alright. I gotta speak my mind about this book. if you do not want me to spoil things for you, I suggest you stop reading this post until you've finished Breaking Dawn. for those of you who have finished, let's talk!
I realized that the more I think about the book, the more its flaws seem to compound, and I become increasingly disenchanted with it. I think I'll just list my issues to organize my thoughts better:
1. creepy vampire baby: although it seemed like meyer tried her darndest to make everybody fall in love with the thing, I never got over Renesmee's creepiness (don't even get me started on how much I hate her name!)she was too monstrous and did too many not nice things to bella's poor pregnant body. and her hair was weird.
2. long-windedness: I had issues with the lengthiness of the first 3 books but was able to see past that because I liked them. meyer has a tendency to drag nothing on for pages and pages . . . and pages. 700 pages were not necessary.
3. bella: although newborn vampires sound pretty nasty, I thought it was unrealistic for bella to skip the stage. and she sure mastered her new protection skill pretty quickly.
4. edward: I felt like, although I know he's supposed to be perfect, edward should have had some issues with bella's vampireness. he fell in love with a weak and clumsy human who needed protection. now that she has that super speed, agility, and strength that comes with becoming a vampire, she doesn't need him like she used to. he should have some issues with not getting to be protective anymore.
5. absence of climactic fight scene: what was up with the huge confrontation that ended in -- NOTHING??!! I was expecting this harry-potter-book-7-slash-ultimate-
fighter-championship brawl, but instead, they just talked for a bit and then went home to live happily ever after. I need my fight scene.
6. jacob imprinting on "nessie": creepy. pedophilic.
7. graphic content: descriptions of bella's pregnant state and of her first hunt literally made me throw up before I realized they were making me sick. I had to stop reading.
8. sexual content: too many innuendos for a book millions of 13-year-old girlies are going to read. (but apparently, vampire sex is pretty amazing?)
9. bella's red eyes: once again with the creepy.
some redeeming qualities:
1. the perfectness of edward and bella's cottage
2. bella's ability to let edward read her thoughts when she wants to
3. bella turning into a vampire because it was the only way edward could save her life
4. that they live happily ever after! :) I guess minus its many faults, I still wanted everything to wrap up nicely and for true love to live forever. should I expect any less of a young adult chick flick fiction?
10 comments:
Wow, what a downer:) I have many of the same issues, and I found myself re-reading Twilight almost immediately after finishing Breaking Dawn because I missed the original Edward/Bella story. I agree, she could have done better with the final installment. And the anti-climatic ending was not cool.
Although I still like the book because the ending with her and Edward happily ever after like I had always wanted and her letting him read her thoughts, I too thought other things were a tad disappointing. The fight scene for sure. I wanted some action and it just went away after it was talked about for half the book and the baby imprinting, although perfect somehow I imagine, was creepy. I would never let an adult imprint on my baby. That is just wrong. But I will just wait for the movie. That doesn't look like it is going to disappoint but I agree I miss the old Bella/Edward love story. She should have had some clumsiness in her new vampire stage.
I agree with you as well. The first books were terribly entertaining, but this last one was kind of a drag. I wanted a happy ending, but everything just seemed too convenient.
well gosh i guess im just a sucker for happy, nice, peaceful, romantic books. :D
i was actually relieved when the fight scene was over cause i didnt want people to die, and with the Volturi fight, someone would end up dying.
I also liked this book so much cause Bella finally became not so dumb. She was finally rid of her human faults(i thought she had alot :D) and since vampires are perfect i think thats why she could do stuff so well.
hehe sorry to seem confrontational
but i just wanted to support a different side. However, ill admit a lot of your points were true, though i didnt have a problem with "nessies" hair.
Love you lots!
-- Mel
you're silly, melanie. :) I don't think anyone would see your comments as "confrontational." besides, isn't talking about a book all about sharing differing opinions? thanks for sharing! :)
I'm with you on some points, Melis, but with Mel on others.
1. I agree that the lack of fight scene was really LAME. Is it morbid to think it would have made a better ending if someone HAD died?(I guess Irina did, but I never liked her anyway...)
2. I really like the creepy vampire baby (I actually had a dream two nights ago that I had one...). I pictured a beautiful girl with dark brown ringlets. And I actually liked the Jacob-imprinting bit and much preferred his nickname of Nessie to her AWFUL real name (though I did like the idea of naming her for both her mothers. I want to do that with one of my girls).
3. I agree that the blood drinking while pregnant and descriptions of hunting were stomach churning.
4. I agree that the sex references were inappropriate for the age group this book is intended for. They could have been left out and those of us who are allowed :D to think about those things could fill in the blanks.
