Meyer, Stephenie - Twilight

[oyceter]

It was really odd reading this, because I had heard rilina rant about it a lot, but my sister was reccing it to me (and nearby while I was reading it).

I think I would have really loved it, had I read it a few years earlier, before I got sick of the entire vampire sub-genre, particularly the entire YA vampire sub-sub-genre.

Bella has moved from sunny Arizona to rainy Forks to stay with her dad instead of her mom, who's off being married. She starts noticing the strange Cullen family at school, particularly Edward Cullen, who is gorgeous and sends conflicting signals. They fall in love! It's too bad, since I think the book would have been about ten times more interesting if they fought crime instead.

Several elements of the book made me think that it would work much better as shoujo manga: a) Bella is clumsy and klutzy beyond belief, yet spunky, b) every other guy in the school miraculously has a crush on her and she doesn't realize, c) Edward is supernaturally gorgeous, and d) Bella's smell is irresistible to Edward.

As a benchmark to see if you will like this or not, if you haven't already fled at the shoujo manga description: Bella describes Forks as literally being hell on earth for her, despite the absence of pitchforks, flame, or anything else; Edward is introduced as having bronze hair.

The thing is, I can totally see why the book is a best-seller and loved by girls everywhere. It's got the same formula that's in Sailor Moon, every series by Watase Yuu, and most romance novels: clumsy, normal girl is pursued by a preternaturally handsome, dangerous guy who dramatically rescues her from situations despite her brief attempts to show her independence. Granted, Watase Yuu's guys are generally less dangerous than most, and most shoujo manga doesn't even have the brief attempts at independence. And the romances tend to lovingly describe every gorgeous detail of the guys, whereas manga lingers over them in two-page spreads. But in the end, it's largely the same wish-fulfillment fantasy.

And, in general, I am a fan of female wish-fulfillment fantasies. I just think I have read too many of this sort, and so, my buttons have shifted enough that this didn't grab them. I would also snark mercilessly at it, except my sister likes the book and recced it, and because this is so the thing I would have loved way back when I was reading LJ Smith.

Also, (minor spoiler!) in this world, vampires sparkle like diamonds in sunshine.

sorry, totally could not resist. but really! they sparkle! LITERALLY!

ETA: And why is it that hundred-year-old vampires are always attracted to teenagers? I don't understand! And why is it that hundred-year-old vampires still act like mooning teenagers as well?

Links:
- buymeaclue's review
- habiliments' review
- sophia_helix's review

Comments

[oyceter]

Dude, LJS was totally my intro too. Though I'm still pissed off about the ending for Forbidden Game. I think she started off not being quite as snarky (at least, from what I remember of the Vampire Diaries, what with the absolutely beautiful blonde Elena who had two vampire brothers swooning for her). I think I like her Night World books best, except the whole soulmate thing. Ok, mostly I just like Jez. And the three vampire sisters and Ash.

Meyer is very wish fulfillment! One of the things that I did like about Edward and Bella was that they actually talked to each other, but sadly, most of that was lost amongst the "My love and my life!"

[tatterpunk.livejournal.com]

Dude, LJS was totally my intro too.

I remember looking at those lurid Nightworld covers and feeling, somehow, in my soul, that there would be no going back from this. ;)

Though I'm still pissed off about the ending for Forbidden Game.

Sometimes I wonder if LJS was writing according to spec, or at the whim of an editor, of even against her own instincts, because the end of the Dark Visions trilogy always read like "Okay, I screwed up the romance in Forbidden Game, but I'm making it all better here" to me. I've never read either the Vampire Diaries or Secret Circle, though.

I think I like her Night World books best, except the whole soulmate thing.

Ditto. Again, the treatment of the soulmate thing made me wonder if what was going on behind the scenes -- I loved how Mary-Lynnette kept using it to give Ash pink, fuzzy shocks in Daughters of Darkness... which is exactly the kind of saving grace Twilight needed. A pinch of salt in all that cloying sweetness.

I agree that it read very like a stereotypical shoujo manga -- which was both a strength and a weakness. I think if it'd been an actual manga, she could have also put off Bella and Edward coming together a bit longer, which might have served the narrative better in the long run.

[oyceter]

Whoo! Another LJ Smith fan! All these comments are totally making me day! I seriously thought LJ Smith was me, my sister, and our cousin's secret guilty pleasure.

I adore Mary-Lynette largely because of the pink fuzzy shocks, and the fact that they're completely annoyed that they're soulmates. I also like that they didn't get together at the end, despite the whole soulmate thing.

[penmage.livejournal.com]

LJ Smith was my high school experience. I had no idea there were other people who read her!

[oyceter]

Me too! I am so happy to find all these people in comments!

[tatterpunk.livejournal.com]

I seriously thought LJ Smith was me, my sister, and our cousin's secret guilty pleasure.

She's got quite a cult following that still thrives on the internet -- her section on FFn.net, for instance, is impressive for someone who a) was never a bestseller and b) hasn't put out a new book in, what, over a decade?

She just satisfies the craving for cheese in so many of us. ;)

I think you're right -- the soulmate thing worked best whenever the people involved either denied it or didn't get immediate vindication from it -- i.e., falling into each other's arms immediately afterward with "It's you! It's been you all along!*" so forth etc.


*Listen, LJS, if you're lurking and reading -- I wanted to like "Dark Angel," okay? But I couldn't. Because it sucked.

[oyceter]

That is awesome! Although now I am hoping her section on FF.net isn't so big that it disqualifies her for Yuletide, because now I sort of want LJ Smith fic for Yuletide, muhahaha.