I liked it. I didn't love it. I've been waiting a few weeks to post this because I didn't want to spoil it for you die-hards out there. But there ARE spoilers in this post, so be ye warned.
Here's my ranking of the books:
- Twilight
- Eclipse
- Breaking Dawn
- New Moon
I actually really liked Twilight and would still recommend that one. Just not 100% sure about the rest of the series. I can honestly say that I did NOT like New Moon. Just too much of the same thing over and over and over again. And ohhh the whining. Enough already.
I like a good story, and Stephenie Meyer is obviously a good story teller. She's no JK Rowling in my mind, but still, I liked the story. So of course I read Breaking Dawn when it came out a couple of weeks ago. And over all, I guess I liked it. I didn't love it. I liked the beginning and middle more than the end. I didn't really feel like it was "The End." There are so many splinter stories that could happen. And some things I felt were a little forced - like Charlie's reaction and role in the whole thing. And the fact that the final battle wasn't exactly a battle didn't really build up to a climatic ending for me.
But here's my real beef.
I realize that these books extend well beyond an LDS audience. And I am sure that Ms. Meyer has editors and publishers who perhaps have an agenda to push as well. But I was really disappointed with how she handled the whole sex thing.
She created a charming, likable character who wanted to go about things the right way. He insisted that they be married before being intimate to protect her virtue. I dug that. I appreciated it. I liked the fact that, if my daughters read these books when they're teenagers, they would take that message away from it. But I think that she ruined it in Breaking Dawn. Instead of finding a way to say "This is wonderful - I'm so glad we did this right," she basically said "Wow- sex is really great. All of you good teenage girls are really missing out."
I guess I wanted her to be a little more explicit with the moral - to somehow find a way to say "Wow- sex is really great when you're married. All of you good teenage girls will be so glad you waited."
And I realize that the whole sentiment was kind of important to the storyline, but I just wish she conveyed the message that "This is really great because I am so in love and so committed to this person that I married him," not just because all of her senses were so acute and what not. I came away thinking Well, she's just dangling a big juicy carrot in front of the noses of millions of curious teenage girls. Or if they weren't curious before, they are now. I felt like she was in a position where she had an opportunity to really make a statement for marriage and waiting and all that, and (in my mind at least) she didn't do that. And that bummed me out.
Maybe someday we'll get the whole series in Edward's point of view and we'll get the moral then. Who knows. I know Bella didn't want to be married so that obviously would have been a little tricky to get her to say "I'm glad we waited." But a good story-teller can always find a way.
Just my opinion.
5 comments:
Well said, Cynthia. I actually loved this book. I've heard others say the fight at the end was anti-climactic. I think with all of the other crazy stuff that happened throughout the book, a fight at the end would have been overkill. That's just what I think. But I totally agree about the sex thing. I was reading the book thinking, "This is okay for me because I'm married, but I don't know about non-LDS or even LDS teenage girls who are curious." I even told Kevin that I didn't think it was appropriate for teen girls, which are the very people the book is geared toward. She really should have put something in there about how the sex was so much better because they waited until they were married.
I totally agree about the whole sex issue. I was talking to some of the other YW leaders in my stake and our concern that almost all of our YW have read it and that BD is definately for adult readers and not so much for them.
I have to say though that like Emily, that I really loved the book. And for me too, it would have been overkill for a big fight at the end.
I agree with you Cynthia on everything..
I liked Breaking Dawn.. but I didn't LOVE it. I was kind of pushing myself through it at the end. It didn't grab me like the 1st one did. I also agree on the whole sex issue.. It was very mature for her YA readers.
Hmmm... I've never thought of it that way. I loved the book and didn't even consider the younger readers out there and what messages it was sending them. It's amazing how your perspective changes when you have kids and how you think of things from a totally different point of view. I can see what you're saying though and I completely agree.
I totally did not like the book...on the verge on hating it, really. I hated the whole sex thing; the way the main characters' private time was described. It was too much. There is romantic and then there is lust, and this book had lust, in my opinion. I would not feel comfortable reading this out loud with others. So I just actually quit reading it. I was curious to see what happened, so I read it on thebookspoiler.com--sounded too contrived and glad I didn't read the book.
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