REVIEW: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
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 Renee! 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 Renee. 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,” Renee 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.
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.
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.
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.
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!!!!
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.
deleted by author.
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.
I love Twilight… Although i have bought the 4th book almost a month ago, i haven’t brought myself to finish it… I have issues with endings and i have read a lot of bad reveiws about it… The fact that Bella got pregnant with Edward’s baby is completely overboard… I though SM would make myself forget about Anne Rice, but it only made me love AR more… *although, i did forgot about her once or twice while i was halfway through the Twilight series…*
Anyway, i agree with the review… Jacob’s pain was the only thing i considered genuine… authentic even… I got bored with Bella and Edward before James’ coven came in the first book… I continued reading because Jacob has been whispering to me, telling me there is more to Twilight than the two mushy characters whose lives have revolved to one “major” conflict – to be or not to be a vampire… But who am i to contrast? Twilight series is indeed Bella and Edward’s love story… the only *major, major, major* fault about their story is the lack of conflict and the lack of imagination…
I’m not sure how i will like BD, but i hope, somehow, it would satiate my love for it… Ang i feel you, Jake… hahaha…
This book made me wish I never started reading Twilight, to be honest. Half the book was about reproducing (To put it mildly.) and a good percentage of Twilight series readers are younger than 12. I thought that the series was supposed to be the squeaky-clean, pure, and young-lovey-dovey stuff we were promised in the first book. And the Jacob imprinting thing? I threw the book across the room after that incident. Renesmee is perfect, Bella is perfect, Edward is perfect, the whole dang thing is a fairytale with none of the action I came to expect… And I thought that vampires were sterile, but I guess I was wrong. (Like so many others.) And personally, Renesmeee always seemed, to myself at least, to be an arrogant goody-two shoes prodigy who got everything she wanted and more. The extreme growth? The intellect? The beauty and how she will stay 17 for the rest of her life after 7 years of a super-speedy and amazingly perfect childhood? Not to mention how she is the perfect weapon in every way. Fanfiction, much?
Overall, Breaking Dawn was not worth getting up at 12 midnight to go to the tiny little shack we call a bookstore.
I read the entire series in one go, even though I had many complaints most of the time. However, I’m also the type who has wasted time on bad fanfiction, forums, blogs and other internet junk much more devoid of content than this book… I read this one to the end because my good friend enjoyed the last book the most. But I agree with the general sentiment, that the first book was much more enjoyable than the last.
SM essentially wrote Breaking Dawn before New Moon and Eclipse. The extra development is probably why the characters clash so badly with their roles in the final book, despite her planning.
From Stephanie Meyer’s official website (BD FAQ): “When I decided to write the first sequel to Twilight (Forever Dawn), I knew it was going to revolve around a hybrid baby from the outset. When my editor and I decided to go back and really develop Bella’s last year of high school, I did so with the knowledge that it was all going to end up with the events in Breaking Dawn. Everything I wrote was pointed in that direction.”
To me, the fact that a hybrid baby shows up isn’t what drags Breaking Dawn down into the ranks of fanfiction… it’s the over-indulgent, fangirl fluff – horrifyingly facilitated by the abuse of Alice’s character. The wedding details (not the marriage itself, but descriptions of details I can’t even remember that no one really cares about except in their own wedding), honeymoon sequence and the obsession with fashion were obviously nothing but “wish fulfillment” on the author’s part… a waste of paper serving no purpose to the overall story – only feeding Edward-Bella obsessed fans. I should have seen it coming after the prom sequence at the end of Twilight (already too much for someone like me). It happened again when Alice threw her graduation party, but BD was definitely the worst.
This fluff business ties in with the author’s prolific writing… which is repetitive, slow and ultimately very thin by the end of the last book. Repetitive especially since Bella’s swooning over Edward’s hotness got old by the end of the first book. Slow because the whole series should have be told in two books at the most and because the reader always realizes what’s coming far before any of the characters, and has to wait pages and sometimes even chapters for the characters to connect the very few dots. And it’s very thin and sparse instead of concise and to the point.
Unfortunately, the whole series was probably doomed in my eyes, after the exploration of Jacob Black in New Moon. I personally loved Jacob Black as a character, and thought his relationship with Bella felt much more organic and deep. Without this foil, I probably wouldn’t have found the Edward-Bella relationship to be so utterly shallow and superficial. Her vapid idolatry of his “presence” (to her he is perfect in every way) moreso than any real manifestation of a personality cannot actually be considered as a serious relationship…. especially not one to base every major life decision around. Edward himself says he is the perfect predator, irresistable to his prey… yet Bella never thinks twice about it.
Bella is altogether too passive for a female lead… the Washington Post said it best:
“Yet there’s something distinctly queasy about the male-female dynamic that emerges over the series’ 2,446 pages. Edward has been frozen at the age of 17. But he was born in 1901, and he doesn’t behave anything like a real teenager. He talks and acts like an obsessively controlling adult male… Edward’s habit of constantly pulling [Bella] onto his lap or having her ride on his back further emphasize her childlike qualities; she also faints easily, and during the course of the series is carried by various characters, male and female. And there are constant reminders that she’s not responsible for the effect she has on Edward or Jacob. This bland passivity has been excused as a way of allowing female readers to project themselves into Bella’s place, but the overall effect is a weird infantilization that has repellent overtones to an adult reader and hardly seems like an admirable model to foist upon our daughters (or sons).”
ive started getting my hopes up just after reading the first book twilight.. but it just started regressing towards the last book.. and all i can think of was i wanted to keep my sanity and find another good book to read to compensate for the wasted time i spent on this last book. “b-down” was dragged out a lot.. there was no actual plot until the last 1/4 of the book and when it finally came it just seemed flat, completely anti-climactic. it has more holes than i can count. i wish there were more vampire actions.. more fights.. maybe some sacrifices that will make the story more meaningful. a real battle shouldve happened that was anticipated from the beginning. but it was a good thing that everything ended well.. the happy ending was actually compelling, still edward and bella and nessie together after everything.
but still.. i was very very very disappointed er nauseated! whats with all the jacob imprinting on nessie part? that is sooooooo wrong in soooo many levels!!! it makes me and a whole lot of people i know who read the book really sick! okay it was said that the reason why this imprinting took place was coz bella always sees jacob as family.. but they’re already bestfriends.. what more should be proven? sigh. jacob will always be a big part of bella’s life. being very good friends means that they are and will always be a family and that is priceless. it means a lot. thats justifiable already. thats special enough. why does it seem that it was forced on this part that jacob still has to be imprinted on someone connected to bella? oh and edward calling jacob his son towards the last part of the book? (i just couldnt stomach it). i just hoped that jacob imprinted on leah instead considering the two developed chemistry in the story. and still jacob is the best uncle and he will be protecting nessie all the time. that will make more sense, and the wolves will continue to be stronger allies of the cullens. jacob doesnt have to wait till nessie turns 18 or 20 and know that they’re more than friends. so his imprinting on the half-vampire daughter of his former love-of-his-life just to mean or forced he is still family- is truly unnecessary, it is so just not right. i cant and a lot of readers cant really stand it. i wish there was a poll about this imprinting lol.
and one last thing, something that is certainly essential that i couldnt get over with.. i hope the author showed here that edward and his daughter had more connection to each other.. more chemistry.. more bonding.. more emphasis on this.. edward’s side of being a dad.. sigh.. i hate the fact that the imprinting overshadowed this very important matter. please.. have mercy! huhuhu..
so if midnight sun will still be released, considering this is edward’s point of view of twilight and onwards maybe, i hope it will be shown this time how close nessie and her dad is, important facts, details, how edward was longing to have a kid of his own and he thought it could never happen but it did.. how it is to be a biological vampire dad lol..how nessie feels about her dad too and him being very good friends with bella’s bestfriend as well at last etc. and edward doesnt have to be jacob’s father-in-law. i wish it was shown that jacob is finally at peace with himself towards edward in a way that it wasnt coz of the imprinting on his daughter and it doenst have to happen anyway to begin with. (it’s difficult to accept it otherwise..)i know there are lots of things left unsaid.. so much to learn from edward’s side. sigh.
so there, i hope it all goes well.. everyone, every couple, every coven, every pack, every alliance, every family,- WITHOUT THE IMPRINTING OF JACOB ON NESSIE- will be living their own lives but still be in harmony and close to each other if there really is a fifth book.
this is a better title i suppose..
