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Honest opinions on Twilight please?

137 replies

Kayteee · 09/04/2009 11:57

A friend suggested I read this the other day. I thought it was aimed more at "youngsters". Can anyone tell me if it's worth a go please?

OP posts:
LibrasJusticeLeagueofBiscuits · 10/04/2009 09:29

I read a review of it where they compared it to an abuse relationship which shouldn't have been tolerated if they had both been human. I have been trying to find the article since online but no luck.

TotalChaos · 10/04/2009 09:31

Interesting Libra - that thought did cross my mind on reading the books - especially in the earlier books Edward the vampire has to be very physically restrained around Bella in case he is overwhelmed by the temptation of her human scent and injures her/kills her.

Berrie · 10/04/2009 09:35

S'funny, I really loved the books, Twilight especially, but hesitated briefly to admit to it on here.

LibrasJusticeLeagueofBiscuits · 10/04/2009 09:36

I just can't find the article anywhere, but one of the themes is that apparently there is a bit in the book where she says she is not afraid of him and he says she should be etc. And apparently Bella has to be very docile and almost submissive to ensure she doesn't anger him.
Doesn't sound the healthiest relationship to me. The author also said that at least in the case of Buffy she could kick Angels butt anytime she chose.

Trikken · 10/04/2009 09:50

I loved it, personally i thought it was great.

EdwardCullensWife · 10/04/2009 11:58

Libra, he says she should be afraid of him because he is still very tempted to kill her and drink her blood, so he has to be fully in control of himself at all times.
I don't think Bella is docile with him at all, and if she was it wouldn't be to avoid angering him. He's never actually angry with her in the books. Angry with himself, yes, because he's so attracted to her blood despite being in love with her and is desperate not to kill her. He wishes he could be human so he could be normal with her.
Have you read the books Libra? All this should be fairly obvious if you have.

cariboo · 10/04/2009 12:19

I wasn't keen after reading the bashing it got by the Times but started the 1st one to see what all the fuss was about. I was hooked, couldn't put it down, etc. The 2nd one was a slog but 3 & 4 good. My mum confessed that she's devouring them also (she's 70) so I've just given her Breaking Dawn.

The problem is the author's writing, which can be excruciatingly awful & sometimes she takes forever to get to the point but the characters are mesmerising, especially the Bella/Edward/Jake triangle.

gonaenodaethat · 10/04/2009 12:23

My 10 yr old DD said it was better than Harry Potter which is a BIG deal in our house.

EdwardCullensWife · 10/04/2009 12:26

There's ben a lot of criticism of her writing, which I agree with to a point, but the things she does well she does really well. Like getting the reader to really care about the characters. I loved them all, especially the Cullen family.

seeker · 10/04/2009 13:55

And to be serious for a moment, I do think Bella is an absolutely rubbish role model for teenage girls!

Berrie · 10/04/2009 14:36

Why?

seeker · 10/04/2009 14:59

Because they follow on in a long and ignominious tradition of books (and real life attitudes) that imply that women are responsible for men's behaviour.

EdwardCullensWife · 10/04/2009 15:11

She's responsible for his behaviour because she's human?

TotalChaos · 10/04/2009 17:25

well especially in the first book she has to be careful not to get too close in case he can't help himself, the poor male vampire who just may not be able to control himself.

seeker · 10/04/2009 17:31

It's just an allegory for men not being able to control themselves so women have to be careful not to do anything that might arouse them. "She was wearing a short skirt, your Honour, I couldn't help myself""I quite understand - off you go without a stain on your character. Young woman, your should know better than to go out dressed like that - you brought it on yourself"

TotalChaos · 10/04/2009 18:46

seeker - do you think it was deliberately written with that as a subtext?

LibrasJusticeLeagueofBiscuits · 10/04/2009 18:49

No EdwardCullensWife I haven't read the books it sounds like seeker has tho and agrees with whatever the article was trying to say, I do think if you re-read your original post to me and replace blood thirsty vampire with fist-happy man and posted on mumsnet people would be worried for you.

EdwardCullensWife · 10/04/2009 18:59

I just think you need to read a book before you can comment on it. Whoever wrote that article probably hadn't read them either.

stitchtime · 10/04/2009 19:01

i loved the books, although havent read number four yet.
number one i wasgetting really fed up with her, and her hopeless love for edward, but i am teamjacob. i thought number two was the best of the three i have read

seeker · 10/04/2009 19:04

totalchaos - no I don't think it was deliberately written like that - it's just following the tradition. I really wish that there were better role models for girls!

littlelamb · 10/04/2009 19:05

Don't read book 4. I know you won't be able to resist, but I was so disappointed by it. Really let the whole thing down in my eyes. I really hope she changes her mind about publishing the next one though- Twilight from Edward's point of view. What I have read of it (on her website) is good.

LibrasJusticeLeagueofBiscuits · 10/04/2009 19:05

Erm I didn't comment on it I said it was someone elses opinion. Saying whoever wrote that article probably hadn't read it either sounds a little petulant and defensive especially seeing as there is someone else on the thread who has read it with the same opinions and there are actually websites devoted to hating Twilight (as I discovered this morning!)

janeite · 10/04/2009 19:18

Twilight from E's point of view seems an absolute waste of time imho - very lazy indeed.

Berrie · 10/04/2009 19:45

I didn't much like book 4 either...much too neat.

worley · 10/04/2009 20:05

i loved them all, read them all in a week and then had to go back and re read them all. i havnt been that addicted to a book series for a long long time. i agree she isnt the best of authors, but something pulls you in. a colleague at work read them after she heard me talking about them to one of our students and she went out and brought them too, she came back to me a week later and said she has been addicted to them also, she had been dreaming of edwards too!!! lmao at that when she told me, shes older than me and im 31.

have to say the film is a bit of a let down, (thought it seemed like a straight to tv type film) but heard somewhere that they have a different director for the second film so hoping it will be better.