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Post by JJ77 on Mar 29, 2010 17:35:04 GMT -5
OK ppl this is my cry for help!  lol I actually read the first two books in this series.  The writing is horrible, the version of "true love" the book illustrates is scary, and the vampires litterally "glitter"... and yet I've read not one but two of them now. Anyone know of a support group? or facility? lol Seriously, the only reasoning i can come up with is that they cater to my ocassional need for mindless entertainment. I'm just a little scared by the fact i'll likely read book 3. |
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Post by BigLoveRocks! on Mar 29, 2010 19:01:18 GMT -5
I never read the books but I did see the first movie... It was really... Um... BLEH in my opinion. I just do not understand what the rage was about. When I was in high school it was all about Bram Stokers Dracula and Interview With The Vampire etc...
This latest Twilight rage is annoying! To make it even more annoying... I just got back from Walmart and they have a whole section all dedicated to Twilight clothing, purses, hats, jewelery etc... They even have a tv screen in there playing the movie trailers!
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Post by JJ77 on Mar 29, 2010 20:22:56 GMT -5
Trust me, I am right there with you! Apparently we're both generation X'ers... but seriously, Bram Stoker's Dracula & Anne Rice's Vampire chronices were good books. (rice's vamp are still my favorite) This stuff is completel mindlelss crap... and yet I am reading it.  I totally resisted Twilight BECAUSE of all the tween mania it's caused. The movie (Twililght, havent seen the other) was horrid- Even worse than the books! (which in this case surprised me) I guess it was the curiousity that got me - wondering what all the hoopla was about, ya know? I enjoyed Charlaine harris's southern vampire series, which is kind of light as fara s vamps go, but that series blows twilight outta the water... no comparison really. I started the first book out of curiousity, like i said, & just kept reading waiting for something to happen... waiting to see what it was that everyone was raving about. I'll give th ebooks this much - as thick as they are they're very quick reads. So about 3/4 thru the book a plot seemed to be emerging (finally) and I thought " ok, this must be the it factor" but it wasnt... atleast not for me. So why did i pick up book 2 (new moon) ? I guess for the same reason... waiting for something to happen, and well... sheer boredom. lol (like i said they're mindless quick reads) but now I find myself a little disturbed to think that so many young girls are reading this crap. why? the main character (Bella) basically is obsessed with the vamp (Edward) to the point that she can't breathe without him... almost literally. She has absolutey NO self esteem, NO sense of self worth to speak of, and prattles on and on about how she can't understand why edward would love her. Int he same breathe, Edward is basically a stalker who plays on her emotions and obsession ... all the while teasing her (emotionally and physically) while stating she should stay away from him. why? b/c one day he might not be abe to resist the urge to eat her. lol on more board related issue though - Meyer is mormon and abstinance seems to be the main focus of the books. which is great - except for the fact it's competely undermined by way she portrays these emotionally damaged people as "true love". |
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Post by rissmeek on Mar 30, 2010 20:07:36 GMT -5
Another Gen-Xer chiming in here.
I haven't read the books nor seen the move, nothing about it even appeared to be close to Rice's books. BUT.... I have to say I'm all for them because they've gotten kids reading.
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Post by JJ77 on Mar 30, 2010 22:43:53 GMT -5
I felt exacty the same way rissmeek - anything that gets a kid to pick up a book voluntarily ... never mind gets them excited about reading gets mad props in my book.
Then... i read them. lol Now I'm not so sure I feel the same. I think most adults reading these books (and trust me there are plenty, it was recommended to me several times before i read it) are able to see them , and the relationships therin for what they are.
The idea of impressionable young girls reading this crap is what i find scary.
Bella is borderline suicidal when she's not with edward. I'm not exaggerating , she sees no reason to live and "gives up" several times. She's obsessed to the point that everything (let me repeat - EVERYTHING) she does, thinks, feels is dictated by her feelings for him... or simply by him. She has absolutely no interests, motivations, or thoughts that dont revolve around him. I amost thought at some point she would find out he had brainwashed / hypnotized her in some vampire way lol It's that bad.
To make matters worse, BEFORE edward she was an A student, had friends, was motivated to to college, etc etc. Now, she just wants himto kill her so she can become a vampire too... and spend forever with him.
The worst part is that all of this is represented not as a tragic tale of a gir lost,abused, and/ or damaged... but as "true love". It's all portrayed as positive and testament that their love is real.
