Because I know that you all want to know what I think of "Twilight" I have decided that I will tell you...
I started reading these books when I was 8 months prego with Grace. I couldn't sleep at night, so I was FLYING though books. I am talking like 2 maybe 3 books in a week. I heard about Twilight from some girls and thought "I should read those"..
I started the first one, and couldn't EVEN FINISH!!! That is right, as soon as I found out Edward was a vampire (sorry if you didn't already know) I quit. It was just to much!! PLUS, I just couldn't stand it. I didn't really take the time to think about why I didn't like the book...I just knew I didn't. PLUS, Harry Potter (the 7th one) came out, and there was no way I was missing ONE MIN to start reading that book.
I have always kinda taken pride in not reading or liking those books. I know...you might think less of me (Lauren..I hope we can still be friends), but I did. I felt kinda like I was rebelling...and if you know my right now, you know that I have an itch to rebel.
Fast forward to about a month ago. I watched the movie. I was applied at the noise level coming from the 12 year old girls sitting next to me. Now I am not a hater of making noise durning a movie. Seriously, I am guilty of talking and oohing, and awwing durning a romantic scene. But THEY were OUT OF CONTROL! I finally had to pull my "mom" card out, and tell them to BE QUITE!
But regardless I thought the movie was entertaining. Not GREAT, but entertaining. I was in a book drought (meaning that I didn't have a book I was currently reading), and so I decided that I MUST give the books another try.
Since I saw the movie, I skipped the first one, and moved on to the second. I thought the same thing about the book...entertaining...not Great! As I got more into the 2nd book I REALLY...REALLY started to like Jacob more. As matter of fact I really wanted Bella with him. All of the Twilight lovers assured me that I would change over to Edward as soon as I started the 3rd book. Well I am now almost finished with the 4th one...and I STILL wish that Bella and Jake could be together...I am sorry...it is just who I am. A Jake lover if you will...but not really b/c I am ready to drive pencils into my eyes over these dang books!
Here are the reasons I don't like these books...and please remember that I am not trying to offend anyone. I did think these books were entertaining...but there were some serious things that bothered me.
1. BELLA...I can't stand her. If I could describe her in ONE word it would be "selfish". She is supposed to be this self sacrificing girl, that is just trying to make everyone happy...but she seriously causes pain to EVERYONE she loves. She KNOWS that she is hurting others, but she just keeps hurting them...over and over again. Not even just Jacob...but Edward too. AND she doesn't EVER take into account her PARENTS?? Hello, if she becomes a Vampire then she will not get to see her parents as much...therefore hurting them. Also, as far as she knows..becoming a vampire will cause her to DESIRE to kill other humans to get the blood. She is willing to RISK other peoples LIVES so that she can be with her boyfriend??? Doesn't that seem weird to anyone?
2. There is no such thing as Edward. Now I am ALL about fiction! Make no mistake...I can understand that in books there needs to be a fairytale. I love that Edward is so wonderful. He truly is the PERFECT man.
I guess the thing that bothers me is that girls are SO into him. I don't' want some 15 year old girl thinking that, that is the way that their boyfriends/future Husbands are going to be.
I would have no problem with Edwards perfection if girls weren't taking it so seriously.
3. I HATE that Bella isn't with Jacob! I feel like Edward is perfect...but Jacob is PERFECT for Bella.
4. It bothers me that Bella can't be happy without a man in her life. She goes into this DEEP DARK DEPRESSION because Edward leaves, and the ONLY thing that can bring her out is Jacob??? Then as soon as Jacob becomes a werewolf (sorry if you didn't' know) she gets all upset again??
What kind of message are we sending our girls??? That you have to have a guy to be happy.
Now I realize that a 20 or older gal...well even 18 or older girl can understand that this book isn't real.
But what about that 13 year old that is OBSESSED with these books...what is that telling her?
It is just bothersome.
OK, that is all I am going to say about what I don't like. I do like somethings...
Here they are...
1. I like how much Bella is willing to sacrifice for her baby. I love the bond between mothers and children, and I think the last book really sheds light on that.
2. I like Alice! The end.
3. I like Esme! The end.
4. I LOVE that Edward makes Bella wait to get married, and wants her to have lots of human experiences. But mostly I love that he makes her wait to have sex in till after they are married. I think that sends WONDERFUL messages to girls.
