Twilight Review...
I finished reading the first book in the series. I can see the appeal of both the adolescent and young adult fan base. The story is full of suspense, romance (which is surprisingly clean), and drama. As a work of fiction it is extremely entertaining. There were a few areas of concern to me, and some of the romantic themes left me a bit unsettled. A 17 year old girl is willing to die in order to be with the boy that she loves. She begs her vampire boyfriend to turn her in to a vampire (and we all know how that happens) so that they will be together forever. Bella, the young woman, is willing to sacrifice her identity and her life for the sake of love. Unfortunately, this hits close to home. I have been working with students now for about 12 years, and I have seen this scenario play out more than once. I've witnessed teenage girls give themselves up and lose their identity in order to be loved and accepted by a boy.
While the story is an edge of your seat work, I am worried that young girls will think the idea of giving up everything for a guy is romantic and worth the sacrifice. The only redeeming fact about these characters is that Edward, the vampire boy and Bella's love interest, is unwilling to complete Bella's request. He refuses to kill her because he doesn't want her to give up her human existence, even though it means they could be together for eternity.
There are probably many girls like Bella. She has a mom who chose a man over her, a dad who was out of her life for years, and she finds herself feeling rejected and outcasted from the majority of her peers. Because she is awkward, and different, she is literally swept away by a boy who pays attention to her, and sees her as beautiful.
I will read the next few books. They are for the most part clean. There is a little bit of violence, but nothing more than PG. The physical interaction between the two lovebirds does not go beyond a kiss, and I also can only remember one swear word in the entire 512 page book. The only setback would be the mature emotional themes and internal struggles that the main character endures. But, all in all, I am still unsure if I would allow my teenage daughter to read this books. Maybe the next three will help me make up my mind.
The journal of a lady in love with 3 blue eyed men.
4 comments:
It sounds interesting.
Yes, I also have girls who would do anything to feel loved by a boy.
I am ready for your next update.
Bethany=Cliff's Notes...jk
One thing I remember from HS & saw from working with young adults is not just the longing for acceptance, but the longing for an identity of their own. Even adults struggle with it. I will have to pick up the book...I would be interested to see how the series plays out.
I read them all too.... all the girls in our youth and lots of the moms have been reading. I do have to say that the first book totally drew me in (good writing I guess) but I hear what you are saying but have never voiced my opinion. I am not sure I would let my teens read it. This is just my opinion, and nobody else at church agrees with me, but the first book was the best and I could have left the others on the shelf. Let me know what you think. (all my friends are going to see the movie at midnight tonight)... people are crazed about it!
I have two girls from youth group that are going to see the movie tonight and they've read the books. They're very into it and I was glad I had read your blog b/c I wouldn't have known much about it. Ronnie's sister and her daughter are also reading them too...I'm anxious to hear more about them....
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