Reader comments
'Twilighters' set to sink teeth into movie

49 comments   |   Read story

ew | 1:52 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
that is a creepy picture of Stephanie Meyer. Look closely at her hands. It looks like she has claws or something. Is that on purpose??? Or did she just get a really bad nail job done? Also, is she trying to look like a vampire? She looks pasty.
Maury | 5:26 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Unfortunate in my view to rationalize this type of content because it's only a book, first, and, second, it's written by someone who is LDS. Now, in movie format it's a crazed run on this teen, sex-filled vampire version of 90210 meets desperate housewives, but among teens... That's all we need. It's soft porn... And, somehow, one that is ok per reasons spelled out above. Weird.
Obsession | 6:10 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
The article says:
A self-described "thirtysomething mother of three," Clark might not seem like the typical fan of the Meyer books)

But I have heard of numerous twenty- and thirty- something mothers not only admit to this obsession but actually seem proud to announce that their little children would often stay in their pj's all day and only be given cold cereal to eat, as reading these books was way more important to their mothers.
Comments continue below
To Maury | 7:06 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Have you even read the books? They are not sex-filled at all. When the main characters finally do kiss there has been such a build up to it. No sex. ERNT! You sound like a right-wing nut. I can't help but laugh, and for those of us here at work, we've had a great time reading what you wrote. It's HILARIOUS! We can't stop laughing. Thank you for being ignorant and so off-base.
Anonymous | 7:16 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Twilight, like Harry Potter, has encouraged a generation of kids to read. If only something could get kids away from drive-up fast food windows and television and get them into a real life...
Excited | 7:27 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Hey Maury...Have you even read the books??? There is nothing porn about them! To even compare these completely smut-less novels to a self-proclaimed alduterous show is completey wrong. I feel sorry for you that you want to hind behind your unfounded opinions and made such ignorant statements. You are missing out!
Screen Age | 7:48 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
There is no need to label people or call them names.

Just as it it presumptuous to slam books you haven't read, it would likewise be foolish to defend a movie you hadn't seen just because you've read the books.

The reason the Potter movies were so true to the books is that JK Rowling had unusual control over the Potter movies, control that isn't usually granted to authors. For example, both the "Jason Bourne" and "Jack Ryan" movie series were not true to the books at all.

It remains to be seen if Stephenie Meyer had any such control over the movies, but reviewers are definitely writing that there is a sex scene in the movie... but they also write that it is tame enough to only "offend the Amish."

At any rate, bashing others for views you find amusing is a behavior others of us would likewise find amusing.
Lalalaleeesa | 7:49 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Funny ... it's okay for grown men to play video games ad nauseum, obsess over fantasy football, fantasy hockey, and fantasy baseball, fantasy NASCAR, watch ESPN habitually, and scream and moan over college football games, but if a grown woman gets into a book series and sees the movies, then she's a neglectful mother. Can you say "double standard"?
Anonymous | 8:19 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
My wife has read the books, and is a fan. That is just fine with me. We each have our own things we are fans of. I read them as well, to see if they were OK for our teenage daughter. Because Bella is way overly obsessed in a stalker kind of way with Edward, and the book is told first person through her...the book was a bit creepy and disturbing. I quickly grew tired of hearing adjectives like "angelic" describe a vampire.

But to say that there is no sex in the books...really? What about the part where Edward and Bella break the bed? Maybe some of you interpret this differently than I did.
Hey Maury | 8:20 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
If men like Maury would get a clue and read these books, they'd see why women love them. "Edward Cullen" is the type of man we'd all love to have --- he listens, is in tune with Bella's emotional needs, and is totally respectful of her and doesn't cross the line. Is that sexy? YES!!! But not by the male definition of sexy. Read and be elightened!
twilightmania | 8:47 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Read the books. They were fine. I don't get the obsession with Edward and clan.

So bite me.

Down with Edward | 8:54 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Jacob is where it's at!!
Lighten up | 8:58 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
The part where they break the bed doesn't happen until the 4th book.....and that's all you hear about their encounter. And they're married by then. They never had any carnal relations of any kind before they got married. And the author goes out of her way to not describe any details of their sexual relations.

Last I heard it's okay for married people to have sex. Lighten up.
Cats | 9:01 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
There is no sex in the Twilight books until after Bella and Edward are married. Even then, it's extremely subtle in the way it is presented.

One of the important features of the books is that Cullen is very respectful of Bella, a complete gentleman and insists that there be nothing improper between them until they are married.