BREAKING DOWN
Are you kidding me? Conflict, plot spinning, themes, free will – what did you read this book for at all? It’s pure fantasy and escapism. Throw out the rules? Yes. Spent time on absurdity? Yes. Time wasted recapturing my inner romantic and the youthful hope and optimism of true love? No. Totally worth it. You are all taking these books, and yourselves, way too seriously. I’m open for other suggestions of other drivel – guess I won’t get that here.
SPOILER i read all 4 in 4 days.. the 1st book is the only 1 i dont regret readin..the 4th book i half regret readin i deeply regret 2 n 3
my reasons for dislike were that it was farcical (even for FANTASY) and the bella-jacob relationship physically n mentally sickened/repulsed me deeply
twilight was flawed but beautiful..
new moon and eclipse revolted me!…FORCED myself 2 read on naively thinking they cud b redeemed at no.4 book
i was infatuated by the bella-edward relationship throughout purely becuz of how perfect edward is (thoroughly flawless…altho i do wish he killed jacob)
bellas character..how did EDWARD love HER??? he musta imprinted…cudnt help it lyk… she was irritating/needy/immature/ UNFAITHFUL to sum1 she apparently cudnt live without
i can sympathize with jacob and especially Edward but bella is unforgivable..
book 4..? em … d child took time away from bella-edward bond (that annoyed me) and i was deeply…how do i put it….DISGUSTED jacob was allowed keep a bond wit the cullens through renesmee(hated the nessie nikname)
the moments between edward and bella were touching! but the rest o the books were anti-climatic EVERYWERE like the volturi n james n victoria…and it was deeply contradicting
stephanie meyer obviously didnt read over any of them..she tried to make jacobs character more interestin/appealin than edwards through biger development….infuriated me that did
i loved twilight n bits of everytin else…lets just leave it at that
I’m gald I found this review! An honest and constructive critism review that’s public for anyone to read and comment on. I hate this series. I HAVE read the first three books. The first book was, at best, okay. I liked the courtship, a disturbed though, until they ‘fell in love’. Okay, so you meet the guy, wonder for a few days, talk for a while, and when you do get together, you do NOT say “I love you. I want you/Stay with me forever. Someday…’marriage'” A few paragraphs after they realize their attraction, I kinda liked the (immensly slow 300+) the courtship (I’m seriously stressing the word, it’s borderline stalking) But I still read on, plot came and went (80 freaking pages) before lovey dovey again.
Then NEW MOON, where she bitches and whines and hallucinates and has no outside life when it comes to Edward except Jacob, which begins another ‘tension’ whatever building and, yeah, a bit of werewolves info before returning to Edward again. When I was a fan of the series, I was just getting into reading YA books (almost 17 now) when TWILIGHT wasn’t popular. ECLIPSE broke it for me. Half-way through, I was getting more uncomfortable thinking, “Um, okay, Bella. That’s a bit too much.” So I forced myself to read the ending before quitting the series altogether. I was, like, “Where’s the hell is the plot?” Then I realized it all focused on mostly their freaking romance-tension-build-up while Bella keeps trying to jump Edward throughout Eclipse. I wouldn’t blame her since I would, too, want to get a bit intimate with my boyfriend. But since he’s a vamp, Bella, too, has to realize the cautions instead of demanding straightout about her wants. Embarrasing. Breaking Dawn is way too much. Teenage marriage and pregancies? Having the perfect life with the perfect man with the perfect abilities and perfect child with luxury? Boring.
The characters were one-dimensional since, unfortunately, it was through Bella’s POV. I’m fine with reading from the characters eyes or from a third person’s view. Bella was utterly plain, whines and has no thought at all other than anything related to Edward. I was disappointed, because other characters could have potential, but from Bella’s view, we see them as annoying useless characters. Edward was too perfect. We freaking get he’s “godlike, magnificent,”, stop explaining every two chapters. Which I found boring again. They don’t really appeal because what else is interesting? Oh yeah, he’s a vamp. Characters who have flaws and imperfection, maybe Jacob, are interesting they mess up and then try to redeem themselves and mature so it keeps things interesting. Bella juggles between “Edward, Edward, Jacob, sex, Edward.” I really don’t see the reason why the fell in ‘love.’ other than a sexy vamp to a girl who’s blood is nice. Any in-depth explanations other than cheesy lines to each other?
I don’t like the views of the Twilight series but Stephenie Meyers breaks her own rules in the final book. Even though I hate it, I would have respected her whatever ending in the Breaking Dawn (I imagined Bella is a vampire, who struggles to control her ability, and content with Edward), but instead I heard Bella has a baby at 19 with perfect ability control and etc. Yeah. SOME moments between them were touching if not overly cheesy. The characters like, Alice, Jasper, Emmet and Aro something was all I liked. They were likable and funny characters. Too bad they were hardly in BD. The plot sounded interesting but too bad the author focused too much on getting Bella everything she wants instead of action scenes that could tear a human and vamp apart, which would be dramatic and nice except the plot disappears after a few pages during the entire series. I liked a few parts overall in the Twilight series but its a book I would probably won’t be re-reading or be looking again.
@Tiffany: I think my biggest regret is that I read beyond Twilight because I can’t even go back and enjoy the first one due to my dislike of the remaining three.
hope you all caught this hilarious, thoughtful, incredible essay on the series in The Atlantic by Caitlin Flanagan (http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/print/200812/twilight-vampires“)
Best paragraph: “Twilight is fantastic. It's a page-turner that pops out a lurching, frightening ending I never saw coming. It's also the first book that seemed at long last to rekindle something of the girl-reader in me. In fact, there were times when the novel-‘no work of literature, to be sure, no school for style; hugged mainly to the slender chests of very young teenage girls, whose regard for it is on a par with the regard with which just yesterday they held Hannah Montana-‘stirred something in me so long forgotten that I felt embarrassed by it. Reading the book, I sometimes experienced what I imagine long-married men must feel when they get an unexpected glimpse at pornography: slingshot back to a world of sensation that, through sheer force of will and dutiful acceptance of life's fortunes, I thought I had subdued. The Twilight series is not based on a true story, of course, but within it is the true story, the original one. Twilight centers on a boy who loves a girl so much that he refuses to defile her, and on a girl who loves him so dearly that she is desperate for him to do just that, even if the wages of the act are expulsion from her family and from everything she has ever known. We haven't seen that tale in a girls' book in a very long time. And it's selling through the roof.”
“I was disappointed, because other characters could have potential, but from Bella's view, we see them as annoying useless characters. Edward was too perfect. We freaking get he's “godlike, magnificent,â€, stop explaining every two chapters”
I totally agree with this. Charlie would have more potentional but Meyer choose to see him as an annoying father who’s so awkward. And Bella doesn’t have to always go on defense about everything when it comes to Edward. Actually threatening to leave if he doesn’t lift the ban from Edward from the house? As I recall, nobody knows that both of them sleep together EVERY NIGHT. Desperate much? Seriously, she is clingy and needy; that’s how Meyer portrayed her. Her big fat message overall? “FINDING THE PERFECT MAN AND SACRIFICING EVERYTHING FOR HIM WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY (who gives a damn about college and family?) HE’S THE ONLY THING TO MAKE YOU HAPPY!” It disgusts me. And I’m in first year college, I have a guy I love but I wouldn’t want his baby NOW and I also have an outside life from him (diff. groups of friends but sometimes hang out altogether)
The thing about the books is that it shows that Bella has no goals or value except Edward (See New Moon: 270+ pages of sulking and mourning). Psh, even explaining everything (his face, his shoulders, his arms, his legs, his breath! Oh!) Dammit. Explain the vampire/vampire/werewolf war more other than the Edward/Bella/Jacob crap.
