I finally broke down and read Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer, over winter break this year. Curiosity was my entire reason for reading it, but that curiosity came from several different sources. One was how the series as a whole has been touted as the next Harry Potter, and how there seemed to be a significant overlap in readership (but only among girls, I found out later). Since I love Harry Potter, reading the book thus made sense.
I was also curious about its popularity, and how many critics have said the plot is horrendously unhealthy and unrealistic (aside from the fact that it’s about vampires) due to its negative portrayal of female sexuality. Additionally, I wanted to find out why some critics considered the series to have a pro-life message.
The series, written by Stephanie Meyer, covers several years in the life of Bella Swan, a girl of high-school age who gets involved with the underground world of vampires after meeting and falling in love with the vampire, Edward Cullen. The series covers their relationship from their first meeting to their wedding and the birth of their first child. It is narrated mostly in the first-person by Bella, and takes place mostly in the town of Forks, Washington – which actually has received significant attention and increased tourism due to the success of the books.
I will come clean right now about how much I’ve actually read. The series is made up of four books, and I read the first and skimmed the last, with a three-minute Wikipedia search to figure out the missing plot. I apparently missed some Romeo-and-Juliet-style suicide attempts and angst. My sister read the first two books, was told that the fourth, Breaking Dawn, was actually the third, and got several hundred pages in without noticing. Plus, I was the one who told her she was reading the wrong book.
My first source of curiosity about this series was sated about 50 pages into the first book: the series has only one thing in common with the Harry Potter books, and that’s popularity. Any critic who thinks that Harry Potter readers will automatically love this series clearly has read neither. Ignoring any comments on plot, character development, or quality of the writing, the Harry Potter series is an epic adventure, while the Twilight series is, over anything else, a romance; hence its overwhelmingly female fan base.
With regard to plot, character development, and quality of writing, J.K. Rowling’s series easily wins in each category. In case the fact that I skipped half of the Twilight series didn’t give it away, I did not enjoy reading these books. The main difficulty I had with them was that I disliked the person who narrates the books. The girl has very few redeeming qualities. Normally, self-deprecation in a heroine works well at keeping the character real, but all that Bella’s self-deprecation does is to keep her annoying.
She has very little self-esteem, even after causing the most handsome and mysterious boy in school to fall in love with her. However, you don’t feel sorry for her; you just want her to shut up. Her defining character trait (her only character trait without Edward) is her clumsiness, which is ridiculous: Meyer might as well have tried to define someone only by a speech impediment. She exists as a person only through her relationship with Edward. Trying to decide what Bella was going to do with her life if she hadn’t met him is a difficult and pathetic task, since she shows no real interest in any subject or activity, or even any interest in her “friends.” If you’re not a member of the gorgeous undead, Bella Swan wants nothing to do with you.
But Bella’s lack of personality is only part of why any remotely feminist critic would dislike this series. For some background information, Edward’s family, by definition, is a set of “vegetarian” vampires: they only feed on animal blood, not that of humans. Therefore, just being near Bella, whose blood is referenced as Edward’s “brand of heroin,” is a huge challenge for him. It’s made even more difficult by the fact that Bella really wants him to bite her and turn her into a vampire, even encouraging him constantly to do so. The reader is led to believe that his resistance to her temptation is noble and romantic.
The critics have a point, and there is a clear argument that Edward’s desire for Bella’s blood is a metaphor for any male’s desire to sleep with his lover. Her own desires (and therefore female sexuality as a whole) are painted as impure.
What the feminist critics miss by focusing on the negative portrayal of female sexuality is just how inherently stupid Bella’s plan is. She doesn’t want to become a vampire to do all sorts of vampire things; she wants to do it so that she can be immortal like Edward and be with him forever, and in the process cut off every other aspect of her life. As a source for comparison, Edward was turned into a vampire in 1918 to “save” him from the Spanish Influenza, had no choice in the matter, and was an orphan at the time of his transformation. In other words, he was going to die if he had not transformed, and was utterly alone.
Bella, however, has parents, has friends (although they, too, are barely developed as characters), and is not actively dying. She pushes herself on Edward with the ultimate goal of being one part of a whole, and nothing else. (Cue the various “I can’t live without you” suicide-plot variations of the second book.) This plan would be equally repulsive and idiotic if Edward and Bella’s roles were switched: no one, male or female, should be living solely for the existence of another.
My third source of curiosity was answered in the final book. The reason for the apparent “pro-life message” in this series appears in that installment, when Bella becomes pregnant immediately after her wedding. The child is a half-vampire, half-human baby, who grows rapidly, meaning that it would be nearly impossible for Bella to carry the child and survive the pregnancy. Edward encourages her to abort the fetus, but Bella refuses, stating she feels a connection to her child.
This is all well and good, and is a somewhat legitimate pro-life plot point. However, it is during the delivery that it all goes wrong. Bella’s labor is long, painful, and gruesome; it nearly kills her; and she is ultimately saved only by being transformed into a vampire. Meyer’s description of this childbirth is horrendously overblown, turning the miracle of life into a bloodbath.
The worst part of this supposed “pro-life” message is the way in which Meyer (through Bella) ranks the life of the child over the life of the mother. This is a gross misinterpretation of what the pro-life movement actually stands for, as the idea of ranking the life of the unborn baby above that of the mother is one which the movement has been attempting to refute for decades. Meyer (hopefully unwittingly) adds significant fuel to the fire just by writing a few hundred pages about a mutant vampire baby.
Politics and plot quality aside – to be fair, I know why this series is so popular for teenage girls. My sister, who read the first book before me, explained it rather well. She said, “I completely understand why young girls like this book. Every teenage girl wants a gorgeous, mysterious boy to fall in love with her for no reason, and then risk his life to protect her.” She’s completely right, and the series serves the purpose of romance novels very well.
Therefore, I can only hope that the girls who read this story see it as just a story, and don’t begin to make their moral and political decisions based on anything Meyer writes.
Christina Cozzetto is co-President of Brown Students for Life.
Usually when you’re reviewing a book you only review the book. You don’t throw in spoilers for the entire series. Thanks for filling me in on the wedding and baby part of the story seeing as how I’ve only read the first book. Thanks a lot.
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Natalie reply on October 7th, 2009 11:16 pm:
You can’t give a good review without giving some details about the book, plus twilight is super predictable, everyone knew that was gonna happen.
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katherine reply on November 1st, 2009 7:46 pm:
no actually, neither i nor my friends expected anything like that to happen. it was definitely a surprise that it went so far but im glad anyways.
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Mike reply on February 15th, 2010 7:04 pm:
Well thats good. Saves you the torture of reading through the rest of it ^^
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Lionel Sesame reply on March 25th, 2010 1:17 pm:
This book blows, if you even read this book your a complete idiot. The only reason im on this god awful website is because my damn english teacher is making us read this stupid ass book review. All i have to say to the fans of twilight is, get a frekin life.
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M reply on May 9th, 2010 6:47 pm:
For some reason I can’t tell whether your angry at twilight or this review. It sounds like both, but that can’t be right cause that would be crazy,
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TeamAroPickle reply on November 1st, 2010 8:31 pm:
go suck your prick and sit up with a good ol cup of coffee and a god damn awesome Twilight book. :) doesnt matter which one just read it you jackass. dont like dont read but dont complain like a whiny teen about how much you hate it, who the eff cares.
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Kaysha reply on November 10th, 2010 7:54 pm:
I think you are stupid couldn’t you already predict that and you are not what I expect to be reading this book.
Your a big jerk ya know that?
