JessWakeman's review
Twilight (Twilight Series, Book 1) by Stephenie Meyer
JessWakeman's review
rating:
recommended for: probably girls over boys but really anyone who likes a good story
status: Read in September, 2008, read count: 1
rating:
recommended for: probably girls over boys but really anyone who likes a good story
status: Read in September, 2008, read count: 1
A poorly written, often trashy young adult novel about what happens when a mortal falls in love with a vampire -- which I really, really liked reading! 500 pages and I read devoured about 200 pages a day.
My biggest gripe after the shitty, unsophisticated writing (Stephanie Meyer kind of writes like a 15-year-old who pens a novel over summer vacation) is the dominant/submissive dynamic between the vampire Edward and the mortal Bella. Not that there's anything wrong with such a dynamic, but I wonder of Edward's bossy, controlling behavior and the way he always "saves" the smart, competent but clumsy Bella is setting a bad/weird example for Twilight's young adult readers. Theirs is a very traditional type of gender-role relationship, despite the modern setting and despite the fact Bella is a strong female lead. I wrinkled my nose through a lot of passages in the book and I imagine other feminists will also be annoyed.
My biggest gripe after the shitty, unsophisticated writing (Stephanie Meyer kind of writes like a 15-year-old who pens a novel over summer vacation) is the dominant/submissive dynamic between the vampire Edward and the mortal Bella. Not that there's anything wrong with such a dynamic, but I wonder of Edward's bossy, controlling behavior and the way he always "saves" the smart, competent but clumsy Bella is setting a bad/weird example for Twilight's young adult readers. Theirs is a very traditional type of gender-role relationship, despite the modern setting and despite the fact Bella is a strong female lead. I wrinkled my nose through a lot of passages in the book and I imagine other feminists will also be annoyed.
Oh, just keep reading them - it gets better (or worse, depending on your perspective.) By the end of the series, you will be shocked/horrified by some of the choices Meyer makes. But you'll keep reading. Probably the most bizarre break-out YA success of them all, and this in a genre where pretty much any flight of fancy goes.