I laughed at the review. A frightening ending? What, Bella having a baby with a disgusting, gruesome C section? Or the part where everyone leaves in peace? Yeah frightening *sarcasm* What everyone didn’t see coming is that there was no action. If he’s talking about the first book, I kinda agree. At least during that time, Bella actually disobeyed Edward for her mom and I liked her like that. Unfortunately, she went back to clingy, needy, dramatic (pissed off she’s a year older, whined and angry bout a little scratch to Edward caused by Jacob, she keeps nagging to be a vampire after three (timeline is fuzzy) months prior of knowing him, etc).
lolz, I talked with other friends who are disgusted with the overrated book and this is what they played out with other vampires compared to Edward:
Dracula, Spike (Buffy), Eric Northman (True Blood): We are vampires. We drink human blood, have inhuman speed and strength and sunlight kills us.
Edward: I’m a vampire. I drink animal blood, am fast and strong. I don’t die from from sunlight. Actually, I sparkle like diamonds. It enhances my beauty. And I was still a virgin until I married.
Dracula: You are a pussified version of a vampire.
Spike: What the hell. Vampire’s weakness is the effing sun, you slowly burn or burst into flames. Who’s the dumbass who made you sparkle and glitter?
Eric Northman: You ain’t a vampire. A disgrace. If you don’t drink (even a bit) from humans, then you should at least drink from a plastic bag of human blood (the ones like the hospital) Who wouldn’t think of that? Instead ya drink from animals. Embarrasment to vampires. At least those other vampires from your book are true vampires.
Spike and Eric N: And if you were a virgin for 107 years, there is something seriously wrong with you.
Amen to all. A vampire’s characteristics are dark, manipulative and seductive. There are nice vampires who aren’t like this but do have a side, but the Cullen family are the exact opposite. Fine with me, but did Meyer really have to make them sparkle? Seriously, all those dark scary bad guys in Twilight are not so scary since they also sparkle in the sun. lol.
I don’t want to add criticize any long but my friend said that Meyer wanted the movie Breaking Dawn to be a two-part movie, like HP’s Deathly Hallows coz apparently she thinks “there are so many things going on and it’s such a large book” something like that. Seriously? Breaking Dawn’s whole plot was: planning wedding, detail on clothes wedding, honeymoon, more lovey dovey, pregnancy and then problem of baby then build up action beore failing coz there IS no action, (hardly any Alice too) and peace again. Doesn’t deserve a two-part movie. Deathly Hallows seriously had a lot more (battle plans, the battle at Hogwarts, Voldemort, etc).
Washington Post, EW, Jezebal and all those entertainment criticism posts (negative reviews on BD) worded it all up best. Although I want to say it should have been extended to Eclipse and New Moon (shit, Bella is so desperate. How can any miss that? Oh yes, Meyer kinda covered that with cheesy love lines) I’d rate the entire series a D+. Although I do share the same regret as Jane, can’t even read the first one knowing how Bella’s character and the whole plot went downhill.
Didn’t even know these books existed two weeks ago, and now I have read all of them. I must say I enjoyed them too…even Breaking Dawn. I guess because I had little to no expectation I would like any of them at all, and then was pleasantly surprised at the draw that the books held for me. It was a fantasy book which I rarely read so it was just nice to have a book end happily for once. It has been a long time since I’ve read a book (in high school or college) that wasn’t completely tragic in one way or another…of course I was just coming off my toni morrison phase so ‘happily ever after’ was the Prozac I needed. That being said, from the get go I wasn’t expecting an epic tale, just her writing style or lack thereof alone was almost to much for me…how many times can you use the word chagrined? (wince…) or smoldering? getting so bad to the point she actually wrote “his eye’s did that smoldering thing again.” (hahhahhahhahhahahhahhha) So you see my friends what we should all take out of this is just what it is an emotional roller coaster for women that finally had a feel good ending. Try not to set your expectations so high on a teen romance novel…that might help you in the future to enjoy the books…worked for me!
I liked Twilight and New Moon. Eclipse was sketchy, and BD was crap.
Seriously. I was looking forward to something big! I wanted to see Bella actually have bloodlust, because i had read waaaaay too many fanfictions with “OMG, BELLAS A VAMP BUT SHE DOESNT HAVE BLOODLUST OMG HOW AWESOMMEEEEE”
i hate that.
And I hate that S.Meyer built up a relationship between Leah and Jake, just to have him imprint on the demon spawn S.Meyer named Renesmee.
And I hate Bellas pregnancy and power. So uncreative.
And everyone loving Renesmee immediately?
Build-up to a fight with the Volturi to lead to nothing?
Craptastic.
Seriously, the Volturi shouldnt have just left. It was lke this:
Bella: MAHHH BABBBAAYYYYY. *melodramaticwhining*
CAIUS: KILL KILL KILLLLLLLL
ARO: okay, thanks for your time, we’ll be leaving now. We’ll send you a postcard!
And S.Meyer did not give Leah too much of a happy ending.
I hated how Rose just wanted the baby, and Alice was all distant and bailed. Basically S.Meyer changed all the characters to fit with the stupid plot.
And, beyond the overrated plot,
THE MISTAKES! Did her editor even touch this book before it was published?
Overall, I give this book an F.
when i read twilight i fell in love with it after the first chapter, bella didnt seem to annoy me and edward was “perfect” so no complaints. The storyline was okay, and i managed to finish the book after a day.
new moon was better than i expected, my friend read it before me and said she was bored by it because edward was hardly in it. but i didnt seem to mind because i actually quite like jacob as a character. but bellas whole thing where she lives through like half a year without knowing what the hell shes doing was a bit OTT. i was sort of like, come on girl pull it together. and when edward came back i didnt seem to like the cheesy way he spoke anymore.
eclipse is where i drew the line with bella, she is such a bad character. she is about as deep as a puddle. i sear S.M just reuses the same lines for her over and over. she just winds me up, the way she drones on about how much she loves edward makes me yawn. and also, i dont like the way she lets edward control her. i wonder sometimes about how her life was before forks, did she just mindlessly wander around all day saying ” erm, erm , can someone tell me what to do”.
the whole book just a let down, i find myself wanting to skip past pages, because its all the same…
bella describing edwards faultless features
bella being a baby cause she cant be a vampire just yet
bella not wanting to be the center of attention
bella being in danger
as you can tell im not a great fan of eclipse…
i havnt read B.D yet but its on my shelf, i really dont want to read it but i know i will once i have finished the last few chapters of eclipse
THATS RIGHT… i havnt even finished eclipse yet and im bitching about it :L
hopefully i will finish B.D by next december
if i can manage to go through the ordeal of BELLA GOING ON …..AGAIN
It’s comforting to see that other people have noticed the various things about the series that bugged me. I laughed really hard at this, because it’s so true:
“Bella: MAHHH BABBBAAYYYYY. *melodramaticwhining*
CAIUS: KILL KILL KILLLLLLLL
ARO: okay, thanks for your time, we'll be leaving now. We'll send you a postcard!”
and this
“bella describing edwards faultless features
bella being a baby cause she cant be a vampire just yet
bella not wanting to be the center of attention
bella being in danger”
Also, especially in Eclipse, I found myself constantly frustrated with Bella for consistently missing the obvious. Actually, that was annoying in New Moon as well. FREAKING HELL YOU’RE NOT DREAMING, AND YES, HE REALLY LOVES YOU. God knows why.
Aside from this though (and a lengthy list of other concerns)….I liked them. It’s easier to scoff when you’re not swept up in the moment.
As for Midnight Sun, I read the 12 draft chapters on her website, and I loved it. I enjoyed it more than Twilight actually, getting a window into Edward’s life and psyche, what he actually sees in Bella. Also, he doesn’t gush like she does.
I always felt the most compelling parts of the series were the explorations of the gifts, especially the mind reading, with Edward and the Werewolves. I enjoyed that part of Breaking Dawn at least.
Meyer said if she wrote again in the twilight universe it would be from renesmee’s (shudder) or Leah Clearwater’s perspective. I would love to read something about Leah.