Eduard Cullen is example for young men showing how gentlemen used to treat girls. Maybe if the male race in this century weren’t so assinine, women wouldn’t be hooked on every word Stephenie Meyers says.
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Cassie reply on November 21st, 2009 3:37 am:
You just stereotyped every guy on Earth. The men of today are way better than the men of yesterday who would have only wanted a woman to cook, clean, and make babies…or do you know nothing about history or other cultures apart from your own? Besides, there are many men out there who just want to get married. I’VE MET THEM.
But I have to ask why do you care so much about finding a mate? You should just live your life rather than acting on your hormones. Actually, if all the women in the world acted like you are, then of course guys would treat them badly. It’s crap like that (And the poorly written Twilight book) that set womens’ rights back a hundred years. Bella isn’t a heroine. You know who is? Let’s see… there’s Sacajawea, Susan B. Anthony, Joan of Ark, Rosa Parks, Kerri Strug, and many others.
And Edward? He’s a control freak! A stalker! He’s not a gentlemen, he’s a pussy and an idiot.
I’m a woman and I hate the Twilight book series, and I don’t want to be anything like you. And I know plenty of women who hate Meyers to the core. None of us want anything to do with that psychotic mormon “anti-human” bitch, so don’t lump us in with you.
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Christine reply on November 21st, 2009 7:42 pm:
Knowing full well that I’m putting my life on the line by saying this, I absolutely agree with you @Cassie. The Twilight book series is a peice of crap that’s doing more damage to teen girls than Sarah Palin did to the world of politics. This review only scratched the surface of the Twilight book’s innumerable blunders. I’d like to point out the staggering difference in the amount of spelling and gramatical errors between twilight critics and supporters in the responses to this article.
I think that the character of Bella was so vague and poorly done so that any person could place themselves in her shoes with no mental exertion whatsoever. Any teenage girl could be Belle, including myself, but i found the story so obruse that it was a waste of my time to pretend to be Bella.
Please note that I’ve read all the way through every Twilight book, but only because i was under the illusion that at some point, the story would get interesting. Alas…
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Mrs. Cullen reply on March 24th, 2010 5:55 pm:
okay listen here you may not agree with what other people have to say but you dont have to call A VER SUCCESSFUL AUTHOR A BITCH cause that is just disrespectful. and you might not agree but i do and edward is not a pussy if he was when he ran away he would have stayed away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Sandshadow reply on May 18th, 2010 9:56 am:
it’s not disrespectful if it’s plain fact. And you know the funny thing is you twilight fans never can defend yourselves or those books you worship. You just press caps lock and go into rant mode. throw in alot of words that are spelled wrong and alot of exclamation marks and that’s your “rebuttal” and by the way it’s very not “VER”
Ryan reply on November 22nd, 2009 12:48 am:
I’m a guy, I have never read twilight and never will, but from the reviews and everything I’ve heard about the book, it seems Edward is HARDLY the type of guy to be used as a prototype for what a “true gentleman” is.
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Mrs. Cullen reply on March 24th, 2010 5:52 pm:
i completely agree with “edwars wife” because he does show traits of a true gentelmen i mean he left for her just so that he wouldn’t hurt her again, he even said that if she didn’t love him anymore that all she had to do was say the word and he would leave her without being mad or anything BECAUSE HE JUST WANTED HER TO BE HAPPY. alot of guys would never do that. OH AND ALSO HE DIDN’T WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH HER BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT A TRUE GENTLEMEN SHOULD DO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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M reply on May 9th, 2010 6:51 pm:
Oh I completely agree with you! Like when he refused to teach Bella how to fight because he just such a gentlemen, or how about when he messed with Bellas truck so she couldn’t get to see Jacob?
He’s totes a gentlemen. Totes.
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Abby reply on May 26th, 2010 10:22 pm:
Did any of you “Twi-hard” fans ever notice how every time Edward and Bella get into a fight, Edward wins? Yes, it was stated that Bella was “stubborn,” but really, in the end, Edward got his way because of his controlling characteristics (I admit to the exception of Nessie.) Please, tell me, how is running away from problems you have created being a gentleman? I get it; about four times in the book it’s mentioned he opened her door, but guys these days do that.
Also, does it ever in the series mention that he is sweet, caring, funny, or even nice for that matter? Maybe you saw that, but I couldn’t see much past her obsession with his appearance.
Can anyone tell me five of Bella’s characteristic’s besides stubborn and clumsy, (because really, what’s the point of making a character clumsy if she always has people to catch her. I don’t recall anywhere in the series she actually hit the ground besides Tyler’s van.)
Before all of you fans go accusing me that i haven’t read the books therefore I don’t understand anything, I have.
Actually, I’ve read them all at least four times each. I used to be blinded by “Jacob’s contagious smile” until i read some real books and realized just how idiotic I had been.
SOMEONE PLEASE GET THESE “FANGIRLS” SOME REAL BOOKS!
Read this! reply on September 10th, 2010 11:53 pm:
Haha… What you don’t get is that this book is fiction, sure the author may use real places and real towns but that is what blurs the line between reality and fantasy. Sure EVERY girl wants a guy like Edward, but what many girls didn’t notice is that Edward Is just a fantasy, Bella is the one that is reality. Know why? Becuase the viewer soon makes that connection and says hey… Bella is just like me, she tries to fit in and find her roll in life. I’m sorry to say this girls but this “Edward” is just a fantasy, you want to find a guy just an exaclty like him but you can’t. The author is morman, but I come from a Christian bakground and what the bible says is this, “do not awaken love until it’s time.” now you girls reading who are reading this listen up, in real life, the guy is not going to watch you sleep, as Edward did to Bella, chances are.. You’re going to wake up and watch him sleep. It’s also funny because Edward considers himself as a damned souls does he not? It may not show it in the books but it reveals it in the book. What this means is the he believes he is ineligable for salvaion. Read (trough the NIV) Isiaha 26:14…… (if you have a bible) the Hebrew word for departed spirits is “ref-I-eem”. Another place on the bible says that the refieem are also known as the nephalim. Now read genesis 6:4……. Fallen angles mingled with ladies… Does this sound familiar? Edward and bellas baby…hmmmmm!!! Now I have lots more o say but I do want tell you this one… Do you remeber when Edward shows Bella how he looks in the sunlight? What does he shine like? …. Diamonds. Read 2 corinthians 11:14 and ezekiel 28:13… Satan masquerades around as an angel of… Light. And read other tranlations other than the NIV that shos Satan wears diamonds.
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Kaysha reply on November 10th, 2010 7:58 pm:
You know what? All men wanted in that time was for ladies to cook, clean, and to have sex with them so they could have sons to take their work. And if it was another girl. Oh well! Looks like a mini mom to me.
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Erin reply on May 26th, 2011 12:17 am:
Oh yes… he’s a gentleman… PFFT Sweetheart please! Have you ever met any real gentlemen? No I don’t think you have. Real gentlemen wouldn’t treat her like he did. Real gentlemen aren’t that controlling. So he opened doors for her? WOOO! Oh one more thing… THERE IS NOTHING ROMANTIC ABOUT SOMEONE WATCHING YOU SLEEP! IT’S CREEPY!
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Exactly, it is a romance fantasy novel.
Of course every girl would love to have an Edward of her own. Thats what fantasy fiction books are meant for, to dream, day-dream, to try to imagine the unreal. People shouldnt analyze every part of a book that isn’t even real.
So, obviously in my opinion the books were great. Yes, they were boring in some parts, but we readers suffered through the boring parts because we couldn’t wait to get to the good parts ;).
