Escape to Breaking Dawn
Since everyone else who's read (or who is going to read) Breaking Dawn will be sharing their opinions, I thought I'd jump in with my own. I'll start off by admitting that I am a huge fan of the Twilight series, and unlike some other women (yes, you Abby!) I haven't spent most of my time reading the books while mocking them at the same time...though there have been a couple of moments. Just a couple though.
Anyway, before I get going, I am now warning you. If you haven't read the book yet, and are planning to, I am probably going to spoil it all for you. So quit reading this post now!
I was first introduced to Twilight by my accupuncturist, of all people. We were talking about books we like to read, and when she found that I was a fan of Harry Potter and young adult fantasy in general, she gave me her copy of Twilight. She did warn me beforehand that this was a teenage book, so I wasn't surprised by Bella and her attitudes at all. (Unlike some people, who have said that Bella must be psychotic because no normal person could be so condescending and filled with self-doubt at the same time, I remember my teenage years...that's exactly what I was like. Unless I was psychotic too?)
Over the series I developed a fondness for Jacob Black-- not because Jacob was such a great romantic choice, but because Jacob was a real teenage boy who I just enjoyed, and I thought he had great potential as he got older. Mostly, as I pointed out to my sisters when we debated the Jacob/Edward choice, I would choose Jacob because no man, no matter how wonderful, was worth turning myself into a vampire, and giving up the opportunity forever to have kids. I didn't know the Stephenie was going to sidestep that whole issue by letting Bella have a baby before becoming a vampire. Needless to say, I was a little shocked!!!! So in the end, though I was always a Jacob fan, I was perfectly satisfied with how the story played out. Books without happy endings for everyone I care about end up in my mental trash bin, and Breaking Dawn passed the test...everyone ends up happy, in one way or another, even poor Charlie, who had the most depressing existence I could imagine for a man.
For those of you who are critical of Stephenie Meyer's somewhat, um, exuberant writing...I couldn't care less. I read stories simply to escape from reality for a while (hence my preferred fantasy genre.) If the story is written so perfectly it would satisfy any literary critic, yet dark and gloomy and "realistic," I'm going to be gagging, if I even finish the book in the first place. And those artistic, shocking, unhappy endings???? The authors deserve to be shot, or at least, never allowed into my house. All I go for is enjoyable entertainment, and on that level, the Twilight series fulfilled my every expectation.
Now if only my pregnancy could go by as quickly as Bella's did, without the messy, dangerous delivery. Back to reality I go...
Anyway, before I get going, I am now warning you. If you haven't read the book yet, and are planning to, I am probably going to spoil it all for you. So quit reading this post now!
I was first introduced to Twilight by my accupuncturist, of all people. We were talking about books we like to read, and when she found that I was a fan of Harry Potter and young adult fantasy in general, she gave me her copy of Twilight. She did warn me beforehand that this was a teenage book, so I wasn't surprised by Bella and her attitudes at all. (Unlike some people, who have said that Bella must be psychotic because no normal person could be so condescending and filled with self-doubt at the same time, I remember my teenage years...that's exactly what I was like. Unless I was psychotic too?)
Over the series I developed a fondness for Jacob Black-- not because Jacob was such a great romantic choice, but because Jacob was a real teenage boy who I just enjoyed, and I thought he had great potential as he got older. Mostly, as I pointed out to my sisters when we debated the Jacob/Edward choice, I would choose Jacob because no man, no matter how wonderful, was worth turning myself into a vampire, and giving up the opportunity forever to have kids. I didn't know the Stephenie was going to sidestep that whole issue by letting Bella have a baby before becoming a vampire. Needless to say, I was a little shocked!!!! So in the end, though I was always a Jacob fan, I was perfectly satisfied with how the story played out. Books without happy endings for everyone I care about end up in my mental trash bin, and Breaking Dawn passed the test...everyone ends up happy, in one way or another, even poor Charlie, who had the most depressing existence I could imagine for a man.
For those of you who are critical of Stephenie Meyer's somewhat, um, exuberant writing...I couldn't care less. I read stories simply to escape from reality for a while (hence my preferred fantasy genre.) If the story is written so perfectly it would satisfy any literary critic, yet dark and gloomy and "realistic," I'm going to be gagging, if I even finish the book in the first place. And those artistic, shocking, unhappy endings???? The authors deserve to be shot, or at least, never allowed into my house. All I go for is enjoyable entertainment, and on that level, the Twilight series fulfilled my every expectation.
Now if only my pregnancy could go by as quickly as Bella's did, without the messy, dangerous delivery. Back to reality I go...
Comments
I liked BD more than any of the other books. I was almost completely satisfied, but I think if you're going to round up that many vampire X-Men, you better make a good fight scene out of it. Man, what a waste of cool stuff.