Oh yeah, and I totally agree with betyouwish – I was beginning to make a mental list of Meyer’s favourite words
-Chagrin
-Reverie
-Smoldering
-Russet
-chuckle
….and so on. Not to mention the constant stopping and accelerating of heartbeats/breathing
and yet I really enjoyed them. go figure.
So I read Twilight…loved it.
And rather stupidly I read Breaking Dawn on the net before reading book 2 and 3.
I hated it.
I then decided to get the books anyway to give them a chance. I hated the first Harry Potter, gave them a chance now I’ve read them all and loved them all! But I’m part way through book 2 (marked in two places one where Edward is gone and the second is when he comes back *rolls eyes*) but I’m not enjoying it, which in all honesty sucks. I read Twilight and expected some good things getting better and better but I’m out of luck!
However I’ve also read the extract of Midnight Sun and I completely loved it! Hearing Twilight from Edwards voice is great and more mature- just!
But I don’t like the fact that she says she’s not going to publish MS untill she’s stopped hearing about it from fans (beacuse it got leaked on the net etc)
I’m loosing interest with Meyer to be fair…I might just go back to my thrillers!
I hated reading from Jacobs point of view. It was horribble and pulls you out of the love story between Bella and Edward and the Cullen family connection. I feel like SM skipped over any thoughtful interactions between my favorite characters. She lost sight of the characters and it felt as if she was sick of them. Somone needs to count how many times she used the phrases “pursed his lips” and “his body flinched/cringed”. I was dying to know what Edward and Bella were going through during boook 2 (Jacobs book). I feel as if Edward was almost cast aside as a secondary character and it really pissed me off. Book 1 was great, I loved the wedding and honey moon. SM shouldnt have stopped when Bella decided to call Rosalie, I wanted to read the interaction how Edward reacted and Rose and the family. I didnt want a second rate description from Jacob. The baby was not the best idea but SM could have made it work. The book was ruined with Jacob. In part 3 SM just gives up on a battle that could have been incredible. Thats the best way I can describe Breaking Dawn, SM just gave up…….
It really saddens me to read all the comments posted about the Twilight series. I was reluctant at first because I’m 23 and felt a little silly reading a YA novel. Books are my life and I decided that I really didn’t care what others thought. I picked up Twilight and couldn’t put it down. I immediately started reading New Moon. In the span of two days I read the entire series. Once done, I turned right around and reread the whole series. I understand that it’s not the most well written work, but I loved the general idea as a whole. Who wouldn’t want to be Bella? She falls in love with a gorgeous vampire, has her heart completely ripped out, and in the end overcomes enormous adversity to ultimately have a happy eternity. I think the fact that she did have her heart crushed in New Moon made her a stronger person and through that she was able to deal with the challenges in Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. I visited SM’s website and she provides some really good insight about the Breaking Dawn controversy. I can completely understand her reasoning for writing BD the way she did. The fight never happened because she could forsee that 90% of the people would end up dying. It would have broken my heart to see the characters that I had gotten to know through three previous books die because of a huge misunderstanding. I hate books that kill of a major character. I want to feel that the characters I come to love will go on to lead a happy life. I admire SM for the Twilight series. I feel that she wrote the series as something she would love to read and who can blame her for that? If I ever write a book I will write it solely for me, and if others like it that will be ok too.
I read the first three books, and then my mom said I couldn’t read BD. I am actually kind of happy that she told me I couldn’t, because I absolutely hate happy endings! Also, I thought that in the third book, Bel – I mean Mary Sue was totally out of control. I was getting very tired of her whining and complaining. I fell in love with Twilight and New Moon and Eclipse, but when I went on wikipedia and found out the plot, I was shocked at the whole sex – crazed thing with Bella. I have read the Sisterhod of the Traveling Pants, and the whole sex thing was very mature and the four girls did not go crazy over it. I am definently not going to waste my time on this ridiculous book.
Obviously, these are fiction books.. It only exist in our minds.. I don’t find breaking dawn as the worst fiction book to read. I’ve gone to almost all the bookstores here in Manila, and these books are always out of stock. Twilight fever is goin stronger.. We all can’t wait to see New Moon on November this year. As well as the other two, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.. Fell inlove with the last book. It wasn’t realistic, really. But atleast, we know that that kind of Love (for Edward and Bella) still exists even if it does only in our minds. Thanks to Stephenie Meyer, author of Twilight saga, for these wonderful story you’ve come up with..
and besides,,what would you expect in a love story-fiction book?? It can’t be really realistic, of course.. Bella, being so stubborn is cute.. Edward’s character, being a hopelessly romantic, do really exists in a different world. LOL.. admit it to yourselves or not, after reading these books, we all girls wished for a VAMPIRE B.F. like Edward.. James counts, too. He’s so hot!! I consider a werewolf B.F. if it would only be JacoB the jerk!! *smiles*
Not going to lie. I liked Twilight. Like, a lot.
Then I read New Moon. I struggled to finish it, and coming from a perfectionist/OCD sort of person, that’s saying a lot.
Eclipse got better- primarily because Alice and Jasper, the deepest characters in the series, were front and center.
Breaking Dawn had me Breaking Up…with laughter. I was literally dissolving into giggles with ever page I turned. Bella just got dumber and whined more. I’m only 15, three years younger than she is, and I think she’s immature.
Plus her whole life revolves around her boyfriend-slash-stalker. She has no hobbies, no real friends besides her sister-in-law. She does LAUNDRY for fun. What the hell? And Renesmee? No. Just…no.
I really liked The Host, though, I have to admit. The beginning was slow but later on it’s addicting. I think Meyer’s growing up as a writer, and I’m glad, because BD was just a comedy show.
@Michelle:
Pretty much a self insert of the author, with a twist. Everything the author wants to be.
Stephenie Meyer had something going. The dark romance between Bella and Edward was a compelling idea in itself and could have put the author who would write about it into a glorified pedestal to be remembered centuries from now. But Stephenie Meyer’s terrible writing has gone and ripped it to shreds. She should have stopped at Twilight. How did Breaking Dawn get past her editor? Even in the other three books, there was wrong grammar, abrupt changing of tenses, over-use of cliches–especially the word ‘perfect’. If the movie hadn’t been made, I wouldn’t have been able to imagine what her characters looked like. Right, so Edward’s face is perfect, his body glorious. How so? Show it to me! Does he have a chiseled jaw, square and strong? Almond-shaped eyes with long, dark lashes that cast shadows on his face when he closes his eyes? Are his lips full and soft? Do they glisten in red, just aching for a kiss? What? What? It’s frustrating the way Edward–and the rest of his family for that matter– is only described as ‘perfect.’ Well, then, you might as well have named him Brad Pitt, then we’d get an exact idea of what he looked like. You’d better thank the makers of the movie and the actors in it, Ms. Meyer. They saved your saga’s ass.
Also, I hate the way Meyer subtly (but not tastefully) associated Bella’s character with great literary heroines such as Anne Shirley, Elizabeth Bennet and Catherine Earnshaw. Bella Swan is nothing compared to the complexity and strength of these characters. I can’t find anything worth loving in Bella Swan.
If Meyer had taken time in writing her “saga,” just as J.K. Rowling did in the Harry Potter series, I believe she could have ended this romance better. Stories like this should be thoroughly planned-out, with the plot supporting the main theme, and driving it towards the end. In this saga, the plot was twisting on its own.
I love Twilight and Breaking Dawn. New Moon is fine but I love the part when Bella, Edward and Alice were in Voltera awaiting their verdict. Eclipse, I only partially skipped it. I don’t want it. You can gasped the entire story without reading Eclipse. With the few chapters that I read in Eclipse, I find Bella’s character very shallow.
In Breaking Dawn, it would be more exciting if there was a fight between the Volturi and the Cullens. That would be more interesting. Ripping off their Heads.hehhe.
What I’m hoping for is to read the Twilight Saga entirely in Edward’s perspective. He can read minds and from it we can understand the various characters of the rest of Cullen’s family. I want to know the thoughts of Alice, Jasper, Emmet, Rosalie, Esme, Carlisle, Jacob, their human friends and the Volturi. How much the Cullen’s family struggled to support Edward’s decision. I was able to read the draft of Midnight Sun from SM website. Frankly, I find it more entertaining and fascinating than on Bella’s perspective. For me, this Twilight Saga, will be much better if written based on Edward’s perspective instead of Bella’s.
