#1 - Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
OK…so I’m a little late coming to the party, but I finally read Twilight. It was good and I’m glad I read it, but I don’t know that I’ll read the others right away. I’m simply not a series reader. Paula tried to get me hooked on Stephanie Plum, but after two or three, I wasn’t interested in reading more. Same thing happened with Sue Grafton’s alphabet mysteries. The only exceptions have been Patricia Cornwell and John Grisham. I’ll read everything they write. I digress…back to Twilight…
This is the story of Bella and Edward - how they met, how they fell in love, and how they came to grips with the differences between them. Sounds simple, huh? Not exactly. We meet Bella as she leaves sunny Phoenix where she has lived almost her whole life and moves to damp Forks, Washington to live with her dad, the Forks chief of police. Bella and her had have had a long-distance relationship for several years, so living together for the first time requires a big adjustment for each of them. The high school is considerably smaller than the school Bella attended in Phoenix, and most of the students have known each other forever so Bella is anxious about meeting them and fitting in. She and Edward first see each other across the crowded cafeteria where he sits with his brother and sisters. Bella and Edward become lab partners in biology class, but Bella feels less than welcomed by Edward. In fact, he acts as if he wishes she were not there at all. Edward is unlike anyone Bella has ever met. He is uncommonly handsome with his very pale skin and piercing eyes which seem to change from a warm topaz to a steely black. He rescues Bella from certain death when she is hit by an out-of-control car in the school parking lot, but his rescue leaves Bella with more questions than ever about Edward. Through more twists and turns than need to be included in this blog, Edward and Bella make startling discoveries about each other and determine that they should be together forever.
For those of you who are Twilight fans, I’m sure that this brief review will not meet your approval. I understand the fanaticism that has accompanied the books and the movie. Bella and Edward are wonderful characters who draw the reader into their story. Stephanie Meyer can be attributed with renewing many young adults’ interest in reading, something that parents, teachers, and librarians always love to see. I caught Meyer’s interview on Sunday Morning back in August where she discussed getting the idea for the book in a dream. If you haven’t read Twilight yet, read it.
January 23rd, 2009 at 7:17 am
You already know I am hooked on it and waiting anxiously for the next movie. In my opinion, if you ever complete the series, you will like the second one the least but if you soldier on, the last one is the best moves at a rapid pace, and ties everything together.
For me, the books were such a departure from what I normally read and just plain FUN. Of all the crazy things to cause someone to have an epiphany - it made me realize that I needed more fun in my life and less serious.
From an adult perspective, I like that Bella and Edward yearn for a physical relationship but have to constantly be aware of the huge consequences it could have. I like that they both always consider the repercussions their actions could have for their respective families.
The romantic in me likes that they are soulmates, that they are meant for each other in a timeless way.
The housewife in me loves that as a vampire, you never get tired, you don’t have to worry about cooking, you have incredible strength and speed, and of course there is the whole live forever thing LOL