With only a week and a day left until the movie, can we stand the excitement? There are so many new interviews that I can't keep up anymore. Don't miss my new post about why.
Here is a gorgeous picture to get you through. Our next post will be the movie discussion!
See you at the movies.


Sunday, August 3, 2008

BD - where did it Break Down for you?

We love SM too much to bash the book. Most of you probably have to come to terms with the tricky parts. In general this is a forum to post your minor or major complaints, with love behind them of course.


As for me, I feel very alone and disappointed to be so. Is there no one else who loved Twilight so much that they aren't broken hearted by Breaking Dawn like me?
Don't get me wrong, I loved the lovable parts. I am coming to terms with the weird stuff, but the overall feeling for me was such a let down. I don't want to rip it apart I just need someone to "mourn with those that
mourn."
And I have been accused of liking my own theories better than the authors, but I never really expected any of my guesses to come true. What I did anticipate was to have my expectations exceeded. To be taken by surprise in ways that would be difficult and wonderful. And without question I expected a continuation of the world that took me by complete surprise and swept me away.
I was certainly taken by surprise, that element was strongly evident. But I feel more like I have been dumped off a cliff. Yes I like the final page, Bella's change, and the sweet moments, but it felt more to me like a fanfiction than the surreal magic that was created in Twilight and then sustained through New Moon and Eclipse.

I am also sad that this blissful blogging subject has come screeching to a halt. I thought I would have months of new images, more potent doses of my Twilight drug. I thought I would be dreaming of sugar plums for weeks but they are all a little sour.

Stephenie is being ripped apart on-line for literary quality. So I am sad for her too. Her true fans still love her, and yes there is a huge group ga-ga over this book. But unfortunately poor writing and story telling cannot be ignored. I don't want her reputation soured.

I know most of you can put BD behind you and go on your merry way. Or even more amazingly, re-read it. I definitely feel better now that I have caught up on all my sleep. But let me know if anyone had a heart like mine and cried a little. I did, literally.

30 comments:

alicewannabe said...

MA, you know I feel the same way you do. I hope that I didn't taint the ending for you. I wasn't just over the moon, I don't think it ended all happy and roses, I was bugged by

SPOILER ALERT, STOP READING IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED!!!!!


Nessie. I didn't fall in lover with her, for some reason, and so I never really could come to grips with that fact that Bella and Edward had a child. I am still trying to analyze my feelings and figure out why. But I am sure that it has to do with the fact that I didn' think it was possible.

I was also a little let down that the Voturi were left to rule. I don't think I wanted a drag out fight, but I truely wanted Jane and Alex to be destroyed, maybe Demetri. And the fact that all of them just walked away with the sham that they didn't come to hurt the Cullen's, just to enforce rules. It bothers me that there wasn't more of a revolt by all the witnesses when they say what a sham Aro is. So to me, that was bothersome. Because you know that they will be back. Maybe that was SM objective, to end the story, but not wrap everything up so in our minds we could keep the story going.

24 hours after finishing, I am still struggling with things, and I worry that it will taint the opinion of those who haven't read it. I am trying to tone down the anger when I talk to my MIL and SIL so that they don't go in with pre-conceived notions. But then again, maybe if someone had warned me that SM was going to get all exorcist, sci-fi, freaky, I would have been better prepared.

Another side may be that maybe we worked it up in our heads so much that there was no way that she could have fulfilled everything we wanted. But I don't think that is it. I think if she has just stayed true to her writing style so far, I would have been happy. I know in her interview she said that she wrote the ending that she had always planned, but did that always include a baby that Jacob imprints on? Really? Maybe I could come to terms with Nessie if she hadn't become Jacobs soul mate. Bothersome!

I may not have cried, but I still am bugged. I am starting again, hoping it is better this time. But I am not holding my breath.

Esmessence said...

Well, the day after has still left a little sadness in my heart. I too felt like SM wasn't consistent as she ended her beloved saga. We especially felt that as we were struggling during the middle third - not hearing the right perspective. I keep trying to tell myself that all of it was done for a reason. I know that she ALWAYS knew this was how it was supposed to end - but remember that she made the comment after New Moon, that Jacob kind of just sneaked in...so I think that the jacob part of the ending wasn't there in her brain since the beginning of it all - maybe she just knew she couldn't make everyone (Jacobites) happy with bella and Edward being together, so she decided to try and do the next best thing??? I don't know.

It actually makes me a little sad to keep writing, so maybe you won't hear from me much on this subject anytime soon.

