Twilight Review by me
Many of you have asked me my thoughts on Stephenie Meyer's vampire book series, starting with Twilight. I finally got around to reading them for HollywoodJesus.com as a review series anticipating the release of the new book, Breaking Dawn, out August 2.
My reactions to the series are mixed: I want to see where she's going with the series and whether or not she intends to do something more than write a very clever romance-fantasy series. Here's a snippet of my review:
Is it a parable? Or is it just a romance story? Is Meyer exploiting a choice dramatic situation or trying to tap some kind of message? Hard to tell. Twilight, determined by Bella’s first-person narrative point of view, could be female fantasy no deeper than shimmers in a puddle. And the book gives ample room to voice the conventional young-romance mix of sex, love, and death-longing, the recurring theme of so much teen poetry and art and rock songs: you can practically see the movie posters and hear the sound track already as you read it. But Edward, the moral compass of the story for all of his toying and sarcasm, might be the way for the author to angle in on a deeper meaning about male and female sexuality.... read more.
My reactions to the series are mixed: I want to see where she's going with the series and whether or not she intends to do something more than write a very clever romance-fantasy series. Here's a snippet of my review:
Is it a parable? Or is it just a romance story? Is Meyer exploiting a choice dramatic situation or trying to tap some kind of message? Hard to tell. Twilight, determined by Bella’s first-person narrative point of view, could be female fantasy no deeper than shimmers in a puddle. And the book gives ample room to voice the conventional young-romance mix of sex, love, and death-longing, the recurring theme of so much teen poetry and art and rock songs: you can practically see the movie posters and hear the sound track already as you read it. But Edward, the moral compass of the story for all of his toying and sarcasm, might be the way for the author to angle in on a deeper meaning about male and female sexuality.... read more.
Comments
My best friend loves this book and I've been contemplating whether or not to read it. Thanks so much for reviewing it!!
from "Breaking Dawn' pg 481:
"He caught up to my mood in an instant, or maybe he'd already been there, and he was just trying to let me fully appreciate my birthday present, like a gentleman. He pulled my face to his with a sudden fierceness, a low moan in his throat. The sound sent the electric current running through my body into a near frenzy, like I couldn't get close enough to him fast enough.
I heard the fabric tearing under our hands, and I was glad my clothes, at least, were already destroyed. It was too late for his. It felt almost rude to ignore the pretty white bed, but we just weren't going to make it that fast."
So, basically, this is just another bodice-ripper, of the Harlequin Romance variety, for adolescents.
I'm a 39-year old mother, who used to like Ann Rice before I started to take my Faith seriously. These books bother me. Its not the fantasy aspect, it's the moral lessons I see lacking. And the messages I DO see, I don't want slinking around my teen daughter's brain.
Shannon
I've been trying to figure out how to formulate my review: your information and the other things you sent me in an email are very helpful. I've got to write my review of the last two books soon.