[Vegas_Asian]

After a conversation with my uncle, I have come to realize and admit: (I posted this on another forum I used to frequently visit)

Okay. I'm not a big fan of twilight and I get annoyed with the usual fangirl I run into at the theater who loves to announce to the world she LOVES Edward. The theaters in my town usually occupying the same space (...which is a casino) as other receational areas like the bowling alley, aracade, and a variety of sit down restraunts or fast food joints...these girls are hard to avoid when i go to the local casino with the family or friends. I admit I've blow up at a freshman during my last year of high school for nonstop (very loud) raving of her love for Edward...practically slammed my Kim Harrison book or whatever vampire book that I had a duplicate of on her desk. Then yesterday I was forced to admit a point my uncle presented to me as I was getting annoyed with the group of loud tweenies we were sitted next to at the restraurant. (note: I am usually low key and well even tempered).

Twilight, although a book that includes vampires, is categorized in the romance genre. Not horror like Rice or Harrison. Not mystery like Cassie Palmer or Southern Vampire Mysteries. Twilight, like the cliché romance book or movie, includes the knight in shining armor (the girl's ideal guy), the third wheel (the other guy that loves the girl, but doesn't stand a chance), and the damsel in distress. Although, in this series the knight is apparently flawless, personality-wise and physically.  Due to the fact that I am not a huge fan of this type of romance, I have a bias. I'm not the one to judge other's opinions. Still there is a line between passionate and obsessed. I get annoyed with obsessed.

 

[Teninx]

I can't understand the interest from a younger crowd. Undead is so 19th Century.

 

[marianneg]

LOL!  I guess I've had good luck not to run into any obsessed fangirls.  I've seen a couple of t-shirts, but that's the extent of it, at least in my world.  I've never even witnessed such a passionate monologue on any subject!

 

[Vegas_Asian]

You hear and see a lot of twilight obsession in high school. I sometimes stop by my old high school to check on the Japanese club, which my class started and I was vp for. I also visit the teacher I used to aide for, who teaches mainly to underclassmen. For some reason, I don't think the underclassmen have acquired volume control as their voices are still a little stratchy.

 

[Lizzy]

I wont read them either because i want vampires to be mean bloodsucking evil little devils not misunderstood lovesick creatures.  

 

[Mikuto]

I've never even picked up the book. I have an ingrained hatred for pretty much anything that's hyper-popular. I refused to read Harry Potter for the LONGEST time, until a girlfriend finally told me to just read the first book and then leave the series alone if I didn't like it.

Don't get me wrong, I love vampires, my first girlfriend and I used to play a roleplaying game "Vampire: The Masquerade" with some friends, I was addicted to Anne Rice in high school, and have even started my own paranormal romance novel. But everything I've heard about Twilight has made me want to stay far, far away from it.

 

[Vegas_Asian]

I love reading vampire books to, but no one's perfect. A lot of the fangirls I've have seen have a picture perfect image of Edward in their mind. If I was to choose a male character from the series that I prefer...its Jacob. at least he had flaws.

When I first left for college, I was all lonely and depressed in the dorm at first. My best friends were still in highschool. (althought we were the same age. we were born a couple months apart...they missed the cutoff to be in my grade by weeks). Then one friend sent me a text stating: "I hope you find your Edward." She meant well, but she was shocked when I replied. "I like my men with at least a couple flaws"

 

[Mikuto]

Flawless characters are boring. Whenever I get down to actually writing, I try very hard to make my characters realistic. Somebody can be handsome without being Michelangelo's David.

 

[Vegas_Asian]

I loved flawed characters. They are more entertaining. My characters (for the stories I've actually finished) are a mess no matter how perfect they protray their life to be. Of course if those supposedly 'perfect' character usually have the biggest issues

 

[marianneg]

See, I saw plenty of flaws in Edward.  I absolutely hated him in the second book.  What a jerk!  And I've got to admit, I definitely have a soft spot for the vampire-as-tragic-hero.  Hey, look at Anne Rice's vampires!

 

[Guest]

I tried to read Twilight.  It was not written for a 52 year old straight male.

After about 400 pages of "Edward is so beutiful an I am a worthless piece of crap, I dont deserve him", I had to stop.

It is the closest I have ever come to actually burning a book.  fortunatlly for the book I found someone that wanted more than I wanted to burn it.  I gave it to her.