OK, that is all. I hope that I didn't hurt anybodies feels. I really don't think less of anyone that LOVES these books. I be live that if you loves these books you should show me the same courtesy. Don't hate me for not loving these books.
They are just books. I just don't seem to love them as much as everyone elts in the world.
This is just my take on them. Please share yours!
19 comments:
On behalf of all the Twilight Lovers, we couldn't disagree with you more.... the end!
Edward's HOT....Jacob's NOT.....the end.
I think I am like the only person in the city of Mesa or Gilbert who wont read these books. No interest. It's probably because I hate doing what everyone else is doing. Maybe its because I am irritated by the fact that the book is marketed to young girls. I have a young daughter whose friends have read this series and I am sure you may all agree this was not meant for 11 or 12 year olds to read. I wont let her read the books so I wont either. Most everyone I know including several of my sisters are huge fans, but for me I am holding on to my 11 year old acting like an 11 year old. Thanks for the honest opinion, Jami. I know I can always count on you telling it like it is, that's why we get along so well.
Kristina read the books to me and they are not my favorite (but I am a guy). But I found it really interesting that you liked Jacob so much. I despised him to no end. I wished throughout the entire series that Edward would rip his arms off. I seriously would have been happy if he had been killed...until the 4th book, then I figured he was ok.
If you want to give Stephanie Meyer 1 last try, you should read what I think is a much better book that she wrote called "The Host". It is COMPLETELY different and there is not a huge craze about it but Kristina and I think it is deeper, better written and just all around good.
It was not written for adolescents and it is not a romance novel. It is an adult novel and deals with much more serious questions and issues. Kristina, me, my Mom, Marilyn, and tons of other people I know think it is better than the Twilight series. You should give it a shot if you find yourself in another book drought.
I agree with Seth's thoughts about the Host. And I am glad that you like Jacob better too. Also agree that Bella is annoying.
But I still enjoy the books for what they are-a piece of young adult fiction. They are not literary classics or even pretending to be deep and life changing. They are simply entertaining teenage books. They are fairly well done, but there are many books on par and better in the genre. But part of being 12-17 is having something to obsess over, whether it is Jonas brothers, New Kids on the Block, or the kid three seats in front of you in English. So let the girls squeal :)
Good for you Jami I dislike when fans of a book can't find any bad in a book and get offended when you do. And a lot of the things that you dislike about these books are the same things I dislike (besides the fact that I'm just not into romance books to begin with). I do disagree with you on one thing. I do like Edward better than Jacob. Sorry, I think that Jacob is also selfish and maybe you could say that he and Bella deserve each other but when you have two selfish people in a relationship, it is bound to not work :)
Anyway, I also dislike that so many people claim that Stephanie Meyer is soooo original in writing these books. 1) the vampire who falls in love with the human but doesn't want to hurt her has been done soooo many times. 2) Anne Rice? Interview with a Vampire? I think Anne Rice is an obvious inspiration for the Twilight world and I think she deserves some credit.
I also thought Meyer failed in creating a self-sacrificing Bella (until Renesme comes along) but she did succeed in The Host of making a believable and lovable self-sacrificing Bella. I wrote on my blog months ago that Bella is "self-sacrificing" when there is some kind of benefit to herself, but a character in The Host is self-sacrificing because she is good and she believes it is the right thing to do.
Anyway, I like the 4th book the best out of the Twilight books, but I'm all about promoting marriage and family, but I like The Host best out of all of her books.
i haven't read them is so long i can't remember anything bad about them. but some books hit certain people just right and some don't.
OK...
Peterson Family/Taylor and Amanda: You guys are funny! I knew you would come to the books rescue!
JoDee: I am in agreement with you...I would NOT let my 11 year old read these books. NEVER! I would wait till they were 16 and then make sure and talk with them about the books. There are so many messages in the books that I would never want my daugter to take seriously. I would definetly want to talk with her. I will say that the books would create a lot of good "talking/learning" expirences with your daughter.
Seth: I have read the host. I Loved it. I liked it WAY better than the twilight books.
Geneva: I couldnt' agree more with you. THEY ARE BOOKS! The thing that confuses me the most is "why are people so into these books".