So even though abstinance is a strong undercurrent in the book (they can't have sex b/c edward might lose control and eat her lol) ... it's a theme that's all but lost to the rest.
Parents should seriousy read this stuff, and decide if their kid is mature enough to realize how twisted the books portrayal of love / realtionships is.
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Post by JJ77 on Mar 30, 2010 22:47:41 GMT -5
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Post by aliensummer on Mar 31, 2010 13:20:42 GMT -5
I have to admit, I haven't read any of the books, but I have seen the movies. My younger sister is a fan, and while she suggested I not bother reading the series (I'm a book snob and she knows I'll not enjoy them), I watched the movies with her. Another Gen-Xer chiming in here. I haven't read the books nor seen the move, nothing about it even appeared to be close to Rice's books. BUT.... I have to say I'm all for them because they've gotten kids reading. I think it's great that they're getting people to read, but these kids aren't reading anything BUT Twilight, which I think is a huge problem. If they were going out and picking up other books, I'd think that was cool, but that's rarely the case. And JJ77, I don't want to give too much away, but my sister already told me the ending of the series, and their relationship only gets worse. |
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Post by rissmeek on Apr 1, 2010 21:35:52 GMT -5
Ok after reading your review JJ I'm not sure I can deal with the books. lol
I read the Harry Potter books which made me a rock star teacher with the Junior High kids. Now I'm a rock star because I know Spongebob, oh the joys of elementary. lol
I don't like anything that portrays "love" in that way.
The kids that I know that have picked up the Twilight books are picking up other vamp books too. I've suggested Anne Rice to several high school kids.
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Post by JJ77 on Apr 5, 2010 20:26:37 GMT -5
Rissmeek -
Give them a read yourself first, but i'd also recommend charlain harris's southern vampire series (aka the sookie stackhouse novels) much better than the show- 100% better than twilight but less heavy than anne rice's vampire chronicles.
Rice is my particular fave, but harris has her own (very different) brand and she's a good writer. Her books may appeal to teens more. (although her vamps do occasionally have sex it's not very graphic)
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Post by rissmeek on Apr 5, 2010 22:47:48 GMT -5
I'll have to check those out! I seem to read more "kid" books anymore just so I can tell the kids, "Hey check this book out."
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Post by aliensummer on Apr 27, 2010 12:45:34 GMT -5
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Post by withay on Apr 29, 2010 2:40:18 GMT -5
Thanks AS, I have been wanting to find something to help the niece with her vocabulary for the SATs this fall and she is a Twilight fan.... |
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Post by aliensummer on May 5, 2010 21:02:54 GMT -5
No problem! I think it's a good way to learn, especially if it gets people willing and excited about learning.
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Post by sunvenus on Jan 17, 2011 2:39:15 GMT -5
Another Gen-Xer here, who also utterly loathes Stephanie Meyers and the creeping Twilight plague. What a mess those books & movies are, and what on earth is wrong with the hardcore (twi-hard, twi-bots) fans? Yeesh. I've enjoyed this stoney321.livejournal.com/317176.html four-part series lately on precisely what is so very, very wrong about Twilight, et al from literary, aesthetic and even a semi-religious POVs. Interestingly it ties in well with this forum as the author puts forward a strong argument about the Mormon influences in the Twilight series. Who'da thunk it? Edward as a Joseph Smith clone? I can just imagine Edward on a compound somewhere... *shudders* Be warned-- the article is very edgy, downright rude in some spots, but well-written and very funny. I literally laugh so hard in some spots that I cry. Enjoy! Now I'll go back to my fascinating current read: "The Enemy Within: A Short History of Witch Hunting" by John Demos. |
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marie
Junior Member
Posts: 66
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Post by marie on Jan 20, 2011 7:51:00 GMT -5
Interesting thread...I was expecting an appreciation thread because there are so many of them around the net but this is a fun surprise. I'm not Gen-X but Gen-Y so I guess that makes me a few years younger but I have to agree with what you are all saying.
I haven't read the books...I started reading the first one but got bored by the excessive use of adjectives, it felt like it took her half a page to say "the tree had green leaves" or something equally as simple. I tried to watch the movies the other week and fell asleep quite promptly. So my interest isn't too high. I even met one of the actors in the movie, I work as a copy girl and he was printing off scripts for something...I didn't even realise who he was until the following day and his photo was in the paper.
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lol