These books are a wonderful example to young people of highly moral behavior. The Cullen family are determined to live lifes of character and high morality regardless of the fact that they are stuck being vampires. They don't live like other vampires. They believe in God, refuse to drink human blood and try to do good to everyone.

You need to read them to know what they are about. I really admire Stephanie Meyer for keeping to a high standard.
Father of 5 | 9:02 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
After ignoring my daughters persuasive arguments to read the Twilight book, she finally read the first few pages to me. I was hooked. I had her read some more, then she read the first chapter, then the second. Soon I grabbed the book away and have now read all three and can't wait to see the movie - for Family Night even. The guys at work tease me, but yeah, I'm a Twilight fan and proud of it!! Good fun!
Belle | 9:06 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Sex scene? I doubt it goes any farther than the book does - which is some face stroking and kissing. Written very appealingly, but certainly not sex. If they cross the line in the movie, they eliminate the chance for three more sequels - and that's not going to happen!
Anonymous | 9:15 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
I was able to see the movie on Tuesday with the press. There is no sex scene in this movie. There is a kissing scene with a lot of build up, but if you consider this sex, you have other problems to worry about!!!
Exactly, Cats! | 9:16 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
I have a female acquaintance who doesn't like the Twilight series because "there's not enough sex in them." Which is EXACTLY why I love them and would recommend them to anyone. Meyers has proved what Hollywood has forgotten, that "romantic" does not have to equal "sex."
Laughing at all of you! | 9:20 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
So...I saw the movie last night in a special screening and I have to say, they couldn't have done a poorer job on the movie if they tried! It was low budget, bad acting, and didn't capture the book at all. Unfortunetly, they will trick all of you into spending your money to prove that I am wrong when in reality, you will all wish you listened! 1/2 star out of 5 :(
Jacob | 9:26 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
The books are good read, and you see and hear more about sex on TV in one evening then you do in all 4 books

JACOB RULES!!!!!!
Swede | 9:45 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
I am 59 years old and a hopeless romantic, I have had a great life being married and now widowed. I found the Twilight series very enjoyable as Mrs. Meyers has written in the style of old-fashioned values of respect and morality. As I read them I realized she was able to capture the feelings of first love that I remember from so many years ago. The beautiful tenderness, the exhilaration of a touch to the cheek, and the anticipation of that first kiss. To be able to keep so many pages free from sexual content and still give the reader the feel of reading a romance novel is to be applauded. I have discussed the books with my daughter and she is not ready for her daughter (12) to read them and I agree. I really feel they are meant for a little bit older audience.
Beth | 9:53 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
I read the entire series. The plotline hooks you in and the books are a fun/light read. However if you think that there is anything more worthwhile than fun in these books then you're kidding yourselves. Bella is weak and clingy, she has no life outside of Edward, no additional interests. Meanwhile, Edward is bossy and controlling. Their relationship is founded on their intense connection, which is a little bit difficult to believe because they have zero common interests. When Edward leaves in book two Bella completely falls apart.

If you are going to let your teenage daughters read them, because they're fairly morally clean, that's fine but I would make sure that you have a talk with them about what a HEALTHY relationship looks like.

The saga could have just ended at book 3. No one needs to hear what happens during the "Happily Ever After", they just need to know that it's there. The fourth book was just weird!

And come on, vampire sex never ends? Give me a break. If that isn't giving girls misconceptions about love and marriage I don't know what is!

Grandma of 6 | 10:03 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
To "Laughing at all of you", I am sorry you didn't enjoy the movie. My Twenty-something daughters saw the movie on Monday night, they already have pre-paid tickets to see it at least 4 more times. Loved it. They have each read and reread the books so many times. If you don't like the books, it is because you have never read them, I promise you will not be able to put them down. Yes, they finally hooked me and I read them, and no I could not stop till I finished all of them. This grandma really loved them. I will also see the movie.
Ema | 10:11 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Some Twilight fans make me laugh so hard. I read all the books and am going to see the movie, but I am very aware of the books' flaws, and definitely don't think Edward is the perfect gentleman. I find him to be possessive and not at all in tune with Bella's wants and needs, and most of the things he does that are supposed to be romantic are actually creepy and stalker-ish (sneaking through Bella's window and watching her sleep without her knowledge, for example).

