REVIEW: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
By Jane • Aug 5th, 2008 • Category: D Reviews, Reviews • •Dear Ms. Meyer:
My overriding thought when I was reading Breaking Dawn was that it was a good thing this wasn’t the first book because I wonder how many people would have glommed onto the series after reading this mess of a story.
I totally loved Twilight, was less than enthralled with New Moon, watched the wheels fall off the bus in Eclipse, and now have come to this sad and somewhat crazy conclusion.
I confess that when I first started reading this I wondered what fan had ghost written it because it reads like total fan fiction. The first section is told by Bella and relates her marriage in great detail. Of course Bella does not like pretty dresses or pretty decorations or being the center of attention. Despite that, we readers are treated to pages and pages of descriptions about the wedding. And some strange info dump in the beginning that is randomly inserted about immortal children and how turning them is a danger.
The first section was very difficult for me to follow. The transitions from one scene to another to a flashback weren’t clearly denoted and half the time I hadn’t realized that I was switching times and scenes until a quarter or half the way through. For example, in the first “chapter” Bella is in the present talking to her friend. Then she is thinking about telling Charlie about getting married which happened sometime in the past and this immediately segues into Bella telling her mother sometime after telling Charlie but sometime before the present time.
“But you have to tell your mom! I’m not saying one word to Renée! That’s all yours!” He busted into loud guffaws.
I paused with my hand on the doorknob, smiling. Sure, at the time, Charlie’s words had terrified me. The ultimate doom: telling Renée. Early marriage was higher up on her blacklist than boiling live puppies.
Who could have foreseen her response? Not me. Certainly not Charlie. Maybe Alice, but I hadn’t thought to ask her.
“Well, Bella,” Renée had said after I’d choked and stuttered out the impossible words: Mom, I’m marrying Edward. “I’m a little miffed that you waited so long to tell me. Plane tickets only get more expensive. Oooh,” she’d fretted. “Do you think Phil’s cast will be off by then? It will spoil the pictures if he’s not in a tux—”
The first section meanders from the wedding to the honeymoon where Bella begs for sex and I assume that Edward gives it to her. It’s very stream of consciousness storytelling. Oh, and in true romance style, the first time was fantastic. Utterly divine which is par for the course in the book. Even minor issues of pain and suffering are rewarded with perfection.
I talked to Robin about this and she pointed out that is Freud’s theory of omnipotence. Basically Bella wishes for things to come into fruition and they do. She has utter control over herself and her surroundings. There is no conflict, suspense or urgency because the reader knows that Bella’s wishes will ultimately triumph in her favor. The voices of the narrators and their actions are very immature. They show no forethought, planning or reasoning. It’s response, reaction, act. In fact, I thought the voice of the characters (their maturity level) is shown by the name of Bella’s daughter: Reneesme, a combo of both Bella and Edward’s mother’s names. Because Renee Esme Cullen is not as good as Reneesme. After all, who is going to mock a vampire on the playground, right?
There was an interesting theme that was brought up: Is it better to rule through free will or subjugation? There is no resolution to the theme, no showing that free will is better. There’s discussion but no action. Any resolution comes not because one concept is superior to the other but because Bella wishes that the resolution would end and it does.
I’m not even sure what the conflict was/is anymore. I think that Edward didn’t want to make Bella a vampire but agreed to do so if she married him. This was explained because Edward was old fashioned. (Apparently in the Victorian period, it was only okay to change someone after you married them. WTF?). During the honeymoon, Edward’s strength leaves bruises on Bella’s body and so he refuses to make love to her again until she is changed. But does he change her? Of course not because where would the artificial tension come from?
The faux conflicts were wall bangers in and of themselves but when Bella becomes pregnant (yes, this is just like fan fiction), the story really hits the wall. Any semblance of world building that was created in the past is just thrown out the window. Humans and vampires can mate! They can have children! You can see your old family! You can have more than one gift! Throw out the rules! We need conflict!
I think the most disappointing thing about this book was the lack of organic conflict. Everything seemed so manufactured from Edward not wanting to turn Bella into vampire which we know he ultimately will otherwise why the marriage, to Bella becoming pregnant, to the ultimate resolution to the baby issue. Some deem this a dark book? How so? She gets pregnant, lives forever with the most perfect man, everyone lives to serve her, she has uber riches, and suffers hardly at all. She has ultimate control over her vampire urges, as if she had been a vampire for centuries. Her child is the most perfect individual. Bella herself even has two gifts while every other vampire has one.
There were parts of the story that were interesting. I found Jacob’s section, the middle one, to be the best told. His struggle with his role in the Pack and his feelings for Bella and the concepts of free will and domination were probably the most compelling part of the story. In his eyes, through his voice, the story was the most authentic. But, the whole concept of free will is undermined by imprinting. Imprinting is when one shapeshifter finds its fated mate. Where’s the free will there?
I’m pretty sure I would have been better off stopping with Twilight as each book has successively gone down the hill for me. It’s entire purpose is to provide the most happy ending of all time for everyone. And I do mean everyone. D
Best regards
Jane
This book can be purchased in hardcover from Amazon or Powells or ebook format.
Jane is a long time romance reader whose passion is, you guessed it, reading. Jane also does not like to talk about herself in the third person, but apparently this is the way that this biography thing works (although in a true biography, someone else would be writing this blurb). Anyway, currently Jane loves urban fantasy authors Patricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews. She's really excited about this year's crop of historicals including Joanna Bourne's The Spymaster's Lady and Sherry Thomas' Private Arrangements and the upcoming Loretta Chase Her Scandalous Ways.
She's looking for a good contemporary author. Email her with a recommendation!
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This book is fairly craptastic. D is a generous grade.
I was more than slightly disturbed on several levels. Not the least of which is the fact that this series is intended for a YA audience, who is shown that one can blithely get knocked up and married right out of high school by a super rich guy who will always be there to take care of her. No need for a career or further education of any sort.
The Jacob imprinting made me nauseous (srsly, just….ewwww).
Bella shows incredible immaturity throughout the entire series, and it would concern me that she is responsible for a young life when she has shown no inclination to manage her own, instead depending upon the people around her for happiness and security.
This makes me very happy that I stopped reading after Twilight. I just couldn’t take Bella’s doormat personality.
I haven’t seen too many really positive reviews for this yet. I am waiting for it to come into the library, and I am glad that I didn’t shell out money for it!
I did. I liked Twilight. Really. Especially, my 13-year-old self (whom I quite frequently defer to) loved it. But not enough to read the rest.
Lots of inadvertent subtext informed by the religious culture of the author. It’s too complicated to explain, but I can see it very clearly.
I’ve always had isues with the Twilight books (namely the total lack of anything resembling a journey for Bella; she remains a total cipher whose sole purpose is the love and be loved by Edward), but this one… sheesh. I read the plot summary on Wikipedia, and I was SURE it was a fake. I mean, Renesme? Come on. I was stunned when I went to Amazon and started reading the reviews to discover that, nope, Wikipedia was right!
I think the main problem with the subsequent Twilight books is that SM never planned on writing a series (or- gag- “saga.”) Her attempts at spinning plot always feel really forced and off. And don’t even get me started on the whole, “Edward refuses to have sex with Bella” motif in the books. Gotta love a man who’s in total control of his girl’s sexuality!
This is really interesting for me, as I was really impressed with Twilight. My MOM loved Twilight. I didn’t even really need a sequel. The second one (is that New Moon?) I didn’t even finish. It wasn’t that I hated it, I just wasn’t interested. I don’t think I even got 3 chapters into it. And then, I started hearing all these really terrible reviews about the successive books, and then hearing all about the rabid fans (aka LKH), and I was happy I didn’t board that boat when it left. I will always like Twilight, but I am absolutely content not reading the rest of them.
