book review… the “Twilight” series

One of my 101 Things goals was to read a 100 books and to review half of those.  I can’t really see these books being reviewed one without the other, so I’m gonna go for the whole shebang. (Bearing in mind, of course, that I have no qualifications to review ANY book other than that I like to read. Is that enough?)

Now, you should know a couple of things first…

1. I was loving some teenage love long before this series came out. I was watching sappy teen love stories way before HSM. Whenever Disney runs some old made for tv movie, Griff says, “Oh, cool, a new one!” “Um, no. I saw that before you were born.”
2. I spent every Tuesday night for seven years watching “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” I own the box sets (most of the seven… I need to look into the others) so that one day, I can watch them again with Griff and then with Eliza. So I was confused a bit between the Joss Whedon vampire lore and the Stephanie Meyer vampire lore. I got over it.

One other thing… I hadn’t planned to read these books. But I’ve got a 10-year-old reading on an eighth grade level, and it’s an ongoing thing to find books for him to read that are both challenging and age appropriate. He asked me one night back in February if he could read “Twilight,” and I gave him my standard answer of “I don’t know. But I’ll read it and see.”

So I bought the first one on my trip to Arkansas to meet my niece, London, and I read it in a night. It was just so very sweet. Now, it’s not challenging. It’s not going to change your perspective on life, unless it encourages you to accept different people in different ways. If so, super. If not, so be it.

Griff asked me if I liked it and if he could read it. “Yes, and yes.” Oh, goodness, he was excited. I thanked him for wanting to read it because I wouldn’t have read it without the provocation, and I was very glad to have read it. And then he asked the most important question in his boy mind… “There were vampires, right? Was there lots of fighting? Lots of people die?” “Um, no. It’s more of a love story.” “A WHAT?! No, Mom. You got it wrong. It’s about vampires.” “Right. Vampires in love.”

I’ve now read all four, and he’s refusing to read any.

The first one is this lovely, tender love story between Bella and her Edward. I imagine it would be hard to dislike Bella, what with all of her insecurities and clumsiness and openness. And Edward, beyond Bella’s imagination, loves her completely. Isn’t that every teenage girl’s dream? To be loved beyond words by the most handsome, sophisticated, generous man imaginable? Come on, it’s that every grown up girl’s dream?

Now, the second book, “New Moon,” I didn’t love so much. I understand Jacob is important to the series plot, and I enjoyed Jacob in and of himself as well as his relationship with Bella. It’s an honest look at how friendships can go awry when one loves in one way and the other in another.

But, for me, the lure of the story was the dynamic between Bella and Edward, and there wasn’t much of that in the second book. (Luckily, it’s short, and you’ll soon be deep into book three.)

“Eclipse” was more of Edward and Bella, and it was more of what I wanted. As a mama, I appreciated Edward’s insistence that they keep their relationship at a certain stage physically. I didn’t care why he chose that route. If my kids are afraid of something horrid happening if they engage in certain acts too early, I’m ok with that, even if it might not be completely grounded in actuality. So sue me. I also sneak veggies into their muffins. I’m a mom. Work with it.

But, “Breaking Dawn” was where I really loved the characters the most. At that point, I’d developed favorites in the Cullen family, enjoyed various relationships outside of just Edward and Bella. And without giving away too much of the plot (go on… go to the library and put your name on the waiting list), the mama in me felt Bella’s choices. And I loved the final showdown with their enemies. Convincing and very true to each character.

Now, in Griff’s book reports, he has to give the book a number rating on a 1-10 scale. I’m not sure I like 1-10… too much free play for me. But on a 1-5, I’d give the series a solid 4. (And I won’t even say anything about how I liked the book because it was short. If I break him of nothing else this year, he’ll stop that.)

(And before you ask, I haven’t seen the movie yet. We’re having a DVD player mutiny in our house. One won’t spit out the DVD that’s in it now, and the other apparently sent its remote into exile. But yes, that sweet little Robert Pattinson is hot as heck, and I do feel a bit like a cougar thinking it. But to be completely honest, I said he was hot as heck back when he played Cedric in “Harry Potter” so whatcha gonna do?)

So, now. You know what I think. Tell me what you think.

Filed under 101 Things in 1001 Days | Permalink | Comments (5)
Tagged with: 101 Things in 1001 Days • Books • Twilight