Twilight

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Author(s):

Stephenie Meyer

Label: Little Brown and Company
Publisher(s):

Little Brown and Company

Studio: Little Brown and Company
Manufacturer: Little Brown and Company
Binding: Paperback
List Price: CDN$ 11.99
Our Price: CDN$ 10.79
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

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Not great, but not bad either

I picked up this book once I heard the "Twilight" series had outsold the Harry Potter books in Canada. I had been avoiding "Twilight" for three reasons: 1) it is currently a massive blockbuster creating a buying frenzy that, quite frankly, I find borders on the ridiculous. Even grandparents have heard of it and know that it's a "vampire story." I tend to shy away from books that everyone and their dog says is "awesome; 2) it appeals mainly to late teenagers and tweens; and 3) for many people in my age group (40+), including myself, Anne Rice had set the standard for vampire literature two decades ago, and I was afraid to be disappointed by Twilight in comparison to such superb works as "Interview with the Vampire" and the "Vampire Lestat."

So I finally decided to buy the first book and make my own opinion, to see what everyone was ranting and raving about. I went into it without any expectations, and I was both surprised and disappointed.

I don't need to summarize the story. Everyone knows what it is. My biggest beef about "Twilight" is that Stephenie Meyer's narrative description is very thin. She doesn't really take the time to describe scenes and landscapes and character dilemmas; she pretty much glosses over them rapidly. To be fair to the author, I've noticed a similar trend in the fantasy genre over the last year or two. Narrative description seems to be falling out of grace in favour of plot-driven story-telling. I used to interpret such shallow narrative as a lack of imagination on the author's part, but I realize now that this is not necessarily the case. Personally, I love description, and Stephenie Meyer doesn't describe enough for my liking.

Except for Edward's godlike perfection. When it comes to describing Edward through Bella's eyes, the author is never short of quintessential superlatives. In fact, the reader is left with no doubt whatsoever that the character is agonizingly perfect. Whether this is good or bad I leave up to the reader. Personally, I found it irritating after a while.

Having said that, Bella's unending praise of Edward's unparalleled beauty was very successful in portraying the wonderful feeling of falling in love. Regardless of age, in the first stages of love, one always sees only the good and positive things about the object of one's affections. Kudos to Meyer for doing a superb job conveying this feeling.

Another beef I have is the shining skin of the Twilight vampires. When they step into sunlight, their skin sparkles like tiny diamonds. I didn't get the impression this characteristic was actually explained in the book. It seemed to me it was just something the author wanted to give her vampires, just to be different. I understand the desire to differentiate one's characters from those of other well-known vampires in the genre, but as far as I'm concerned, such efforts are gratuitous and lack credibility if they're not explained somewhere along the way.

And my last big beef is Edward. In my opinion, he is simply too perfect, and therefore not terribly interesting. I haven't read the other books yet, but I sure hope for the sake of character depth and development that somewhere down the road, Edward falls off the abstinence wagon and gives in to his vampires urges. Just once would be enough. As he is now, with all his vampire traits and beauty and complete mastery over his desire for human blood, Edward is too perfect to be completely believable. Yes, I know he struggles against himself all the time to stay in control, but honestly, the author's lack of narrative description fails to convey that in a convincing way.

I hope Alice gets to see more of the limelight in the following books. She's the one character who truly grabbed my interest in "Twilight."

On the plus side, I must say that Meyer is a master at driving a plot. She easily controls the tempo and keeps it upbeat and enticing enough to make the reader want to read "just one more chapter" before turning the lights out. She does a fantastic job at conveying teen life in all its many facets - life at home, at school, crushes, angst, girl friends and guy friends - in other words, the trials and tribulations of becoming a young adult. Meyer's adeptness at portraying the teenage psyche in spite of lack of narrative description speaks volumes for her understanding of human nature and her treatment of it in the main plot.

To sum it up, I didn't think "Twilight" was as awesome as so many people think it is, but it was better than I expected. In spite its flaws, it makes for a light enjoyable read. I still prefer Anne Rice's "Vampire Chronicles," but I can appreciate Stephenie Meyer's valian attempt at a different spin on the genre.

Now if she offers a plausible explanation for the "sparkling skin" somewhere in the next three books, it'll be a step in the right direction.

Excellent

J'ai adoré ce livre!!
Une belle histoire d'amour avec de l'action...quoi demander de plus?
Vous devez lire les 3 autres livres qui sont tous aussi bons!

Book of the Year? I hope not!!

That sure was a dissapointing book! Was it seductive, yes, was it well written, I guess so. Will I read the series, not a hope. If that book gets book of the year for 2008 I will quit reading.

Two sided

I have a very two sided opinion of this book. I'm a sixteen year old girl and so naturally, I love it. But in a way I also hate it.
It will capture your attention quite quickly and honestly, you won't be able to put it down until you are done. Since it is geared towards an audience of teenage girls, it naturally has what every girl dreams of - the gorgeous boy who is totally obsessed with the completely ordinary girl. Don't we all wish. I think that this is why the story is so compelling to our age group and gender. It's what we want and dream about. I've seen the movie twice and enjoyed it enough to want to buy it when it comes out.
However. It can also be dangerous, because it isn't reality. If you have been in Chapters lately, you will have seen it. Bags, puzzles, shirts, posters, the whole sh-bang. It's ridiculous. I couldn't even go to the movie without feeling like a loser. I didn't want the people there to think I was some obsessed Twilight freak. I think that there are numerous books out there that deserve just as much of a hype as Twilight. I would recommend it, but I would also recommend not to become obsessed with it.

Irresistible

My boyfriend jokes that the movie portrayal of Edward put spell on all the females. I won't argue! I read Twilight immediately after seeing the movie and was even more enthralled into the story. I just started New Eclipse and the only problem is that I'm halfway through the series and I'm dreading reading the last pages of the last book! This book represents the perfect fantasy boyfriend/bad-boy in fantasy book version and written for young readers. Did I mention that I wasn't a teenager since the 80's :))

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