The Twilight Collection (Twilight) by Stephenie Meyer Summary and Reviews
|
Our Price: $144.98 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $82.00 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Twilight Collection (Twilight)
Book Review: Bought this for my Wife
Summary: 5 Stars
I dont know anything about these books, but I bought this set for my wife awhile ago, and she seemed to love it, she kept borrowing her friends books, and she was head over heels when i gave this to her for her birthday.
Book Review: I think I know what's bothering me....
Summary: 3 Stars
First, let me start by saying that I truly enjoyed reading this saga; I pre-ordered the fourth volume and am eager to get my hands on it. Meyer has created a wonderful piece of storytelling, an entertaining diversion from daily life. I felt the pull of the characters, I even found myself swooning...and I am a working married mother of two who is rapidly approaching middle age, so that is no small feat.
BUT.
I wondered if something was wrong with me, as I sat feeling dissatisfied, even ill at ease after finishing. With the critics raving and half the blogosphere dedicated to this story, I worried that something cynical had crept into my being. After some serious deliberation, however, I have come to the opposite conclusion. So here's my problem.
Other reviewers have already noted Bella's helplessness, her shortsightedness, and her lack of appeal once the reader sees her subtly belittle her human community in favor of the beautiful, tortured, enigmatic Edward. What has struck me most since finishing is this: Meyer has stated--a few times, I think--that one of her models for this saga was Romeo and Juliet. I see that in the story very much: lovers kept apart (to a degree) by (almost) insurmountable obstacles, pining for one another, completely obsessed with one another, whose burning passion can only end in tragedy. Romeo and Juliet are such marvelous literary figures because of the power of this type of romance--readers are swept into their pathos, feeling their pain and their love. And who WOULDN'T want an Edward? Not only is he beautiful beyond description (a fact which is highlighted with a little too much frequency for my comfort), but he will be so forever; in addition, he is completely available to Bella in a way we mortals can't experience: without the genuine need to eat, sleep, study or relieve himself, he can be at her side 24 hours a day. He can watch her lovingly while she sleeps. He adores every aspect of her, everything she does. And he can induce breathlessness in almost every encounter. What female--or gay male--does NOT want such a relationship?
Alas, this is the stuff of fiction. But good fiction (good fantasy) in my opinion highlights truths about the human experience. J. K. Rowling created an entire world, full of details, but the ultimate message of her saga was fundamentally human and available to us all: connection, compassion and courage are more important than magic. Her saga ended with that message, and as a result, I consider it to be fine work of literature. Meyer's vampires, however, are basically superior to the humans around them, and Bella's obsession with them, or with Edward in particular, is difficult to argue against when you consider the bland nature of the human characters. "True love" is supposedly the theme of the saga, and innumerable adolescent girls are waiting for their own Edward. To them I say this: Dear readers, I was there once--young and hormonal, swept off my feet by romance and chemistry. It was a necessary developmental stage, but not the end of romantic maturity. Nor should it be the end of Bella's journey. For "true love" does not inspire detachment from the world, but connection to it. The passion fades--people get fat and bald and tired--and seeing a life tell its story on another person's face is a great blessing.
Thus this saga is a snapsot of adolescence, but not a desideratum of love. Those adolescents out there torturing themselves with dreams of an ideal love will survive, and God willing, grow into a deeper capacity for relationship. I would respect Meyer greatly if she had the courage to end the story with Edward and Bella apart, and give Bella the opportunity to grow in wisdom and strength. That would make this story a truly human one.
Book Review: fans will love it
Summary: 5 Stars
This set is a great gift for fans of Stephenie Meyers... didn't hesitate getting it for my daugther, who read them in no time, with her fan-friends from school... Anything to get them reading!Book Review: Spectacular
Summary: 5 Stars
Three of the best books of the 21st century in a set =]
I couldn't put these books down. They are THAT good.
I was skeptical at first of the believability of vampires and werewolves in a modern-day story. I actually refused to read these for a while. When I did read them, though, they blew me away, and now, for some reason, I don't find it hard to believe vampires and werewolves exist.
Book Review: price check
Summary: 1 Stars
why would anyone pay $120 for three books in a collection when you can buy the same thing individually for less than $50 seems a little stupid to me but maybe i am wrong.