Once I accepted that this book was going to be different than I expected, I didn’t have a hard time finishing it. To me it seemed more fantasy than romance - since the great romance conflicts had been settled at the end of the last book - and I wondered if people who loved fantasy would like it more. I also thought the “turn to a vampire” issue had been settled at the end of the last book. In some ways, how that was handled in Breaking Dawn seemed to take all “free will”/ability to make that decision away from everyone.
I did wonder if teenagers would like this book because where Bella ended up almost seemed like my teenage nightmares - married with a kid at 19 - and I wondered if teenagers today would find that a satisfying ending. It does seem to endorse very traditional values. Even the great Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables - referred to in the Twilight series) did not want to end up that way in the early 1900s - nor did she want that then.
I read Twilight through book 3 back-to-back, so I can’t differentiate between them that easily. I did enjoy all three of those quite a bit. I didn’t enjoy this one nearly as much, but I don’t hate it. That’s too passionate a response for me for this book.
Let’s just say you’re not the only one. I’ve always had some issues with the books ever since Twilight, but Breaking Dawn raised my hackles.
From an objective standpoint, I agree that a D might be too generous a grade but I admit that I laughed so hard at numerous points (not in the good way, mind you) that I’m not sure I’d give it an F. I can understand why other readers would though, and why there’s a movement to return the book.
Let’s not forget that the daughter’s middle name is Carlie, a combination of Charlie and Carlisle, their respective fathers’ names.
I have this theory…
…It seems to me that sometimes first-time authors are published and heavily publicized just because they are attractive and young. Maybe it is assumed that their books will sell well just because people will be attracted to the author? I found Eragon personally unreadable and Twilight the same. I’m not that old myself, and I do read other YA books. Does anyone else remember the scandal 2 years or so ago by the young (& attractive) coed that was found to have heavily plagarized her YA novel? I don’t remember the young woman’s name but it seems like she was still in college and there was a lot of hype about her new book. Then after the plagiarism was proved, the publishers had to withdraw the book after it had been released.
Unfortunately, good-looking authors do not necessarily equate to quality reads.
I’m curious to see what everyone else thinks about my theory.
I agree completely. I loved Twilight, New Moon was ok but I despised Eclipse. Since I hated Eclipse I didn’t have high expectations for Breaking Dawn. The whole imprinting thing makes my skin crawl.
But you have to check out this site: http://community.livejournal.com/lion_lamb/1651773.html
MB, why don’t you take a look at agent and publishing blogs, and then see what you think about your theory? If all it took was good looks to get published, I’d call up a stylist, then start visiting publishers in person with my manuscript. Personality and good looks may help with publicity, but all the beauty in the world can’t write a good book.
MB - I think looks and youth can help one get a bigger publicity push (as does having some kind of platform/hook to get media coverage), but I believe that what’s on the page still matters most. It’s not like folks stare at a photo of Stephenie as they read the first book. There has to be some kind of story there to keep readers turning the page. Perhaps this is naive of me, but I don’t want to give up the belief that what’s on the page matters most in what is published.
I do remember the scandal you mentioned. I always thought part of that woman’s appeal was she was south asian and a few south asian books had been huge hits in very recent memory. I think she was also at an ivy league school. And, YA was hot. She tapped into a few publishing trends.
I also never read past Twilight (which was at most a B- or B for me). In that book, Bella was awkward and clumsy, yet she engaged the elegant, sexy Edward’s attention completely. Let’s not forget that she was a teenager and he was over a hundred. It seemed like a wish fullfilment fantasy to me at the time, so I’m not surprised the series has ended with more fantasy being fulfilled.
What I don’t understand is why it’s bothering some readers in the fourth book even though they loved the first book. I would have thought that people who categorically don’t care for Mary Sue stories would not have cared for Twilight either.
Meyer is Mormon, right? I get the impression that the ‘unique’ baby name might be a Mormon thing.
See here: http://wesclark.com/ubn/article.html
Janine, I’m easy. Sometimes even cheap. If an author can keep me turning pages, that’s all I need to say “I liked it.” Now, that doesn’t leave my inner lit-crit in the dust or anything, because it’ll be screaming at me throughout, asking me why I’m wasting my time.
What it does mean is that when I finish the book, I’ll acknowledge it wasn’t that good, but feel like I got my entertainment money’s worth anyway. It also means I probably won’t ever pick up that author again because my first response on hearing the name is, “Meh.”
Sandy, Mormons aren’t the only ones. There are plenty of cultures in the US that go for the unusual spellings in order to be unique or differentiate.
I read the first book and detested it, so I didn’t bother reading the other three.
That said, I still feel for Meyer, or any other new author who hits a home run her first time at bat. They get roped into these multi-book deals with publishers who don’t give a crap about the quality of the work, as long as they keep churning it out on schedule.
Sure, the book sold 1.3 million its first day out, but if everybody rushes back to the bookstore to return it, that’ll make for a very messy crash and burn to Meyer’s career.
This probably could’ve been avoided if her publisher had given her more time to finish the book.
MoJo — I think I’m in about the same place. I can enjoy stories where the plain or shy or clumsy girl gets the gorgeous guy and lives happily ever after. Cinderella stories are popular for a reason — we all want that to happen to us. So I can be easy too, and I wonder if I might have enjoyed Breaking Dawn somewhat despite all the points made in this review, since I enjoyed Twilight somewhat even though some of these same weaknesses were present in that book as well.
What I’m trying to ascertain (since I haven’t read books 2-4) is how this fourth book is different from the first book. To me, Twilight had a lot of the same issues that are bothering people in Breaking Dawn. My question is for readers like Jane who loved Twilight but disliked Breaking Dawn. I’m partly curious about why they loved Twilight so much because I’m trying to understand it’s phenomenal popularity. And I’m partly curious about the disappointment in Breaking Dawn, since that too is turning into a phenomenon.
Janine,
I don’t like Mary Sue’s but I loved Twilight. I thought it was a lovely fairy tale-esque story; it had a nice rhythm, I thought it was sweet, and I just liked it. Like I said before, I haven’t read the rest of them so I can’t say why others continued reading, but I didn’t find Bella to be a Mary Sue in Twilight. Anyway, my two cents.
Thanks, Randi. I liked Twilight too but my opinion differs from yours on the Mary Sue thing. I thought the wish fullfillment aspect (clumsy new girl gets gorgeous hot guy) was a lot of its appeal.
Janine — Jane will have to weigh in on the book itself, but when we were talking about it, what she described to me was beyond wish fulfillment; it was Bella having complete control over herself and her world simply by thinking something into being. Maybe that’s the complete literalization of wish fulfillment, I don’t know. But it reminded me of the whole childhood omnipotence thing because of the way kids go through that stage where they think they control the world through their thoughts (i.e. if they worry their parents will die, their parents *will* die, etc.). What she was talking about sounded much more like that — like Bella had become a meta Mary Sue perhaps.
Ironically, this whole conversation has made me interested in picking up the series, though, lol.
I haven’t read the books but for sometime have been in the middle of several extended conversations about them. I find them rather creepy since they appear to be about:
A masochistic girl who is in love with a gay vampire while a pedophilic werewolf loves her.
Janine: I’ve read Twilight and thought it was overhyped, but I understood why it was popular. It’s pure wish fulfillment and yes, Bella is a Mary Sue-type character. But in Twilight, I’d argue that it was possible for readers to not notice those traits, especially if they like the clumsy new girl gets hot guy storyline.
