RA Crossroads No. 6
Breaking Dawn, Book 4 in the "Twilight" Series
By Neal Wyatt -- Library Journal, 7/28/2008 10:53:00 AM
As Lewis Carroll’s Alice so aptly points out, "What is the use of a book...without pictures or conversations?" Welcome to RA Crossroads, where books, movies, music, and other media converge and whole-collection reader’s advisory service goes where it may. In this column, Breaking Dawn, Book 4 in the hit "Twilight" series, leads me down a winding path.
Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer’s final "Twilight" novel featuring Edward, the gentlemanly teenage vampire, and Bella, the klutzy love of his life, will be released on A
ugust 2. The frenzy around it rivals that of the last Harry Potter book for good reason—Meyer’s books are addictive.They read like Charles Dickens in a more romantic mood and Jane Austen on nitrous oxide, featuring full-bodied storytelling, dashes of melodrama, lush romanticism that manages to be both very tame and highly charged, and a tone that is so evocative that readers just sink into the stories and float away. Regretfully, no matter how long the books are—Breaking Dawn is 768 pages—the stories end and leave readers aching for more.
The vampire angle can lead to other YA paranormal novels such as Annette Curtis Klause’s The Silver Kiss, Vivian Vande Velde’s Companions of the Night, Cynthia Leitich Smith’s Tantalize, and Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely. Adult fans might find similar pleasures in the dark romantic elements of Kim Harrison, Karen Marie Moning, and Laurell K. Hamilton or the gothic flavor of Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian.But Edward’s being a vampire is not what makes the "Twilight" titles so c
ompulsively enjoyable—that would be Edward’s relationship with Bella and the details of their courtship. Meyer accomplishes this with a heady romantic feel and beautiful characterizations. For more of the same, readers have to go outside the vampire milieu. Consider Franco Zeffirelli’s version of Romeo & Juliet, complete with soaring score and beautifully framed shots, and Jeannot Szwarc’s Somewhere in Time (based on the Richard Matheson novel). Shannon Hale’s Book of a Thousand Days and Diana Gabaldon’s "Outlander" series hold similar romantic power, while Josephine Bailey’s narration of Pride and Prejudice should please fans charmed by Edward’s courtship.Books as resonant as Meyer’s, however, don’t create demand for a read-, listen-, or watch-alike as much as more "Twilight" lore. To that end, Meyer’s web site offers outtakes of sections cut in the editing process, including a fabulous extended version of the prom scene in Twilight and a draft of the story from Edward’s point of view.
The site also shares music playlists selected by Meyer, no surprise since music is huge in these books. Radiohead, Alanis Morissette, and Linkin Park are featured. Muse and Coldplay get heavy rotation. If the books have driven you to the music, then consider Oasis, Snow Patrol, Bloc Party, Incubus, and the more evocative notes of Sarah McLachlan.
For fans who just cannot get enough, there are "Twilight" inspired bands. The Bella Cullen Project, a three-girl group out of Texas, is one to consider. There is also the movie, out in December. When the trailer hit the web, Meyer’s fans dissected it scene by scene.
And isn’t that what we hope for our readers and ourselves: books so fulfilling that we simply give over and rejoice in their very existence?