Also, for those saying how thoroughly "clean" these books are, read between the lines a little--Bella wanting Edward to "bite" her and him resisting despite his overwhelming need to indulge, is a very thinly veiled analogy for sex. And that's fine, but recognize it for what it is. And in the later books, Bella literally begs Edward for sex. Sure, they don't wind up doing it until they're married (and sex seems to be the main reason Bella agrees to marry him), but is begging for sex really moral behavior? I don't think so. It's just annoying.
Vampire Bullies | 10:11 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Forget Twilight, this forum reads like "Mean Girls."
Good Insight | 10:18 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
I agree with Beth. I have to opine that Stephenie Meyer must have an unmet psychological need that keeps appearing as a theme in her books --- the love martyr, the abandoned and love-lorn reject who triumphs when the man she obesses over finally returns her affections. This doesn't teach young teenage girls how to be healthy in relationships, as many of them DO obsess and pine after the unattainable one to the point that it's psychologically detrimental. Hope none of them jump off cliffs like Bella does, because there are no real-life Edwards or Jacobs to catch them. This weird love martyr character resurfaces in The Host, also by Meyer, and the character takes physical abuse from the one she loves, repeatedly. A little much for me.
Hit the nail on the Head | 11:11 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Amen to Beth. I read all four and I agree with you 100%. While I enjoyed books 1-3 and thought they were a cute and somewhat fun love story, I too felt that Bella needed to get her own life, Edward was too controlling and the 4th book just weirded me out.
To Anonymous 8:19 am | 11:24 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
This is a question for Anonymous 8:19am: So did your wife think "breaking the bed" books were good for your teenage daughter to be reading??
Anonymous | 11:31 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
I read the first book and couldn't get past it any further. Sorry...Bella was too frustrating to be in side her head.
Twilight is the Star Wars for girls and women. You serious Twilight fans who got your tickets long ago and are getting shirts to wear to the movie, etc...remember this next time you see a Trekkie or someone else who is a fan about something. Everybody apparently has their fan poison. :-)
What about the lies? | 11:52 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
I read Twilight to see if I wanted my kids to read it. I was so disgusted with the whole premise that I could barely finish the book. Teenagers are already so clueless in life, so to give them a book where the main character is so shallow and lets her "heart" rule her brain is dangerous. She lies throughout the entire book and puts herself in life and death situations: this is every parent's nightmare. I see the facination for the immature teenagers, but all of you older women who are into this book must have pretty shallow lives as well.
Get it over | 11:57 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
I am just glad the movie is almost here. I have had to her my wife and daughters go on about it for months. Looks like my son and I will be going to the Bond movie this weekend...thank goodness!
What happened to him? | 11:58 a.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Is this Edward person really played by the same gut that played Cedric in the Harry Potter movies?

What happened to him???

As Cedric, he was handsome. Here, he's just creepy.
JAMMER | 12:21 p.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Ok, I am a guy who has read 3 of the books with the purpose to see what my wife was reading and to build a common bond. I haven't read the fourth but if you your so scared about your teenagers reading about "sex", then you need to walk through a jr high or high school. It will be all around them. Not just in this book, but on TV, magazines, health class, etc. If you are affraid, then maybe you need to man up and talk to your kids about it.
AK | 12:58 p.m. Nov. 20, 2008
First I was surprised that a young LDS woman wrote these series of books. Her description of the Pacific Northwest & Native Americans (however brief) was very good. Never would have thought that with this topic--that an LDS female would write them...maybe its because I grew-up a in a different era--when females were more ????
Cats | 1:09 p.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Honestly, I am constantly amazed at how nasty people on these blogs are.

Look, Stephanie takes literary license and does some things in order to create some conflict and some twists and turns in the plot. And, clearly these books are, to a great extend, silly teenage romances. Of course, Bella isn't a completely believable character--none of them are. But, the books have a lot of imagination to them and present some good moral examples. Don't take the whole thing too seriously.

I actually didn't think the fourth book was the best. It was too long and actually pretty anti climactic. But, these books are wonderful for young people who are craving something of real romance and tenderness and getting nothing but degrading, destructive sexual content in most things they see around them.

Come on. Let's not always be so contrary and critical. Let's give Stephanie a break. She has tried to do something good and has, to a great extent, succeeded.
yea for $tephenie | 2:24 p.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Good job, Ms. Meyer. You set out to earn money when your family was in a tough situation and you succeeded splendidly.

Despite the varying opinions on this board, what was written was intriguing enough to have you spend some money to read it. Remember our taxes pay for the hundreds of copies the library sytem bought.
Silly | 3:26 p.m. Nov. 20, 2008
First things first, ALL OF THE BOOKS ARE GREAT! These books were never made for the young. They were made quote Myer,"For a older audiance" So if you are not ok with a couple scenes between a husband and wife than dont even turn on your T.V! These books are moral and have gained my respect for teaching teenagers that there is always the temptation to do things but it their choice to suffer the consequences good or bad.
Bad Writing | 4:34 p.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Bella commits the ultimate crime: she has no character development at all over four novels. None whatsoever! If there was ever a wish-fulfillment story, this is it. These books should be considered immoral and corrupting to young women on that basis alone.

