Now that I have it out of my system, it's time to move on. A couple of things I've learned from reading this series:
1. I will ALWAYS try to keep up with what my kids are reading. I was surprised that there are parents who are letting their tween daughters read this stuff. Maybe surprised is the wrong word... disappointed maybe? I know how wrapped up I get when I'm reading books -- I tune out EVERYTHING and completely immerse myself in the book, ask my hubby -- so it made me a little uncomfortable reading, uh, certain parts. No incredibly graphic details, but I would say it's at least PG-13 material. I felt like I was eavesdropping on someone's very personal moments.
2. I will try to discuss said material with my kids. I know, I know, it's uncomfortable stuff, but I realize that, if I were a teenager, this kind of novel would just add to my warped perception of what love and marriage should look like. It's kind of like a modern day, twisted fairy tale where everyone lives happily ever after, no one (except a few of the bad guys) dies, and the "princess" (Bella) gets everything she thought she wanted, plus a few bonuses. I kept waiting for her to suffer, and she did (to a certain extent), but nothing long-lasting. Not like Harry Potter, where the main character suffers much, losing many of his loved ones, but decides to take the right, rather than the easy path. By Book 7 of HP, I was very impressed with Harry. Not so with Bella.
I'm moving on to JA's Persuasion (the only Austen book I haven't read yet), then perhaps Les Miserables. I need to purge my mind with some classics.
If anyone is in the mood for vampire stories, read Dracula or The Historian. Much better literature.
2 comments:
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I haven't read them. I am not really into vampires. But I know what you mean about tweens reading stuff. I felt that way about the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books. I knew my niece had them. I found out later that my sis-in-law paper clipped certain pages she couldn't read. I don't think every parent does that though.
Please post how you like Persuasion. Its a little slow, but I really liked it. I am reading 'Austenland' right now and really like it.
Will you read the abridged or unabridged Les Mes? I have Justin's unabridged copy. I couldn't get through it. I tried.
I'm not THAT into vampires either (at least, not in a weird, goth sort of way), but I do like stories that are a little scary, and I thought both Dracula and The Historian did a good job with that. I never read any Anne Rice novels, for example. This "Twilight" series was more of a pop culture experiment for me.
I'll let you know how I liked Persuasion. I've only read the abridged version of Les Mes, so I think I might move on to the unabridged this time.
Post a Comment