Ehem!!! Bella doesn’t have two vampire gifts she just has shielding!!!! Her self control comes about because, psychologically, she was never a child when she was human, so why should she have the psychy of a newborn/young vampire?!!!!
I must admit that it never says this in the book, but this is what I got from the idea of her self control being as powerful as a much older vampire’s. I thought of this because I’ve learned to look for clues in SM’s writing, clues about where the story is going to go given characters personality traits, the way she mentions other literature’s plotlines (romeo and juliet in New moon), and ofcourse just misselaneous stuff that she appears to have written in for no reason whatsoever until you get to later in her books and it connects up in some way. I have often never notice these clues until I read whichever book for a second time, but the clues that link to Bella’s self control are obvious as soon as it is apparent that she has skipped over bieng a newborn vampire!
Throughout the first three books and the first section of Breaking Dawn there is almost constant mention, especially by Rennee, that Bella was ‘born middle aged’.
it is also mention quite a bit that when Bella lived in Arizona it had always been her that looked after Renee rather than vise versa.
It is almost the same relationship with Charlie when she moves to Forks. Instead of acting like your common, generic teenager, she cooks, cleans etc. and when she is under house arrest durind the start of book three, Charlie mentions how Bella, unlike most teenagers, never moaned or whined about the fact that she was grounded. She just accepted it.
when Bella tells Rennee about her engagementy to Edward, Rennee comments that Bella seems to have found another ‘old sole’. Which makes sense because at the age of seventeen during the early 1900s people would have been alot more mature than today’s seventeen olds. Therefore, it is clear that Bella and Edward are both mature for their age and are the perfect match that personaity wise.
Anyway, in none of the books does it say that Carlisle, Rosalie, Emmet or Esme have any gifts, only that they have brought a single strong personality trait with them when becoming a vampire: Carlisle-Compassion, Esme- to be truly kind, loving to everybody, Rosalie- her tenacity, and Emmet- his big headedness.
Also notice that the vampires that have gifts also appear to have brought personality traits with them: Alice may have precognition, but she also has her hyper bossines/organisation, Edward has his mind reading but also has his temper, Jasper has his mood changing thing but he also has his charm, so then we finally come to bella with her shielding, but woudn’t you also say that she brought her definate maturity with her into vampirehood?!!!!!!!!!
I would like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Breaking Dawn and although I kinda wnted Jacob and Leah to hook up, when Jakey imprinted on Renesmee I was laughing for over half an hour!!!
my sister wants to know why it’s called breaking dawn?
any ways i like the were-wolfs there my favorite
i enjoyed the entire series however fantastical it was. howevewr i did find that it was overwritten alot of the times and there was built sexual tension throughout the series that was never actually rectified. in the fourth book when they actually have sex, there was no description what so ever. it blowed for lack of a better word. probably a product of the authors religion. other than it being over bearing at times i loved them all.
I liked Twilight as a guilty pleasure page-turner. It was interesting, I had six hours to kill, so I read it in one sitting. New Moon was kind of ehhh… but it gave us Jacob and werewolf snark, so that was cool. I can’t even remember how Eclipse went, but I liked it more than New Moon. I think.
But Breaking Dawn? I saw a synopsis, and thought it was a joke. I realize that the Twilight series is not always loved, and I understand. It’s just not for anyone who doesn’t like escapist happily-ever-after with vampires and werewolves. The biggest reason I stuck with it is because I just like twists on old legends. Werewolves are shape-shifters, passed down through an Native American tribe, and vampires sparkle. It’s a little weird, but I can take it.
I draw the line at cross-breeds. In fact, I have been openly denying the existence of Breaking Dawn since I found out that the synopsis I read was not, in fact, a joke put out by someone pretending to leak information about the book.
Up until then, the series read like that one pretty-cool oneshot fanfic you find that gets so many reviews and encouragement that the author caves to peer pressure and continues the idea. The next part isn’t quite as good, but she’s already started writing, so she can’t give up now. And everyone’s not quite as impressed by the rest as they were by the first, but they stick with her because she wrote that oneshot, right? And it was good. Then she botches the ending and afterward everyone feels like it should have just been left alone.
The whole series is at least half-crack, just for the sparkles. The only thing that didn’t make me want to absolutely die was the nickname “Nessie.” Some people just can’t write mutant half-magical babies of incredible growth rate/intelligence. Let’s just hope that if she spontaneously decides to continue The Host, she doesn’t botch it, too.
Oh come on people. It’s a love story for teenagers!!! After a ton of books they had to end it that way. Where else was a love story to go? Doesnt 95% of real life love stories end in marriage and kids? I find it funny that you people are trying to make sense out of a Vampire Story. Of course its a bunch of crap….. IT’S A VAMPIRE STORY.
I personally think that you are very wrong in your review of Breaking Dawn. I thought it was fabulous and it lived up to what i wanted it to be. I never read Twilight properly when i was first given the book, then i read New Moon and loved every minute of it, the explanation of Bella and her love for Edward, the passion they share and how one cant live without the other, the book constantly made my emotions race, being a hopless romantic like my self. I then moved to Eclipse and thought that it showed a great deal of wonder, i thought it was well written and i loved it. To then read Breaking Dawn made my love of the books complete. The explanation of immortal children, was needed and perfectly placed, if it was never added i dont think anyone would have understanded the destruction immortal children made, and why every one was so negitive when bella became pregnant. The time and scene shifting, to me was perfectly understandable, and i knew what had happened with no trouble and need of re-reading.
I read twilight a little while later properly just to fill in some missing links.
I read these books with a group of 8 girls we all loved it and placed it very highly on our lists of all time favorite books. We are now intencely waiting for Stephinie Meyer to start re-writing Midnight Sun, and for New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn to come out in cinema. (though i hear it is going to be very different from the book and i dont really like watching the movie for it ruins my own image of the characters)
Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn by INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING author Stephenie Meyer, IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! recommended to anyone who love passion, romance, action and thing out of the ordainary!!
I GIVE THE BOOK AN A-!!!!!!!
I didn't mind Bella getting everything that she wanted, but I felt like the characters that we came to know and love in the first three books were just butchered. I have searched through BD for a happy ending for all, but where was Jacob's happiness? He has to be stuck with a family that he can't even stand the smell of. Imprinting on the child of his first love is disturbing, not to mention that he described the feeling as being held by cables. What kind of bondage is that? He has to wait for 6 years to finally find love, and even then maybe Reneesemee won't reciprocate. I know I would never be able to fall in Love with someone that babysat me all the time while I was growing up. I felt like SM was trying to introduce the concept of predestination, A Mormon principal, I would know because I am also LDS. Even still, I don't believe it belongs in this book. I also feel that she didn't consider how this idea of her character imprinting on a child would affect victims of sexual abuse. Then to suggest that Reneesemee (a child) wants Jacob as well is horrific. I know she tried to explain how innocent it all was but it still made my stomach turn. I think I could have lived with Jacob never having set eyes on Reneesemee until she was full grown and then imprinted. I also was not at ease with the thought that the parents of these children would let these men spend so much alone time with the child knowing that they were the objects of their fixations. I feel that Stephanie owes victims an apology even though I know that she didn't mean any harm. But to be engrossed in a series and then to have something that closely resembles pedophilia spring up (painfully for some) and try to explain it in away that we might believe it is somehow ok, is awful. I can't help but feel that Stephanie needs to resolve this issue. Maybe with an alternate ending or something because I am left feeling very troubled.
i thought i was over this whole vampire thing after ODing on ann rice in the 90s — but i guess not. i managed to consume the entire twilight saga in a week, after a friend forced me to watch her newly pirated DVD a few weekends ago. i couldn’t put those damn books down and then i bought the movie, mostly so i could gawk at robert pattinson. i have no shame.
the writing is riddled with errors. one in particular drove me crazy because it’s just wrong — SM uses variations of the term ‘rein in’ several times throughout the series but with the wrong version of ‘rein.’ she prefers ‘reign,’ which means to rule, when the correct word is ‘rein’ or keep under control. and the split infinitives? so many i lost count. nevertheless, i overlooked these transgressions and continued on. the story, IMO, was terribly tasty and addictive: potato chips for the brain. sometimes you just have to sit down and pig out mentally, and i guess that’s where i was at when i picked up ‘twilight.’
the characters totally fell flat in BD. bella? i didn’t have high expectations for her after finishing the first three books; she’s codependent, she’s a tease (especially when it comes to jacob — i mean leave the poor guy alone already), and she lets her daddy issues run her life. fine i get that. but edward? what a pussy! grow some balls. and what happened to alice? i missed her spirit in this book. i definitely wanted more of alice and less of rosalie. and i’m no prude, but that whole imprinting thing between jake and the baby was just creepy. and what happened to leah? i wanted her to find a mate, be okay that she couldn’t have kids, and realize that she was so much more awesome than that sniveling jilt bella. it’s okay not to have kids, right? plus, she was the only female werewolf ever.
i could go on but i won’t. despite all the issues i had with the book, i enjoyed a week away from reality. thanks steph!