5. I LOVE that she got to have a baby, despite the sucky circumstances. Before this book came out and there was the Jacob/Edward debate, nearly everyone I talked to who liked Jacob better liked him because Bella could have kids with him. There goes that idea! :D
Wow - sorry that was way longer than it should have been. Maybe I should have done my own post... :)
I agree with the whole idea of everyone loving Renesmee (hate the name, how the heck are you supposed to pronounce it?) She just seems a little too freakishly baby/adult/creepy to fall in love with, she was pretty dang brutal to bella too. I liked Bella ok in this, but I would have liked to see her struggle a little with the whole vampire thing. The fight scene at the end took all too long to finally come (650 pages) and then was over with some peaceful discussion!! seriously, not impressed. I would have to say book numbers 1-3 were definetly my favs.
Maybe I enjoyed BD more because I prepared myself to hate it since it was so highly anticipated. Funny that like my sisters who've read, I was happy that she was able to have a baby anyway, and I actually related to her pregnancy in so many ways--the twins almost killed me too. Even if her baby was fighting for her own life there is that instinct to love your baby no matter what they do to you. I thought their parenting was a bit comical, not having to deal with sleepless nights, so many people around constantly helping and adoring, and I was frustrated that she got EVERYTHING she wanted without having to struggle for it as long as most people would have. Also, I don't like that teens are the main audience--though I know there is plenty worse geared toward them. Overall, I was grateful for a happy ending and an overload of details. I do want to read it again more slowly someday, but it was a good finish for now. I do hope Midnight Sun is the best ever, but I have doubts that she'll be able to cover Edward properly in one book.
I'm not even sure where to start- maybe I should do my own post...and maybe my girls and I think alike. Overall, the symbolism in this book is even better than the others, and made me love it past the problems. Enough about that for now. How about point by point, based on your numbers?
1. Your comment made me laugh, because there you are, experiencing the very same thing! What pregnant woman doesn't sometimes feel like she's carrying a monster? Emily said that part well enough that I'll stop there.
2. Yeah, there were definitely scenes that could have been told much more succinctly; that aspect made me wonder if, because the characters are so real to her, she wrote about mundane details while she thought about them, almost like keeping a diary...
3. The mortal Bella was such a dork that I was glad I didn't have to read about all the ways she failed as a vampire. I hope I am as contrastingly impressive (so much better than the me I am now) when I am resurrected!
4. Edward loved the flawed Bella, so why wouldn't he be exceptionally proud of his new improved sweetheart? I never saw him as needing to prove how incredible he was (one more element of his appeal), so it made sense that he embraced all her abilities.
5. You're right - such a buildup, so much to create the contrasts of good vs. evil (including the evil that masquerades as good), such a beautiful speech by Garrett about freedom, only to end with Aro's ambiguous "Dear ones, we do not fight today." Where's the finality? However: Like Mel, I didn't really want anyone to die (at least not the good guys), but even in this scene, I think she had her purpose: she wants us to feel that these characters are so real, their lives go on with all the uncertainties of... real life. No final battle means they can still live on, struggle on, stay alive. In her head and ours.
6. No pedophilic creepiness for me; I'm like Alisa on this one. Imprinting seems bigger than attraction or romantic love. And because Jacob finally had someone to deeply care about - romantic notions aside - his prominence in the story finally made sense.
7. and 8. Totally agree with you. I'm not sure if I'm against all graphic details in books, but some of these could definitely have been left out. I'm a little worried about what's in my teens' heads after reading this...
9. Just a detail; I was pretty amazed, through all the series, at the precise details she came up with for her fantasy beings - different than the myths, but fascinating. I've never been interested in vampire legends, and I'm not now, but I sure like the idea that any being can be better than the norm by exercising self control and conquering evil with love. Isn't that why we're here?
Thanks for letting me chew on this - for laying out the format, and for sharing your views and letting me share mine.I just hope you won't block me from your blog now for going on and on!
Good thing we don't discuss every book we read here, eh? ;-?
Take care, keep loving your little monsters (in and out), and know that this has made me wish we could just sit and talk!
Sure love y'all,
Auntie Karla
P.S. I talked to my teens, and they were both comfortable with the amount of love/sex as well as the graphic vampire living details. Better in a book than in a movie, it seems. So, that doesn't mean I love those details, but they are, mmm, educational, maybe? Or just the part she could have left out? I'm less sure than before...
Did I tell you that you're just as gorgeous pregnant as un? Some girls have all the luck...
Hugs, Karla
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