pull the shades on "twilight"

(see earlier post on this book)

I finished reading the book "Twilight" by Stephanie Meyer, a romance novel for teen girls, and I do not recommend it.  The primary characters are Edward Cullen, an eighty year old vampire who appears as eighteen, and a sixteen year old girl, Bella, who can't keep her hands or thoughts away from him.

Edward, once the thin plot, finally begins, spends his days hovering over and saving Bella from peril.  Bella spends all her thoughts, both awake and asleep on Edward.  Edward spends his sleepless night in Bella's bedroom, watching her sleep, listening to her "sleep talk" and brooding about how wrong she is for him and he for her; think Superman and Lois Lane but with a grizzly bear eating vampire instead of an honorable Kryptonian.

Edward is beautiful, super strong, super fast, aggresive, independent and outside of all authority.  The scenario that every girl drools over him, his "James Bond" driving skills and savoir faire  will apeal to young men's fantasy's as well.  Edward can have whatever he wants and he wants Bella.

I must admit that I am intrigued that Mrs. Meyer seems to have managed to capture the essence of how I think teen girls might fantasize.  She writes much like I imagine my daughter thinks and reading Bella's thoughts I can almost hear my daughter speaking.  Weird.

While there is no overt sexual depiction in this book, fantasy's are "feverish" and there is abundant sophomoric depiction of fleshly desire.  The author's preoccupation with Edwards beauty borders on banal.  

The best description I can give this work is "trite, dark and dreary"; millions of teen girls will disagree with me and some teen boys will find in Edward a fantasy hero.

There are some elements that border on dangerous for any young minds that are already struggling with "emo"; if you are a fellow parent of one of these, 'nuff said.

Bottom line, watch your daughter's book bags and lift this one out to the rubbish bin.

There are four books in the series: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn; "soon to be a major motion picture" that my daughters will not watch.