Kristina: I agree again! We have already talked about these books. The host is WAY better!
We're glad you knew that we were just having some fun with you ;)
Amanda and Nicole
You aren't the only person who has issues with these books and worries about the judgement of mothers who encourage their teen daughters to read them. I mean seriously, let's send them a message to be totally reliant on finding a perfect man, then be obsessed with him all the while calling it "self sacrifice". That's a great message to teens. Lots of people agree with you, but you live in AZ, so I think people assume you are born with an innate love for Vampires. The books are entertaining-yes. The books are real-no. Just beware when letting a 13 get into it.
I love that you have voiced your opinion. I didn't like a lot of things about the books as well. I did read them all and at times couldn't put them down but there were definitely things that bothered me. I at least have started reading more since then.
First, I am so flattered that I was mentioned in your post. I love being famous :)
Ok, I must say that I am so happy that you voiced your opinion! I hate when people don't have an opinion. It is wonderful to voice what you like and don't like! you go girl :)
Me, being probably the most ridiculous fan ever, has a few points to make.
1. I totally agree with you about Bella. She IS annoying. She totally bugs me to no end. Ugh.
2. Bella IS pathetic. She should learn to be happy without a boy. I can understand why she fell apart and lost herself when Edward left, and that is because she never truly found herself to begin with. I think she defined herself as Edward's eternal girlfriend of lovey dovey awesomeness. But...I find her entertaining, and I can relate to her sometimes. For example, I would totally be selfish and not think of others if something happened to Ted. I would fly across the world to save him if need be, with no thought of who I may be upsetting. Meh...I might be pathetic too :)
3. Bella is completely ridiculous when it comes to the Edward/Jacob/Bell love triangle. I know it was partly Edward's fault, but leaving her. But c'mon...she is totally playin' both of those guys, who are both wonderful in their own way. She hurt everyone she loved.
4. I wouldn't ever let someone under 15 read the series. I was totally embarrassed at some of the sexual tension-ness. I think parents need to be aware of the themes that could be too mature for their impressionable kids.
Anyway, loved your review, because it was passionate...and because I love you. I love the books, but I would never be mad at someone who didn't like them. Books are like music...very subjective. Read what you like :)
bella sucks.
jacob is the best.
but for bella, she has to be with edward. (it's kinda like if i were to choose i would pick jacob but for the sanity of all involved bella has to be with edward. their intense emotions are just way to perfect for each other. and lets be honest jacob so deserves better!)
the books are awesome because they create this intense world that i want to be real. kinda like harry potter. (i would give my life to be part of hogwarts)
i pride myself on being a huge (quite) fan. i don't wear the shirts. i don't wish edward was my boyfriend. i don't have a desire to visit the actual forks and eat at the now famous italian restaurant. but boy oh boy do i love the books!
eclipse is my fav. breaking dawn is the worst. (i really don't know what happened with her writing in the last one but it just got worst through the whole thing. and did you finish reading it? i want to tell you my favorite part. it has nothing to do with bella or edward. and half vampire half human baby? creepy. i vomit in my mouth a little just thinking about her)
Lari: Well said!!!
Lauren: Oh course I would give you a shout out...you are my most favorite Twilight friend. I LOVE that you love the books. You are such a crack up with your love toward them. I mostly love that you are so willing to talk about your love for them.
Also, I love that you are SO in love with your Ted. I guess I have a lot of learm from you, in the sense that I am not that loyal to my Spencer. You are such an exsample of being a good wife to your man. I don't think you are pathetic AT ALL!
Thanks so much for loving my review! Have you read "the host"?
Afro: I love that you are a closet lover of the books. It does create a nice world. And I too would give my left hand to be part of Hogwarts. I LOVE harry potter. And I love all the magic about it. Twilight does somewhat of a good job creating that...but NOTHING compared to JK Rowlings Howarts!