But in Breaking Dawn, Bella becomes the Mary Sue who out-Sues all other Mary Sues in the history of Mary Sues. This ending is not entirely surprising, but its execution is over the top ridiculous. So much so that I think those readers who failed to, or chose not to, notice Bella’s Mary Sue characteristics have no choice but to acknowledge them now.
So if I understand what you’re saying, Bella has become another Anita or Merry?
The most I’ve read from Stephenie Meyer was a few pages from Twilight. It didn’t really capture my interest, but after reading some of the reviews for Breaking Dawn…it almost makes me not want to pick up the series. It’s a shame though since it has such a beautiful cover though, I almost wish that it was more liked because of that.
The Host looks good though, I’ll probably pick that up eventually.
Maybe they’re socialists. That’d seem pretty dark.
What is a “Mary Sue” character?
I finally caught on to all the hype this time and thought, hey, maybe I’ll try that series. Glad I didn’t. I don’t mind Mary Sue too much, and I don’t mind chastity in a book, but the review here really makes me think that this had to be a rush job–trying to get all the $ they can out of a trend before it loses steam. A new author needs time to work and grow, rather than pressure to crank ‘em out so fast. Also, the review made it sound like a good editor could and should have caught some of those issues so that Meyer could rework them. Too bad, really.
btw—reneesme? That is a truly awful name.
Like others, I enjoyed Twilight even as I was aware of its flaws. I read 2 & 3, watched the series go downhill, and wasn’t impressed with 4.
One of the things I can’t help but wonder, is if SM lost contact with who her readership base really is. How many YA fantasy novels have a married, mother for a protagonist? I just can’t see how anyone would think that would appeal to 14-15-16 year olds.
The other thing I wonder about, is if SM paid any attention to the focus/interest of her fans. I’ve been slightly fascinated by the whole Twilight phenomenon and have read a number of the fan sites, Amazon chats, etc. There were several big issues that the die-hard, standing-at the-book-store-counter-at-11:59PM fans cared about. The Bella-Jacob-Edward love triangle was by far the biggest. (Our local bookstore sold T-shirts “Team Edward” & “Team Jacob.”) But also of importance was Bella giving up her family and her adjustment years of being a killer vampire. All of these became non-issues in Breaking Dawn. She swept them up into a tidy pile, and they disappeared.
What a lot of people wanted and expected was a book that dealt with those issues. For me, a perfect ending would have had Bella walking away from everything for Edward, facing the consequences of her choice, and suffering (and causing others to suffer) because of it. (Personally, I would have loved to see Jacob die trying to save Bella somehow. That would have ripped by heart out - in a good way.)
Anyways, I didn’t mean to make this so long. In short, what I’m trying to say is that a big part of the problem (as I see it) isn’t that that SM’s quality of writing went down (it wasn’t that high to begin with) but that we had expectations for the book and the characters. Huge expectations, and not a single one of them was even relevant in the story we ended up with.
Janine —
My feelings about the series are pretty much in alignment with Jane’s in that I loved Twilight, thought that New Moon was OK, and was a little disappointed in Eclipse. I am only a few chapters in to Breaking Dawn, but the warning bells are going off already.
I think that what I found most interesting and appealing about Twilight was the character of Edward and his conflicted feelings towards Bella. Sure, it made no sense for a brilliant, accomplished, gorgeous vampire who was over 100 years old to fall in love with clutsy, immature Bella, but (as you implied) that type of mismatch is the romance genre’s bread and butter. I zoomed through the story the first time that I read it, engaged by the dilemma of Edward and Bella’s “impossible” love, and the story of the clumsy, bookish girl who wins the attention and devotion of the coolest guy at school. I think the roots of the series problems are in Twilight as well, but the story was good enough that I overlooked most of them. As the series has progressed, issues like Bella’s immaturity and the fact that every male in the series is in love with her have become much more problematic. It becomes glaringly obvious that Bella is not worthy of all the male devotion being showered on her, and not interesting or mature enough to engage the interest of someone like Edward. As I read Breaking Dawn, I am acutely aware that I am reading a teen fantasy book (as Bella grumbles over the new Mercedes at Edward has given her, or bemoans the fact that Alice has orchestrated a gorgeous wedding for her. Life’s tough, Bella.) Jane hit the nail on the head when she said that it reads like fanfic.
Jane, I really enjoyed your review. Twilight was a really good love story, New Moon (which is actually my fav) was a really good story about devastation, Eclipse was a good book about co-dependency, and Breaking Dawn is a good story about WTF?
Someone who is “perfect” in every way (eg, Bella’s fatal flaw is that she’s. . .clumsy) and/or an author stand-in (eg, Bella looks like Meyer and has had some similar experiences).
I think BD is hilarious and cracktastic, but I’ve never loved the series (other than to mock it).
What a perfect review, thank you. I loved Twilight, and I actually liked New Moon and Eclipse very much. I even re-read them, which I rarely do. I realize that they are far from being well written, but for escapist fluff I thought they were a lot of fun.
I think one of the things that appealed to me the most about these books is that Bella managed to live an extraordinary life in an ordinary world. Her story walked the line between two worlds, and there’s something very engaging about that. (Who wouldn’t want to come home to someone like Edward after a long day at school/work?) But Breaking Dawn (or Breaking Wind as my husband has taken to calling it) just completely left the real world behind. Reality? Who needs it. And in leaving reality behind Ms. Meyer left me behind as well. That toehold in the real world has held the series together with some sense of cohesion, and without that cohesion BD just fell flat on its face.
I read Twilight and New Moon but I couldn’t really get into Eclipse (which I never fished). I was still vaguely interested in seeing how the story turned out & reading about the miracle baby, who Jacob imprinted on (or is it who imprinted on Jacob… whatever) and other nonsensical stuff, I really don’t have any desire to pick up the series again. As Jane pointed out, everything is neatly resolved and Bella gets a precious happily ever after. By comparison, Libba Bray didn’t wrap up her story (ie. The Sweet Far Thing) with a bow & actually sacrificed some characters, making the story stronger because she took those chances.
Ok, call me crazy, but I actually enjoyed Breaking Dawn. No, i do not think it was fantastic literature, but it was a good, make me feel good story with fun surprises.
I read Twilight and it held my attention and I thought it was cute. No, I did not think that was great literature either. I could barely get through the next two in the series, but mainly because they read more like the Young Adult series it is. I could not STAND Bella and her whineiness (I know, not a word). So, when I read Breaking Dawn, I though it would get more of the same mushy love story and indecision concerning which “boy” Bella loved. Instead I got a story that surprised me and kept me entertained. Now don’t get me wrong, it was over the top, but the whole series has been for me. It did read a bit like fan fiction, but again, it made me laugh and it made me cry (when she was saying good bye to Nessie) and most importantly it kept me entertained.
I can understand others not enjoying the book, but I think the extremely harsh criticism of Stephanie Meyer is absurd. Book burnings? Returning books to make her “pay” for not getting the story you wanted? Boycotting the movie? It is ridiculous. Take the book for what it is…FICTION that some may enjoy and some may not.
I was one of many who got some enjoyment from the first book and then began biting my nails in agony with each sequel. Gathering from the reviews I have been reading from various sites, this books stinks and I haven’t even began book two yet. I have to say I have been getting more enjoyment from all the negative reviews about this book and I applaud those people who are being honest about their reviews, rather than following the masses who are blinded by the hype behind the series. I know the author had certain messages she wanted to convey to readers, but throughtout the series I was always concerned that the wrong message was getting out and BD proved my fears (thank goodness I’m not an impressionable young teen!) It’s very unfortunate that this series had to end this way :( THANK YOU for the honest review!
!!! Srsly?
