Why Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Series is so Good

Anyone who is breathing and has or is a daughter, a wife, a niece, a sister or son with a girlfriend knows what August 2, 2008, means: Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn hit the shelves, the final of four dramatic books about a normal teenage girl who falls obsessively in love with a vampire. The mania surrounding Meyer's books can only be compared to that of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, making evident that Meyer touched not only a nerve, but the heart of every girl by putting words to their feelings and desires.

As a twenty-six year old married mother of three, I've fallen in love with this series as well. I devoured the first book, Twilight, in two days. Book two, New Moon, took a bit more effort, as the plot moved at a snail's pace and...well, let's be honest here: Edward wasn't present until the end, and that's when the story got good again. The third book, Eclipse, grabbed me once again by the collar and I've waited ever since for more.

But I'll be honest, here. I always wondered why everyone I spoke with--with the exception of one or two women-praised these books as if we're looking at the next Jane Austen. Is Meyer next literary genius? I don't think so.

I'm not convinced Meyer wrote these books with as much attention as Austen might have. Simply written, it is evident Meyer's undisputed talents lie with writing tension and with the ability to portray and find the voice of a normal girl with an accuracy unmatched. It's a gripping series. Any girl can relate to Bella, and every girl dreams of a love like she has. Every girl wants their Edward.

And while the praises have overwhelmed the reviews, there have been some criticisms. Children's Literature's review of New Moon stated "This is an overly long novel with a minimum of action" while Angelica Delgado of Voice of Youth Advocates said, "While certainly better written than its predecessor, it may leave the reader wishing for something different--a more empowered and self-assured heroine, comic relief to balance the perpetually brooding Edward, fewer references to the vampires' innate beauty." I have to agree. For example, if I have to hear of Edward 'dazzling' Bella with his beauty one more time, I'm going to go insane.

But that doesn't mean I love this series any less, and when I asked myself why, this is what I found: Meyer's talents transcend even the most basic of all the writing "guidelines." Readers, writers, and critics alike forgive her because the emotion she presents hits them in the face and won't go away. It leaves readers wanting more. That means more than her sin of overusing the world "dazzling" any day.

There's more, too, that makes this series not just good, but great. There's a message here, and a thought-provoking one at that. It's not just another love story.

By the time readers got to the third book, Eclipse, they found-if they hadn't suspected it already--that Bella had fallen in love with Jacob. That perhaps was the purpose to the labor-intensive, Edward-lacking New Moon more than anything.

But can a person fall in love with two people at the same time? Doesn't that go against...well, everything?

That's the real beauty of this series. There is more reality here than just that of a high school student's overdramatic life. When asked "don't you believe in true love anymore?" Meyer responded on her official website with something I hope everyone took note of.

"First of all, let me say that I do believe in true love. But I also deeply believe in the complexity, variety, and downright insanity of love. A lucky person loves hundreds of people in their lives, all in different ways, family love, friendship love, romantic love, all in so many shades and depths. I don't think you lose your ability-or right-to have true love by loving more than one person. In part, this is true because you never love two people the same way. Another part is that, if you're lucky, you learn to love better with practice. The bottom line is that you have to choose who you are going to commit to--that's the foundation of true love, not a lack of other options.

"...Does this love [with Jacob] devaluate her love for Edward? Not for me. For me, it makes that perfect true love stronger. Bella has another option. She has a really good one. An option that's easier in many ways, that takes nothing-like her family, present or future-away from her. She would have love, and friendship, and family--an enviable human future. But she chooses Edward over all of this. This makes it real for me."

Though there may be other books out there that attempt this same topic of complicated love, I can't think of one with Meyer's insights behind it. I hope every reader has taken notes, because she's right: Love isn't so much something that chooses you, because to make it work, you must choose it.

Meyer's story, no matter how well-written someone may think it is or not, demands the reader's attention. People wouldn't be foaming at the mouth to get her fourth book if it hadn't. Human beings--teens especially--just want to be understood, to feel that someone "gets" it without being condescending. Meyer accomplishes just that, and she does it well. I just hope her readers of all ages have understood her underlying message and have taken it to heart.