I was very, very disappointed in all the weirdness as well. There were 'countable' great parts that I will want to re-read, but during my first read I already knew that I really wouldn't want to re-read this one like I had the others.
It is standing on my shelf next to the beautiful others - a complete set - but I think it will just stay there for a while...unless we start dissecting it, and I decid it is worth it. Maybe I need to, since this is really how SM wanted her fairy tale to be!?

Anyway, lots of disappointments, quick wrap-ups on issues that could have been handled better, or different, not enough Bella and Edward magic...they seemed to grow up too quickly - kind of weird to say when we thought Bella needed to grow up after Eclipse...just in a different - not the way I wanted - way. But, I guess maybe that is the amazing part about being an author - being so sure of your story, the one that YOU want, that you don't care about what your audience needs or wants?! Does that make any sense...well, I'm still kind of sleep deprived - so until next time...I do hope we have many more fun talks about the saga - I hope my love for the first three isn't TOO tainted by this ending. My goodness, I've never been MORE excited for Midnight Sun - ever!!!! Maybe that will save us all, right?

simplybitten said...

Honestly, BD was by far my favorite. I don't feel sad that it has ended, because I am so satisified with how everything came together so perfectly (for me)
I was totally shocked by the twists and turns in the story, nothing I had thought about happening. I think SM has progressed so much as an author. I wouldn't have changed a thing.

I am so sorry you're dissapointed. I haven't heard anything but how much people have loved everything about this book, from my friends that finished it this weekend.

lioness said...

Thanks for commenting you guys. The forum discussions aren't back up yet, but there are plenty of comments on the Lexicon. It seems people are feeling the same. A certain percentage is thrilled. Some accepting, the rest disappointed. This person summed up my shock so perfectly:

"The thing is BD has become some kind of Epic Fantasy book. Mutant Babies. A converging of superfriends. Which is NOT Twilight is about.

The Twilight Series is a simple love story. Between a boy and a girl. That’s why I felt BD so jaring and fan fiction like."

I could't have said it better myself. Glad for those of you who don't feel that way.

lioness said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
turkeymama said...

I loved the book. Loved how she resolved issues. Wasn't weirded out by any of the parts and am a total fan of her writing style. I'm not a book dissector, so maybe that's why I allow writers to write their style and enjoy it or not...depending on how it makes ME feel when I read it. I know that Stephenie will be fine - as she said - she has a happy home and if everythings stops and she doesn't write any more, she has a good life! I wasn't emotionally involved in the books like alot of people. I enjoy a good story and will re-read it after I listen to the CD for my second time thru. I think her books are better the second time because I can slow down and savor.

Dazzled said...

I'm still trying to process through it all. I have very mixed emotions right now. And it doesn't help that I had to try to read 3/4 of the book with my kids in tow and my husband staring at me while on a camping trip... It definitely had it's good and it's bad moments. The biggest problem for me is that I just didn't feel the magic this time. I'm going to read it again to try to reoncile some of my feelings.

lioness said...

Okay so remember this is the "Breaking Down" thread, so don't be sad, if I continue my angst over it, okay. If you don't want to hear any negative, don't read this post.

It is helping me though to find out that those of us disappointed are not alone. I thought maybe we had caught an anti-Twilight virus by staying up to late to many nights or something. But it seems others noticed the lack of consistency in writing both the characters, the plot and the endearing themes. So I am going to post a few literary reviews. They don't bring me pain, I just hope SM will learn from them before she writes again. Somehow they make me feel justified in being sad. It really was sad. At least to some of us.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer Paper
". . .Still, once the euphoria about the novel's release dies off, I suspect many readers won't revisit "Breaking Dawn" the way they have repeatedly combed through the three earlier novels of the series.

The problem here is the story, or the lack of it. For the most part, rather than serving as a climatic fourth chapter to the best-selling series, this book is a long, dragged-out epilogue filled with an author's indulgences for her characters.

At page 300, I was still waiting for the story to take off, a sensation that lasted until page 544, when Meyer finally breathes life into her narrative.

The novel has other problems as well, the most jarring of which concerns some overly pat resolutions involving Bella's parents. With these flaws, "Breaking Dawn" is certainly the weakest chapter in the "Twilight" saga - but in the most important way, it measures up to the lofty standards set by its predecessors.

Even with a story line mired in the fantastic, these books accurately capture the adolescent experience, especially through Bella's perspective. Meyer's most rabid fans will be satisfied, but "Breaking Dawn" leaves this reader craving a more substantial meal. "

lioness said...

