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[SJ] SJs, what is your take on Twilight?

FallaciaSonata

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Greetings.

I recently entered into a bargain with my sister, primarily to make her stop bothering me about it. She's been wanting me to read Twilight since it came out, and I have refused to (on semi-solid reason) until two days ago.

The deal was, I read her Twilight, and she reads one of my books. (I also have an ulterior motive here. She outright refused, without just cause, to read Eragon when it came out. My Mom and I convinced her to read it and now she likes it more than I did. So, I have a good reason to think she'll like Ian Irvine's Geomancer.)

I didn't skim, but I've devoted the necessary hours to read Twilight through to completion. I proceeded (an hour ago) to give my sister a detailed explanation of my thoughts on it. I gave it a 5.5/10, in general. Here's my breakdown of it.


Positives of Twilight:

Stephanie Meyer is very descriptive, at least for me. The setting was very well depicted and required little imagination on my part. I was able to see everything as I assume she wanted me to.

With the notable exception of the stereotypical school kids Bella socialized with, the characters were moderately well developed. The Cullen family was the most developed, personality wise, and for good reason I suppose.

The story itself was well written, in my opinion, which is contradictory to what I've heard. My Youth Pastor did not like her writing style very much. He referred to it as "amateurish". Although I have no idea what he reads on a regular basis.

I was able to identify with two of Edward's attributes. I understood his desire to protect that which he cared for (SJ Guardian feeling there?) and I understood his anger with himself for not being "strong enough". (I imagine that's only partially what I feel. I refer to my perfectionism here. I'm never good enough for myself, if you catch my meaning.)


Negatives of Twilight:

My first and foremost complaint with the book was the plot. While it was well written, the entire book and every event within it revolved around the romance between Edward and Bella. Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy a bit of romance here and there, and it is an essential element in almost any story, but here.....it was almost like romance overdose for me.

I am accustomed to, and prefer, romance to be one of many small things that revolves around the greater plot core, that being a struggle between good and evil, or man versus alien/machine, or two political forces clashing, or whatever it may be.

I suppose it just lacked any suspense or mystery in the plot department, because I know that they love each other early on, and then there's no real surprises from then on.

Next complaint. I'll cut it some slack here because it was the first book of four, but I think it took way too long to get to anything remotely "exciting". It spent a lot of time building....something....(Almost three hundred pages) before something actually "happened" to them. Again, don't misconstrue my meaning here. I greatly enjoy learning the history of the plot or the setting, or the characters, but in this case it was almost as if she was building up their romance, or the climax where they say "I love you".

I found it extremely odd for the somewhat level-headed Isabella Swan to change her tune so suddenly. The first few chapters describe her as an introvert. She seemed to have her plate full, school, possibly college, her mother and this Phil guy, and loathing the trip to Forks and her disappointment in living with Charlie. And then all of a sudden.....this Edward guy appears and he instantly becomes her whole world. Nothing else matters.

That threw me a bit. I mean, I know it's supposed to be a romance, but the display of total infatuation was too much for this camper. If I were Edward, I would not want a girl to be that....dare I say, "obsessed" with me. I'd find it mildly creepy.




Anyway, that's my take on the book. Long, I know, as most my posts are.

Are there any other SJs who have read it? If so, care to share your thoughts?
 

Habba

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Don't know about the books, but I think Pattinson looks like a junkie, and I don't like junkies. :|
 

swordpath

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The only thing I cared for about Twilight (the movie. Haven't read the books, and don't plan to.):

Kristen-twilight-movie-2168747-400-290.jpg
 

wrldisquiethere

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I have not read it, because so far I haven't seen anything about it that I think would appeal to me.
 

Lambchop

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I am pretty picky about what I read and I DESPISE romance novels, but I was surprised to like the Twilight series. The first book is the worst one...it does drag on a bit. The next 3 or 4 books in the series were the ones that really grabbed me. The last one I couldn't put down. I initially read the first book because I was bored, rather than interest. But I personally enjoyed them. I was searching desperately at the airports to find the 3rd book on my HONEYMOON, so I gotta give them map props for that!
 

FallaciaSonata

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I haven't watched the movie, either. I don't think I will, because I hear that a lot. People who loved the book hate the movie, and in some cases, the inverse applies as well.

