I like Bella as a heroine. Her parents are divorced, and she moves to live with her dad for a year. She loves to read. She drives a truck. Her dad is nice, but dorky. Her mom writes her anxious emails a million times a day. She decides to write her school paper on misogyny in Shakespeare plays. When a group of guys threaten her on a dark street, she prepares to fight and thinks of how she'll drive their noses back into their brains with the heel of her hand. In her new school, she finds herself suddenly popular with boys, but she doesn't really want to date any of them. She gets along with people, but feels a bit depressed and alienated. She likes to cook for her dad and doesn't make a big deal out of what she wears. She's embarrassed at her physical clumsiness to the point where she won't go climbing around on rocks at the beach or go to a school dance. She describes her own process of decision making in a charming way.
I'm at the point in the book where she's just started to be obsessed with Edward. He saved her from a car crash, he's mysterious, he's really sexy, and he keeps being alternately swoony and standoffish to her. Then, her dad's friend's son from the reservation tells her that the Cullens are vampires. This makes Bella's slight crush much worse... "He's not human, he's something MORE". She's the kind of girl who falls in love with aliens!
So far, standard high school romance book, with a perfectly likeable heroine, and a slightly jerky but sexy vampire high school boy.
I'm trying to pry Eliz's fanfic address out of her so we can read it. Maybe you can. It's just so tempting!
Posted by: Jo Spanglemonkey | December 01, 2008 at 01:05 PM
omg awesome. I hoped so hard she'd grow up to write fanfic!
My work is done! I have been a corrupting influence with all the tamora pierce books and the gamer cons!
Posted by: badgerbag | December 01, 2008 at 01:17 PM
I get the impression everyone hates Twilight because it is purest distilled essence of adolescent female desire. And if we as a society ever take adolescent girls seriously, even for a nanosecond, every penis on earth will instantly explode.
Caitlin Flanagan in the Atlantic.
Posted by: Yatima | December 01, 2008 at 01:23 PM
That's what I thought, too. I ended up reading all four books within a week or so and although there were some slow parts here and there, I liked the series pretty well.
Posted by: Average Jane | December 01, 2008 at 02:19 PM
This post and the comments are the first things I've seen that have made me actually want to read Twilight.
Posted by: elswhere | December 01, 2008 at 06:26 PM
Els, I'm about 90% certain you will find it candy-like and hilarious! I'm reading it now and having to pause from giggling too hard, as they have started dating and the omgzrs drama of being just about to touch hands is making Bella swoon.
Posted by: badgerbag | December 01, 2008 at 06:34 PM
actually, badge, although the first book set off a few faint feminist alarm bells, it WAS mostly harmless teenaged girl fantasy: a bit regressive, but harmless.
... wait 'til you get to the second book, though, where she gives up her entire life -- all interests of her own, her friends, her joy and personal power -- for a guy who doesn't even want her, and then lets him control her present and future.
no real spoilers there. just can't wait to hear what you think about it.
Posted by: clairelight | December 02, 2008 at 10:38 AM
See though, now you need to read Cleolinda on Twilight and also Growing Up Cullen. Yes, mock is my fandom. :)
Posted by: vito excalibur | December 03, 2008 at 12:04 AM
clairelight: planning on it! steeling myself! eeeep.
vito: I'll go read those links! I finished the book and towards the end started feeling super perturbed and seeing a bunch of problematic stuff. On the other hand certain scenes stick with me, like Bella looking at her childhood home and its mailbox. It was really eerie and well done. So, part of what bothered me (aside from ALL OF IT) was the way Bella accepted more and more that Edward would not listen to her or respect her. So their relationship begins more and more to be about the both of them hiding information and lying to each other.
Posted by: badgerbag | December 03, 2008 at 12:01 PM