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crystal reply on November 16th, 2009 6:14 pm:
Its not just any romance novel it sings to my heart….NOT! I didn’t mind the books though. The thing I don’t get is why all these girls like Edward so much. I mean, he’s nice and all, but I would never want to marry a guy like Edward. But that’s just my opinion.
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bklepzig reply on January 26th, 2010 10:52 am:
what is your opinion on jacob?
(not an insult or anything like that!!)
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Erin reply on May 26th, 2011 12:22 am:
I liked Jacob actually. But in some ways he was just as controlling as Edward. Really to me when she made the characters she took Edward and Jacob and gave them the same characteristics,and just threw in a little bit of the younger brother personality with Jacob. That’s just me though.
This review really “sucks”. Meyers has clearly portrayed Edward as an old fashioned but passionate man. That’s it (though his perfection is over the top even for a fictional character…but still…)
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ju reply on November 10th, 2009 4:00 pm:
Why are you reading a book review if you already know what you think of the books?
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Monica reply on November 12th, 2009 7:01 pm:
Romances like this never happen. You have all these teenage girls swooning over the idea of dating, and marrying a guy who acts like their father. Relationships should be equitable. Not to mention he’s abusive. Stalking isn’t normal girls.
Do you want to lean on a man all your life? Do you not want to be independent at least for a little? Do you really want someone to tell you what to do and father you for the rest of your lives girls? Sick!
Anyhow, thanks for this Twilight Review.
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I didn’t know what was going to happen nor did my friends, but you do make a good point. I guess a lot of people thought this story was predictable. I can see both sides. But yeah, I didn’t expect spoilers when I started reading this twilight review.
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I think you should read the whole Twilight book series before giving a Twilight review. I agree that character development is lacking but it’s obvious that you didn’t quite get the gist of the story. For example, Bella is not trying to commit suicide in the second Twilight book so your points there are not valid. That along with other parts of this Twilight review show that you really don’t know what you’re talking about.
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Courtney reply on December 1st, 2009 12:48 pm:
…to my understanding, Bella threw herself off of a cliff after laying on the floor of the forest for… who knows how long?
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SilverDemon reply on February 7th, 2010 5:01 pm:
Edward did try to comit suicide in the end, and as Bella was running to save him, she said she wasn’t going to leave there alive if Edward died. She was trying to think of ways to kill herself before Alice could drag her back home.
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M reply on May 9th, 2010 6:53 pm:
No, she was just trying to get into intensely stupid danger (Undermining Edwards last words) So she could hallucinate Edward. Thats so much better.
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Personally, I think the Twilight book series was original. the Twilight books held my attention throughout the first three novels.
I loved the characters. Bella and Edward are foils, operating in totally different spectrums. Yet, somehow, they come together in a perfectly beautiful way.
The twilight books are filled with realistic problems for them to encounter. Sure, they work their issues out in a weird fashion, but somehow Bella and Edward re-unite for the greater good and the continued existance of their intense and passionate relationship…. It all reminds me of my boyfriend and me!
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Lost Realist reply on November 22nd, 2009 12:10 am:
I’m sorry, but the statement “they are confronted with realistic problems” just made me fall off my chair due to excessive laughter. Getting hunted by a vampire who apparently wishes to kill you for the fun of it is realistic? Don’t even get me started on some of the other ‘realistic’ problems they face (honestly, an army of ‘baby’ vampires? I honestly can say I relate to that). And you claim that the relationship in the Twilight book reminds you of you and your boyfriend? Oh, so he was a psychopathic, abusive stalker who acted in a paternal manner toward you? How romantic!
Edward Cullen climbs through a girl’s window, watches her sleep and is called charming, whereas I do it and get an AVO. Go figure.
I’m glad, at least, to read a Twilight review that isn’t glowing. Thanks for writing this Twilight book review.
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M reply on May 9th, 2010 6:55 pm:
I remember my first child…I broke my spine and three ribs and my husband ended up tearing it out of my uterus with his teeth. Talk about romantic.
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If the Twilight book reminds you of your own relationship, I honestly think you need to get out of the relationship. Because it’s abusive. I read all four books and although I was gripped, it was like gorging myself on cheap, bad candy. I ate it ’cause it was there and was kinda satisfying, but ultimately, it made me sick. Aside from the negative portrayal of female sexuality/sex as a whole, Meyer pushes the abstinence thing like it’s her JOB. On the surface, that seems like a “pure”, “moral” message, and that seems to be what people dwell on. Honestly though, their relationship was abusive. He would tell her she “wasn’t allowed” to see Jacob. Not that he didn’t approve, she wasn’t allowed. If that doesn’t SCREAM manipulative boyfriend, I don’t know what does. He also keeps the whole “Victoria is trying to kill you lol” thing from her entirely. Not like, you know, it’s her life or anything. Just keep important stuff from her. Manipulative, plain and simple.
Bella is simpering and reading about her made me sick. She’s such a static character, the books were a waste of trees. I hope no girl ever thinks it’s ok behavior for her boyfriend to tell what and what not to do unless she is a six year old who tried to run into traffic and was stopped by her father. Edward is a creep, and Jacob becomes one too…but only because (and this is a personal theory) Meyer discovered she had made him far more likeable, and that wasn’t what she wanted.
Down with Twilight, Harry Potter forever!
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wow reply on November 29th, 2009 8:32 pm:
These are just books. There is no need to get your underwear in a wad over all this. I hate to tell you this but neither Twilight NOR Harry Potter is actually real.
So, go get a life!
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Sara reply on April 4th, 2012 7:06 pm:
True, none of them are real. But a big difference between these two books is that one is enjoyable and well plotted, while the other has no argument at all. In the Twilight series, there’s a fight between vampires, but not a single member of Edward’s family dies or suffers in anyway. Meanwhile, in the Harry Potter series, there’s a war which leaves orphan children and mothers who lost children. So, yeah, they are both “just books”, but when you read a book, you expect it to be realistic, not a 100% true, because it’s fiction, but at least make it realistic.
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Thanks for writing a great Twilight review.
Twilight is a good Fictional book that’s it. I am a teenager and believe it is sad that all of you have nothing better to do than comment on a book series for teenagers, there are many more vampire series other than this one. I am standing up for a book series that doesn’t deserve all the bad reviews it’s getting. Girls need an escape from all the rejection, and pain caused from our “Edward Cullen”, The Twilight book provides that escape. Most girls who read Meyer’s Twilight books won’t know if there is a battle of morals and won’t care. A book series such as the Twilight book series will not alter our morals or beliefs.this review like many was an overreaction.
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Ruby reply on December 22nd, 2009 3:55 pm:
You would be surprised by how many girl have been altered by this book. Perhaps you haven’t, but I regularly see a girl dumping some guy because he isn’t “Edward Cullen” enough, or a fan of the book simply waiting for Edward Cullen to sweep her off. And yes, most of them are serious. In conclusion this review isn’t a overreaction at all.
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Janie reply on December 26th, 2009 3:51 pm:
It’s just a phase. Trust me. If you are in a relationship, then you should go to church together or find another activity that you both enjoy. Either way, Twilight is just a book. Find someone you love and stop searching for Edward.
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Mike reply on February 15th, 2010 7:13 pm:
The biggest problem with that? You’re blatant stereotyping of girls.
Not only do not all girls feel such pain and agony in their lives, but the one that do should probably grow up. I myself will willingly admit that I have no true idea as to the meaning of those words. Any teenaged who claims to know pain and agony is, with a few exceptions here and there, lying. Relationships are but “the fripperies of man’s soul,” and not the true source of vitality in life.
