Don't Knock It 'Til You Try It

Ok, so, I was always one of those high-minded avid fantasy readers that was overly critical of the Twilight series, and swore I would never read them - and it never appealed to me...

Until one fateful day, I finished the Inkheart series (shameless plug here, I LOVED it! Read it!), and could not get into anything else. Reading is about as big a passion for me as teaching, music, bookbinding, and astronomy, so, it nearly killed me not to have anything to read that I craved! I'm sure I was slightly whiny one night when I mentioned my dilemma to my friend Stacey, and she suggested I try Twilight. I'm also sure that some glimmer of disgust initially crossed my expression. To be perfectly honest, I loathe it when people bash the Harry Potter series and other such fantasies when they've never tried them at all. I'm not a fan of book censorship, especially when based in ignorance, so, for the sake of my own nonhypocritical reputation, I decided that I had better at least try the first one, and borrowed it from Stacey.

I could not put the thing down! I finished the Twilight in six days, New Moon in five, Eclipse in four and Breaking Dawn in two. That puts me finishing the entire series in just under 3 weeks - a personal record for series reading, though, I'm sure nowhere near a world record!

Now, I've never been much of a literary genius - I love to write, but only from personal experience, no fiction for me. I'm no expert in plot, character development, or any other literary elements either, though I can explain such things to my students, at least at a 2nd grade level. But I do consider myself capable of passing judgment on books I read - at least for myself. So, here's my one attempt at a critique.

I like Stephenie Meyer's writing style. As a reader, I need something that captures my attention, and leaves me wanting more. If you stop at the end of a chapter, you're never lacking in that area. There's always a cliffhanger. If you plan to put the book down, you'd better plan on stopping mid-chapter.

I liked the twists and turns of the story line, and thus, I suppose, the plot itself. It may not have particular depth, but, as a reader, I need more surface-level books that I can enjoy without having to think too deeply about them. I love Jane Austen, but, getting around the language and also the lengthy descriptions of seemingly minute details is not what I'm looking for right now, although I've been through that phase before.

I also can relate with Bella. Perhaps it is because I happen to be a girl rather prone to overreaction and overanalyzation, and more than capable of the occasional, and even frequent swoon. It was interesting to read descriptions of some feelings, particularly in the first couple of books, that I had experienced, but never been able to adequately express in words. Besides that, if someone else can write it and gain a fanbase of millions, that tells me that I'm not insane, abnormal, nor alone in my overreacting and overanalyzing tendencies. I love things that bring people together!

Edward. ::SWOON:: Let's face it here - We all want someone as passionately adoring and protective as Edward. Forget the fact that I always imagined him (even after watching the movie several times), with some sort of accent. ::swoon:: I sort of have this thing for selfless, and protective guys, and desperately wish there were more of them in the world. Stephenie Meyer happened to capture that ideal perfectly in Edward. I can even appreciate his mood swings - it makes him real. We don't always have to be on our best behavior, especially around people we love.

Vampires. Ok, I have to admit, that my initial aversion was due to the vampire story line. However, surprisingly, while it was obviously a big part of the story, there were so many bigger, more realistic themes - love, family, fiendship, loyalty - that the vampire bit didn't bother me like I expected. It didn't even cause nightmares. Somehow, in the context of the book, Stephenie Meyer even made the possibility of vampires plausible - as werewolves, dragons, centaurs, and pheonixes are in Harry Potter. I sort of like the idea of hidden magical world that can coexist peacefully with ours. :)

Now to the movie. I have to admit that I was impressed with how closely the filmakers stuck to the book. I liked it a lot! Almost all of the characters were exactly as I imagined them, minus a few. However, I do have a few wishes - 1) Let Robert Pattinson speak with his accent, at least a little. It'd be adorable. Edward's from London anyway! 2) Enough of the "we're in pain around each other and can't even speak normally" crap. It was a little overdone. He's supposed to blend in right? And, aside from her original frustration, she loved him from the beginning. While reading, I never imagined them being in physical pain everytime they interacted, and it was so awkwardly portrayed in the film that it literally looked like they were in physical pain. 3) This one is the final one, and goes along with #2. Play down the dark, burdensome awkwardness, and play up the sarcastic humor. That was my favorite part of the Edward/Bella relationship in the books, and it's almost missing entirely from the movie. For heaven sake, let them laugh!

So, the moral of the story is - don't knock it 'til you try it! It's actually a good series. You may just like it!

And for all you cynics out there, no, this general rule does not apply to drugs or alcohol. Please knock those before you try them! ;-)