Thanks Jia (and everyone else who took the time to answer my question). I think I understand now.
“Mary Sue” (I think the male equivalent is “Marty Stu” or “Gary Stu”)is a term for the character who embodies the wish fulfillment fantasy. Sometimes the character will be endowed with too many good qualities and not enough flaws to be believable. Sometimes they possess special talents and abilities. Often they receive rewards and recognition that they have done nothing to earn. Sometimes everyone loves them, or the only people who dislike them are villains.
Mary Sue characters give the impression of being an emotional stand-in for the author, one on whom the author showers good things. The character makes readers feel that the author is making the character’s path too easy because the author wishes life had been like that for him or her. I’m not saying that’s actually the case (no reader can know what is in an author’s mind) — just that that’s how readers feel.
Probably one of the best known cases of a Mary Sue/Marty Stu character is Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Wesley is believed by some viewers (I can’t remember if there’s evidence of this) to have been based on Gene Roddenberry, his creator. Wesley was also a genius teenager and he often figured out the solutions for the problems that the ship’s crew was faced with, despite the fact that he was much younger and less experienced than the captain, the commander, and the other officers on board the ship. Even though many viewers found Wesley annoying, the crew members rarely got annoyed with him and instead, were frequently impressed and grateful for his help.
A further explanation of the term can be found here, on Wikipedia.
I was on the fence about reading this series. However, I’ve definitely fallen over on the No Read side. From what I can tell, Aside from the creepy/funny stuff — I think I’m going to go to Borders tomorrow and read the birth scene– Meyers did not do well when it came to a potential climatic battle. Not with a bang, but a fizzle.
I was surprised by the return the book campaign. If people are that unhappy with the book then it is definitely one way to catch the attention of the publisher.
And I doubt if BD would appeal to fantasy fans better than romance fans. I’m a definite fantasy fans and I like fantasy to be consistent and logical by the rules of the created world. Also, at least in high fantasy, the power of the sacrifice is an important element. Remember the end of the Lord of the Rings.
OKay a couple of things…
Jane I really hate to break it to you but it isn’t a Mormon name thing.
I have to say that as adults we may not like it, but when I am in my lower income (think projects) high school teaching and my students aren’t paying attention because they are reading this series as a literature teacher I am so not going to complain, because they are reading.
I haven’t read it yet (had to read Acheron first) but I will be reading it in the next coupe of days. I will say that though for me I have enjoyed the series so far for what it is, fantasy fiction.
I have been waiting and waiting for your take on this book. My family went up to Washington on Thursday and my sister spent the entire time gushing about this series. She spent all day Friday anticipating getting it on Saturday. Things went wrong and she wasn’t able to buy BD until Sunday. Then the sh*t hit the fan. Being an inveterate end reader, my sister quickly became very disgusted with what SM did to her world. All of us heard over and over how SM totally broke the rules of the world she created. Let’s just say that SM stomped all over this fan girl’s heart.
I haven’t read any of these books because I am not into teenage angst and drama, real life has provided me with enough of that, thank you. However, I have followed what the fans have been saying about BD. Either you’re a die hard fan girl all the way and SM can do no wrong, or SM has ruined everything that you liked about the series and you are pissed. In the end, what I have come up with about what goes down in BD is what Publisher’s Weekly had to say about it: This isn’t about happy endings; it’s about gratification. http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6584013.html?q=breaking+dawn
I didn’t read your review but I will say this: I loved Twilight, liked New Moon, barely finished Eclipse and will just forgo Breaking Dawn for right now. I think Ms. Meyer’s is a talented writer. I really enjoyed her stand alone, The Host. Anyway, I’m glad that this series has finally ended. The bookstores were really amping the anticipation up for this book and the disappointment is everywhere to be found.
I just finished The Host, and while I didn’t love it, I did enjoy it. It wasn’t one of those “I can’t put it down” books (yes, Jane, that means I did NOT gobble it all down in one night, like Victory of Eagles or Delicious!), but it moved quickly and was an engaging story with a very interesting premise.
When I read Twilight and its two sequels earlier this year, it was a the insistence of my teenage daughter. She really enjoyed them, while freely admitting they were nothing like great literature. Put me with those who liked Twilight and then become progressively disenchanted. I’m sorry, but not at all surprised, to read this review.
Guess I won’t fight the kid over who gets to read it first!
When I first found out what was happening, I thought WTF did she DO?! It is completely like a fanfic! I scanned it and did NOT like where she went with the story. I put it down and didn’t pick it up again.
Monday, I decided to go ahead and read the book - and I didn’t hate it. I actually like parts of it in an odd way. Strangely, I think my biggest gripe is that the entire book isn’t from Bella’s perspective. I can’t believe it, but it’s true.
Now I’m wondering if this will affect the audience for the movie?
From what I understand from an interview she did with MTV, she actually had the ideas for BREAKING DAWN from her original sequel to TWILIGHT as they are very similiar. The sequel that will never be published as it was so “horrid”. I still don’t see how the editors didn’t say anything to her about how it comes across as fanfiction. Why would they publish it when it was obvious at how rough it was and out there?
I have read all four books this week and I will admit, I never cared for Bella. And I never really seen any consquences for any of the choices that Bella makes. They always seem to work out in putting things back to status quo or making it all better without no pain or trouble. No growth of the characters at all except maybe Jacob (and even that is debatable.
Plus, I still don’t understand why a 107 year old vampire and his “family” would constantly enroll in high school. Maybe constantly enroll in various colleges, but HIGH SCHOOL where most older people don’t have that much in common with the teens? I am not saying it isn’t possible, but just so unlikely.
I am so glad to finally see a negative review of this book! I personally thought that all of them were a joke and I’ve only vaugely kept up with the plot in order to mock it.
For me it sends women back about 100 years and is just generally ridiculous.
I got the distinct impression, after recently viewing an interview with Meyer, that the first book’s publication was a fluke. She openly admitted she’d never had any desire to be a writer and felt perfectly content with her life as it was. Some dream gave her the idea for Twilight, so she more or less wrote it on a whim. When the book struck paydirt, she obviously decided to keep going.
What’s so irksome is this: Meyer seemed to have a serious–and, to me, really appalling–lack of commitment to and respect for the craft. So shoot me for idealizing what we do, but one doesn’t become a writer on a freakin’ whim. I’m not surprised there’s been a degeneration from one book to the next.
I’m one of those people who enjoyed Twilight. Not to obsessive extent, but I did find it unputdownable. New Moon was a struggle but I really liked Eclipse.
It turns out that this was because I was reading way too much into it - I came away with the impression that SM had been subtle and interesting and had Jacob imprinting on Bella but not telling her, which fit in with all the themes of self-sacrifice. Clearly I was utterly wrong! But I just couldn’t believe the story would be so neat and give such an obvious out for Bella.
IMO Bella wasn’t too bad in Twilight. She was different and maybe Edward liked her for that? And she showed some resourcefulness and courage going after her mother.
Reading the reviews, though, I doubt I’ll be buying Breaking Dawn - might get it from the library. It sounds like a clear case of objectively bad book that will sell, making it not a bad book. Having said that I have read the first chapter and I didn’t think the writing was confusing or bad; the flashbacks seemed well-integrated to me.