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I noticed that conversion seem long past and died ,but I am a huge fan of the book (not so much the movie I am hoping however new moon turn out to be better then twilight) I sadly almost agree with matt ,I mean twilight is actually what sage says it is a very twisted love story often said by the author. An epic love story. A story often compared to romeo and Juliet. Both stories are about teen girls who fall completely for guys they have just met. They both turn to suicidal thoughts and ways. Which I guess
Is not such a good idea for girl to think is okay EVER ,but come on dude it just a story and the problem with like old people ,is like they have to find bad things in every thing and believes every girl 13 -19 in the world is like stupid romantic and going to believe this is like the word from some like girl bible. Relax partners ! Breath
I mean its just an idea okay ,that’s a week worth of novel to read when teenage life sucks. When your boyfriend make you angry for a day. Matt gave you the fact of the book now I am help him understand form a girl point a view, a girl who stood long lines the book before the lines for the movie
Bella is a girl who meets the love of her life. It not just a little love not that teenage love parents are always warning us about, but the big love at first sight ( most girl believe this is can happen but we are not so clueless to believe we are going to find it. Which is one of the key reason I like this book ) edward is a vampire which is just another version of a bad boy,and she needs him a much as he need blood.
beside the idea of love at first Mayer introduces a possible love, A jacob kind of love . Jacob is. A friend who has been their for bella truly for thick and then. Sometime it hard I agree to understand why Jacob loves Bella so much but if you take the idea that he is of a wolf of it and you imagine your self as jacob and not bella with jacob it becomes easier to understand. If you see yourself as a girl (or guy)in love with someone who doesn’t really see you as anything else but just a friend (who hasn’t ,really) its impossible to not love jacob. And for those who can’t understand Bella love for Edward see him as a guy just a guy who loves you and not scare to tell you or show it as much as can. Now imagine real love. A love that can last past those who are against it , even if turn out only to be each other holding you apart. The Twilight sage is love at its best happy and easy and sadly its worst painfully hard and sometimes lonely. Its just a story. Take it as it is. Boy meets girl ,girl fall for boy. boy marry girl. Girl has boy child ,child is perfect and special in every way.
Now throw in vampires vs werewolves ,then vampires vs vampire , werewolves vs werewolves. I guess I should have said throw in drama instead . So here is the story in one short sentence. An epic love story of a vampire and girl and the love of her werewoves friends and the drama in between. My advice is read the book for it self. Matt pick up the book again this time read the whole series ;)
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Mike reply on February 15th, 2010 7:17 pm:
You’ve admitted the main shortcoming of the book already. It could never happen. What some seem to call “love” is better defined as “lust.” Love at first sight does not happen, and it never will. Even in Romeo and Juliet.
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Michelle reply on July 1st, 2010 2:40 pm:
I wish you’d learn how to write before trying to express your opinion. Grammar, punctuation and proper syntax always helps in convincing people to believe you or take your opinion seriously. I appreciate what you were trying to say, but it just makes me want to pat you on the head and say “awwww”.
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Ps. For JB re read breaking dawn. No one can really make Bella do what she don’t really want to do. She will try to please you and listen to your opinions because you are important to her ,but think about how long she dated Edward without her fathers approval. How many times she went against what Edward thought was best and went to see Jacob ,or went to see Edward when Jacob says it was not safe. Really did we read the same book.
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Christine reply on November 29th, 2009 2:34 pm:
To Shantel G- We’re not talking about Bella here, we’re discussing whether or not Edward is an overly-controlling stalker, which i think he is. Sure, Bella exercised her free will once or twice throughout the series, but when she did, Edward got PISSED! He was angry when she didn’t listen to her father and continued to see him, he freaked whenever she was with Jacob, he hardly respected her choice to keep her child and … um… er….I’m out of instances when Bella makes her own decisions… but you get the point.
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Rachel reply on December 8th, 2009 10:41 am:
Shantel G-
Perhaps you should learn how to spell and write a coherent sentence before you go off about the successes of Twilight.
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Abby reply on May 26th, 2010 10:39 pm:
Did you even know the word “coherent” before Twilight? Really, SM isn’t a great author. She just droned on and on about Edward’s face and threw in a few long words to make her sound like a person who knew what she was doing, when really, she was just a soccer mom with a dream (literally.)
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My thoughts on this review:
It’s genius. I’m so happy that more people than just I can see the failings and misgivings of the Twilight series. This “epic” love story is a sorry excuse for a relationship; what has our society come to when the ideal relationship is between the antithesis of feminism and an overbearing, abusive pedophile. Face it, Edward is a complete control freak, and Bella is a simpering sorry excuse for a girl. Every single female in the entire series is completely obsessed with the concept of childbearing, marriage, and having a man in your life. Meyer has completely destroyed the ideal man in the creation of Edward Cullen. Personally, I wouldn’t want a boyfriend who controls my entire life; nor one who IS my entire life.
Aside from Meyer’s inability to develop a character without a semblance of personality, her writing is some of the worst I have ever read in my life. Her constant “descriptions” and use of “imagery” are completely focused on Edward and how perfect he is. (Just a few statistics…. there were 165 references to Edward’s beauty, in Twilight alone.) Her command of the English language is contrived and ineffective; Meyer only exhibits her ability to use a thesaurus.
Twilight is a sorry excuse for a book, that would have been better served as toilet paper. The only reason I managed to make it through all four books was because I hoped that perhaps Meyer would take a different direction – and I was sorely mistaken. I was left with a heavy sense of disappointment that I fed into the hype around Twilight.
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I actually hated twilight so much that I went online just to look for a review that agreed with me! Because it seems like everyone has fallen sick with this fever that clouded their judgment! I haven’t yet finished the first book, so I think you were brave even reading the fourth one. Not even comparable to the brilliance of Harry Potter, not in the same category.
I was a teenager once, and yes maybe that’s how teenage girls think, written in a boring, overly detailed, fruitless way, with lots and lots of repetition. Not creative at all, I mean what did she come up with? Vampires? Good vampires? vampires falling in love with humans? All have been done before, nothing new.
I sincerely think she was just lucky there are many silly readers in this world, and obviously “book writing” is just a business now, not literature, no great morale or message, just money making.
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jealous of edward reply on January 6th, 2010 11:47 am:
f offf your just ealos that you’re not as hooooooootttttttttttttt as edward cullen. and if you hate it why do you care why did you look it up ou f****** a***
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Christine reply on January 26th, 2010 11:44 pm:
To Jealous of Edward,
If you’re going to try and argue with your intellectual superiors, at least try and make use of more sophisticated language. But that’s beside the point. I’m just going to guess here… you’re a teenage girl who’s either never had a relationship with a boy (or girl, whichever you prefer, it doesn’t matter) or has only gone out with pathetically shallow boys who can’t differentiate the feeling of love from the sensation of sexual attraction. The fact that you have a limited (at best) understanding of human nature, particularly the nature of the average male led me to this conclusion. Not that I have problems with teenage girls, some of them (myself included) are realtively intelligent and mature. As I was saying, no snesible boy would EVER envy Edward Cullen, because he has no interests or talents and chooses to exist for the sole purpose of “serving” his soul-mate. Men don’t live only to protect, and women don’t exist just so that they can submit to the wills of their chosen mates (even if it is “for their own good”). And by the way, none of Edwards physical characteristics, save his eyes, hair and “rock harndess” are described in the novel, so his “hotness” is all in your tiny little head.
As to your rhetorical question, people who hate Twilight generally wish to find like-minded people on the internet, with whom we can converse about the book’s pathetic attributes.
