|  | Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
List Price: $10.99
Buy Used: $2.97
as of 11/24/2009 19:43 CST details
You Save: $8.02 (73%)
New (243) Used (696) Collectible (5) from $2.97
Seller: econgo
Rating:  4545 reviews
Sales Rank: 12
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Edition: First Paperback Edition
Reading Level: Young Adult
Pages: 544
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.5 x 1.5
ISBN: 0316015849
EAN: 9780316015844
ASIN: 0316015849
Publication Date: September 6, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: crease on cover..cover wear.. Used - Good Default Text
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 11-15 of 4545
I know what the big deal about this book is! November 20, 2009
J. Macgillivray (Moncton, NB, Canada)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
A really hot guy who wants to take care of you and doesn't constantly pester you for sex ... hello!
It's not Shakespeare, but I give it 4 stars for 'sucking' me in completely by page twenty. And I'm pushing forty, plus the friend who loaned it to me is in her fifties!
 If I could give it less than 1 star, I would November 20, 2009
C. C. Roberts (Durango, CO, USA)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
The fact that this...piece of garbage disguised as literature is so popular simply blows my mind. I pride myself on having read some of the best (though certainly not all) that fantasy has to offer (J.R.R. Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey, George R.R. Martin, Mercedes Lackey, etc) and the fact that Meyer is touted as the new J.K. Rowling just depresses me. The characters have no depth, Bella Swan is a spineless, scarily obsessive, constantly whining teenager who makes Anakin look pleasant and Edward Cullen is beyond ridiculous. Supposedly the most beautiful man alive, who just can't stay away and is the best at everything. Bella CONSTANTLY has to be saved by Edward, supposedly because she is clumsy but more likely because she is extremely stupid. There's no reason for them to love each other, they're just intensely sexually attracted to each other. Great basis for a romance, Stephanie! And honestly, sparkly vampires? Why wouldn't Bella want to be one? Let's see, pros are that you're now immortal, you can do everything better and you're beautiful...and the cons are that you're sparkly in the sunlight? How is this acceptable fantasy? How did this even get published?!
WHAT is the big deal? November 20, 2009
E. Hibbard (Seattle, WA USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I understand that I might be offending a few people, since a lot of people like this book. But after reading it, I really don't understand what the big deal is. It's very poorly written, especially in comparisons to books that were bestsellers 50-100 years ago (Have any of you Twilight fans ever read Lolita or Great Expectations? That was art worth reading.) I understand that it's supposed to be told through the eyes of a young girl, but the dialog, the descriptions, everything is cheesy and unrealistic. I can't stand it when characters in the books say stuff like: "The only guess I have is that maybe your mind doesn't work the same way the rest of theirs do. Like your thoughts are on the AM frequency and I'm only getting FM." (Edward.) Sorry, but NO ONE talks like that. Okay, maybe a sparkly vampire does... who knows?
Besides the poor writing, the unoriginality of the story is astronomical. How many times have we heard this before? Dozens. Even if you haven't heard of them, they're out there. Even Anne Rice's "Interview with a Vampire" was more enjoyable than this trash.
And no, no one made me read it, this is true. I read it because my sister had said I should give it a try, but from the moment I started, to the moment I finished, I couldn't stand it. I only finished it because I enjoyed disliking it (as strange as it may sound.)
And to anyone who says I couldn't do any better: I can't argue, but I'm not going to say that you're right. There are so many talented people out there that aren't recognized, and then somehow, someone who sucks as much as Meyers does, ends up getting her books on the shelf and making thousands off of crap.
(Sorry to have offended anyone; truly I am.)
Deja Vu anyone? November 19, 2009
CaramelDiva (Ohio)
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
Twilight trailers are causing deja vu...wait I know why!! Laurell K. Hamiltion already wrote the adult version
Between the movie trailers and talking with people who had already read Laurell K. Hamiltion's Anita Blake series sounds like Stephanie Meyer's just gave the story a "whitewash" that easily fits in with teenage angst and the unsteady highs and lows of teen hormones.
I can't see myself reading the books, but because I love Sci-Fi and special affects, I guess I will have to give in and watch the movies.
This book draws you in November 18, 2009
E. Irwin (California)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had never planned on reading this book, thinking that it would be too "young adult" and silly but my boyfriend picked it up on sale so I gave it a chance. After the admittedly boring set up was over, I was completely sucked into the book and characters. So, yes, I'm a 30 year old woman and I loved this book.
Now what is also true, interestingly, is that almost all of the negative comments about the book are correct. The writing is not great, it does get a bit sappy at times, Bella is annoying, etc. but I enjoyed it despite all of these things.
I'm not going to do a plot summary or gush over the romance or refute all of the negative comments but I have a few thoughts that I would like to share.
I think that those readers that enjoyed this book were able, with the help of their own imagination and insight, to really step into this world and the character's minds. I don't mean to imply that those who despised the book have zero imagination, but that they were unwilling or unable to make the leap that the author asked of her readers. That being said, a truly great author wouldn't have needed as much help from her readers.
Despite the flaws of the book, the author did create compelling characters in this book and she did tell us gripping story of forbidden love but you do have to do a bit of work for yourself. One reason that I'm convinced that this is true is that, after reading Twilight and New Moon, I went on to read Midnight Sun off of her website. MS is part of the story of Twilight from Edward's perspective. As I read that piece, nothing about Edward surprised me. Only his actions outside of Bella's presence and the exact moment he realized he loved her were new to me. Somehow the author had conveyed to me Edward's character through Bella's eyes in Twilight and I was right there with her on Edward's motivations as they are revealed in Midnight Sun. A completely incompetent author wouldn't have been able to do even that. However, as I alluded to before, I did my own analysis of Edward and some character development of my own but it was all based on information that the author had provided. I worked within her framework and understood where she was going. I believe this is what others consciously or unconsciously did when they read the book and found that they enjoyed it.
With regards to the annoyance that the love story comes out of no where, I would argue that all epic loves seem to come out of no where. Romeo and Juliet fall in love for absolutely no reason. Even Elizabeth and Darcy's love is random. Darcy hates everything about Elizabeth (her family, her situation, the country) and then all of a sudden she has fine eyes and she's witty and he's violently in love with her. Now, obviously, the feel of Pride and Prejudice is much different and Jane Austen (the wonderful writer that she is) walks us through everything much better but all of her love stories include people who fall in love each other without much basis. That's just how love works sometimes.
In addition, some people tend to take these books far too seriously. To me the author is just telling a good story, not unlike some of the fanciful stories I told myself in my youth, without regard to any over arching message. I also don't believe that these are actually young adult books at all and I suspect that the author didn't really write them to be. It is the publishers who categorize books not necessarily the authors. The writing in the book is at the YA level but the subject matter is clearly not. These books say something completely different to adults than they do to adolescents.
So for whatever reason it is important to me to defend this much at least: the book is not utterly devoid of value and that those of us who enjoyed it are not all easily amused teenagers.
Bottom line: those of us who were able to meet her half way were able to appreciate what she accomplished despite her amateurish writing ability.
Showing reviews 11-15 of 4545
|
|
|