I think the backlash from this book is against traditional values in general.
How could a woman ever end up married at a young age, a mother and be, oh no!, happy?!?
It can’t be! That means all the sleeping around with multiple men, postponing childbearing until my eggs are old and possibly deformed, working solely on my career for my own happiness and possibly even aborting children that came before I was ready, might not have been the road to happiness that the femisist movement said it was? That can’t be right!
Forget that feminism gave women the right to choose their futures for what was best for them, now feminism means every woman have to choose the untradtional path in life, or be made to feel simple minded and naive.
Bella chose what was right for Bella and Edward, together. That love gave her life happiness and purpose. College can always come later and she might actually get a greater life satisfaction from being a homemaker, some women do.
I think to bash a story because it doesn’t end up the way you envisioned is foolish. Even to bash women in general who don’t chose the same life road that you do. Bella’s choices spoke to me as a woman, and I think they speak to Stephenie as well. And Edward’s self-scarificing is honorable not laughable, what kind of men do you women really want for husbands anyway, the type that force themselves on you with no regard for your well being or future, that’s very romantic!
I totally agree with your take on the books. I enjoyed Twilight and was able to get through New Moon. However, Eclipse left me feeling burned out and Iam only 1/2 way through breaking Dawn and I hate it. Yes, I know hate is a strong word, but it is taking all of my willpower to get through this book. I am disliking Bella and the way everyone seems to cater to her. Any sense of danger surrounding Edward has quickly evaporated and left him completely ineffectual and “whipped.” I am no longer getting the bond between these two or how Jacob could even want to be involved with her. The characters have strayed so far and have lost all of their earlier potential. We’ll see if I can get through the rest of this book.
Why don’t you let Breaking Dawn go on the internet?
I am not very happy with Breaking Dawn. The characters began losing their steam in Eclipse and seemed to unravel in this novel. They just lost their essence or something. Not sure. I was delighted at first to see Bella as a vampire, but dissapointed when she ended up too perfect. It would have been nice to see a very close call at least when the bloodlust hit her.
It was very anti-climactic. There was SO much buildup to a huge battle, only to end up with a fizzle. There could have at least been a minor tussle, a few lost from the enemy ranks or SOMETHING. It would have been nice to see at least a good division within the Volturi and some of the worst offenders punished for their treachery. But sadly no.
It would have been a stellar ending to have Edward and Bella die and reunite in an afterlife. Sad to have them die? Hardly, it would have been more realistic and it would have tied in the whole Romeo and Juliet obsession from the previous novels. Plus, it would have provided a real sense of mysticism having the magical creature, Edward, experience something even more mysterious than himself.
Anyway, I thought that the saga was a great idea, but could have been much, much better if given more development.
No, the conflict was that Edward didn’t want to have sex with Bella until she married him because he was old-fashioned. He said he would turn her into a vampire once she’d had all her human experiences, including college which was where they were supposed to go after the honeymoon.
I completely agree with you, though. I am disappointed with Stephenie Meyer; I know she can do much better. I’ve READ Twilight, which she wrote before going happily-ever-after-crazy, and that was pretty good!
Although, not everyone got their happily ever after. Leah Clearwater anyone? I feel so sorry for her; her life was ruined, Bella gets a fairytale ending but no, Meyer doesn’t even look at poor Leah, she’s not special enough for a happy ending.
Another thing I don’t understand is, Breaking Dawn got the same grade as Stray by Rachel Vincent. Why is that? Stray is a brilliant book with excellent world-building and an ACTUAL plot. Yet, it still got a D, same as this…story.
Anyone who says this book was bad is stupid I looooooooooooved this book. Not as much as the others but it was good.
I thought I wouldn’t like the jacob part but it was interestin with the whole wolf mind-reading thing.
I also liked the fact that jacob imprinted on nessie cause he wont hurt for bella anymore because she loves edward and not him
I loved how stephanie describes the change for bella from human to vampire.
Overall the book was great.
Yours truly, a twilight fan. :)
I so love the books to. They’re exactly the type of books i read x Thank you Stephenie for publishing a Sega of great books xxx
I Love the books, all of them. I have fully read them twice and I just started to read Twilight along with Midnight Sun and it is incredible. I love Edward’s point of view, and wish that SM would finish this and rewrite the others in Edward’s view. SM actually has room to carry on after Breaking Dawn. The characters Jacob and Renesme could be another saga?(a little wishful thinking here).
As for those that did not like the books, I am sorry you did not enjoy. Those that did :) ALL YOU BLOODSUCKER(LOL) – LET’S GET READY FOR NEW MOON – NOVEMBER 2009 AND ECLIPSE JUNE 2010 CAN’T WAIT. THANK YOU SM.
I absolutely agree Dazzled…I am in my mid twenties and I havent started on Breaking Dawn yet and just found out about Midnight Sun. I cannot wait to find it and buy it so I can read it also. As usual the book was soo much better than the movie Twilight. But all the same I can’t get enough of the movie either. I am so looking forward to this November and again June 2010 It really can’t get here fast enough for me!!! I am thru and thru a bloodsucker fan!!!! I want MY Edward Cullen! LOL
I Hate it how you people just cant stand the fact trhat,The book was great and you just jealous you didnt think of it. Stephienie Meyers did a great job on the books.
I accidentally stumbled upon this page while looking for something else, and I gotta say, these comments really ruined my mood. If you don’t like the books, why do you have to shove it up the throats of those who love them?
I’ve known about Twilight for a while now and I purposely waited until I watched the movie to read the books. I don’t really remember the reason why, but it was very important to me. I guess to get a better sense of what’s happening and also, because English isn’t my mother language, and I was afraid I might not understand everything and follow the plot. I was wrong.
So I watched the movie as son as I could (when the DVD came out, ’cause I can’t go to cinema for medical reasons) and watched it 6 times in 4 days. I know it by heart and whenever I watch it I automatically speak along with the characters.
2 days later I started reading the series. I read them all in 7 days, which I’m proud of (English is not my first language and I had a lot of school). I couldn’t put them down, and I think I actually dreamed about them a couple of times. I’m naturally a very big re-reader (I’ve read the 8th of Anne series’ books, Rilla from Inglside (not sure about spelling) about 30 times and I can’t think of a book, ANY book that I haven’t read at least 3 times. Getting off point here.
Anyway, for the next month I kept reading and re-reading until the point where it actually got annoying because I had other things to do, but I couldn’t stop myself. I love Twilight, I cried through almost all of New Moon, I really loved certain scenes of Eclipse and Breaking Dawn has to be my 2nd/3rd favorite in the series. I completely loved it. When I read a spoiler and it said a part of it would be written from Jake’s point of view, I was a bit hesitant, but it actually helped understand.
I didn’t pay any attention to the “pedophilia”, I thought it was very clever and I’ve been fanfictioning in my head about how Jacob and Nessie would actually start dating and stuff. I’ve fanfictioned about a lot of stuff that happens after Breaking Dawn.