My appologies if my words were too big for you to comprehend, here’s a translation for you. . .
“Go f*** yourselves Twi-hards, you a**holes are all f****** idiots!”
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Olivia reply on August 6th, 2010 4:59 pm:
Four words: your a beautiful genius!
Finally, someone mature and morale enough to learn the truth of this d*mn book series!
I read real books, and today you can’t find one with passion behind it- it’s all about money money money. That’s why I read books from the older days, when people actually gave a sh** about real literature. The Hunachback of Notre Dame was a tragic love story that won my heart, although fiction. It had a morale, beautiful writing style, and DEEP characters.
You know what? This is the average words going through the block-headed twi-tards mind;
Ooooooh edward, he iz so hot! No, Jacobs hotter! Now, I must waste all my parents money showing love for two s** head characters! Sure, in two years, i’ll grow up and laugh at myself, but, hey, Edward’s hot!
Just look at the vocabulary and grammar skills in our arguers posts!
Don Claude Frollo, seen as the antagonist in a novel, could beat the s*** out of Edward in terms of personality!
Allow me to clear my throat and give you two words that can describe this entire series in a whole: Romantic Fanfiction.
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crystalcutie131 reply on November 27th, 2010 3:25 pm:
And some actual romantic fanfiction stories on the internet involving Bella and vampire Edward are much better than the story Stephanie Meyer wrote. I mean, Bella’s not as simple and simpering, and Edward isn’t as commanding.
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crystalcutie131 reply on November 27th, 2010 3:43 pm:
What I mean by that is that nobodies (ordinary people, a lot of them younger than Stephanie Meyer and are still in middle or high school or even college) write better novels about Bella and Edward than this woman did. But the better ones are when they are both completely human with completely human traits and behaviors; there is no “Bella, you shouldn’t do this or that,” and no “Edward, you are so handsome and I want to have your babies,” kind of thing (even if the version of the characters are still in school).
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i hate edward but my friend s love him so woohoo go team edward. oh and priya patel loves jacob,,, go team jacob,,(but edward is awsomerrrrrrrr) yaaaaaaaayyyyyy edward :) :) :) :) :) :) :)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Erin reply on May 26th, 2011 12:40 am:
Your review made no sense. You hate Edward… but your friends love him? So Woohoo team Edward? And then you experienced a bit of schizophrenia? Oh and it’s more awesome.
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nora loooooovvvveeees edward……priya lovees jacob……..edwards hot and so is jacob but edward is hotttttttttttest
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madi reply on January 14th, 2010 10:17 am:
Gag. Thanks for this Twilight Review anyhow.
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I absolutely agree with this Twilight review. I read all four books (actually, I got fed up halfway through the last one, so 3.5, really) and was increasingly put off by them. Where the appeal comes from is obvious, but the book totes so many negative messages they’re hard to count. The anti-female sexuality tones may be a bit exaggerated in this Twilight review, but there are plenty of other glaring issues that are at least as harmful.
For example:
Not only that, but I’m only *fourteen*, and *I* can already see that Twilight is no example of good writing. The characters all stick vehemently to their base archetype, the plot devices are ridiculous (yeah, new vampires are all unable to control their urges and go off eating people and things, but not me, ’cause I’m special!) and leave holes wide enough to fly a plane through, and the entire premise could be replaced with something much less cliche and still stand.
It pains me to know that an entire generation of kids are having their views warped by this sorry waste of paper and ink, and what’s worse, those kids are my future bosses, coworkers, and employees. Ugh.
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Erin reply on May 26th, 2011 12:52 am:
Thank you. Thank you so much. I was only able to get half way through the 3rd one. I always wanted to just throw the book or burn it ( and I hate the thought of burning books). I loved all of your examples that you used, and it’s refreshing to me to see a teenage girl not all gaga over Edward or Jacob. I would however like to point out a flaw in one example. Romeo was not a teenager, he was in fact well into his twenties. It was Juliet who was only fourteen. Don’t know if you wrote these yourself or if you found them. No offense meant. :)
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While I absolutely agree with this Twilight review, I do believe that there is one particular effect of the Twilight Book phenomenon that has been overlooked.
It has achieved what few books (with the possible exception of Harry Potter) have done: it has people reading again. It has kids debating and arguing with passion. I love that.
I’m 19, and have been an avid bookworm since forever – my whole family is like that. But I’m one of the few in my generation.
My friends quite simply do not read books. They would much prefer to watch television or sit on Facebook for hours on end. The idea of reading gives them headaches.
But they read the Twilight books. And most of my friends loved the Twilight Book series. They read all of the Twilight books in the series – even though pre-Twilight, the thought of reading such thick books would never have appealed to them.
Yes – Bella is a bit pathetic. But for some reason, possibly due to the fact that teenage girls in my generation, as a whole, have low self esteem, something about these books makes them addictive. First time reading, anyway. I tried reading Twilight again and wanted to slap Bella.
Yes – Edward is pretty creepy, with the actions that would be considered typical stalker behaviour in humans.
And, yes, Twilight has probably given SOME girls pretty unrealistic expectations for teenage boys.
I just think, as someone who frequently was in trouble throughout childhood for reading when I was supposed to be setting the table, that it is refreshing that books are back.
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Hanh reply on March 13th, 2010 10:35 pm:
Simone, though it’s true that people who never touched books unless they had to for school are suddenly now reading because of Twilight, keep in mind that these people are ONLY reading Twilight. They SAY they read all the time now but what they’re really doing is rereading the Twilight books over and over and over again. They never branch out, therefore, they’ll never learn or develop in anyway.
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Erin reply on May 26th, 2011 1:05 am:
Simone,
I do agree with you on that point. It is a good thing people are reading again. Like your family mine is filled with avid book worms. I love reading simply because not only does it expand your vocabulary, but it can take you away to a place where everything seems okay. I get that. However, like Hanh said these people (teenagers and adults alike) are reading it and becoming obsessed with it. To the point that teenage girls get into arguments over who is hotter. And when I read the Twilight series (the first 2 books, half of the 3rd and 1/3 of the 4th) I didn’t learn anything new. My vocabulary wasn’t expanded. And it failed to take me away to a place to where everything was perfect and fun. All I saw was stuff akin to the Soap operas that my grandmother watches. i.e. Someone leaves and they are supposedly dead then they come back either as “someone else” or with this giant chip on their shoulder.
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Twilight sucks.
I don’t know how you could even stand to read the Twilight books to write this Twilight book review.
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Christina,
Thank you for this Twilight book review. I myself have just recently finished listening to the audio version of the Twilight book (the first one in the series) because I was curious about its popularity. I was expecting either to be mildly impressed with the genuine quality of the book or to laugh myself silly at how abysmal it would be. To my great dissapointment, I found the Twilight book to be neither a good read nor unintentionally hilarious. As I listened to the narrative, I found myself reviewing the book much the same way a high school English teacher would review a creative writing assignment from a student. The sentence structure was noticably dull and repetitive.
The only favorable trait Edward seems to exibit is his stunning good looks. Time and time again Bella comments on his unearthly beauty. Meyer, however, does little to give readers a detailed description of even this one quality, falling back on vague comparisons to magazine models. This left me thinking that Bella must be a very, very shallow girl, which did nothing to make me sympathize for her as a character.
Given the undeserved popularity of this series, I went online looking for reviews of this book that didn’t gush with fan-based bias. Your Twilight book review was the first I came across and I was glad to read it. Your views match my own very closely. I have several Twilight fans among my friends and family and reading your thoughts on the Twilight books made me realize I am not as alone in my opinion of the book as I felt. Thank you for that.
