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So I finished reading Twilight yesterday. It is definitely one of my favorite books now. I'm sure many people are turning their noses up at it and scoffing since it is not quality literature like Hemingway, Steinbeck or even Austen but I truly did like it. It had staying power in my head and few books pull that off right away. Dan Brown is good because he is pure escapism but Twilight was good because it was the closest I will ever come to reading and enjoying a romance novel. It takes love and provides it with a dramatic and supernatural twist that I cannot get over immediately.
Maybe it resonated so much because I was coming off a book high from reading it so quickly but I'm not sure. There are few novels that I enjoyed so much that I wanted to reread them right away. This was one of them. The only other book that has done that to me in a long time is What Dreams May Come which was dramatic and beautiful with the movie not quite doing hell justice. It may not be the greatest thing out there for literary value but it is wonderful and romantic escapism. What woman doesn't need more of that in her life? I now understand everyone's desire to find their own Edward. Edward is beautiful on a level that is clearly beyond human and is willing to torture himself because he loves a simple mortal girl so much. We instantly get the idea that they are soul mates (what supernatural book does not touch on destiny?) since he cannot read her mind like he does with everyone else so to speak. Their affection is almost instant and overpowering which is very rare in reality which is why I think so many women like it.
We want our own Edward. We want a gorgeous, dangerous guy who adores us almost beyond life. It is pure fantasy on some level since many women kiss many, many frogs. I was lucky to find someone who feel in love with me right away and has stayed that way since. He may not be a sexy vampire but he's also not venomous either and can do things that Edward can't. The intense yet immediate romance, plus Bella's constant descriptions of Edward's beauty are somewhat frustrating for some men to read (or so says my boyfriend who is reading it now) but I think women understand it a little bit better. I think it was written more for women then men because it's a young adult novel from the point of view of a teenage girl (a mature one but nevertheless). That is definitely aimed at an almost exclusively female audience. This is the same audience as Sarah Dessen
One thing that really surprised me about Twilight was that for the first fifty pages, almost nothing happens. The preface, only a few paragraphs long, is very dramatic. After that, the only questions that get raised are: What is up the Cullens? What is Edward's damage? Why did Bella move? Agents, editors, publishers, anyone who will read your book only want to see the first 50 pages (or so I'm repeatedly told). If those aren't interesting, tough luck pal. Fix it so they are or that will be a pipe dream. I've started noticing that more when I look at new books or writers. In The Woods has a fascinating intro (something I hope to read soon) so that you are immediately thrown into the action. The Gargoyle has a beginning that has little to do with the ending so much happens and changes during the story. The first fifty pages are so slow in Twilight that I wonder if they were what made it to the publisher first or did they come later? If I were the editor, I'm not sure if I would have asked for more or just scrapped the whole endeavor with a form letter. Clearly someone was smarter than that but you get my point.
Big thumbs up. It is very heavy on the romance, deeply involved in fantasy and a very simple read. It's not like Tolkien who had a lot of details or intricate wording because of the audience so it's very easy to get through quickly, which you may want to do. I loved it but then again I like some supernatural with my romance to avoid the heavy cheese factor.
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