- Joined
- Feb 5, 2004
Ok so because of all of the big fanfare about the film i finally found out about them.
I decided to read them first (rather than watch the film first) after a long debate with a friend about - do you read the book first or watch the film? I always think that if i'd read the book recently i don't enjoy the films because my brain picks out all the areas where it isn't like the book. I'd almost decided to watch the film first when my friend pointed out that if i did, then when reading the book i'd picture it visually the way it is in the film and not use my own imagination. Having agreed with her i decided to read the book first.
Now I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter books and Pullman's "His Dark Materials" and loved them. Those are childrens book (though the Pullman books would be pretty tough for a child to read) so i suppose my expectations were raised quite high for these books. I am also an enormous fan of vampire stories/ and films so i guess perhaps i was expecting too much.
I read Twighlight and the story kept me going much more so than the writing. Not only are there quite a few mistakes in the book (did anyone proof it?) but the author seems to have very limited vocabulary when it comes to adjectives, and how many times do we have to have the same repetitive descriptions of Edward being beautiful, and cold, and beautiful and statue-like, and beautiful and cold like ...erm...marble etc etc.
She seemingly has no better way of describing his eyes than "golden" or "Topaze" and then suddenly dreams up "butter scotch" and proceeds to over use it!
Even allowing for the fact the book is aimed more at children than adults, it is simply not well written.
Glutton for punishment that I am I decided to read the second book too and found that again the story, whilst not as compelling as the first, was the only thing that kept me going and that the writing seemed worse because there was nothing new or improved in this book and the same old same old descriptions were wheeled out.
So now i just want to read the rest to know the story. I am going to watch the film as well at some point, which I assume will be better simply because the storyline of the book is good, it's the writing that lets it down. I'd hope that the adaptation screen play might have had a good writer!
I've started to read the third book and now find that when the predicatable descriptions start (and they had within the first few pages) I have to put the book down out of frustration! My partner (rightly) shouts at me asking why on earth i continue reading something that annoys me so much! Good question! But i am interested in the story!
Has anyone else read them/have any comments? Does the writing ever improve? Even Harry Potter seems to stop being such a child's book after the third and grows a little, and the Harry Potter books child market is certainly aimedyounger than the Twighlight series.
Ant
I decided to read them first (rather than watch the film first) after a long debate with a friend about - do you read the book first or watch the film? I always think that if i'd read the book recently i don't enjoy the films because my brain picks out all the areas where it isn't like the book. I'd almost decided to watch the film first when my friend pointed out that if i did, then when reading the book i'd picture it visually the way it is in the film and not use my own imagination. Having agreed with her i decided to read the book first.
Now I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter books and Pullman's "His Dark Materials" and loved them. Those are childrens book (though the Pullman books would be pretty tough for a child to read) so i suppose my expectations were raised quite high for these books. I am also an enormous fan of vampire stories/ and films so i guess perhaps i was expecting too much.
I read Twighlight and the story kept me going much more so than the writing. Not only are there quite a few mistakes in the book (did anyone proof it?) but the author seems to have very limited vocabulary when it comes to adjectives, and how many times do we have to have the same repetitive descriptions of Edward being beautiful, and cold, and beautiful and statue-like, and beautiful and cold like ...erm...marble etc etc.
She seemingly has no better way of describing his eyes than "golden" or "Topaze" and then suddenly dreams up "butter scotch" and proceeds to over use it!
Even allowing for the fact the book is aimed more at children than adults, it is simply not well written.
Glutton for punishment that I am I decided to read the second book too and found that again the story, whilst not as compelling as the first, was the only thing that kept me going and that the writing seemed worse because there was nothing new or improved in this book and the same old same old descriptions were wheeled out.
So now i just want to read the rest to know the story. I am going to watch the film as well at some point, which I assume will be better simply because the storyline of the book is good, it's the writing that lets it down. I'd hope that the adaptation screen play might have had a good writer!
I've started to read the third book and now find that when the predicatable descriptions start (and they had within the first few pages) I have to put the book down out of frustration! My partner (rightly) shouts at me asking why on earth i continue reading something that annoys me so much! Good question! But i am interested in the story!
Has anyone else read them/have any comments? Does the writing ever improve? Even Harry Potter seems to stop being such a child's book after the third and grows a little, and the Harry Potter books child market is certainly aimedyounger than the Twighlight series.
Ant