On the whole, though, I have to give Ms. Meyer credit. I never thought that someone would write a book that make Eragon look good.
roger | 5:52 p.m. Nov. 20, 2008
hope they're good
Anonymous | 6:15 p.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Wasn't this fantasy stuff unhealthy before it got mormonised? Harry potter and the golden compass were the devils work, weren't they? Or was that just on sunday.
KJB | 6:52 p.m. Nov. 20, 2008
As silly as I think Twilightmania is, I have to admit that Lalalaleeesa has a pretty good point...
FlyOntheWall | 7:16 p.m. Nov. 20, 2008
I am not LDS. I have not read the books. I read all these posts just about everyday. Could I ask a question of the people here who are trashing Ms.Myer? Why is it that you keep a tally of how many NFL football players are LDS...how many politicians are LDS...how many successful businessmen are LDS, etc.? But when a female writer who is LDS becomes a world known writer, beloved by the public in general, you feel the need to ostracize her? I admire anyone who has talent. The fact that she is LDS is only incidental. Mormon women everywhere should be proud that Ms. Myer has broken the "glass Mormon ceiling".
A Father | 7:34 p.m. Nov. 20, 2008
I've read the books along with my daughter and neice. They were just ok. I much preferred Harry Potter, Eragon, Chronicles of Narnia, etc. Just because there is no explicit sex in the movie, I didn't appreciate the author's obsession with the male physique. I'm in pretty good shape, but I think if I were Meyer's husband, I'd have a complex. She's obsessed with muscles, etc.

And it's not fair for women to compare men to Edward. He isn't real! And I actually thought he was a jerk sometimes. What he did in the second book was despicable.

But all that said, they are fine books. It's always nice when a new series comes out that I can read with my children. Anything to get the TV/video games turned off!
Random | 7:41 p.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Thank you, FlyOntheWall. Good point. We do keep a rather obsessive list, don't we?
Random | 7:47 p.m. Nov. 20, 2008
I will admit, I have read the first book and I was hooked - but that doesn't necessarily mean I liked the books. I am NOT a romantic in any way. I will admit, however, that the books were incredibly well-written. I don't want to find my Edward Cullen - I think I'll stick with my Prince Charming.
brandon | 7:57 p.m. Nov. 20, 2008
I recall a time when we went to the movies as a family. Mom didn't want to see Harry Potter because it glorified sorcery. We said "Okay, why don't we go see this other one." She said "Hmmm, that looks interesting, okay". What was the show? Lord of the Rings. No one should lay a finger on Ms. Meyers. Every kid in our ward has read her books and loved them. Good stuff.
Old Lady | 8:04 p.m. Nov. 20, 2008
Please remember that these books are fiction and they are wonderful. I loved them and can't wait to see the movie.
FlyOntheWall | 8:45 p.m. Nov. 20, 2008
for Random@ 7:41
Thank you for your sense of humor. Not to be outdone on the "list obsession", I am Catholic and in the opening pages to our Bible there is a list of every Pope since Peter. Guess Mormons and Catholics both like their lists. Now if we could get the rest of these folks to lighten up just a little bit.
????? | 9:49 p.m. Nov. 20, 2008
wow some people need lives.....the people who obsess along with those who criticise.

Add your comment

Comments are monitored. Any comments found to be abusive, offensive, off-topic, misrepresentative, more than 200 words or containing URLs will not be posted.

Words Remaining

E-mail address: For internal use only. We may want to contact you to publish your comment (not your e-mail address) in the newspaper or for a separate story idea.

Image

Stephenie Meyer

previousnext

Latest comments

"Price has been problematic for proponents of the exchange who have been...

By the way: Legacy Highway was the suggested alternative to hwy 89.

..but, unfortunately, it sells papers because people want in on the gossip.

Peanuts are NOT NUTS. They are legumes, like beans are. I am allergic to tree...

Mosiah 4: 16-18: So tell me at what point did Mosiah say give of you...

Cougars O-line a strength

Now take advantage of their size and strength and run the ball more --...

Kim Shinkoskey...I'm afraid your the one who lost his mind.

Is Tiger Woods a sex addict?

It seems to me that if Tiger is going to be about fixing his problem the...

Well said...

Spoken like someone truly out of touch with reality. You now want us to...

Advertisements