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Jonathon reply on January 31st, 2010 4:46 pm:
I forgot to mention — Thank you for the spoilers in the final book of the series. Don’t let any snide comments about giving away plot points of the books get you down. Your review has saved me (and anyone else who finds your review) from having to plod through any more dull books in this series to know the conclusion of Meyer’s story. Here’s a happy ending: after finishing Twilight, I moved onto the Harry Potter series, again to learn why the series was so wildly popular. Last night I finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I’m finding these books to be much, much more enjoyable. :)
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Emma Tarlishman reply on February 23rd, 2010 5:35 pm:
Well done you!
wait til you get further into the series – they just keep getting better and better!
unlike a certain young adult vampire romance novel we all know
this link is hilarious – read it.
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This book is a complete joke. If you even read this book your a complete utter idiot. The only reason im on this god awful website is because my darn english teacher is forcing us to read this. All I have to say to the fans of this book is, GET A LIFE!
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The characteristics of Keplerian orbits are easily derived from Newtonian physics, which is why it is commonly encountered in undergraduate textbooks on mechanics.
The problem of planetary motion motivated Newton to develop his inverse square rule for gravitational attraction between two bodies and to invent calculus. With these he was able to derive Kepler’s observationally-derived laws of planetary motion.
On this page we present the equations of Keplerian motion. The aim of this page is to uncover the basic principals of Keplerian motion. We do not derive the equations on this page, but we provide enough detail to enable the knowledgeable reader to derive them for himself.
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So, all you little spider-monkeys, I did in fact just return from a late-night showing of Twilight (the one that all the embarrassed middle-aged moms went to) and immediately sat down to pen my thoughts on the matter.
In a word? It was hysterical. To borrow a trick from Ms. Meyer’s book (or rather her thesaurus), not only was it funny but it was a riotously jocular humdinger of a film.
First, let’s talk tech specs. The film’s cinematography viewed like a bad spoof of 300, only with more vampires, 98% less blood, and 99.9% more extreme close-ups. And when there aren’t a billion poorly-edited cuts between Edward’s face and Bella’s face, there was slow-mo. And a lot of it. At any moment during the baseball scene, for example, I expected some half-naked guy with a lobster claw arm to glide down from the treetops and ask to join the game. I mean, I have a hard time swallowing slow-mo in an action flick, much less in a film in which half of the scenes consist of the characters stretching out on a field to gaze into each other’s soul.
And that brings me to the moment we were all waiting for, fans and anti-fans alike. I’m not going to lie, folks, I was bouncing on my seat in anticipation of the sparklies. Color me curious, but I was excited to see how they would accomplish that effect. Would they use lens flares? Glitter? Bits of cubic zirconia glued to the makeup caked on Robert Pattinson’s face? There seemed to be a lot of options, so the fact that they decided to use Pattinson’s natural (and profuse) perspiration is something of a letdown.
But to be fair, the effects aren’t all bad. After an hour and a half of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”-style soaring through treetops, the big throw-down at the end between James and Edward is actually pretty exciting. In fact, it almost made me appreciate Meyer’s choice of the ballet studio as the battleground in the first place, and on screen I actually winced at Bella’s injuries whereas in the book my reaction consisted of a dash of meh and decent dose of yawn.
And speaking of yawn, that’s a good description of the acting. Kristen Stewart definitely had her moments, but Robert Pattinson not so much. At times his performance is painfully stale and at others, particularly during his and Bella’s first meeting, it is overworked and over-acted. For most of the film, he comes off as either constipated or as a creepy prima donna, or perhaps as a constipated creepy prima donna. It seems to me though that it’s through no fault of his own; the writing is simply that bad. Lines that are passable in a book (“…and so the lion fell in love with the lamb,” for instance) cannot possibly be delivered in any way that makes them sound anything other than horrifically cheesy.
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Wow.
This review is one hundred percent accurate.
And your completely right, the one and only reason why J K Rowling can even be compared to the abysmal piece of drivel that is Stephenie Meyer is because of popularity.
Twilight is for girls, and the plot is the biggest piece of shite that ever got published.
Harry Potter is for pretty much everyone, and the plots are so ingenious, along with the stunning cast of characters, which makes it a literary classic. There is a reason why – to this day – people still re-read the Harry Potter books.
Twilight has none of the qualities that make Harry Potter superior.
I hope, for the sake of the publishing industry, that they stop her from even being allowed to write novels. Other authors will realise that they can write shite and get rich for doing so, and more dopey novels will take the place of brilliant ones.
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All this woman is trying to do is to get people to stop reading the book.
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this is the best book ever
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get a lyf all of use !!!!!
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alright, “edward’s wife” and “Mrs. Cullen,” why dont you try getting a life, instead of pretending youre married to a fictional character. You also might want to consider an english class. Illiterate asses. Maybe if you could actually read or write or spell you would understand that the twilight saga is a pile of bullshit.
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twilight rocks
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[...] don’t begin to make their moral and political decisions based on anything Meyer writes.This Twilight Book Review was written by Sharon J. Wright. Her writings appear in the Conservative Magazine The Brown [...]
I would just like to say that all these people who are commenting on this review, saying that twilight is “a load of shit”, how sad are you? I do love twilight, but I’m not just standing up for the book because I love it. If you really hate twilight, then why are you wasting your life commenting on a review about it? And do you really care if people like twilight? Everyone deserves to have an opinion of their own and I really don’t mind if you disagree with mine. Just saying, how would you like it if, lets say, you absolutley loved a band, and people just kept telling you they were crap all the time, and insulting you while they do that? And I do not think it’s nice at all to comment or criticise people’s grammar if they do not ask for an opinion. People are allowed to talk and write the way they want to, and these people you are insulting aren’t insulting you or your tastes either! You don’t even know these people, do you?
I don’t think twilight is just for teenage girls either. I think twilight is suitable for teenage boys and girls. I do not like the Harry Potter books myself, but I would not call them a “pile of shit.” I think twilight is amazing, one of the best books I have ever read. I just don’t understand the people who are writing horrible, negitive comments. If you think the book is bad, maybe you should just say it in a nicer way? I really dont think that people should judge the people that read the twilight books either, if you buy certain clothes or eat certain foods does that mean you are stupid, or an idiot? I don’t think you even think about how hurt the author [ stephenie meyer ] would be if she saw some of these comments, I certainly would be! I was a bit dissapointed when I saw Twilight and New Moon in the cinema, I didn’t think the directors followed the plot enough, and, In the books, Bella is always blissfull when she is with Edward, I felt that she seemed sometimes sad when she was with Edward.
Also,
In reply to “Cassie”,
I think what you wrote about Stephenie Meyer was extremely disrespectful! How dare you! I mean really, have you ever met, or talked to this woman? You don’t know her! She isn’t “anti-human” as you put it, she wrote a fictional story! I’d like to see any of you try. No way would any of your books be nearly as successfull as Stephenie’s! I’m just getting myself angry here, so I’m going to sign off now! I’m sorry if any of my opinions offended you by the way, and I hope my grammer, punctuation and writing was up to your standard!
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O sorry, I forgot! I would also like to add, since you are so obsessed with your grammer and correct spelling, “Cassie” didn’t you mean “moron” not mormon? Forgive me if I am incorrect. -x
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Go$#@¶more/ Lola reply on June 19th, 2010 11:28 pm:
Csasie is no whree naer dsrpuesiectfl… I practically wanted to puke whenever I heard “Twilight” or any word near it. I thought that I acted like this because of it’s success.. Faorntutely, mnay oehtr cticits thuoght the smae… Uhm, so I see that you detected only ONE of Cassie’s mistakes… I be to differ but Mrs. Meyer has made many more… I jsut skemimd yuor pituifl psot and saw at laset one mstiake… Repeatition… Though, I don’t really give a crap. So tell me? Can you still read this post even though some are scrambled?! Look at your friggin post before you look at anyone elses, alright?! Oh and yeah… Paramore IS a “load of shit”. So put that in your juicebox and suck it.