While Meyer may not be a great literary talent, she is a talented storyteller. I found the first three books in the series zipped by, even as I was aware of their flaws. I haven’t read Breaking Dawn yet, but it appears as if the flaws have finally overwhelmed the nook. Bella was unidimensional in that all she ever seemed to think about or talk about was Edward. I know that similar obsessions are a hallmark of teenagers in love, but her hyperfocus left little room for a personality that would explain why Edward loved her back. She whined her way through the books yet somehow managed to inspire passion in the two male protagonists. Edward was beautiful, generous, and exerted superhuman self-control, always putting Bella and her wants/needs first. IOW, he was quite perfect and far from the actual teenage boys the target audience of this series is likely to meet in the halls of their high schools. While I found him fascinating in Twilight, by the end of Eclipse he was actually a bit dull. If anything, one reason I liked Jacob is that he was imperfect and uncontrolled, trying to be mature but often falling prey to the extreme highs and lows that characterize most teenagers. He had an actual character arc, unlike Bella and Edward who seemed to be much the same at the end of book 3 as they were in book 1.
Despite these critiques, I enjoyed the series and give Meyer credit for creating a vivid world. However, I think I’ll wait and borrow BD from the library.
Well, clearly one does, if she’s anything to go by.
The question is, can you become a good writer on a whim. Seems like the answer is ‘no’.
Boy, am I glad I stopped at Twilight, which was underwhelming to me to say the very least. I’ve even heard that some people are thinking about returning this one because they’re so disappointed.
I haven’t had time to read all the comments so far, but I will.
I have a problem with Ms. Meyer, a Morman who married young and had kids, writing a story along these lines at all. Doesn’t it go against the grain of her very religion? I think I lost all interest in even reading beyond the first book when I found this out. I tried the first chapter or so and wanted to hurl.
We sold over 200 copies at midnight when it went on sale. I will be interested to hear from our customers how they felt about it.
My daughter read Twilight, could barely get thru it, got thru 4 pages of the 2nd one and gave it back to me to return before she could throw it against the wall. She hated it. The whole crappy story line (her words) and the fact that Vampires DO NOT SPARKLE! Guess starting her out when she was young on Dracula and Ann Rice spoiled her.
I thought we were discussing her book, not her religion? So, I’d have to respectfully disagree with you in thinking that a discussion of this author’s work would warrant a comment like this. And you’re not alone in thinking that either but I think judging her personally goes below the belt, to me. YMM, obviously.
Why? Are Mormons not allowed to write certain things? Are we held to some higher standard of what we can/can’t write? Are we not allowed to explore what it means to be human (well, or vampire, in this case), which includes some really not nice stuff and that it’s not all sweetness’n'light?
You know, I think this is clearly a case of wringing blood out of a turnip by the publisher and editors. They’re the ones who control the channel to the marketplace. If Meyer doesn’t have a commitment to the craft, who’s to blame? Meyer? No. The publisher and editors who facilitated her in that. If she has any thought about “craft” at all, I’d be surprised–and that’s not her fault. She hasn’t been required to to sell a gazillion+1 books.
According to an interview in USAToday, Meyers stated her goal is writing FIVE books next year. And one will be the totally fanfic of Twilight retold from Edward’s POV.
I’ve read my Twilight series books in front of the high school counselors in training at Girl Scout camp as well as the youth at church, and generated a lot of discussion. THIS is the book both groups are waiting for.
Well, if nothing else comes from the comments about this post, we’ve got a new term to use. Meta Mary Sue. Goes along with Ramen Romance and Care Bear Epilogue. ;)
Five books? Judging by Breaking Dawn, it doesn’t look like she can manage two!
~If she has any thought about “craft” at all, I’d be surprised–and that’s not her fault~
Yes, it is. Her name’s on the book. It’s her work.
I haven’t read Twilight yet, or any of those that follow, so I’m not commented on her craft. But it is the author who’s responsible for what’s on the page.
[...] who love it, really love it. Those who don’t, well, you can read their reviews on Amazon. Dear Author also posted an interesting, thoughtful review [...]
With all due respect, I keep hearing about editors and publishers being the “gatekeepers” of what goes on the shelf to keep the unsavories and the slushpile wannabes at bay. The industry can’t have it both ways: Either the gatekeepers aren’t doing their job or the author has more control over what gets published than anybody’s saying. Which one is it?
If the gatekeeper says, “Go back and fix A, B, and C–and this is how you do that–or we’re not putting it on the shelf,” then the author has to take a step back and go, “Oh, crap, I’m going to have to change things I don’t want to change, but okay, that’s what my gatekeeper told me to do and maybe I’ll learn more about my craft.”
If the gatekeeper says, “You don’t know your craft, but we’re not going to take the time out to teach you because you’re selling like hotcakes and we want to cash in,” then the author has A) no incentive to learn any craft and/or possibly B) has no idea she has none. Her sales don’t reflect her level of craft, so she can only assume that she’s pleasing people with what she’s writing–and that would be a valid assumption.
As Ann so rightly pointed out above, not only can you become a writer on a whim, one can become a bestselling author on a whim, no craft necessary–but the gatekeepers are the ones who can ultimately keep her off the shelves for lack of it and they choose not to do it.
I’ve certainly never thought of editors or publishers as gatekeepers. And a great deal of editing and publishing is subjective–because reading is. I’ve had editors rave about a book to me, then I read it and think wtf. My own and beloved editor once passed a book to me she was crazy about, and I couldn’t stand it, thought it flawed and dull, etc.
In my experience editors routinely edit, and make requests and suggestions for changes. Few are going to say ‘Do this, and do it my way or else.’ I’d say, those who do aren’t doing their job.
Because it’s the author’s book. A reasonable, intelligent author is going to listen to editorial feedback and work to improve the book. No reasonable, intelligent editor is going to say change this my way or I toss it. Not after the contract’s signed.
If an author continues to sell like hotcakes, whether you or I or others think it’s poorly crafted, many others don’t agree, or don’t care. It doesn’t make any of us wrong.
I disagree with you and Ann that one can become a bestselling author on a whim. It’s the readers who make a bestseller. And I can’t for the life of me figure out why a publisher–in the business of selling books–would keep a book or books off the shelf when readers line up to buy it.
At the end of the day, when your name’s on the book, you’re responsible. And the individual reader decides if–for them–you did a good job, or you didn’t.
No? With all due respect, I’m going to have to disagree. It was on a whim that I became a writer.
However, I do agree with how you feel in this case…my whim happened when I was 12, and I’ve been working hard ever since. It’s been my dream for years. If Meyer doesn’t even really want to be a writer then she shouldn’t be one.
When I read these, I keep trying to separate Mrs. Meyer, the person, from Mrs. Meyer, the author, and the product. “Whim” is probably a little too flippant a term. When one writes on a whim, that book ends up unfinished in a drawer. She might have begun writing on a whim, but she finished it, and got it published, because at some point, she decided, hey, I like this, I want it out there, and I want to keep doing it. She has discipline, drive, the guts to put her work out there. She has some talent. Perhaps this book will help her find ways to develop it further.
What’s wrong with SM having a story she wanted to tell? She thought up a story, dreamed it, whatever, wrote it down, and clearly worked hard on Twilight. How is that being a writer on a whim? I don’t understand why people are so angry about that?
IMO she is a great storyteller and her level of craft is not nearly so bad as it has been made out to be - certainly no worse than plenty of other books. Da Vinci Code, anyone? (not bashing it - I liked it! - but no-one would say it is well and elegantly written) I can think of better writers and stories I’d rather read, I can see the bashing regarding her themes, her latest plot, and her Mary Sue characters, but I don’t understand why people are saying basically that she can’t write. She can. Maybe she didn’t write Breaking Dawn well, but she does have talent and craft.
IMO anyone who is working this hard isn’t doing it on a whim. She may have decided to become ar writer on a whim, but to publish as many books (long ones at that) as she has requires a lot of hard work and dedication.
I think the general view of editors is that they are all Malcolm Cowley, helping Thomas Wolfe shape his books. I don’t get the feeling that the job and relationship of author/editor are anything like that today, however. Maybe they weren’t even like that back then, and Cowley and Wolfe were always an anomaly.
