Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) by Stephenie Meyer Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)
Book Review: Are you guys serious?
Summary: 1 Stars
I don't get it. I just don't get it. I thought young adult fiction had hit its low point with Eragon, but apparently I was wrong. Bella Swan (literally, "beautiful swan," which should be a red flag to any discerning reader) moves to the rainy town of Forks, and the whining begins on page 1. She goes to live with her father Charlie, and is quickly established to be a mopey, ungrateful, self-pitying little toerag. Bella then attends her new school, which turns out to be an all-out caricature of high school with about zero (rounding up) grounding in real life. Her classmates' reaction can be summed up thusly: "OMG. NEW STUDENT. OMG YOU GUYS, NEW STUDENT. STARE AT HER, FOR SHE IS CLEARLY SUPERIOR TO US." Bella Sue is promptly adored by everyone in the school, except the mysterious Cullens, who spend their time brooding, being pretty, smoldering, being perfect, and sparkling. No, seriously. NO, SERIOUSLY. Bella meets Edward, the Culleniest of the Cullens, (meaning he is more perfect and emo than the rest of them,) they fall in love within thirty pages, (much of this time is spent in Bella's head going back and forth between "Does he like me?" "Does he hate me?" "Do I like him?" "Why does he hate me?" and on and on and on AND ON. That is, when she's not being a horrible snobby twit to the boys at school who show affection in genuinely sweet ways, i.e., not breaking into her house and watching her while she sleeps. While she sleeps. Not knowing that he's there. IN HER HOUSE.) The plot shows up somewhere in the last fifty pages, which involves an EVIIIIIILL vampire named James who wants to eat Bella. James is the only character I like.
I generally try to find something redeeming about books, but I honestly have nothing good to say about this drivel. Meyer writes as if the reader is an absolute idiot who has to be told every sing tiny little thing; we are never given the chance to interpret what's going on in the characters' heads. There is no mystery, no intrigue, no suspense. The characters themselves are cut-and-dried, stereotypical, and maddeningly unoriginal. Bella's (supposedly) the clever, beautiful heroine, Edward's the dark, brooding bad boy, James is... uh, the guy that wants to eat Bella. Meyer clearly wants Bella to be a strong female character, but the horrible sad truth is that she's pathetic. Bella follows Edward's every word religiously, never sticks up for herself, has no spine to speak of, plays Suzie Housewife to her father, and has no existence outside of her "romance" with Edward. On that note, let it be said that Nathaniel Hawthorne got more romance into a few lines about a rosebush than Meyer managed to cram into 400 pages. Edward and Bella's relationship consists almost entirely of staring at each other dewey-eyed and arguing about who's prettier (NO I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP.)
You know what? This could have been a great book if Meyer had focussed more on the relationship between the leads, (and treated it for what it is: unhealthy, creepy, pathetic, borderline psychopathic,) and less on how perfect Edward is (interesting note: the word "perfect" or related terms like "flawless" are used to describe Edward more than a hundred times. That's just bad writing, guys.) What burns me up most about this book is that Edward and Bella are obviously meant to portray the perfect couple. Yeah, I really want my hypothetical daughter to walk out on her family for a guy she barely knows, invite said guy to sleep in her bed, have absolutely no life outside of said guy, and turn into a sniveling wreck when this guy looks at her the wrong way. And I also really want my hypothetical son to break into his girlfriend's house and watch her sleep (SERIOUSLY, GUYS?) , abandon whatever life he has so he can stalk this girl, and be so possessive of her that he throws a fit whenever she so much as looks at someone other than him. And people think these two are good role models? WHAT. JUST WHAT.
This book really wouldn't bother me if it were being taken for what it is: a silly, sappy, shallow, juvenile, wish-fulfilling rag. The fact is, everyone is going on about how its literary merit rivals the frakking "Scarlet Letter" and how Bella Swan is the new Elizabeth Bennet (ARE YOU KIDDING ME?). "Twilight" should be rotting on some publisher's desk in a pile of rejection letters; not being lauded as the greatest novel since "Pride and Prejudice." I weep for literature.
Book Review: entertaining
Summary: 4 Stars
As a general fan of vampire fiction, I immediately enjoyed Meyer's take on the more relatable "vegetarian" vampires. I am fond of each of her characters and respond to Bella's point of view.
At first, Bella is a believable character, but she gradually she becomes more untouchable as the series continues in later books.
Edward is easy to fall in love with and Alice is an ideal best friend.
The inner struggles of the characters brings a level of sincerity and seriousness to the novel that, perhaps, the young-adult reading level does not.
It's a delightful read that has many comparisons to Romeo and Juliet without the implicit tragedy. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good love story mixed with sci/fi and suspense.
Book Review: A Strange Affair
Summary: 3 Stars
My affair with the Twilight Saga began precisly two days ago when I went to see the recently released movie. Then, being sick the next day, I downloaded the audio book, and, today, on a cold medicine run, I purchased the novel itself and finished it in 1 sitting aprox. 5 min ago.
That being said, this book has its pros and cons. For instance, the exsposition, when it at last came, left few other questions to be remaining, other than "Why Bella?" There are syntax-issues that I'm sure could be cleaned, a hail to Josh Weadon's Buffiverse with the nearby town of Port Angeles that I found more sad then anything else, and a slight problem with the perfection of Edward and the other Cullens in the first half of the novel. Pros, however, are many. It is an intruging novel, with many, many unquie possibilites in the love affair of a "Vegitarian" vampire with an utterly normal teenage girl. While defintatly a teenage girl novel, the story itself is a classic one of forbidden love, a la Adam and Eve more than Romeo and Juliet, with a unique twist that grows more engrossing with each step into the Cullen's world. Nonetheless, I do not foresee this book becoming a classic, although it is a great read, and give it only 3 of 5.
Book Review: Awesome!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I began reading the novel(s) shortly after I saw the film. I have since seen the film twice now and I'm deeply fascinated with the overly excited novels. Now this is coming from a person who would rather see movies instead of read. Stephanie's "Twilight" kept me turning page after page. I have since moved on to the next "New Moon" and practically regretting that I'm getting closer to the end of the book. The story between Edward, Bella, and Jacob keeps my heart jumping around and by stomach twirling for the next paragraph. I have found myself staying up later and later becoming sadden because I will have to put the book away and return to it the following night. I have gotten my husband (who also doesn't read) to read the novel and he himself cannot escape the excitement that continues throughout the novel. For all you "bad" raters, this book is not a bad read at all but maybe this just wasn't for you. For the rest of you who want to feel your body reacting to the novel, you'll be wishing you were one of Stephanie's "Twilight" characters yourself. I have since researched the author Stephanie to see what other novels she may write. Please, this novel is worth the read!!!Book Review: Twilight
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved this book and also the rest of the series. I am re-reading it now. The characters are very well written and are mostly endearing.