is not for you. I think I may have done it backwards because I actually saw the film on it's release date before I even read the book, so I guess I wanted to have something to compare the book to. I got so much more from this book than the movie offered. Don't get me wrong, the movie was good, but as I read the book, I saw myself asking questions like "why wasn't this part in the movie?" This movie is about a teenage girl name Bella Swan, who moves from Pheonix, Arizona with her mother and step-father to Forks, Washington with her bilogical father. Forks is a very small town where it rains most of the time and everybody knows everybody, and pretty much nothing exciting ever happens. So you can imagine how bored Bella must be coming from a bigger city. However, she does gain a newfound popularity being that she's the new girl in school, and probably one of the best looking girls in town because as soon as she arrives the boys start lining up to ask her out. Bella finds no one intriguing until she sees Edward Cullen. Edward Cullen and his four siblings, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Jasper all attend lunch together every single day not bothering to mix or mingle with anyone else except each other. The thing is, Bella spends a lot of time in admiration of Edward and his family's mysterious beauty, and it doesn't take long for Edward to notice Bella either. Edward sees Bella as a forbidden fruit so to speak. He knows that he shouldn't be with her because he has a thirst for her blood, but at the same time his attraction for her is undeniable. I must admit that the writer does use a lot of the words in this book repetitively, and there are a host of other characters who I really didn't care to know about, but that's my only gripe. I do appreciate her taking the time to show us readers exactly how Edward and Bella's love blossoms which is a fact that seems to be rushed in the movie. The book does go into a lot more detail about the Cullens. Especially, Carlisle, who is the head, and the maker of all the family members except for Alice, who isn't exactly sure who made her or where she came from. It also goes into more detail about Carlisle's wife, and the teenagers adopted mother, Esme, and how came to be part of the family as well. With all that said, I found it quite refreshing to see a different side of the vampire that actually values more about human life than drinking blood. The Cullens believe more in family loyalty than preying on weak human beings which I loved. I have the whole saga, and I can't wait to get started on "New Moon", "Eclipse", and "Breaking Dawn". I suggest if you are a fan you get started to because the last book is a real treat.Book Review: Review of Twilight
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this book. When my child came home and said that she was reading a book called "Twilight" What's it about I asked. She said "Werewolves and vampires" I was not thrilled. That same child wanted me to come to a book signing with her to meet Stephenie Meyer the author of "Twilight"
I went because I was curious. Who was the woman behind these books? Who is Stephenie Meyer. The author talked on a microphone before the book signing. She said that she was not a person that read about this subject nor did she watch many movies about this either. She made up her own rules. She was not going to tell the hundreds of teen girls there her favorite character. It would be like picking out a favorite child. She loved them all. She just wasn't going to pick one. OK; as a mom of a teen I liked this young fellow mom and I wanted to READ THIS BOOK.
To my relief this book was NOT WHAT I EXPECTED. It reminds me of the old Alfred Hitchcock movies. The story is very suspenseful but you don't see anything gory etc. It all happens off camera and they talk about it (not in detail either). The story line is about the subject matter of vampires and werewolves but it is about a girl named Bella who moves to Fork to be with her father Charlie. She is the NEW girl in high school. She is drawn to the most handsome boy in the whole school; Edward. Edward tries to avoid Bella at first (for reasons you find out later). Then gives into his feelings for her tells Bella it is dangerous to hang around him.
During the process of getting to know each other Bella says that she has questions for Edward; there are things she has noticed about him that make her wonder. There are things that she just has to know. So, Edward spends an afternoon answering Bella's questions. This reminded me of a scene in the Superman movie (with Christopher Reeve) where Lois Lane the reporter is asking Superman all the questions about his super abilities. She has pen in hand and is talking notes. Bella does the same thing but she did some research on the internet before their talk she will not be fooled. Edward confirms her suspicions that he is a vampire; but he explains he is not your average vampire. Just because he is made for evil it doesn't mean he has to give into the dark side. It has taken time but he has chosen to go against being your average vampire.
Just like in Superman the movie Edward Cullen is always saving Bella's life. She sees his abilities in action as he saves her from the danger.
I laughed at one point when Edward says to Bella "You HAVE saved me," he said quietly.
"I can't always be Lois Lane," Bella insisted. "I want to be Superman, too."
I had picked up on what the author was doing all thru the book and then she says it out loud. It cracked me up.
The author has lines in the book that are tongue and cheek. In the beginning of the book there is a line that cracks me up and gives you the flavor you'll find in "Twilight."
"Breakfast time," Edward said eventually, casually - to prove, I'm sure, that he remembered all my human frailties.
So I clutched my throat with both hands and stared at him with wide eyes. Shock crossed his face.
"Kidding!" I snickered. "And you said I couldn't act!"
He frowned in disgust. "That wasn't funny."
"It was very funny, and you know it." But I examined his gold eyes carefully, to make sure that I was forgiven.
Apparently, I was.
"Shall I rephrase?" he asked. "Breakfast time for the human." Definitely a funny scene.
This is a suspenseful book and one that took me by surprise. The girls at the book signing (all 1,500 of them) could not stop screaming whenever Stepenie talked. This mother of 3 young boys; paints the funny and serious side of being a vampire. It is also very beautiful love story.
Reviewed by Nora St. Laurent
LifeWay Book Club Leader