Review of Twilight.

[solestria]

So, I read Twilight. Which is my own fault, really; I was fully aware that this was a bad idea, and I went ahead and did it anyway.

First of all, the writing is intensely mediocre. Stephenie Meyer has, apparently, taken the bold step of refusing to edit out the unimportant parts to include every single minute event in the daily life of her

Comments

[solestria]

I actually disagree with that on this one. I think it is intensely unhealthy to model this sort of a completely codependent relationship for teenage girls, and I wonder what effect it does have on the girls who read it. Bella has no sense of self. And seriously, having characters talking about offing themselves if their SO dies?! I rather amazed that made it into print in a YA novel, frankly.

[j00j]

I agree that it's problematic, although I'm not at all surprised it's in print as a YA novel. Paranormal is hot right now, and as even you noticed, the style's a very readable one somehow, despite the wretchedness.

Were I a parent (or teacher or librarian or someone else making book recommendations), I wouldn't be too concerned about people reading it if they had reasonably good critical thinking skills and were getting other messages from elsewhere. But given the scarcity in popular culture of messages about healthy relationships for teenage girls, it does bug me a bit.

[solestria]

Yeah. I mean, I guess if I'd read it as a teen, I wouldn't have been taken in by it. But then, my parents are still married and have a pretty happy relationship, and a lot of kids don't have that, and aren't getting the appropriate cultural messages to counter what's in that book. On the other hand, there is Harry Potter, which has much healthier relationships, so that's good. Idunno.

And I'm only really starting to think about that part now, so I haven't sorted out all my feelings on that yet.

[mark_argent]

Teenage Mormon sparkly zombie vampires in love.

[kendokamel]

*giggle*

[moonandserpent]

I... I think I must read this now. I too am a clumsy waif in search of a codependant vampire!

[solestria]

You know, I could see that working well for you.

Just make sure to wear a corset so you can swoon and faint properly when you kiss.

[tooth_and_claw]

OMGOMGOMG KEVIN. THE LAST BOOK. If you can get through them, do, because the last book is so terrible it's unbelievable. There are cannibal fetuses and birth explosions and possible werewolf impregnations.

At least so I've heard. I couldn't get past the first two paragraphs, let alone three books, but the online summaries of this one? GOLD.

[sabournine]

*shudder* I've never read the book, but I've heard a lot about it. I almost want to read it just so that I can tell all my pre-teen/teen female students who are so into the series about how I really prefer books with stronger female characters and more realistic relationships, and warn them not to learn too much from the main characters' relationship model. Well, maybe I can still tell them that, but I do think it would be unfair of me to say "I really didn't like this book" without ever having read it.

Also it amazes me that I know people our age who like the series.

[solestria]

That's really much of why I read it; because I'd read about worries about the main characters' relationship, and was starting to form views on a book I hadn't read. So I read it. It was actually remarkably readable, even with the bad writing (no, I'm not sure how that works, though I felt the same way about \Da Vinci Code). And now I can be educated when I tell people why I think it's scary that so many teen girls are reading these books.

My roommate and one of my coworkers are all about these books. I just don't get it. I mean, She faints from his kiss. How much worse can it possibly get?

[glaucon]

remarkably readable, even with the bad writing (no, I'm not sure how that works, though I felt the same way about \Da Vinci Code

that was exactly the way I described the Da Vinci Code.
terrible writing, but an engaging and interesting enough plot that you somehow don't really mind too much.

the Left Behind books don't manage to pull of the same trick, however.

if you *really* want to have some fun, try tracking down a copy of Wild Animus. it's mind-blowingly bad. I think you in particular would find it entertaining.

[solestria]

The difference is that at least Da Vinci Code HAD a plot. You get maybe twenty pages of plot in the whole 500-page or so book with Twilight. The rest is obsessive moping.

This book? Oh my. I. . . you know, even the summary has rendered me virtually speechless.

I wouldn't even attempt the Left Behind series. *shudder*

[raegun]

I heard that this series totally sucked. Everyone on my flist says so. Yet, they love reading it. Since I come from a writing community and I used to write about this topic as a kid, I can only assume we're reading it to laugh at what we used to be like.

Everyone is guilty of having embarrassing interests and dramatic behaviors. I used to write about gay vampires, so I can't criticize someone who is writing about something this ridiculous.

... but I didn't publish any of the sludge I wrote, much less for a young audience, so maybe that's where I'd raise an eyebrow.

I haven't read these, fyi. I'm still on the last HP book. lol.