The Twilight of Lake Woebegotten

By: Harrison Geillor

Narrated by: Eileen Stevens

Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

A small town...a plucky heroine, a shiny vampire, and a hunky Native American rival with a secret. But all is not as it seems in Lake Woebegotten. Let Harrison Geillor reveal what lies beneath the seemingly placid surface. You'll Laugh. We promise.

When Bonnie Grayduck relocates from sunny Santa Cruz California to the small town of Lake Woebegotten, Minnesota, to live with her estranged father, chief of the local two-man police department, she thinks she's leaving her troubles behind. But she soon becomes fascinated by another student - the brooding, beautiful Edwin Scullen, whose reclusive family hides a terrible secret. (Psst: they're actually vampires. But they're the kind who don't eat people, so it's okay.) Once Bonnie realizes what her new lover really is, she isn't afraid. Instead, she sees potential. Because while Bonnie seems to her friends and family to be an ordinary, slightly clumsy, easily-distracted girl, she's really manipulative, calculating, and power hungry, and not above committing murder to get her way. Or even just to amuse herself.

This is a love story about monsters...but the vampire isn't the monster.

©2011 Harrison Geillor (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Imitation Twilight Book, Sad

I’m still trying to figure out how this book even got published, the majority if it is basically the same structure and events as the Twilight Series with the Cullens, Edward, etc.. This book even used like names..How was this author not sued by the Twilight Series License Copyright Owners..????...

Now, given this book does at a point take a meandering Left Turn into different pastures, so the story begins to follow an independent storyline, but at the start of this book, it reads more like ‘Fan Fiction’ (aka same storyline events and characters), than an independent book.

I have to say that I’m definitely disappointed in any author who feels that he has to mimic another’s author’s work in order to write their own book.

After the story began to diverge itself from the Twilight Series storyline, it of course, could stand on its own and was a pretty strong storyline in itself, which makes the start of this book all the more sad.

All said and done, it’s an interesting book if you can get passed the initial Twilight beginning (and to name the book using the Twilight name seems like a thumb its nose at copyrighting move). This is definitely my last book reading by this author, which is too bad, as he is a good writer. If only he wrote just his own material, without relying on someone else’s work. As a want to be writer/author, I just find how he started this book, as extremely offensive to the original author’s time, and efforts, and most of all to his created work.

“Imitation is the highest form of flattery.” ..I would imagine this is the case, right up to the point where some bozo decides to steal your written work, change a fee things, and then sell it as their own to make a profit off it! Right about that moment, I would presume One’s tolerance of someone else basically stealing Your story, would be a LOT LESS about being flattered and a TON MORE about being P.O’d and suing them for copyright infringement!, at least it would be in my book.

Good for Entertainment… A Little Drawn Out

I like that the story was pretty decent as twilight satire and the narrator tried to perform a Minnesota accent which wasn’t bad. I thought the main character of Bonnie was a little shallow. I didn’t believe her so much as a psychotic murder then a villain in an old comic book shouting they must have more powers to take over the world. In the vein of twilight though, it wasn’t awful.

Surfer Chick turned Goth in Minnesnowda

I’ve never read/watched Twilight, so I’m sure there were jokes I missed, but I still found this a funny listen. It offers some interesting perspectives on vampires and calls out some of the problematic parts of Twilight in a useful way.

Enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it was familiar but took alternate routes that made this a new and interesting version of Twilight. Nicely done.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Narrator, referring to the character in the story not Eileen Stevens who did fit well for this audio.

Which scene was your favorite?

Bonnie "turning" process and who caused it was fitting even if it were predictable.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The last chapter and how the "Narrator" put the possibility to a great conclusion of this book together.

Any additional comments?

I would not call this a spoof as I would interpret that to mean a comic version. I did not find this funny but an alternate version of Twilight, making this for me a different story altogether.

Shame on you Harrison Geillor! You are no author.

I can not believe that you have not been sued for copying someone else's work! People this is a book that was stolen from the Twilight series! Even most of the names are the same! Yeah it does change eventually from the Twight series but not soon enough for me! What were you thinking? You either are an author or your not and unless you can't put your own ideas on paper then dont put anything at all! I hate to be so harsh but seriously, did you think that no one would notice? I'm sorry but like another review I read and agree with, I wont be reading anymore from you.

Better Then Meyers

If you still carry a deep and abiding shame for having been a “Twi-hard” fangirl in your misspent youth, this book is for you.

I love how tongue and cheek honest this is.

Lots of twists and turns with actually character depth and development.

The humor is just spot on, and balanced perfectly with Bonnie’s macabre sociopathic viewpoint.

This novel almost make having read the source material worth it. Almost.

I will definitely be listening to this again.

Knock off story ! With a twist.

Start out good. Like how they change name. Bunny was way better then intentionally main character of the other story we all have read. Just toward the end . Just really figure out what story they trying to come up with.

Not A Bad Deal At All

I think in order to appreciate Mr. Geillor’s storytelling one can’t take the source material too seriously. I’ll say upfront that I am not a fan of the Twilight series, and I imagine that diehard fans would not enjoy this send-up of their beloved story. It’s less a love story and more a dark fable about power and seduction, lies, secrets and manipulation. And while the story is funny, it’s not as funny as “Zombies of Lake Woebegotten,” and it is more sarcastic than laugh-out-loud hilarious. This story is dark and the primary character, Bonnie Grayduck, is rather unlikeable, not because she is bland and under-developed, like the character in the original story, but because she is a self-professed monster.

Geillor, whoever he or she really is, can write, and he wrote the heck out of these characters. He took the source material out of the young adult world and placed it firmly in the adult world. He took trite characters, twisted them up, and gave them characteristics that made them interesting. He plotted this story not so that one thing happens, and then the next and the next, although that does happen, but the plot unfolds through the characters and the consequences of their actions. If you read “Zombies” then you’ll remember Principal Levitt. He reappears in this story, and who he is, is important to the story because who he is drives his actions and his actions have serious consequences. Things don’t just happen to Principal Levitt and he doesn’t just respond.

Finally, I have to wonder if it is “Ms.” Geillor, and not “Mr.” because while the story is dark and violent there are a number of observations that are straight out of a feminine experience. I think women are less afraid of their own dark sides, and we know how and when to hitch on a smile and play along in order spare someone’s ego or avoid a conflict when what we really want to do is burn something to the ground. And maybe I just like the idea of this kind of story being written by a woman.

Eileen Stevens did an amazing job narrating this book, especially the voice of Bonnie, but… I did miss Phil Gigante’s baritone. He would have been wonderful as the Narrator, especially in Garrison Keillor mode.

A tile for this.... TWISTED

this was definitely the most twisted book I think I have listened to in a long time. Man they really make Bella evil but in a very enjoyable way that makes you want to find out just exactly what the heck she's going to do!

who cares about werewolves are vampires just beware of Bella. All ye beware of Bella.

definitely one of my favorite books of the year

Pleasantly Surprised

I'm honestly surprised by how good the writing is. My only complaint is that Paul Reubens was in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, not the Lost Boys 😂