The Twilight Saga White Collection

Contrary to appearances, The Twilight Saga is not bloated with bloody action sequences. And of course that does not mean it must be boring. The action sequences that exist are well done and are not overdone.My approach to The Twilight Saga was similar to my approach to the Harry Potter books. They both seemed suitable only for teenagers. Stephenie Meyer's first book in the series, Twilight, also seemed too romantic for my male tastes, and I was afraid it would be a dish of pulp fiction smeared with vampire sleaze. But she wrote sequels, they continued to be published, and they continued to be bestsellers. So I read some reviews.The reviews gave me another reason to avoid the books: They were boring. I mean, that is what a few reviews said. Things like this: "This is not horror. Why should I care what Bella [the main character] does in class? I survived four years of boredom in my own high school. Am I supposed to pay the author to torture me with more of the same?"I refused to buy into the series. But when the first movie came out, I thought moviemakers might edit the boring parts. I saw the movie and was pleased. Likewise for the second movie. Thanks to the movies, I read more book reviews, and I noticed that the series of books had ended. That was good. In a series that does not end, the books have a habit of becoming cookie-cutter copies. Read one and you have read them all. Knowing that The Twilight Saga had an ending and seeing that amazon.com offered a good deal on a boxed set, I took a chance.(The third movie came out before I read the books, but I have postponed seeing it, not wanting to spoil my reading more than it may already have been spoiled.)Having just completed my reading of the four novels, I have reached a conclusion regarding the allegation that these books are only for teenagers. The allegation is baloney. The sole indication I found that the books are only for teenagers is the absence of vulgar language. For example, I am sure that if Meyer's characters were realistic, they would use the common F-word instead of using Meyer's "freaking." But that is not her fault. If she used the F-word, high school libraries might not shelve her books, or at least they might restrict them to eighteen-year olds. Many teenagers would be denied easy access to a story that is obviously suitable for them, if not suitable only for them.Is the story too romantic? I do I hold true to the conviction that a human being cannot love a human being. It is impossible. Also I maintain that marriage is a social invention, not a natural one. Therefore I disapproved of Bella's obsession with love, and I was wary of her mate Edward's insistence on marriage. Nevertheless these are secondary complaints. Since I do not deny males and females the freedom to cohabit, the issues of love and marriage become academic. If Bella and Edward want to live together, that is okay. (As long as they are not denied the freedom to separate.)Regarding these books having too much bloody sleaze, I think not. The blood and gore is minimal, appropriate for the telling of the story.Regarding the alleged boredom, I feel that "boredom" is too harsh. I do think the content includes much that is prosaic. Enough that I would categorize the books as romance, as well as horror. Pages are filled with domestic life, high school scenes, small talk, a beach party, lovemaking, and teenage dating. But I suppose this is standard material for romance novels, and many readers welcome it. I for one tolerated it, and I was rewarded when I got to uplifting sequences of plot development and denouement. In other words, the prosaic sequences were necessary for the development of the story.NOTE: I do not regret having seen the first two movies. Indeed if they encourage you to read the books, I recommend seeing them. Regarding the two movies, I remember them as being more violent than the books. Also, the appearances of the movie characters only hint at the aesthetic perfection of the characters in the books.

I loved the movies, however, I wasn't interested in merely "reading the movies" again. There was no need to worry. As it turned out, many of the films scenes were summations….compilations…. of several scenes from the books, therefore, you get quite a bit of new content in the books. Also, the books do a wonderful job of fleshing out and clarifying a few times that confused me from the movies. By way of a small example of this, Bella acted so mortified in the film at her own wedding. When you add the fact that she had the gory nightmare the night before, it left me wondering if she was unsure of marrying Edward? Did she have fears of marrying into the vampire life? Was she having regrets regarding Jake? In the book, her feelings are crystal clear. She merely despised being the center of attention, the spectacle of a wedding, the fear of her clumsiness, etc. but there was NO hesitation in marrying Edward. All such confusions were clarified, and beautifully so and I found that very satisfying. The relationships are explored more deeply than time allows for in a film and so I found myself more emotional than I ever imagined, shedding a tear many times throughout the series. Some scenes were so beautiful, I couldn't understand why they were left from the movie or played more faithfully to the scene in the book (like some scenes were watered down). For example, the extent of her love for Jake and her pain in leaving him after the fight with the newborns that left him many broken bones, was played out so beautifully in the book. I wish they had been truer to the book on that one for sure. Reading this series was so satisfying that I found it quickly became the best part of my day. I looked forward to when I could become engrossed in this lovely fantasyland get-away. I'm 52 years old and do not ever remember crying just because I read the words ….."The End".