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Sarah reply on April 4th, 2012 9:22 pm:
Mormon is a religion, you idiot
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To i_love_p_a_r_a_m_o_r_e
Are we not allowed to share our opinions just because they do not match yours? Guess what, just because we have the ability to see why Twilight sucks so much doesn’t mean we do not have a life. Also, mostly every post made by a Twilight fan on the internet is illiterate. Why? Because it takes a dumbass to like that book.
I personally don’t see why so many people like Edward. He’s fugly in the movie, and creepy in the book. And Stephanie would also not care if she saw these comments. Rejection is a common thing for writers, so that skank should have prepared herself.
Lastly, if you think Twilight is the perfect portrayal of a teenage girl’s life, then you are wrong. Stephanie Meyer is fat. Fat people always write angsty romance. There was no skill involved.
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Ataahua reply on October 20th, 2010 8:23 pm:
how do you know she is a skank, like bob marley says “do not point fingers unless your hands are clean” as in you dont even know her, so who are you to judge.
as us maori`s say “pio-a-ringa ringa waha” wash your mouth.
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Erin reply on May 26th, 2011 1:11 am:
This is a review of a book. It’s on the internet to inform people of said reviews author’s opinion of said book. There will be people who like and dislike what the review says. So my question is why are you people acting like a bunch of children (and typing like them too) who had their toes stepped on?
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You do realize when Cassie said “psychotic mormon “anti-human” bitch” she was referring to Meyer’s religion, right? Stop acting like you’re the smart one in this group; it’s just sad.
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Linzi reply on December 2nd, 2010 1:47 pm:
basically i agree with your previous comment, its unfair to just assume that people who enjoy the twilight books are iliterate or ‘idiots’ as people keep pointing out the books ARE aimed at teenage girls so of course they are going to have a different opinion to grown women!!
And it is pathetic for some of the people commenting here to believe that they are ‘intellectual superiors’ and judging people by their comments such as : ‘But that’s beside the point. I’m just going to guess here… you’re a teenage girl who’s either never had a relationship with a boy (or girl, whichever you prefer, it doesn’t matter) or has only gone out with pathetically shallow boys who can’t differentiate the feeling of love from the sensation of sexual attraction. The fact that you have a limited (at best) understanding of human nature, particularly the nature of the average male led me to this conclusion’
it seems to me as though you are happy to express your opinion but anyone to contradict it is ‘wrong’ need i remind you that the novels are NOT REAL to get so heated and offensive maybe your mental stability needs to be taken a look at, so to conclude i_love_p_a_r_a_m_o_r_e well said!!!
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I don’t hate people who love twilight. I don’t even hate twilight then again i don’t like twilight, but that is beside the point. The point that I hate is why do you love it so much? From what I read it is the most basic example of a romance novel, and I would know since I have written a romance novel and currently am still writing such. I don’t see much originality in the concept of an average girl getting an extraordinary man. That is basically every romance novel out there. The description of vampires looking like the many prisms of diamonds as there skin was original, but beyond that nothing. I’m trying not be offensive, I just can’t see what would set this book above great books like The Fountainhead and some of the Harry Potter’s.
Frankly, no man is like Edward nor will ever man want to be Edward. Apart from him being a vampire, he isn’t much more spectacular. He just feels average with a side of over perfection… but that does work for romance novels. I have nothing against the other, but there is no way that I could span a growing and conflicted relationship over four books when i can barely make one book with a solid relationship throughout with an underlying subplot of galactic extermination, but I digress.
Bella fits the category of every prepubescent girl and any woman who dreams about being young again which is quite a few, not all, trying not to stereotype, but most people dream of younger days. The idea of someone amazingly perfect sweeping you off of your feet (unoriginal except using vampires instead) is the basic foundation of a romance novel. I won’t say that I hate the book or the author because frankly I don’t since I don’t care enough about them. I’ve never met the author so I couldn’t judge. I just can’t stand how some people out there believe that one day Edward will one day come for them and make them happy.It was probably not the author’s intention of imbuing that false notion of perfection, but at some point people need to simply accept that it is fiction. There is no Edward. There never will be any real Edward or Jacob. Vampires are mythical creatures. Live with what you have because perfection is not Edward.
So I am sorry for the long comment, but I needed to say my two-cents about the subject, even if it has already ended… at least its out there.
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Thank you so much Christina Cozzetto, it’s so refreshing to read an intelligent and accurate Twilight review.
I’d to sound like another ranty Twilight-hater, but the series really isn’t great at all. While it is true that Stephenie Meyer has achieved the goal of getting people to read once again, it is a shame that she couldn’t have written a more worthwhile novel.
I cannot believe that Meyer graduated with a degree in literature. It does not seem like she learned anything about good literature (and if she did, she certainly didn’t apply any of her knowledge into the books at all). All authors make a few errors in their books. However, Meyer not only makes atrocious grammatical mistakes, she also creates static, 2D, underdeveloped characters.
The almost non-existant plot is seriously lacking in substance, and is only made worse by the unrealistic “conflict” of Bella’s feelings. It is obvious why so many s can put themselves in Bella’s place- I mean, it’s not exactly challenging to pretend to be Bella.
All credit to Stephenie Meyer- she has created a pointless and badly-written novel that has, thanks to today’s youth and bored housewives, become a bestseller. She is rolling in money by jotting down a silly daydream filled in with a few run-on sentences. This should be inspiration to us all.
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I thought the book was good.
Bella’s erractic behaviour around edward annoyed me a little.
However i did find i got some of the characters mixed up, what with all of his ’siblings’ and Bella’s friends.
I felt that the film did not portray the emotion expressed in the book, and things were left unexplained like rosalie’s hatred or dislike for bella.
I also found that the events in the film were all quickly strewn together were as the take a certain amount of time in the book. but then, a film can only be so long so they’d have to edit some of it.
I was apprehensive about reading/watching twilight because it had never interested me and i heard a lot of negative reviews.
I did enjoy it.
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I loved this review. I actually used 1 1/2 year to finish the whole series, that is how much I hated it. It was boring and Meyer used 200 pages on something she could have explained in 20. There was way too much details in the text and the only reason I read the whole thing was so I could be allowed to have an opinion. My friend have a perfect description for Twilight: “It’s like bad fan-fiction”. I so agree with her. Sorry to you Twilight fans, I have nothing against you, but if you really like reading you should she the difference between a good text and a bad one… Twilight is a bad one, really bad one.
