On my way home from Idaho at Christmas, I sat next to a nice-looking couple. They might have been around my mom & dad's age, maybe a little younger. I was reading Perfume, and the back cover looked a lot like the back of the book she was reading. She asked me what I was reading; I told her, and she told me what she was reading. Twilight.
This woman (a very nice and enthusiastic woman, indeed) went on and ON about Twilight for oh, probably 20 minutes. I politely listened, and by the end of our conversation, I was convinced I should go out and buy this book immediately. No waiting for my turn on paperbackswap.com!!
She was wrong. Oh, so very, VERY wrong.
I have never, ever read a more trite, boring, uneventful pile of garbage in my entire life, AND I AM AN ENGLISH MAJOR. I have been forced to read all sorts of garbage, and this tops my list.
I know what you are going to say. "But Micaela, these books are meant for young teen and pre-teen girls." Baloney, I say! When I was that old, I was reading Jane Eyre! Don't give me that crap that girls want this kind of romance. What happened to good old fashioned romance? Mr. Darcy or Mr. Rochester, anyone? I would take those two over this Edward fella any day. (Although, I must admit, Edward WAS my favorite character.)
But honestly. Bella? Never has there been a more pathetic, unlovable, ignorant, gullible heroine in the history of fiction. She is so moronic. I just would not be able to give this book to a young girl and hope that she dreams of being Alice Cullen rather than Bella, because Bella is just so easy to BE. She doesn't DO anything except whatever her boyfriend tells her to do. Except when she might get killed. Then she decides to throw caution to the wind, and damn the consequences. Ugh.
Why would we ever want our young girls to read this? To aspire to be like this? Oh, don't get me wrong. Virginity is a great thing. Abstinence is a wonderful moral to tout. But she doesn't keep her virginity because she wants to. She wants to climb on that sexy-ass vampire faster than you can say "lame vampire book." She can't have sex with him because of ... wait for it .. his rock hard vampire dick.
Seriously.
7 comments:
Ha ha ha -- I read Twilight this past year at the urging of several, shall we call them, strangers on an airplane, and was equally disappointed.
All that hype...for that!? Nicely put, Ky!
I have read the entire Twilight series (I have to in order to keep up with what my kids are reading). I, too, felt that it was very trite and I couldn't really connect with the character of Bella, or any of them for that matter. However, as a high school English teacher, I know that my girls, for the most part, are not reading Jane Eyre and are EATING these books up! It is sad but true. I think you were definitely a much more advanced reader than most in high school. Illiteracy and nonreaders are becoming a pandemic in our society...one that I fear will have major consequences in the future.
I've read the series and really enjoyed it.....primarily because I took it for what it's worth: entertainment. And frankly, that's the point of reading fiction. Occasionally, you will come across a book that you relate to and has meaning to you which doesn't neccessarily require it to have meaning to someone else. I'm just curious how reading Bronte or Austen is really any more significant than reading a modern author if the author's work provokes thought and conversation? (however, I give you that the Twilight series was not the hallmark of good writing but I'm speaking in general here)
Is that you, Amanda??
Ky. I respect your opinion and will say that I did enjoy Twilight but not enough to offer up that anonymous quote. I liken Twilight to the Us Weekly subscription Nicole got me for my 30th birthday, I didn't pay any money for it and it was a quick mindless read, cheap entertainment never hurt anyone, right? Plus I was really out of touch with novels and fiction and it made me want to get out there and rediscover good can't put the book down fiction... Any recommendations?
Love,
AMANDA!
Oi, Amanda, I wish I could think of a book I read recently that really got to me, but hoenstly, I can't think of any. Then again, my head is full of cotton because of the strong cough syrup I am on. When I think of one, I will let you know, love. Thanks for signing your name!
Kyky
Ok, here is a good book I am really enjoying right now. It is called Come Back by Claire and Mia Fontaine. It is really good so far, and I am only on page 41!
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