Not to mention I'd much rather read than watch a movie. ; )


Funny you mentioned he looked like a junkie, Habba. I thought he looked rather messed up myself. And that must be some serious hair gel he uses.....
 

FallaciaSonata

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On another thought, that perhaps I should have included in the last post instead of making another.....

Do you think type has anything to do with book genre preference? I've heard it affects music to a small degree (although I disagree with most theories because that would mean I listen to "N" music).

I tend to favor science-fiction/fantasy styled reads, but I prefer a heavy plot. Something that gets the mind ticking. Ian Irvine's books (View from the Mirror series and Well of Echoes series) were great. Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and Brandon Sanderson's stuff isn't too shabby either.

Thoughts?
 

Sam Spade

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I'd rather have a root canal than be forced to watch that movie or read that book again.
 

Cimarron

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Didn't Twilight have vampires? I just can't get into vampires, fairies, dragons, etc. (related to genre question)

Loch Ness monster or Bigfoot/Yeti are a little more interesting and...believable...?

Reading through your book review in the first post, I'd agree that I like a convincing and interesting plot, especially one that can help me believe I'm there and it's happening, when the effect of "suspending disbelief" is served best. Often even more than that, I like good character-building in stories, when I could "relate" to the characters and in that way feel more impact from the events of the story. (That's pretty general.)
 

Lightning_Rider

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The chick is cute, rest sucks, my opinion. It annoys me how so many girls think this movie is the best thing to ever be released on film.
 

Amira

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Haven't read any of the books yet and don't plan to. I did research them and decided it sounded a. yucky (don't like vampire books) b. WAY too sappy, although sappiness can be fun and I am a sucker for the type found in, say, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and c. messed up as far as portraying romance wrong. I think I understand why so many people love the series, but I don't think I'll bother.
 

FallaciaSonata

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Ah...I don't know. It was just....romance overdose. Contrary to popular belief, I don't mind romance. But I don't want the plot of a book to revolve around it. Romance is not like the Sun...it's more like....some other planet. It's a powerful tool writers have at their disposal, and it's fantastic for creating tension and for gripping people emotionally, but it's just not that important.

Or at least, that's my take on it. What are your preferences in terms of the "writer's tools"? Is it suspense you like, or perhaps a power struggle between two opposing forces?
 

MBTI Enthusiast

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Ok, I am usually a post-reader and not a post-poster, but I absolutely have to give you all my two cents on this subject!

I read Twilight before the movies came out (in summer when I had free time). I picked it up once I remembered how my roommate couldn't put them down. And I LOVED them! I agree that it is highly romance-based, but for a female Thinker like me, it's nice to read a story like that where you can pretend you are in the main character's shoes. In Twilight, I almost think it is more reality-based than fantasy-based because it is centered around the day to day life of a normal girl, and besides the fact that she socializes with vampires, what happens to her in the book is actually pretty realistic. Therefore, I don't think any of you SJs out there should refuse this book just because "it is about vampires." In general, I like realistic fiction books with some romance mixed in, and Twilight doesn't stray TOO far from this category!

It is tempting to try to find a correlation between book genre choice and type. At first you would think Sensors like realistic books and iNtuitives like fantasy, but obviously some books appeal to many different types. I think it would depend more on where you are in life and your interests.
 

FallaciaSonata

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I think you're right about the book genre choice and type. I've always preferred fantasy and science fiction as opposed to true stories and "realistic" things.

I don't have any qualms with vampires, or anything else for that matter. I like that kind of stuff. My biggest issue was merely the plot's concern....every event in the book revolved around the romance.

Let's take Ian Irvine's "A Shadow on the Glass" (from the View from the Mirror series) for example:

The plot develops slowly, and by that I mean the true plot is never really unveiled until later in the series (four books). I won't spoil it for you, but the true driving force for all of the book's events come from a struggle between political forces and the introduction of an almost extinct breed of human-like aliens. However, there are at least two romantic sub-plots in the book, which I enjoyed. But I enjoyed them in addition to the rest of the happenings.

I suppose romance in a book, to me, is like.....salt on french fries. It's wonderful when you have some, but too much and then you have a crappy tasting book.