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To all who mis-interpret this review,
You scorn this well put review simply because it states a truth that any dedicated English professional could tell you in an instant. Take for example the concepts evolving around types of literature defind by Laurence Perrine: there are two types of literature, escape and interpretive. Meyer’s novel, as revealed by this review is escape. Escape literature provides a safe-warding from the cruel aspects of reality (which do not involve slaughtering classic Transylvanian mythology). While interpretive, on the other hand, reveals aspects of basic human nature, in which such literature is allegorical. Twilight provides an escape from lonely adolesence for those who center their emotions on the exaggerated need of what many refer to as the “other half;” a “lover” who one considers to be apart of themself, and they cannot live without them. And for the anonymous replier who so fantasy-bound calls herself “Edwards wife,” (which is grammatically incorrect, by the way; it would be “Edward’s Wife,” “wife” being capitalized because your making it a pronoun by saying that it is your name) there is no such thing as the “male race” there is only one race, and that is the “human race,” and don’t even murmur about skin tone, for skin tone is merely the effect of the sun upon human skin depending upon location and exposure duration. And guess what? Men did not originally treat women with upmost respect, they had to fight for decades to get the 19th constitutional ammendment passed by congress and ratified amongst the states and judicially approved by the Supreme Court, and that’s only in the U.S., some countries treat women like worms, which don’t get me wrong, women are very brilliant beings who deserve respect, except for when they act stupid, which applies to men as well. Try being raised in a country whose very establishment is defined by Islamic theology, you would not be treated well. And, by the way, “men” are only physical beings, same as “women,” this refers to their “sex,” or, as I said, their “physical being.” Don’t confuse it with “gender” which is more or less the relation between the physical being and the emotional personality, which is why some people have a transgender operation because they feel as if they are the right gender captured in the wrong sex, such as a physical man believing that his emotional being is that of a female. However, there is something everyone should comprehend, your sex does not define you, you are your own definition. If you’re a female who believes that because multiple persons say that women are “emotional cry-babies,” then you’re a victim of self-fullfilling prophecy; same goes for men who believe they are stupid and require sex because people say they are. Self-fullfilling prophecy is what happens when you’re told that you’re something (that you actually aren’t) on a regular basis that you actually begin to believe that you are (believe simply means “trust in”); therefore, you are trusting in a flawed concept that people are tossing out based upon their habit of skimming the surface. No one is something because someone says we are, we are who are because we define ourselves by what we believe in. Personally, I believe in individuality, everyone is their own being and should not be criticized because of common, and utterly ignorant, generalities. Twilight is a book that Stephanie Meyer used as a way to express herself and what she believes in, no one else but her is the supreme authority upon its true interpretation. You may like it because you can relate to it, you may dis-like because you cannot relate to it, or you can even loathe it because the way it relates to you digs beneath your skin that it almost seems tangible; and most relations to something usually evolve around concepts rather than physical objects (there is little evidence to suggest the existence of vampires, which would be considered a physical object [or being] that you could relate to, but because they have yet to be proved as “real” it is very irrelevant). Hopefully some of you will excuse my cynical tone and at least try and interpret what I was saying and then apply some of the concepts I’ve mentioned to your actual life and see if any dots connect, which I’m sure if you try hard enough, you’ll notice something. But, for those of you who completely toss aside my words like a pride driven young student does to a vastly experienced mentor, I wish you luck with making sense of reality while your immature mind is still exploring the corridors of fantasy-land, where you might lucidly dream of yourself marrying a vampire! Have fun kiddies. And remember, if you don’t shape your life, someone else will!
Most truthfully yours,
Ashandris the Philosopher*
N.B. (nota bene; latin root, “note well”) philosopher* as seen through etymology** is of greek terms, “soph” meaning wisdom and “philo” of love, meaning “lover of wisdom.” Etymology**- the study of word origin.
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i simply jus luved itzz lovely especially Edward hezz sooo hotttt i’m dying…..
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I love this review. Explains why Twilight is such crap. The only reason I’m here is because I’m doing Wuthering Heights and focussing on its genre (Gothic) and our English teacher asked us to get a Twilight book review. :D
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turi turi, whakarongo!
yous are so pifedkc its just a book, vampires aint real? fans are weird? haters are jealous? get over yourself, kihikihis.
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I have read all the twilight books a long time ago and my fav had to be breaking Dawn beacause that is when bella turns to a vampire. Also that is when Edward and bella get married and have a child that is half vampire and half human. They only have a child because bella was still human when it happened.it was really cool! Love twilight FOREVER!:)
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Anyone who thinks the twilight books are poorly written are idiots and obviously didn’t do good in English when they were in school.
The Twilight series is a good, romantic series of books with action and passion. They are suspenseful to read.
Seriously all you feminists, get a life. The message of these books is NOT that guys are pigs and girls are sluts. Edward and Bella LOVE each other, obviously Bella wants Edward, he’s a vampire! (she’s supposed to be really really attracted to him) But Edward is from a different century when you court girls and then marry, and that’s what he does, he waits til they are MARRIED! because he is a gentleman and loves Bella, because she is his soul mate! He has waited for her for a very long time. And they only have the baby because Bella was human when it happened!
So everyone can get over themselves because Stephanie Meyers is a great author.
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Lauren reply on February 3rd, 2011 2:57 pm:
I agree, the twilight books are FANTASTIC and all of u haters,why the hell did u read it if u hate it ! I also think Stephanie is an amazing writer! x
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Meyer**
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Wow. Alright, for the people who stick up for this series…please use something other than caps lock and insults. If you want to win an argument, act like an adult, please.
For the people who hate it, do the same. Seriously! If you like it, don’t be obsessed with loving it. Sorry to inform you, but none of this story is real! None! Besides the town of Forks which fell to tourism. And for the haters, I used to be with you. I still hate the series becuase, to be 100% honest with you, it drew all my friends away from God. They shoved thier noses into the books and almost forgot Him completely. But I realized that hating it will not make it go away. The books are published, are here in physical form, are made into not so good of movies, and will stay. If it is your choice to obsess over them and think that they are real while drifting from the One God who will always give you everything you need, then it’s your choice. If it’s your choice to hate everything twillight because of the fame, gaudiness, Edward, Bella, whatever it is, then it’s your choice. Just be mature about it, becuase then you are sinking to the level of everyone else who are the Twihards or Twihates.
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Erin reply on May 26th, 2011 1:13 am:
Not laughing at your review. I’m laughing at the name you gave us. Twihates. I love it.
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What the hell ?? People love these stories and when you write a review your not meant to put anything personal in it, it sounds more lie an arguement ! Twilight is an amazing seris and i think its wayyy beter than Harry Potter & what has the got to do with it, if u can’t be bothered to read the books whatch the movie’s because eclipse is the best movie i’ve ever seen, so WHATCH THE FILMS, & I THINK A GIRL SHOULD WRITE A REVIEW ON IT ! x
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i think whoever wrote this review does not know how to read and enjoy an exceptionally good book. please get a life. twilight is great as well as the other books
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Gem reply on February 27th, 2011 6:27 am:
I’m sorry, but if you talk like that, you obvisouly don’t know what ‘review’ stands for.
It’s showing your opinions on certain subject, and no matter if you like it or not, it’s an OPINION. It’s reviewers judgement and you have no right to say he does or doesn’t know what he/she is writing about.
Also if you’re so against this review instead of ‘get a life’ and ‘does not know how to read exceptionally good book’ how about pointing which paragraphs you did not agree with and why? I’d be interested in that.
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Yeah, I noticed the date when was this written, but still had to write the comment, so I’m sorry if it disturbs you.
The review is pretty good. I like how you went to read the book with clear mind, giving it a chance, you could say.
Also I liked how you viewed Bella. It’s true that her character isn’t really made/described and I was wondering why is that. Figured it was some way to maybe let girls easier slip into her character – which I personally rather not, since I don’t like the book or the writers style.
Also you seem to be the first one who mentioned that Bella lives through Edward – and nothing else.And well, I was nodding the whole time I was reading your review.
Congratulations. you’ve written something that is talking about your opinion and still didn’t slip into the bashing of the book – which, nowdays, not many people can do ^^
Really good work
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y did you tell me what happened in the end? thant not how you wirte a book report. duh!
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