Thursday, October 25, 2007

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer - RIP #6

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Copyright 2005
Little, Brown (YA fiction)
498 pages

What led you to pick up this book? Many, many positive recommendations, but I was particularly influenced by Andi and Heather (followed by gushing praise from our car rider, who just finished New Moon). After waffling for quite a while, I bought the book rather impulsively. It's perfect for the RIP II Challenge.

Summarize the plot but don't give away the ending. Teenage Bella moves from Phoenix to live with her father in the Pacific Northwest. New to the small town and the daughter of the chief of police, Bella's arrival is much-anticipated and she quickly draws friends and admirers. But, she is transfixed by the Cullen family, particularly Edward. As she gets to know Edward and becomes close to him, she discovers that he and his family members are vampires. Bella falls in love with Edward and he with her, but there is danger in their proximity. He loves her, but can he overcome his natural instincts in order to be near her?

What did you like most about the book? I like the fact that it's not at all gory or violent. There are tense moments, but it's really a love story more than a vampire tale.

What did you think of the characters? I loved them! Bella is a little cagey but witty and interesting. Edward is the kind of male character that women fall in love with - sensitive, handsome, sexy.

Share a favorite scene from the book: My favorite part of the book was actually the scary part, when a vampire from another coven is hunting Bella.

In general: I was very, very pleasantly surprised by the content of Twilight. It was one of the most age-appropriate young adult books I've read in a while - no explicit s*x in thought or action (even the implication in inner monologue and dialogue is written appropriately), no gory violence. But at the same time, the author took her characters seriously. She didn't diminish Bella's feelings. Twilight is a softer, kinder vampire story than most, with a hero who is dangerous to the heroine but incredibly sensitive and tender. It was hopelessly romantic and genuinely emotional (in a good way), suspenseful without the evil feel of similar stories. It was also very unique, in many ways. And, I thought it was easy to connect with the characters and root for them. The only complaint I have is the length; I believe it could have been much shorter without losing impact. And, yet, I didn't mind the length; I didn't find myself drifting off or bored.

4.5/5 -Very, very good. I set my other books aside, for the last two days, I was so swept away. Definitely a great escape, a fun read, and a book I'd actually like to revisit. I'm glad I bought this one.


28 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you liked it! I loved this book.

    I need to read my last book so I can complete the RIP challenge. Hopefully it happens!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm glad you enjoyed it! I love this too! Wait till you read the next 2 books...hehe.

    Hope you have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I just read this one too! I was also very pleasantly surprised. :D My library has all three, so I'm excited to read the next couple ones!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You've convinced me to snag a copy of the second in the series. I enjoyed Twilight so much but haven't gotten around to New Moon or Eclipse. I think NM will be a perfect book to wrap up Carl's RIP II. I've read 3 of my 4 selections, but got bogged down with the last (Everything's Eventual). I need something quick and easy since it's getting down to the wire here.

    ReplyDelete
  5. "I was very, very pleasantly surprised ..." Those were my sentiments exactly. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous8:01 AM

    This was such a fun book wasn't it? So how many books are you reading for the RIP Challenge? I'm on my last one - yay!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm glad you like it! I read this one when it first came out, but haven't followed up on the other two.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nikki,

    I was a little afraid to read the book because it got so many great reviews and I'm really relieved to have loved it. :)

    Good luck finishing your final RIP book. You have time - 5 days to go. I'm trying to finish one more, also.

    Melody,

    Just wait? Oh, no! Quit that! You're going to get me in trouble. LOL

    Thanks, I hope you have a great weekend, too!

    Eva,

    I looked at my library several times, but the entire series is always checked out - probably because it's in such hot demand (I'm sure they only have one copy of each). I'm glad I finally gave in and bought it, but it might take some time to convince myself to fork out more money for the rest. :)

    Les,

    I was bogged down in The House on the Strand when I opened Twilight, so it made a pleasant diversion. New Moon would definitely make a great wrap-up book for the RIP. I'll look forward to reading your thoughts on it.

    And, now I can get back to The House on the Strand and hope I'll finish that one, soon. It's good, but I think you could say the concept doesn't work for me, so it's been a little bit of a slog. :)

    Joy,

    I didn't realize you've read Twilight. I'll have to peek for your review. Wasn't it nice to read a young adult book that was so clean? It was such a pleasant experience!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oops! Meant to add that I'm still planning to read them, just have not gotten around to them yet.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Iliana,

    It was definitely a fun read - very engrossing. I'm just shooting for as many books as possible for the RIP. I think Twilight was my 7th. One more should do. You've still got 5 days, so I think you're good to go on completing the RIP! :)

    Jenclair,

    I usually space out series books, so I'm guessing that (unless someone convinces me otherwise) it will be a couple of months before I read New Moon. I definitely want to follow up, though, at some point!