I did try the Host.  while it was far from perfect, it was light years better than Twilight

 

[Mikuto]

That's another reason I want to avoid Twilight. I lived through the teenage girl years and never want to revisit that crap.

Also I understand that because it's a YA novel there's no sex. That might be fine and dandy for some people, but if there's going to be beautiful vampires to get you all hot an bothered, I'd rather they follow through on it.

 

[KindleMom]

I had to screen the books before I let my daughter read them so I've read the entire series.  It's not bad but not great literature either.  It did feel like I was in the mind of a 15 year old - annoying, whiney and erratic.  When I made that realization, it made the series a lot more tolerable for me.

It's a fun, easy, entertaining read.  I think because of the fangirldom, people take it too seriously.  It's not meant to be taken seriously, IMO.

 

[marianneg]

Also I understand that because it's a YA novel there's no sex. That might be fine and dandy for some people, but if there's going to be beautiful vampires to get you all hot an bothered, I'd rather they follow through on it.

And yet I like that it leaves some things to the imagination. It's a great thing that there are vampire novels to suit everyone's taste on the Kindle

 

[Mikuto]

And yet I like that it leaves some things to the imagination. It's a great thing that there are vampire novels to suit everyone's taste on the Kindle

With all due respect I find it kind of aggravating when books sidestep sex when the sexual tension is obviously there. It doesn't have to be described pornographically, but I don't find chaste relationships realistic in the least, so it breaks the immersion for me when two people are MADLY in love and refuse to have sex. Again, my opinion only of course. But you can see where I'm coming from.

 

[Ann in Arlington]

With all due respect I find it kind of aggravating when books sidestep sex when the sexual tension is obviously there. It doesn't have to be described pornographically, but I don't find chaste relationships realistic in the least, so it breaks the immersion for me when two people are MADLY in love and refuse to have sex. Again, my opinion only of course. But you can see where I'm coming from.

I've not read the books and don't plan to so I'm basing this just on what I've read here. But my niece -- a total non-reader -- is into them and I sort of figure anything to get her to enjoy reading is good. On the other hand, I also don't want her to think that if she has a boyfriend she has to have sex with him. She's 16. So the idea that the boy in the book is holding back, and the girls think that's so great, is not a bad thing in my mind. . .

Now, if he's not even willing to kiss her, well, that's just weird. . .

Ann

 

[Teninx]

With all due respect I find it kind of aggravating when books sidestep sex when the sexual tension is obviously there. It doesn't have to be described pornographically, but I don't find chaste relationships realistic in the least, so it breaks the immersion for me when two people are MADLY in love and refuse to have sex. Again, my opinion only of course. But you can see where I'm coming from.

Teen girl falls in love with undead monster ghoul and its the abstinence that's unrealistic?

 

[Sherlock]

I finished Twilight last night and was mildly entertained.  It was certainly a fast read and very bland, but I didn't find the lack of sex abnormal.  After all....it's YA and trying to send the right message.  What would be abnormal would BE a lack of sexual tension.  Plenty of that in teenage experience that isn't necessarily consummated.

 

[Geekgirl]

Teen girl falls in love with undead monster ghoul and its the abstinence that's unrealistic?

ROFLMAO!!!

That being said...I don't mind the series, it suits its target audience, and while (sometimes) annoyingly perfect...Edward is dreamy....and still flawed.

It is rather masochistic for a vampire to fall in love with the one human that smells like the most perfect food on the planet to them.

So, take it with a grain of salt. It is a YA series after all. Although I have to say that if you go to Meyer's website and look at her soundtracks for each book they are flawless

 

[LSbookend]

Okay, in defense of these books. The story really can't be classified in one great category. It has a bit of everything in it. Have teenage girls played up the romance--yes they have. I enjoy the books, but the fandom can be more for Edward then the books as a whole (as it seems to me) which can be annoying. I teach at a high school and was talking about the books with one of my students and I believe she said something about how the books are not written well and the characters lack depth, but she still likes them. These books are something that is just an easy, light read. But like any other book or book series some well like it and others are not. I'm not complaining about anybody else comments or opinions,(didn't want it to seem like that) just thought I throw my own comments and opinion in there. Thanks for reading my bit.

LSbookend