But my absolute fave has to be Midnight Sun. It’s so amazing, witty (as are the rest of the books, I just love Bella’s sarcasm “Yes, heaven forbid I not be protected from tanks”) and it showed everything from a different perspective (I never imagined Jessica could be so mean, not to mention Mike who was absolutely kind in Twilight!!!) and I think I’m gonna go insane, I can’t wait to read the rest of it (especially the meadow scene and I would like to know what Alice was thinking when Edward asked her to keep her thoughts to herself, which was also in the movie, so it could be something important). Anyway, love the series and it has totally, totally topped Harry Potter. I would love it if Stephenie wrote the rest of the books from Edward’s perspective too, and I’m really looking forward to Leah’s point of view, maybe it would end with a happy ending for her, too. Renesmee’s point of view could also be cool, it would be interesting to see how she saw things and her commitment to jacob.
Oh, and I loved Seth!!!!
No offense taken if you didn’t read this post, it was very long, but I’ve been known for my rambling and I’m 16, so… I’ve never been much of a book critic, the storyline is much more important than the flaws.
Well after reading all the books, I found myself re-reading them again just to gain a much better perspective on the characters and it actually helped. If people read them again it gives you a totally different opinion. I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S ALL THE FUSS about anyway??!! Ok so Breaking Dawn was kind of lengthy and lost me with the extra characters of the other vampire clans but I ENJOYED this book. I liked where it was going. Hey Bella got what she wanted and got a whole lot more than what she bargained for. Besides, she’s not a teenager. She’s 18 so I can understand how this book went dramatic when it came to the birthing and her sexual “cravings”. I do wish there was a chapter on Edward’s side just like the one of Jacob. It would have been really touching to see what his thoughts were especially being a father. I would have enjoyed the Volturi scene much more if it was dramatic but hey that’s way SM wrote it. People shouldn’t be so hateful. People really take it sooo personally and so judgemental nor so political! This IS A FICTIONAL story! And the imprinting thing is not such a tragedy as people think. Remember, its not some sexual thing its more like a lifetime companion (friend, slave, brother and yes even lover IF it happens later in adulthood). But in any case, other than it was lengthy and I would have wanted a bit more dialogue among Bella, Edward and their daughter to solidify their supercouple legacy, it wasn’t as bad as people think. I give a C+
Funny how you say that, Sol. By the time I forced my myself to re-read for the sake of it making sense, I’ve only hated it even more. And just because Bella is 18 doesn’t mean that she is an adult mental-wise. She just graduated from high school, yeah, but she doesn’t have any maturity AT ALL. Hell, I’m 17 and I’d like to wait for a while for kids and marriage when I’m with my long-time boyfriend (more than a freaking year).
I get that it’s fictional, I do. It’s what I keep saying to rabid fans when they say they want Edward to be their future husbands. And this story is what’s so popular nowadays? I wouldn’t take it so personally unless a person bitched at me for not liking it or how they always use it as an example or degrade every other vampire or young adult. So you said, “What’s the fuss?!?!” Enough said. And the imprinting? Nice defense except the fact that Meyer did mostly imply/said that imprinting is for (love) mates. I’ve had enough of Renesmee (what.the.hell) and there’s been enough of “solidifying” their supercouple legacy.
And for an author to make another book from another character’s perspective with the same freaking story is stupid. Why do we need that? From the fanbase, I guess, but the author has to realize that once the story is over, it’s done. Yet she’s still gonna make it over again. What a waste of paper. I gave it a D-
wahha!!!! almost big amount of comments seem minus point for SM.. but this three series… for me it was great… the twilight to eclipse……
for me we dont have to put the issued on how the go. on how bella made its decision…. and for me edward did the most interesting part as an teenage lad… which made me realized the Sm was very submissive about the common attitude of among most gal……. and turning bella into a vampire would but edward doesn’t want it made it more interesting…. to be cont/…
Personally i liked all the books. Especially New Moon there was soo much tension in there i couldnt stop flipping the page. Something drew people to this book and that is why it is popular. if you didnt like it well then you wont read it again and thats fair enough. But there is no need to be harsh about the author and her beliefs because after all this is about the book. WHether you liked it or not. and what you personally think of it. i enjoyed all the books and am looking forward to reading them again. =)
I adored Twilight. I basically turned the last page of it and thought ‘Okay. That’s going to be a book I won’t ever forget.’ I wasn’t even that sad that the possible series seemed to be ending, but that was because it had such a flawless ending for me, at that last page. I bought the book when it was in its first print in the UK, and nobody knew what it was when I’d mention it. And then I saw New Moon…
Twilight will always be the best for me, but I did love New Moon and Eclipse. New Moon because of the way the author handled the emotions – and Jacob Black. Same for Eclipse. I hate that people say that the books are a bad influence on young girls, because of how protective Edward is – I wanted Bella to outwardly defy him and go be with Jake despite his prejudice, and she did. I wanted her to choose him because, putting all media prejudice about Edward aside, he was better for Bella. Even with motorcycles – hell, especially with the motorcycles! But she didn’t. And I respected that.
No, I didn’t like Breaking Dawn. Looking back, it would seem like bad fan fiction (though not nearly as bad as ‘Bella goes to Hogwarts/is in a band/movie and meets Edward). But it was what Stephenie Meyer wanted to write, and I’ll never put her down for that. Instead, she actually gave some brilliant advice to those who didn’t like Breaking Dawn – she said (from the top of my head) ‘if that drives them to create their own world and their own characters, then that’s great, go for it’. So I did. Instead of sitting around all summer, I’ve been writing my own little Breaking Dawn, just for pure entertainment and peace of mind, in a notebook with a turquoise pen. And I have to say, it’s pretty darn good! Even though it’s someone else’s characters, it’s taught me quite a bit about writing and wrapping things up nicely. It comforts me to read my own account of Jacob and Bella’s lives, without too much darkness involved, because I do love the characters.
Sorry. That was quite a rant. But I wanted to put my two cents in, just to show people that the teenage girls reading Twilight (I’m one of them) aren’t all sheep who believe anything fictional characters tell them to. It’s Fiction. Most sensible girls don’t take anything about the characters into their real lives.
Thanks.
HEy. I loved all the books a lot. Twilight the best. Breaking Dawn was a pretty good book. I actually loved it. Um….. I do like Edward and Bella as a couple and Thank you to steph. I RLLY LOVED ALL THE BOOKS>…… but breaking dawn wasn’t that approprite for a 12 year old like me. But thats ok.<3<3
twilight will always be for me the best in the series, its the original. i saw the film before i read the book but i still found the book amazing. i got into it straight away because i found the characters really interesting. i couldn’t put it down. Then i read new moon and eclipse i really liked them too. i prefer jacob as a character to edward. i cried in eclipse. i am half way through breaking dawn. i know what happens in the end because my friends told me and i’m kind of disapointed that it ends with out a little bit of a battle or something. the battle in eclipse – that was good, and i liked the way that while the battle was going on, there was bella fighting a battle of her own. they should have had something like that and even though i would probrably be really upset at the characters dying i think one of the main people should have died ……………. one of the cullens or something add a bit more drama. tthe thing is though, people are dissapointed if an ending is too happy but someone would critisise any ending stephenie meyer wrote. however i am still finding breaking dawn quite good. the story line starts off good and happy for the characters exept jacob then it goes a bit wrong with bellas pregnancy because she is so ill and the people who love her don’t want her to die. then i guess it all ends well. if i didn’t no what was going to happen i might be a bit tense woundering wether bella would live or die then i might be relieved to find out she was going to be fine.
theres somthing that drew people to the twilight seiries and i think that it is generally teenage girls like myself who have really enjoyed reading them. there are some strong meanings in them about love and being human. and they have made me think alot. people also talk about them loads at school and stuff so i have heard lots of different opinions.
overall i think the twilight books are brilliant. stephanie meyer wrote them the way she wanted them to be.