I actually do view editors/publishers as gatekeepers to. After all, the big 6 or 8 or however many big publishing houses there are determine to a large extent what is put on the bookshelves. Even if the editor’s taste is subjective, it is the editors who reject and acquire books that are ultimately published.
I don’t think this is a bad thing. After all, we need someone to help the readers whittle down their buy lists. Right now, with over 400 books being published each month in the romance genre alone, having a gatekeeper, even a subjective one, is somewhat helpful. I think I read somewhere that only 2% of what is submitted is published. If a reader were required to slog through 20,000 books a month, I think reading would decline dramatically.
Nora, as usual, makes indisputable sense. That’s what I find so maddening (no, not the knack for making sense, but the truths contained therein!) I certainly can’t deny the fact that the reading public determines sales. I can’t deny it would be suicidal for any publisher to choose quality over profit. What bothers me is when a “scribbler”–someone whose talent as well as devotion to craft are questionable–is so richly rewarded for her lack of talent and devotion. (But, you know, I suppose the same thing happens in the music and movie industries.)
Without a doubt, the public’s enthusiastic consumption of crap has been my biggest WTF? in all the years I’ve been writing. I suspect I’m not alone.
I believe that’s exactly what’s been stated in the thread, to become a writer, and I believe her own words buttress that assertion:
Sounds pretty whimsical to me.
I don’t think anyone’s alluded to any concept that she’s kept it all rolling as whimsical. I said it seems as if the publishers are trying to squeeze blood out of a turnip, if the review was anything to go by. Maybe some people can craft something that complex in 6 months (or however long, I’m sorry, I don’t know how long it took her to write it), but what does the review say?
I don’t know very little about fan fiction and thus can’t speak to its definition, but that didn’t sound like a compliment to me.
I mean, I don’t know much about fan fiction. :sigh:
A story or novel idea can often show up unexpectedly, when one is doing something else and interrupt other activities (like getting the kids to school) which may at first seem more important. I can see why this would strike some people as whimsical. But isn’t that why the stereotype of the writer’s capricious muse exists?
I don’t see any evidence in what’s quoted above that indicates to me that Meyer doesn’t take her craft seriously or doesn’t work hard at her books. From what I remember of Twilight, I wasn’t blown away by the craftsmanship, but neither was the writing so poor that I had to stop reading after two chapters (something that happens to me far more often than I’d like it to, and more than any of my reviews indicate).
Hence, I’d say that in my opinion, at least, Meyer’s craftsmanship is at least as good as that of the average published author. Far from spectacular, but far from heinous as well. I would guess that she does work hard at it, because even reasonably decent writing isn’t that easy to produce.
Why? Leaving aside the implications that Mormons can’t write fiction that doesn’t coincide with their beliefs, Meyer’s books promote abstinence and anti-abortion (as well as incest and pedophelia, but I don’t quite think that was what Meyer was aiming for).
Bella [uh, spoiler?] marries young and has a kid; Edward is a 100+ year old virgin. No sex til they’re married. No abortion even though the fetus is literally killing Bella (but, uh, vamping her is okay after the fact). The goriest birth scene ever. All the females in the book are baby crazy, but only the males and a few select (pure and innocent and all that) females are fertile. All the major characters are paired off by the end of the series. Everyone lives happily ever after forever and ever, with rainbows and sparkles!
It’s not. Often, when something is compared to fan fic, it means that the story lacks originality and is riddled with plot holes/contrivances and Mary Sues. So, just bad all around. I tend to think this is an insult to *good* fanfic writers (yeah, they exist) too, but the general meaning is that fan fic is at best derivative and at worse truly horrible/squick inducing.
I’ve seen some writers refer to fanfic as “disgusting”, and I can sort of understand their point, especially if all they’ve seen is the skeevy stuff where it’s badly written, the characters are paired off with no regard to “canon”, there’s a lot of self-insert characters, etc, etc, as opposed to the stuff that stays true to the characters (as much as possible when someone else is writing them) and explores certain aspects that may only be touched upon in the original work.
I’ve also seen some writers turn a blind eye towards fan fic or even encourage it. If nothing else, it’s free advertising* and it means that someone out there cares enough about your story to be this invested in it.
*I think most readers are bright enough to know the difference between fanfic and original stories.
I really liked the baby’s name. Struck me as exactly the sort of thing a (rather immature) teenager might name their child. And no-one uses the name - to Bella’s great disgust, they do corrupt the name to ‘Nessie’ in no time flat.
FWIW, my fifteen year old enjoyed the book. It’s not a series I love, I read it so I can talk to her about them, but I found perfectly readable.
My daughter was disappointed that Bella found the transistion so easy - and I think that was a flaw throughout the book - how easy everything turned out to be - but, at 700 pages, you’d have had to abandon the external conflict to go into that in any detail.
(I found the baby really creepy - didn’t Star Trek the Next Generation have an episode where the baby matured quickly? Creepy, creepy instead of cute.)
Overall, it hit my fairy tale response button: in a fairy tale the woodcutter’s third son always has the things he needs to complete the impossible task - that’s how the genre works. So the Real Princess can feel the Pea through forty mattresses, and Bella can perform similarly impossible feats because she’s the Real Heroine. In the context of a fairy tale, it doesn’t bother me.
Seems to me that a 700+ page book is already at LEAST two “normal” length books, possibly even three in YA. So, you know, I don’t think QUANTITY is going to be the problem…
On the assertion that Meyers’ description of how she began writing Twilight suggests she chose to “become a writer on a whim,” I have to staunchly disagree. Nothing about her story (posted by Mojo upthread) suggests to me a person who suddenly took up writing out of the blue. On the contrary, she had written a number of stories before (albeit only a few chapters of each), which to me indicates she had the urge to write well before she started Twilight.
In my experience, it’s that urge to write (and then actually doing it!) that matters most. Craft generally comes after you realize you have a story to tell, not before it. And perhaps the urge IS a whim, but it’s the thing that separates the writers from people who only think they want to be writers.
[...] the fourth and thankfully the last book in the series, was just…ARGH. Dear Author did a great review on their site, so I’d recommend BD readers to check it [...]
Is anyone surprised that the ending was awful? I confess I couldn’t make it past the first chapter, it was that awful. People told me to keep reading, it got better. There are too many good stories that start out good and stay good to waste the time on one that starts out awful and hope it gets better.
If publishers weren’t acting as arbiters of what we should read, we would’ve been reading “Harry Potter” a lot sooner and there wouldn’t be countless stories by top-selling authors about how many times they were rejected before they found someone willing to take a chance on their book. The publishers’ job is to make money and that’s what they publish. It seems, at this particular point in time, dreck can indeed sell like hotcakes while really good books get rejected as not being commercially viable.
I’m sure Stephanie Meyers thinks her writing is great, just as I am sure Paris Hilton thinks she can sing. Meyers’ belief in her talent is supported by the response to her books. What does she have to take responsibility for? Runaway sales? Screaming fans? Multi-million dollar movie deals? God bless me with such responsibility! At the end of the day, if she read this thread, she’d probably think those of us who just couldn’t stomach the writing to get to the story are the aberration - call it the “American Idol Syndrome.”
At the end of the day, I’d want the quality of my writing to be reflected by more than the sales numbers.
[...] very (DearAuthor) badly (PW) panned (LA Times) finale (Amazon review [...]
Have anyone seen this yet?
http://community.livejournal.com/lion_lamb/1651773.html
Good times.
