Being an avid children's books reader, even professionally for a period, and a sworn Harry Potter fan, the Twilight discussion has come up more often than I thought. Instead of repeating myself over and over, next time someone asks I will send the link.
First of all, I have to say that I did not manage to finish it. Originally, I was more than impatient to take it in my hands, thinking that all this craze must have happened for a reason. So, one day I came back from the bookstore with my own Twilight copy and sank my teeth in it. The more I read, the more disappointed I was, until at about half the book my patience was over. I am just glad I didn't buy all of them.
1. I got bored and tired by the long, useless, too detailed descriptions (for God's sake, she wrote a whole paragraph describing how Bella lied down on the grass!)
2. I had read half the first book and absolutely nothing had happened. Nothing. No-thing. Bella was getting obsessed with Edward, Edward would appear and disappear. No suspense at all, as we already know he is a vampire.
3. The whole story reminds of the most superficial teenage fantasies: Edward the Handsome falls for the unimportant, clumsy Bella (as she keeps on lamenting)...
4. ...which wouldn't be bad if the author had given some more qualities to Edward apart from his beauty and strength and if Bella wasn't actually the object of desire of all the boys around her...
5. ...and it was this conservative gender depiction that made me furious: women should be modest and sacrificing, men should be strong, violent if needed and save women, ugh!
6. And as if the last one was not enough, their relationship has abusive characteristics which are presented as "true love". (Don't know for you, but last time I checked, someone sneaking in your room is someone to avoid, not to make out with!)
I could write so much more, but it has already been written and much better than I could do it at the moment. Check here, here and here (thank God, for a period I thought I was the only one against Twilight).
All I can say, is that I honestly can not understand how this book became such a hit. That it was chosen and loved and created legions of fans who all missed the subtext and its conservative messages made me lose my faith in humanity.
1. I got bored and tired by the long, useless, too detailed descriptions (for God's sake, she wrote a whole paragraph describing how Bella lied down on the grass!)
2. I had read half the first book and absolutely nothing had happened. Nothing. No-thing. Bella was getting obsessed with Edward, Edward would appear and disappear. No suspense at all, as we already know he is a vampire.
3. The whole story reminds of the most superficial teenage fantasies: Edward the Handsome falls for the unimportant, clumsy Bella (as she keeps on lamenting)...
4. ...which wouldn't be bad if the author had given some more qualities to Edward apart from his beauty and strength and if Bella wasn't actually the object of desire of all the boys around her...
5. ...and it was this conservative gender depiction that made me furious: women should be modest and sacrificing, men should be strong, violent if needed and save women, ugh!
6. And as if the last one was not enough, their relationship has abusive characteristics which are presented as "true love". (Don't know for you, but last time I checked, someone sneaking in your room is someone to avoid, not to make out with!)
I could write so much more, but it has already been written and much better than I could do it at the moment. Check here, here and here (thank God, for a period I thought I was the only one against Twilight).
All I can say, is that I honestly can not understand how this book became such a hit. That it was chosen and loved and created legions of fans who all missed the subtext and its conservative messages made me lose my faith in humanity.