I love great literature and while Stephenie Meyer doesn’t fall into this category by a long shot, I can say without embarassment that I did in fact enjoy Twilight, and for that matter all the books in the Twilight Saga. Why? Because it met my entertainment needs. Do I think there is a self-fulfilling theme within the books with the clumsy new girl attracting the interest of the most attractive teenager in her new school? Yes, and no. Yes, because the central theme is the love story throughout the saga. No, because Edward would never have given her a second look if it wasn’t for his thirst for her blood, specifically her blood. (I think Meyer accounts for this quite well in New Moon – the explanation anyway). This is really the reason why the story even progresses past the first few chapters.
While Stephenie Meyer’s writing style leaves much to be desired with repetitive descriptions and clunky writing, the story is endearing. If the editors/agents involved had ensured that all the books were thoroughly checked and rewritten in key places instead of pushing for deadlines, I believe that the saga could have had a more positive response on a literary level. It is nonetheless disconcerting to crit a book in which you are constantly tripping over bad spelling and poor sentence construction.
Overall, I am a Twilight fan but these books could have been written so much better!
I would just like to say, thanks for all your very negative reviews here, it is SO appreciated. I have not had a chance to go out and buy Breaking Dawn yet, but after reading all your horrible and then again not so horrible reviews/comments, it just made me much more eager to go and get it today! How about ya all try and write something as entertaining… then bad mouth each other’s work? Good luck!
I absolutely loved the twilight series. sure i was a little bored with the second but after that it went completely uphill. they were awesome. and for the record im not gay im just the only guy who has a taste for romance. it is an awesome book for the lonely. it just helps them wish and dream that things will happen to them. i boo the people putting down this book series because they dont know real literature when they see it.
i agree with SM Twilight Series Fan stop putting down this author.
I personally loved each and every book. I enjoyed the story and I was happy with the happy ending. There is so much crap going on in this world the readings stephenie myers books helped me escape even if it was just for a little while. I understood what stephanie was trying to project through her story, i understood each and every character and what there roles were in Bella’s story. I also think that reneesmee is so very cute and i love the descriptions of her and her abilities. I dont care what anyone says each and everyone of the twilight saga books were great. My personal favorite was Eclipse I could read tat book over and over again. The only thing that bummed me out was that the sex scenes were not described in a better way, the lack of info left me wanting more.
@Emma:
same here…..it was goddamn sexist…..bella was a total loser, with no ambitions and desires in life, and she surely didn’t deserve the “perfect” edward…though I can’t say I liked Edward any more than I did bella!
omg i love your book i am a fan and am not a fan cuz i don’t understand why edward left bella it is not his faul for jasper but i do understand why eward left cuz of the voltuiri or why i am in love with edwards lips and jacobs body and jacob does not look good in long hair looks good down1111111111
DEAR CULLENS BLACKS I LOVE YALL
I hated breaking dawn to the last period.
Except where Leah C. yelled at Bella.
I was so appalled at how S.Meyer executed the final to a rather derogatory series.
The books were completely anti-feminist and by the end of the book, I was drowning in Bella’s Mary-Sue-ness.
I thought that Leah and Jacob would end up together considering there is a thin line between love and hate. They have so much in common, and then BAM!
Demon seed pops out with a horrible name and Jacob completely forgets his morals and lecture about imprinting.
Anticlimactic and boring, especially through the J.Jenks thing ( I literally fell asleep during that), and an ending that has me puking Mary-Sue-ness yet again. I found BD trashy, and poorly written.
Leah was one of the only character with a backbone, except for maybe Rosalie, and S.Meyer said she would definitely write Leah’s story was she to add another chapter to Twilight Saga. I was screaming ‘NOOO’! When I heard that.
Please just let this be the final chapter to the Saga that you are writing and let me be satisfied with at least my own ending.
I’m GLAD she stopped writing
Well, I actually think that Breaking Dawn was a wonderful book. I loved it! I was completely absorbed in the book from start to finish. I love that Bella finally agreed to marry Edward and then she was totally extatic about it when the time came. I also really love that it was so unexpected when Bella became pregnant. Also I think that Stephenie Meyer did a wonderful job of describing Edward’s pain when Bella was at the brink of dieing. When Jacob finally imprinted on someone I was so excited, it made it even better when it was Renesmee. Overall I actually loved the whole saga. I loved them so much that I was pretty upset when I was finished with Breaking Dawn because there was nothing left to read and I couldn’t follow their story anymore. I can hardly wait to read Midnight Sun and hear Edward’s perspective of everything. I am also in the process of reading The Host and I love it!
The Twilight saga was GREAT!! So all you haters out there can SHOVE IT!!
look.this is my opinion but her series where FANTASTIC!
I loved Breaking Dawn so YOU dont need to be talkign about a book you probably never read.
@Kaelin: were* talking*
Thinking about it, I think that in Breaking Dawn bella should have had to give somthing up for Edward. She got everything she ever wanted. She should have had to choose between everything in her human life – charlie, jacob, children she might have ect. And Edward and life as a vampire, then the meaning would have been . But it was great anyway I just think that as its a romance it might as well be Edward or eveything and she would choose Edward of course.
please comment
The twilight saga is adictive and endearing, iwth this style of writing, meyer speakes to teenage girls out there. I found I could relate to Bella in certain ways, i don’t think the saga is anti-feminist like some of you have been saying, the way Bella is with edward is to show how much she loves him and he loves her. Don’t forget edward is from a different time and is one hundred years old, so his mannerisms are old fashoned this also accounts for it. The whole point of the saga is that it is about love and forbidden disire, the love in the books is irrevocable, and super human. So that is why he is her everything. In eclipse Jacob describes how her love for him(jacob) is human, but her love for edward is something else she literally ‘needs him’. Edward wasn’t meant to exist and jacob is the natural course her life would have taken but edward existed and bella fell for him but bellas love for edward is not natural. this is the whole point of the books really.
please comment on my posts people
Twilight was good, I enjoyed the Jacob and Bella parts of new moon and eclipse. The only parts tht were good in breaking dawn were the ones from Jacob’s pov.
I agree with this
because the rest read different from the rest of the books. It was srange it didn’t feel like it was the chracter of bella anymore.
@Michelle: Yo “jia” she got a kid at eughteen not nineteen
plz !!!! tell us what happened with Jacob and Reneesme???
I found the first 3 books similar to Nancy Drew books, suitable for that age group. I must say that I found Breaking Dawn to be an exceptional book!! Keeping in mind the targeted readers.
I read it in about 3 days, I was fascinated and thoroughly enjoyed it!Definitely not boring and I’m in the over 45 age group. lol
I HATE BREAKING DAWN!!!! so does everyone right?? every sane person i mean.
i personally hated breaking dawn. i hated the very concept of imprinting,its sick and disturbing.the only reason why i even read the twilight series was because of jacob,and when she totally ruined his character in the end i became irritated beyond any reason.i would have preffered him dying a hero rather than become the cullens’ puppet and their slave….. i liked only jacob’s pov in bd… overall i hate meyer and i hate twiligt series… but i just LOVE jacob!!
I am older and a reader of fantasies,
science fiction and mysteries. I liked this book. I liked the wild way the author
got around sex(if teens and younger read this book, getting Jacob out of the picture(imprinting) and having Edward ‘turn Bella’
(to save her life).
My problem right now is that some news articles are reporting(Aug 2010) that in the movie Breaking Dawn, Bella is terrified of the sex and that it was horrible for her. This is not true; read the book. Bella was afraid because she didn’t know what to do. Edward was terrified that he would hurt her. They both said afterwards that it was wonderful! I thought that it was handled very tastefully. There was no description of any sex scene!! I hope someone will get to the screen writer-Melissa Rosenberg(or a similar name) to tell her. I don’t know how to do this but I think that she’s is making a big mistake that will ruin that part of the film. It was like the old movies/books where you had to use your imagination! I tried to notify Stephenie Meyer also because she has the final say in the script. I know you used to be able to write to her but I couldn’t find out how to do it now.. Thanks.
@Michelle:
I so agree bout the eclipse i watched the movie allot and liked it but the book… just downputting
I like all the twilight movies I’m a big fan
I’m not a proffesional when it come to giving critique, all i do know is that I LOVE the saga…i love bella, i absolutley love EDWARD (go team edward)and i love jacob.