couldn't finish "Twilight" book..anyone else?

[wildernesslodgelover]

I keep hearing about the book and movie. I hear about it from people I admire, trust and respect. I *LOVE* to read...but I can't read "just anything." Anyway, I picked up Twilight (the book) and forced myself to read to page 129...and I have now decided to give up.

First of all...the whole vampire thing turns me off. I keep hearing how that is not the main focus, it is a love story, blah blah blah. But as I read the book and get into it...the vampire thing hangs over me and I cannot get past it, and I don't even think the writing is all that spectacular.

Anyway, I am not being a book snob...I have read some cr@p that I have loved...just wondering if there are any others out there that feel the same?

 

[Wish_I_Was_At_WDW]

I keep hearing about the book and movie. I hear about it from people I admire, trust and respect. I *LOVE* to read...but I can't read "just anything." Anyway, I picked up Twilight (the book) and forced myself to read to page 129...and I have now decided to give up.

First of all...the whole vampire thing turns me off. I keep hearing how that is not the main focus, it is a love story, blah blah blah. But as I read the book and get into it...the vampire thing hangs over me and I cannot get past it, and I don't even think the writing is all that spectacular.

Anyway, I am not being a book snob...I have read some cr@p that I have loved...just wondering if there are any others out there that feel the same?

Exactly! I could have written this same thing. I love to read but I read about half of Twilight and said no more. I haven't watched the movie either, just no interest in that subject. Couldn't get past the whole vampire thing. My daughter has read all the books though.

 

[NotUrsula]

As a general rule, I hate *paranormal* romance novels; they are just not my genre. I tried to read Twilight because it is such a pop-culture touchstone right now, but I just couldn't get through it.

Oddly, I really loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I think the difference was that it didn't take itself too seriously. Twilight is *so* overburdened with morality-play overtones and angst that it just bogged down all over the place, IMO.

 

[SaraJayne]

You aren't alone ~ I didn't even bother starting the book. Just wasn't interested at.all.

 

[CharityLynn]

I read the whole book and didn't like it enough to read any of the others. I love paranormal books, Anita Blake is my fave (Laurell K. Hamilton) but Twilight just didn't get me like has so many. I did like the authors other book The Host.

 

[Lanshark]

I read Twilight and New Moon because many of the kids in my class are reading it. After the second book I couldn't take it anymore. There was not one likeable, believable character.

Summary:

Edward I love you
Bella I'm dangerous
Edward I love dangerous
Bella I'm a monster
Edward I love monsters
Bella I'm bad for you
Edward I love things bad for me
Bella I'm a vampire
Edward I want to be a vampire

Go back to the Edward I love you and start all over again

 

[taylor3297]

I am the complete opposite. I didn't think I would like the books, but so far I have enjoyed the light reading. Granted I have only read the first two, just picked up Ecilpse in paperback the other day. I will say in the second book, I did get a bit tired of Bella's constant "hurting" bit. The depression and such got a little old.

 

[Ppufi]

ITA. ;-)

My Twilight review:

When I first read this book, I was sick, on isolation, and cut off from human contact other than my mother and my doctor. Needless to say, I devoured it.

Then, once back in society, I reread it. And saw it for the horrible rubbish it truly is.

For starters, Bella is a whiner. She complains about her parents, the climate, her new town that she decided to live in, excetera. She is horribly rude to her father who took her in, even after he buys her a car. She gripes about her new house, the scenery, ad nauseum.

50 pages of this, and she arrives at school. Of course, this special snowflake doesn't associate herself with "common people"! She snubs any possibly new friends, instead focusing attention on the emo-acting supermodels in the corner. Thus implying that looks trump personality.

Skip the next 50 or so pages to see that the emo boy she watched is a "zomgvamp" named Edward who wants to suck her blood because she's just so tasty. New-age Romeo & Juliet without the lyrical prose, they fall in love with just 3 conversations. Add sparkling, baseball, and hunter-vampires, and you've got the book. Original? Possibly. Anti-feminist? Hell yes. Breaking every vampire rule in the book? Amen to that.

 

[Scurvy]

I love to read, and I love vampire books and most paranormal fiction, science fiction, fantasy. . . almost anything, really. I never quit reading something before the end, but I just couldn't finish "Twilight". I really hated it - I thought it was terrible. I'm sure people feel that way about some of the books that I love, though.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

I haven't attempted to read the book, but I turned the movie off about halfway into it. And I really thought I'd like it!

 

[SkyGirl]

ITA. ;-)

My Twilight review:

When I first read this book, I was sick, on isolation, and cut off from human contact other than my mother and my doctor. Needless to say, I devoured it.