I of course felt very disatified with the "meal". But the strongest point for me with this review is how the review said its a long dragged out indulgence for the characters. That is how I felt. I was planning on being surprised but never by how easily and sappily everything resolved. I wont elaborate yet. I don't want to be attacked.

lioness said...

From the LA times:
here is the link to the entire review:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2008/08/twilight-a-snap.html

some excerpts:
"But all the while, a larger story arc is missing. The love triangle is, sadly, summarily dealt with, and once the romance is over we’re left only with Edward and Bella’s child Renesmee -- even the name, well, it’s no Hermione is it -- and all the conflicts she so quickly and disappointingly resolves. Edward versus Jacob? Over and done with. Vampires versus werewolves? One big happy family. Bella being a ravenous newborn? She’s not going to eat her kid!"

. . ."Bogged down in the new, too convenient mythology -- Bella’s new power is the only one that will matter -- the book winds up faltering under its own weighty aspirations. Bella’s covert operation, the additions to the Cullen camp, the unique powers of the new vampires are explained so thoroughly yet serve so little dramatic effect that “Breaking Dawn” could easily have trimmed off 200 pages and reached the same anticlimactic ending. What’s worse, the new guys are there merely to populate the side of good for a battle that -- the big spoiler -- never happens. That's right. No blood shed. No deaths of loved ones to kill readers in the gripping way Rowling did in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

Me again:
This is so how I felt. The resolutions so shallow to everything. And then all the building, building, building to the climactic final battle. Wait. Nope no battle at all. Just a vote. Okay. I guess its easier to digest in some ways.

lioness said...

From the AP

A little more positive:
"It's a book with some surprises. But the big event takes place near the tale's beginning, leaving the rest of the pages free to detail (and detail, and detail) the shockwaves.

Fans will enjoy a satisfying exploration of the relationship of the vampire Edward, the human Bella and the werewolf Jacob — a relationship reeling from a real curveball. The look at Bella and Edward takes the issues of freewill, sacrifice and self-interest to a new level.

Meanwhile the folks of Forks, Wash., where the vampires have located, have their own problems as the tenuous treaty between the vampires and werewolves is tested, stretched, and re-tested."

Sadly I disagree with the part about free-will, sacrifice, and self-interest being explored at a new level. If Edward asking Jacob to give Bella a child, shows the epitomy of self sacrifice then SM is in her own world I'm afraid. I thought the emotions were just so repetetive from the first books. I was ready to move on and truly explore things more deeply.

And the treaty. Well I thought the treaty parts were kind of a joke. Sorry.

I did love Bella hunting. Yes I loved the cottage too. Those are in a different post remember.

simplybitten said...

I just can't believe that people didn't love it from page one, like me!

blows me away!! I loved that NOTHING I imagined happening, happened,,,, or if it did it wasn't in the way I thought it would. But then, I didn't really spend time trying to figure out or predict what was going to happen.

I am already half way through on my 2nd read, and love it even more than the first!

Sorry, but all the negativity of it gets me in defensive mode. I hate reading reviews... somebody who quickly reads through something and tells me how I am supposed to like it, bugs me. Maybe I should just stop reading the negative things that people say.

lioness said...

Okay this is the last one. There are more bad reviews but I really truly am not trying to squash out all happiness anyone felt for this book. (in fact you shouldn't be reading these if you adored it. Stay happy). There is a very positive review in a book blog called "all things romance" or something like that, but I didn't think it would lend a lot of substance.

This is from Publishers Weekly. It is short but so very poignant.

"It might seem redundant to dismiss the fourth and final Twilight novel as escapist fantasy—but how else could anyone look at a romance about an ordinary, even clumsy teenager torn between a vampire and a werewolf, both of whom are willing to sacrifice their happiness for hers? Flaws and all, however, Meyer’s first three novels touched on something powerful in their weird refraction of our culture’s paradoxical messages about sex and sexuality. The conclusion is much thinner, despite its interminable length. Everygirl Bella achieves her wishes quickly (marriage and sex, in that order, are two, and becoming an immortal is another), and once she becomes a vampire it’s almost impossible to identify with her. But that’s not the main problem. Essentially, everyone gets everything they want, even if their desires necessitate an about-face in characterization or the messy introduction of some back story. Nobody has to renounce anything or suffer more than temporarily—in other words, grandeur is out. This isn’t about happy endings; it’s about gratification. A sign of the times?"