    I just got your second note and I'm glad you added that . . . I was planning to ask. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oops, Iliana, it says "RIP #6" right there in the post heading. Duh. I need to read two more then - my mental goal had somehow become 8. Don't know where that came from, but I've got 8 in my head and I'm going to shoot for it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Like you, I was also very pleasantly surprised. I checked this out from the library because my daughter wanted something of this genre but not gory or violent and with no sex. I didn't really expect to like it but I was immediately hooked.

    I have really enjoyed this series so far( I still have "Eclipse" to look forward to)
    Have a good weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Amy,

    It's nice that your daughter wanted to try a tame vampire book. I think a lot of YA books are a little over the top - some are way over - on pushing the sex and with violent scenes. For the lack of sex and violence, I really appreciated Twilight.

    I'm glad to know you also enjoyed New Moon. Series books can be disappointing, so it's always good to hear a second book was also enjoyable!

    ReplyDelete
  14. And, in my opinion, New Moon is EVEN BETTER! Very glad you enjoyed this one.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Andi,

    Better? Wow, I'll definitely have to get my mitts on a copy, then!

    ReplyDelete
  16. This was probably my favorite book that I read this year. I own all three in hardcover and will never part with them. I reread Twilight and New Moon again right before Eclipse came out. I can never have too much of Edward!!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Emily,

    I'm so glad you continued to enjoy the series. I'm convinced that I'm going to end up reading them all, at this point, and I'm sure I'll reread Twilight. It's definitely the kind of book you want to experience more than once, isn't it? I was thrilled that Edward lived up to all the comments I've read about him.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Eventually I will try this one. Maybe next year. :-) Thanks for the great review, Nancy. I am not a huge fan of YA, although I do like some. That is what most has put me off of the series I think, but so many people insist I will like it so I will give it a try.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I've been on the fence about this series but I do believe you just pushed me off! Thanks. I'll add it to my list.

    cjh

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wendy,

    I like YA books (they're great for a mental break) but I'm not keen on vampires, so I dragged my feet for a while. It's a good story, YA or not. But, it'll still be around whenever you're ready! :)

    CJ,

    That kinda warms my heart that I convinced you. LOL I think it's an enjoyable book - lots of inner thoughts that might bog you down a bit, but I think if you hang in there, you'll really particularly enjoy that last 1/4 or so, when it gets exciting.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I love this one. I am just so in love with this entire series.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Katie,

    I'm glad to hear it. Hopefully, I'll like the next two as much as the first.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I bought this for RIP II Challenge, but I'm not going to get to it this year. Thanks to your review, I can look forward to it in the future. Did it cause you to make any connections to the Gardella Chronicles? Also, I saw the sequel at KMart. Which is seeming to carry some pretty good literature, at least in our town. Now that they've stopped carrying all things Martha Stewart since she became a jail bird. :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Bellezza,

    Twilight is completely different from the Gardella Chronicles. It's a contemporary novel, the heroine is a teenager and the method of killing vampires is different than the usual mode. I really liked the uniqueness. Are you saving it for 2008?

    We haven't had a KMart for several years and there's not even one in Jackson - so no KMart within reasonable driving distance. But, I thought I'd seen ads for Martha Stewart's line of household items. I'm not a Martha Stewart fan. If they got rid of her stuff, more power to 'em.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I was at a conference and mentioned that I had not yet read this book. Some of the women who had not bothered to talk to me earlier suddenly became ver friendly. I can't wait to read the book, but in the meantime, I've found it is an excellent ice-breaker.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Framed,

    That is so funny! You've got to read the book; you'll have even more to talk about. :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. I am putting this on my 2008 TBR list (maybe Christmas??). Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thanks, Trish.

    I really enjoyed Twiight. Good idea putting it on the Christmas list. :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting my blog! I use comment moderation because apparently my blog is a spam magnet. Don't worry. If you're not a robot, your comment will eventually show up and I will respond, with a few exceptions. If a comment smacks of advertising, contains a dubious link or is offensive, it will be deleted. I love to hear from real people! I'm a really chatty gal and I love your comments!