Then, once back in society, I reread it. And saw it for the horrible rubbish it truly is.

For starters, Bella is a whiner. She complains about her parents, the climate, her new town that she decided to live in, excetera. She is horribly rude to her father who took her in, even after he buys her a car. She gripes about her new house, the scenery, ad nauseum.

50 pages of this, and she arrives at school. Of course, this special snowflake doesn't associate herself with "common people"! She snubs any possibly new friends, instead focusing attention on the emo-acting supermodels in the corner. Thus implying that looks trump personality.

Skip the next 50 or so pages to see that the emo boy she watched is a "zomgvamp" named Edward who wants to suck her blood because she's just so tasty. New-age Romeo & Juliet without the lyrical prose, they fall in love with just 3 conversations. Add sparkling, baseball, and hunter-vampires, and you've got the book. Original? Possibly. Anti-feminist? Hell yes. Breaking every vampire rule in the book? Amen to that.

Excellent review!

I honestly hated this book and I love the paranormal. I thought the writing was horrible. It took her fifty sentences to explain one emotion. On and on and on.

Bella was obnoxious. In my entire life, I've never known anyone that clumsy. And how incredibly self-involved.

What I hated the most was the message that a girl can not be happy, can not be complete, without a boy to love her. What a horrible statement to put out there.

I sometimes go on the website Twilight Moms, just because I'm amazed at how many people live for this trash, who are obsessed. I don't look down on them, or anything like that, I just don't understand them at all.

 

[AKL_Megs]

I didn't even jump on that bandwagon...

I knew I wouldn't like a book about vampires, even though EVERYONE recommended it and said it was "new age"... still not my cup of tea.

 

[justhat]

I did read it all the way through, and the next 3 books, but I totally agree with the commentary here. I enjoyed them cause they were light, easy reads, but the whining was incessant. And when Edward leaves Bella (which I'm assuming is okay to write, as likely none of you will read New Moon) the near-coma she goes into is ridiculous. Other than stare at each other, what was their relationship?

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

ahhh, I am so glad I posted this. I feel like I am not alone. I especially loved pfufi and lanshark's summaries...LOL!

I told my DH...after reading a few chapters of Twilight..."Hmmm...maybe I should try to write a novel? I mean, if *this* is what is popular...it couldn't hurt for me to try." I have never really said that when engrossed in a book that I loved.

I completely understand that everyone has different tastes. That's why some people love the Wilderness Lodge, and others thing Pop is awesome. It just seemed that the majority of people I talked to didn't just like Twilight...they LOVED it. I wanted to join in, but I am now accepting that I just can't.

 

[rascalmom]

I finished them because my teen daughter was reading them & I kept trying to understand what all the fuss was about.

I'm still trying to understand. Truly horrible. I read a lot. A LOT, a lot. These were SO bad. Poorly written, horribly developed characters, just.....ugh!

They looked better after seeing the movie though~!!!!

 

[justhat]

Everyone I know loved the series too. And like I said, I enjoyed reading them, but not cause I thought they were incredible books like seems to be the popular opinion, but because I could read 1 book in 2 days. Great way to pass the time at soccer practice and such, but I did not get the love people had for Bella at all.

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

I'm a teen, and I painfully read through the first two, and cannot, cannot read the third. I've tried.

Meyer writes worse than most of my peers.

 

[Narnian_Princess]

WOW. Other people feel like I do about Twilight!

At first I decided to rebel against the trend; if it's got so many fangirls *squee*ing over it, it can't be for me. But then a *squee*ish fangirl begged me to read a page. Just a page. Okay, whatever. So I flip to the middle of the book and read a paragraph. That paragraph was filled with more purple prose than my first attempt at a novel back in middle school, which is really saying something. Add that to the fact that said fangirl was *squee*ing over a vampire love scene just previous... I couldn't stomach it.

I'll stick to Ted Dekker, thank you.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I am on the last book. I will finish it come hell or high water. Just can't stomach it now.

I am a vampire aficionado, well supernatural/sci-fi in general and that is why it is hard for me to finish. Very disappointed in the direction of the book.

Bad writing and whining aside, she started with a good story, (I watch grade B stuff), and tossed it out the window. Anyway that is how I feel about it.

 

[luvsJack]

I have actually enjoyed the books to a point, but agree that Bella is a whiner and sounds like a girl way to desperate for her boyfriend. I have to keep reminding myself that she is a teen-age girl and lots of teen age girls are whiners and overly dramatic about their love life.

I also agree that the story could have been greatly expanded and enhanced if much of Bella's whining had been deleted.