Is it possible that Twilight was ghost written using Meyers’ notes and original manuscript? I keep hearing comments, even from fans, that the style of the last book is different than that of the first. Furthermore, most writers at least improve in basic writing skill as they publish, not get worse.
In Hollywood, it is very common for script doctors to polish or even rewrite entire scripts, but for commercial reasons to keep the original writer’s name on the marque (its well known inside of Hollywood that several Oscar winning films weren’t actually written by the winners.)
I wonder if Meyers’ original story was either rewritten or so massively edited that it’s a distinction without a difference. However, as time went on she insisted on writing the last book herself. [Her editor probably quit] And you end with something truly awful by any definition of the word. (This goes way beyond bad story telling, even if entertaining, can anyone deny this is monumentally bad writing? [Steven King and Rowling, as two examples, got long winded with meandering plots once they got powerful and told their editors to drop dead, but they never got close to this bad.)
I think I’ve been living under a rock because I’ve never heard of Stephenie Meyer till now (and I was told two days ago not to read her as the heroine and her sparkly boyfriend would drive me up the wall). But through the power of Google, I think I have the gist of this saga:
http://cleolinda.livejournal.com/630150.html
[quote][Steven King and Rowling, as two examples, got long winded with meandering plots once they got powerful and told their editors to drop dead, but they never got close to this bad.){quote]
My husband loves Family Guy, and they do a little bit on King referring to this. It may still be on YouTube. In it, King is just flipping through page after page and his editor stands there and says “You’re not even trying anymore, are you?” The he says, resignedly, “Ok, when can I have it?” There have been times I would have loved to go through King’s mss with a pair of scissors and a red pen.
Unsure how to add quotes, but the first sentence is not mine!
Ah, Mrs. Giggles. Thank you, that is hilarious.
Oh, god. Great times. Thank you for that, Mrs. G! I love the internets.
My Breaking Dawn review:
I would NEVER allow my young teen to read this book!!! YUCK! I, myself, was looking forward for this read all summer and I am so disappointed! I think this book has completely ruined the series. I will be selling my copy on Ebay! The characters were way out of character. I hardly recognized them. I felt like I was reading a whole different author … and I am a huge Stephenie fan! The imprinting on a baby thing gives me the creeps! Too close to pedifelia to me! YUCK YUCK YUCK!!!!
[...] was over on one of my go-to romance reader blogs talking about Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer, which I have not read. One commenter expressed disapproval of Meyer on the basis that she’s [...]
First, I would like to say that I personally fell in love with this book. The book is poorly written according to many people. I disagree. I also believe that the storyline is more important than the grammar. Both are important parts of a novel, but people do not go and buy Harry Potter and Eragon because the authors use proper grammar.
I would also like to point out that Jacob imprinting on Rennesmee is no less strange than Sam and Emily or any of the others.
And the combining names of Bella and Edwards parents names to name Rennesmee Carlie is no less strange than original names now.
I am fourteen years old and i love this book.
Wow, I’m shocked by what I’m reading. I read many books, but this one has to be my favorite of all time. One of the best love stories ever. At the end of this book it felt like it was just starting. I hope she does right more and I hope none of you read it… only the true fans.
Hello??? What is wrong with you people? BD is amazing! Why are you being so narrow minded? Stephenie Meyer is the author so she has the right to write whatever she likes. Fans are supposed to support the author, not criticize them. I’m sorry if I offended you but I’m just saying my thoughts.
Jacob imprinting on Renesmee is NOT disgusting. It’s just like Quil and Claire. I think you guys who thinks it’s gross have the wrong impression. As the book clearly states, he doesn’t have to be her lover. He could be a brother or a friend or whatever she needs him to be.
Besides, the ending is wonderful. If you’re looking for a miserable and tragic ending, read other books. This book is meant to finish with a happy ending. I think Stephenie Meyer did a fantastic job.
Don’t listen to the negative reviews, Stephenie. You did very well and I’ll always support you!!!
oh look. SM fans to the rescue.
they read like reviews of bad fanfiction too!
zomg if you like guys were like totally true fanzzzzzz you wouldnt be giving ur informed honest opinion about teh book!!!
*sigh*
I hated it. I had SEVERAL problems with the previous ones but I somehow managed to look past them because the story was engaging; couldn’t do that anymore with this final installment. Every issue I’d had in the past came back to me magnified tenfold. I don’t particularly mind the grammar because it wasn’t of high standard EVER throughout the series; I do however have a problem with plot holes, poorly developed characters, deus-ex-machina resolution of conflicts and so on. I don’t care if this sells, I don’t care if the fanbase is made up mostly of teenagers, I don’t care if it’s just a fluffy story. It deserves to be well thought-out and well told.
I disagree with whoever said Meyer is not a good writer but is a good storyteller. That may have been true for the first book, but Breaking Dawn proves her storytelling abilities went down the drain as well. A good storyteller would’ve managed to deal with the story lines SHE HERSELF SET UP PREVIOUSLY more adequately, even if not delivering a shockingly good prose. Hopefully she’ll be able to redeem herself in her next books but right now she seems to be pushing all negative criticism aside, from what I’ve heard in several interviews. No one expects her to be James Joyce in the making but that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t try and improve herself.
As far as the whimsical thing goes…I have to agree with whoever said she undermines the whole craft with her comments. I do understand inspiration comes suddenly and surprisingly, but this woman keeps saying things such as “Well I don’t know why that happened, my characters just told me to do it” or “Well that’s a very good question but I don’t have a clue, my characters keep secrets from me.” It’d be alright if she said this in good fun or as a tongue-in-cheek sort of thing, but she actually uses it as a supposedly valid excuse to “dodge the bullet” whenever someone points out possible holes in the plot and such. “When I write I don’t really think about what I’m doing, it just comes naturally.” Again, I understand some writers may be a lot more intuitive than others, but really, it always involves a complex process of thought. She DOES make it sound as if writing was oh-so-jolly-entertaining-and-just-so-darned-easy! The fact that she’s planning on releasing FIVE books next year is further evidence that she doesn’t take all of this very seriously. Maybe NO ONE should take ANY of this seriously but it’s just so very interesting from a cultural-analysis point of view.
Anyway…Breaking Dawn suxxxxxx lolol etc
To start off, I didn’t really like Breaking Dawn. I don’t hate it either, but… I think Stephenie Meyer could have done a better job with the book. >.>
I wasn’t really satisfied with Bella’s doings, and what was happening and the climax and the plot and blah, blah, blah.
But that’s my opinion. :/ When I first read Twilight, I was amazed. No, it wasn’t WELL written, like some other books, but it was interesting and it got my attention. New Moon was SUPER amazing. I really like Jacob. I prefer Jacob, much more than I would prepfer Edward. I mean Edward, he’s 100+ years old. And Bella really only likes Edward because he’s perfect, and hot, and whatever. If Edward REALLY looked liked his age, uh, well, her perspective for Edward would be different, so Bella really only judged Edward by his looks. Well, at first, anyways…
Eclipse was okay.. I especially liked the part where Bella realized she loved Jacob. I know that the story is about Edward and Bella, NOT Jacob and Bella, but still…
Anyways. About Breaking Dawn… I was upset about Jacob imprinting on Edward’s and Bella’s baby… that was quite a twist… and Bella getting pregnant too… that was pretty wow. I was kind of upset, actually. I shouldn’t have expected a whole lot, considering the fact that she’s not… that serious, but whatever.
I wish Jacob could have found a more suitable girl.. and blah, whatever.
Overall, Breaking Dawn was an okay book. I don’t hate it, I don’t like it. I’d give it a C+.