Also...did you find yourself what to just go and make out with Jacob?
jami, i love that you post almost everyday - it gives me something to do as i procrastinate. and i LOVE that you read so much because i get ideas from you of books to read.
now, as for twilight - yes. at least 98% of what you said i agree with. i also preferred jacob until he kissed bella. then i hated them both.
as for the edward myth... i dunno. i do think it's unhealthy to have unrealistic expectations of men (coming through your window at night to watch over you while you sleep? NOT going to happen. and if it does call the police. that's creepy, not loving). but to expect men to act like gentlemen? i get really frustrated with women who allow men to treat them like crap and act like they're 15 for the sole reason that boys will be boys. bull. shit. (excuse my french) i think part of the reason ALL of us act so poorly is because more ISN'T expected of us.
now that that's off my chest i am so happy to see you and your little family happy :) i think of those days at the wright house as...character building. plus i got to befriend some amazing people. (side note: we lived in colorado for awhile and shandi's sister+family were in my ward. small mormon world)
-autumn
Can I pipe in again? I love talking about books and movies as you could probably tell from the Cabin.
I WOULD let any of my children of any age read this book. But I am not really into very much censorship anyway. There was quite a bit of "smelling of earlobes" and other "almost sexual" stuff in these books, but I only took note since Meyer is a Mormon. Many required books that early teenagers are assigned to read seal the deal with actual sex descriptions and Kristina and I found on the "Adolescent Book Recommendation List" put out by some official organization, there was a whole genre for rape, another one for gay/lesbian. I would worry more about that stuff that is being given to preteens/teens than Stephanie Meyer.
I personally also consider teen magazines about celebrities and full of "kissing quizzes" and so forth much worse than the Twilight series to girls. (I can't really expand on it here, but celebrity/teen magazines are a pet peeve of mine against which I have a special vendetta)
Anyway, I liked the 4th book the best because it had real family oriented themes and I hated Eclipse the most because of the polygamous relationships Bella had (I love you BOTH...eternally an fully). Eclipse is what made me hate Jacob so much.
I hope I didn't offend anyone who reads comments here but I think that this is a good blog where we can all be open and share our thoughts which may different, and that's ok.
Autumn: Yes, Charater building is a good way to put it. But I agree with you...the WH got me some of the best friends I could find. Even though I don't talk with them all the time...I still learned so much from everyone that I worked with!
Onto Twilight! Yes, I agree. You should EXPECT your man to treat you good. But I don't believe you should require Edward standards. I Believe that you should have high expectations...just not THAT high. My beef with the whole "edward is perfect" thing is that I have heard mothers tell their daughters not to except anything LESS than Edward standards. It seems like if girls are going to start doing that there is going to be a lot of
A. Not married girls
B. A LOT more of disappointed girls.
Not saying that if girls started expecting more that men wouldn't rise to the oppurtunity...but I just think by nature alone men AREN"T edward.
Now if girls just excepted that these were very entertaining fictional novels then I would have no problem with Edward...
BUT girls/woman aren't. That is where the problem comes in.
Its not like Stefanie Meyer KNEW before hand that you was going to be so popular...so we really can't blame her. But I just wish that Moms in general would step up and talk with their daughters as they read these book.
OK...rant DONE.
Seth: You are funny. I personally don't agree with you on this one. I feel like I would sensor all the reading that my kids do. I would never let them read about rape/gay people.
I do however feel like this book creates a lot of things to "talk" if teenage girls about
1. Being so obessed with boys
2. Being Selfish
3. waiting to have sex
4. getting married young
5. making out with boys in your bed/bedroom
6. Unrealistic Edward/men in general
7. Things don't always "work out"...meaning that Meyer created a world where Bella could make all the wrong decisions she wanted...but never suffer the consquences. That is not real...and I would want to talk with my kids about that.
NOW I might consider making my boys read these books so that they could see how Edward treats Bella. There are some good lessons in there.
But Seth...I LOVE gossib magazines...I am sorry. They are my candy for the brain.
We will just have to agree to disagree about this one! Love you guys!
You're funny! I agree about Bella. Annoying! She is the reason I disliked the Second and Third book. But I did like Edward and thought Jacob as a little brother. I love to read and our fictional world is filled with these larger than life perfect men. Honestly, it's why I read them, but I believe I have a larger than life perfect man. At least he's perfect for me. :) And Matt has the funniest idea about the series. He says that Edward is like a Mormon boy in love with a non-LDS girl, who later gets "baptized" and is in his life forever and all eternity. See, they even waited to have sex till after marriage. Only a mormon vamp would wait that long. LOL! Seriously, my boy makes me laugh!
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