Just in case someone out there was itching for another Twilight thread, you’re welcome.
Yes I am sinfully late on this train, but I decided I just can’t let a huge pop culture event pass me by without at least being able to criticize it knowledgeably. The main thing I learned from this experience in the benefit of low expectations. Basically I actually walked away from a less than great book feeling fulfilled, this is because I thought it would be a WHOLE lot worse. I should enter everything with similarly low expectations.
The first three fourths of the thing was comprised of such a slow series of conversations and talking about feelings that I wondered how on earth they adapted this into a movie. I was beginning to wonder if there was actually a conflict in the plot other than slow courting and smoldering glares. It was mildly entertaining, but I read it very slowly.
The main thing is I found it hard to get over the sexual politics of the writing. It is very clear why young girls gravitate to this, it reads like a massive stereotypical female sexual fantasy, most notably for the lack of sex. I just couldn’t get down with a lot of the messages I felt were being transmitted, such as the obsessive infatuation with the dangerous guy because he is mysterious and powerful over her, The okayness of the stalking behavior, etc. The non sex scene in the woods must be like catnip to the teenies who are just coming into their sexual identity, but I don’t know if that is a healthy way to portray it.
But then something amazing happen, the plot rudely interrupted the dry humping. When the badguys actually entered a hundred pages before the end of the book, it was actually pretty intense and fun. I read that last bit too fast to really take it all in. The cat and mouse chase was well choreographed I think, the fear of the situation hit like it was supposed to. I know I may not get too many people agreeing with me here, but I thought the climax was very good for a casual read like this.
There are a few things that I actually like about this vampire lore, such as the way that one is vamped. A super painful process for the victim coupled with the near impossible strength it takes for the vamp to not finish the job. This is a good way to explain why the world isn’t just overrun with vampires, I like the relative lack of vamps in this world. I also like superhero powered vamps, Buffy wouldn’t have a chance against these guys.
So ultimately this is a merely OK book for the casual young adult audience.There’s undoubtedly a lot better out there, but this is the one that has captured so many hearts and minds, believe me it could have happened to plenty worse books. It probably doesn’t deserve its place in preteens hearts, but it doesn’t quite deserve a lot of the hate it gets either. A lot of that criticism of course comes from the fact that it is super popular, which is always annoying to everyone not in on a fad.
It is easy to pick on the things that sound lame out of context (the sparking). Not that those things aren’t a little lame even in context, but they do tend to serve some narrative purpose. If only the whole book could have been more like the ending, then it may have even been a good book.
Anyone else finally get around to reading it? What do you think? For those who have read the others, Is it worth continuing with the series? And how is the movie adaptation? Much worse than the book I’m sure, but I haven’t decided if I want to seek it out yet.