And sorry that this review is so crappy. It’s my first one. xD
I’m pretending it was a trilogy. That’s the only way I can redeem my love of the series. This has really upset me. It’s ridiculous how angry I am about this book. I’m furious. I feel betrayed. How could she have destroyed the dramatic tension with this rose coloured soap opera? Why didn’t her editor slap her? Who read this pre release and told her it was OK?
How could someone who loves Wuthering Heights and Romeo and Juliet write this??? No struggle, no loss, no redemption. Just awful. So awful.
okay bookfriends I’m hopelessly distracted by the repeated references to fanfic. Especially, esp. striking in that fanfic-esque is the immediate and independent conclusion of several reviewers, including cleolinda and the jezebels. Fanfic. Fanfic!? Yes, I’ve heard of this “fan-fic” before, but I didn’t realize–OOPS I forget what I was saying because “people read FANFIC?! other people’s fanfic??” keeps drowning out the rest. Also, “they keep reading so much fanfic that they notice what the worst examples have in common??” Srsly? And will I eventually have to acknowledge steampunk too?
I’m only 34 yrs old and I’m having that old lady vs. cultural shifts moment like when Doris Lessing went crazy and blamed bloggers for seducing away an entire generation into non-bookreading/writing internet dissipation. But fanfic? On the tip of your tongue, just like that? And it seemed the very most apt descriptor, one sure to resonate with your readers, who’ve surely read plenty of fanfic themselves? Fanfic is mainstream?!?!? Mainstreamish, at least? My head exploded.
I must know:
1) how exactly did you find yourselves reading fanfic?
2) what is awesome about it? It must be at least partly awesome, right, or why else would you have developed even passing familiarity with it. So, what keeps you going back for more?
3) where do you find the awesome stuff? I googled “fanfic” and I was just scared. Too much, too much. Advice pls?
Re: BD–oh good, once again I read a “D” review on your blog for a book I had no intention of reading or buying, and once AGAIN I find myself lured in by the promise of a messy spectacle. The last time this happened, I found myself LOVING the phantasmagoria that is BDB Lover Eternal, penile system and all. So I have to buy Breaking Dawn now (I mean I’m actually off to buy it right now) & I guess it will be my first lesson in fanfic-esque flavored fiction.
Also–I’m a little worried about this Renesmee thing. My name is Renee. Thank-you to Martin for Shenehneh because 15 years later I’m still getting Reneenay. Am I going to spend the rest of my life answering to Renesmee???
Stephenie Meyer you will pay.
Well Reneenay,
When I and others say that Breaking Dawn reads like a fanfiction, we mean as a really BAD fanfiction. Fanfiction is written by authors, especially a lot of teen authors, to fulfull certain storylines that aren’t in or wouldn’t be plausible in the original. I mean, you really would have to search for it, but there are some really good fanfiction writers out there. It’s more like Trial & Error when looking for the good stuff. Actually, some authors are so talented that they can rewrite an original story with their own ideas and make it even better. That is what the appeal of fanfiction is. I found my way to fanfiction through specific anime site, but that’s a different story.
For example, I’ve read A LOT of Twilight fanfiction, and nearly a third of the stories that exist, which were written before Breaking Dawn was even released, all have the pregnancy story arc in it. It just seemed in the actual novel that the author may have seen this and just decided to throw that story line in just to create drama, even after it is quoted in many places that she’s said that vampires can’t conceive or impregnate. Though now I’m hearing that Meyer is basically saying that she was misquoted and never said anything like that, which can make it seem as if she were leading a lot of her fans on. That really makes me question her integrity.
Also, the fact that all the characters get there happy ending and the main character Bella being described as a Mary Sue, which is another characteristic prominent in BAD fanfiction, kind of illustrates how much this reads as a fanfic. I guess the Mary Sue thing was always there in all the books, but the fact that all these ridiculous plot lines were thrown in that totally undermined a lot of the growing tension and backstory that was built in the other books was kind of the last straw for me and it made the book less enjoyable.
I was able to ignore all the flaws the other books had for a decent story, but all the things happening in Breaking Dawn was just ridiculous.
And sometimes “big name” published authors even write (good) fanfic. Steven Brust wrote a killer Firefly Novella (My Own Kind of Freedom).
http://dreamcafe.com/firefly.html
Hm… why did I start reading fan fic? I think I started because I wanted more of a world while the world was on hold or cancelled. Summer breaks of tv shows and gaps between books are sometimes hard to deal with.
I know I started with Dark Angel (one of my first amazing show obsessions) fan fic. Which spread to some other forms of fan fic. Also, I think the fact that I could (and would) read while at school helped to keep me coming back. But it has always been a struggle to find engaging stuff.
I don’t really read fan fic anymore, but I think it’s at least gotten a spolight in the mainstream world. Some famous authors have done it. Some famous authors have had problems with it. So it exists in the cultural conciousness.
Personally, I think that Breaking Dawn is an amazing book. It may not be as perfect or as intriguing as the other Twilight series but it really isn’t as bad as some of you think.
I absolutely agree with Lisa and I think that some of you should re-read the book before you write any bad reviews.
And, Ms Meyer, you did a great job. Don’t worry about the bad comments. Truefans will always support you and your books.
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I think we are all being a bit too hard on Stephanie Meyer. Although there are definately holes through out her stories what she excels in is making us care about the characters. I don’t understand why kids have to learn a strong moral lesson from a book like this. Also maybe Stepanie believes that she is sending a strong moral message. I mean, Bella cooks, cleans does her homework and didn’t have sex until she was married. Why can’t we look the positives from that. Also the relationship between Bella and Jacob was never because he really loved HER. More his subconcious knew that she would have his soul mate. With the way the world is today is it really bad to want everything to end up happy? Even Jane Austen ties things up in neat packages at the end of her stories. COME ON!
I’m so glad I found this review and this website, because I thought there was something wrong with me after finishing the series last weekend. I LOVED Twilight — still can’t get enough of it — the courtship phase is so enthralling. Reminds me of Pride and Prejudice, which I also love. Meyers is a very good storyteller, and she writes of Bella’s emotions so descriptively that if you’re a person who really puts themselves into the book (as I am), you really feel as though you are Bella (which made it fun for me).
Having said that, I didn’t like the other books. I kind of felt deflated — I loved the characters in the first book, but their development/actions in the last 3 books were not what I would have wanted for them. I’m not one for love triangles (New Moon), or long, drawn-out continuations of said triangles (Eclipse seemed to me like it was a loooong rehash of New Moon — Edward or Jacob? Edward or Jacob?). Then again, I went through my teen (and twenties) angst a while ago and have no desire to re-live the torture.
In my obsession over the first book, I started reading the author’s website, and it looks like she wrote Twilight as a complete, stand-alone book, followed by an adult-oriented version of the 4th book. That’s probably why the 4th books seems “out of place” — it was meant to tell the story from a more adult perspective.
Having said all that, I think the author is a gifted storyteller in that she conveys characters emotions well, and I have to say — I love happy endings, and was glad things turned out the way they did. It is fiction, after all!
I have to admit to once having been a mad Twtlight fan, and I couldn’t wait for BD. I even obsesed over the daily quotes on Meyers website. Happily, I read the BD spoilers and was prepared for the total mess Meyer was about to create. It could have been worse, but not by very much. She comitted the great authors Taboo-breaking her own stories rules. I lost all respect for her after that, and re-read the whole sereis once just to confirm my disgust. Twilight was the only one close to Nearly Good, and if she spent more time describing the characters personalities rather than endlesley discussing Edward then maybe she’d have redeemed herself in my eyes. As it is, I think she is bad, could’ve been worse, and should not be compared to Rowling, Tolkein, Pullman or anyone else.
Twilight is an insult to such books and authors.