Which brings me to another point..... You mentioned "it's nice to read a story like that where you can pretend you are in the main character's shoes."

This raises an interesting point, to me, at least. Do you like the idea of pretending you're someone else, or do you wish you could influence a fictional character's decisions (or affect the story in some manner)?

I generally prefer to spectate, and play the hypocrite. You know...."Oh, I wouldn't have done that," or "Don't open that closet!", etc.

The stereotypes suggest that ISTJs like to stay "rooted in reality", (paraphrasing, of course) or something to that effect. I do that most of the time, yes, but when I'm off in introvert land.....I like to focus on something other than reality, to....help me relax. Reading a sci-fi/fantasy book usually works for that purpose. I can immerse myself in another world.

Is it the same for you?
 

Giggly

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Not into it.
 

MBTI Enthusiast

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Firstly, let me put this out there: I agree the movie sucked compared to the book!

Now, about the romance issue: While I admit there was a hefty amount of romance involved in the first book, I did not feel overdosed at all! I actually liked first book best, and mostly the beginning of that book before something "happened" to them. Haha. It was nice to see everything in their relationship work out so completely and utterly well, unlike other realistic fiction romances where the characters meet and fall in love one summer and then have to go their separate ways after a few months, or the author just ends the book right when they both realize they love each other and have their first kiss or something. I also noticed that, for me, when books do have romance subplots, I always read as fast as possible in order to get to the parts where the romance is!

So it's hard to say what the difference is between you and I, FallaciaSonata. Perhaps it is just our gender differences.

As for being in another's shoes, I don't actually pretend I'm someone else or wish I could influence a fictional character's decisions. I pretty much just read it as fast as possible to see what actually DOES happen. This is something that I've noticed is significantly different than my intuitive (INFP) sister. She reads slowly, absorbs everything, and pauses every so often to imagine what could happen next. Anyway, what I meant when I said that I like to be in the main character's shoes was that I like to "escape" into a book that is realistic, but better than my life, so I can see what it is like to live "the good life". In Twilight, "the good life" happens to be one where your true love pretty much falls in your lap and has no interest at all in any other girls, only you. Sounds amazing to me!
 

FallaciaSonata

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Ah....I see. Then it's a similar purpose. An escape. My escape is a generalization, while your escape is more purposeful and specific.

And here I thought half the population just read slowly. I'm always picking at people who can't read/type/etc as fast as I can. ; )

I haven't seen the movie yet, and I don't plan to. Prior to reading the book, the vast majority of the people I talked to said the book was significantly better than the movie....and I know that is generally true for most book/movie deals. But I didn't like the book, so I'm almost certain I won't like the movie.

Perhaps if I get time to be bored. I don't have time to be bored anymore. It's funny how that worked out....before I had a job, when I was littler, I had tons of time but never enough things to do or play with. And now I've got things to do, read, play, yet.....it always seems as if it's time to go to work again.

--- and I'm only part-time! lol


I told my Mom when I find the girl I like, I'm going to go hang out outside her bedroom window and check her out while she sleeps. Hey, it worked for the vampire guy....and as a bonus, I won't wish I could drink her blood. ; )
 

EJCC

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I liked the first book well enough, and hated the second one (I really hate love triangles), so I quit reading them. But based on the plot summaries I've read of the later two books... well, it seems like the books are based on a very non-feminist worldview, in which women have no lives of their own, and live solely for their husbands/partners and their family, and nothing else. (This may have something to do with her Mormon faith, but I'm not sure.) When I read books like that, where the love between the two main characters is so all-consuming... yeah. I'm not a fan. (I hated "Wuthering Heights", too, which is similar in that respect, and which apparently Stephanie Meyer was inspired by when she wrote the Twilight books.)
 

Nonsensical

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It's interesting this was brought up.

I was talking to my dad's friend's girlfriend, who is an ESTJ, about Twilight the other month when I was down visiting.

She said some interesting things. She had read the series, so wasn't making a strict judgment. She said that it shouldn't be allowed for teenage girls to read them because it "portrays perfect romance" that young girls will probably never find. And reading the book will give them a faulty perspective of romance, and that finding romance on that level was near impossible.

I am not exaggerating, or bending the story at all. That is how she said it, and I was appalled. And I disagreed with her, though I didn't say so.
 
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