Media Mix
I'll admit it, I'm one of the many adult women who have casually wandered into the young adult section, picked up the next book in the Twilight saga, ready with an alibi, "It's a gift!" before quickly leaving the bookstore to read the first chapter in my car. I may be a little embarrassed about having read (and thoroughly enjoyed) reading this saga, but with the millions of books that have been sold it's impossible to deny that there's something great about this series.
In addition to the incredible accomplishment of encouraging more tweens and adults to read, the Twilight saga by Stephanie Meyer has become a pop-culture phenomenon. With each book in the saga, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn on bestseller lists, two very popular movies out and two more on the way it's hard to go anywhere without seeing or hearing about Edward, Bella and Jacob or their actor counterparts Robert, Kristin and Taylor.
The saga begins with Bella Swan, an average teenage girl who moves from her home in Arizona with her mother and stepfather to live in the small town of Forks, Washington with her father. Life transitions from average to exciting when Bella falls for the tall, pale and handsome Edward Cullen whose family happens to be a coven of "vegetarian" vampires just trying to blend in. Even though humans are off the menu for the Cullen family, dating a human brings about serious risks which could kill them both! Then of course there's Jacob Black, Bella's best friend who in addition to completing an already complicated love triangle has a secret of his own.
Vampire enthusiasts won't be disappointed to find that these vampires still drink blood, are pale, immortal and can't go into the sunlight. They will notice however that these vampires don't follow the traditional model we've come to expect from Bram Stoker or Anne Rice. Instead Meyer has created her own type of vampire. While the differences can be distracting (they sparkle!? really?!) she does deserve credit for trying to be original when remakes are the order of the day.
To me it's no surprise that this saga has become so successful and addictive. In addition to incredible supernatural characters, suspense and forbidden romance Meyer has also woven into her books everyday situations readers can relate to or remember from their own high school experiences.
As much as I have enjoyed these books, the Twilight saga will never be considered great literature compared to classics like Wuthering Heights or Romeo and Juliet. Anyone reading this saga with those expectations will be disappointed. But the series is easy to read and has all of the elements of a story that keeps people hooked until the very end.
Already read the Twilight saga? What did you think?