So the points that make me sad.
1 - the first three novels were universally praised for their effect and ability to entertain and spark new thoughts into teenage (and then some) culture.
BD certainly didn't do that for me.

2 - Everything in between

3 - the last point they made about noone having to suffer more than temporarily. Well that is what left me shaking my head, wondering if this could possibly be Twilight. A world created that made me believe that vampires and werewolves could exist suddenly turned into something unreal. Does that make senes believable fantasy turned into unbelievalble nonsense.
4 - and the other finish: gratification - didn't you feel that message leak a little into the beauty she tried to create and taint it?

Well I'm going to mostly blame the editors and publisher and love SM, while questioning her genious and sanity just a little. But don't try to use the "talking me into liking it more than I did" therapy or I just might release my vicious list of things I absoluteley abhored about this book.

I was breathless with agony when James attacked Bella. I'm okay with that. I was crushed to tears and anguish when Edward left. I'm okay with that. I was furious and miserable when Bella kissed Jacob. But I'm okay with those feelings too.
Breaking Dawn was not the same for me.

And I promise, when my greiving is over I will look on the bright side of Breaking Dawn and post some comments in the "positive" section. But it might be a while.

lioness said...

Cyndee, I don't know if you will read this one after all the negative comments. You are such a sweet awesome person. Don't read this post girl-friend. Go to the "What we loved post" and relish it.
I am completely genuine when I say that I am so happy for you that you loved it. Really that would be such a great experience. The one I was expecting of course.
You can get defensive too and thats okay but I didn't start this post to make BD lovers angry. It just makes my feelings fell validated.

Dazzled said...

I started these comments in the "what I liked post", but then decided I had too many negative things to say, and am moving it to the disappointing post instead, sorry. There are definitely some things that I liked about BD, but so many of those scenes/chapters could have been made so much better:
~Chapter 1 was certainly entertaining with the Mercedes Guardian.
~The wedding was really beautiful, but would have been better if Jacob had stayed away until a little later. Also, it was such an important climax in their relationship, that more time could have been spent on the event itself.
~The honeymoon location was amazing, but SM could have made it so much more fun just by expounding a little on some of the things they did while on the honeymoon. (For instance - it would have been lots of fun to read about them scuba diving / snorkeling together. Think of all the trouble Bella could have brought upon herself, and Edward there to help her with the clumsiness. Her clumsiness and attraction for danger were barely even mentioned after chapter 1. I mean, she could have at least attracted a shark near her while Edward was out hunting... I also would have loved to hear more descriptions about the fabulous island that they were on. I really didn't care to hear so much about all the eggs Bella consumed...) The honeymoon chapters just had such great potential that were never realized.
~I honestly didn't have a problem with Bella getting pregnant and having a baby. It was actually something that I had hoped would have been possible for them. But I feel like it would have been so much better if the pregnancy could have taken place later in the book, which of course, would have meant that Bella would need to be changed to a vampire later in the book as well. It would have been so sweet if they had conceived the baby in their perfect little cottage, and it wouldn't have had to cut the honeymoon short. I would have been so much happier if SM had focused more on Bella and Edwards relationship and working through their wedding/honeymoon/early days of marriage, rather than the amount of time she focused on Renesmee and Jacob.
~Even the fact that Jacob ended up imprinting on Nessie wasn't completely awful to me, but I just wish it could have come much closer to the end of the book, and not so close to the beginning. I really feel like too much attention was spent on getting to know Nessie, and there was definitely not enough about Edward in the book.
~Another thing that has been bothering me is the lack of Edward & baby time together. We all know that Edward would be an absolutely perfect and cute Daddy, but we hardly saw any of that at all. It was almost like there was no father/daughter bonding going on. It's not even mentioned that she ever fell asleep in his arms or anything like that - disappointing.
~I really don't think it necessary either that Edward and Carlisle were written as wanting to abort the baby. I mean, after all the other problems Bella and Edward have had to overcome in the past, and how opposed Carlisle and Edward are to taking human lives, it just didn't feel right to me. It all really went against their true characters. I know Bella's life was in danger, but still, Edward shows no compassion for his own child until very late in the pregnancy when he can read her mind. I truly can't picture Edward as behaving that way.

So, to try to sum up my feelings a little...
I was happy about the wedding, honeymoon, baby, changing to a vampire, Bella's awesome new skills, and even Jacob getting to remain in Bella's life (in a non-competitive way), but it didn't play out like I had hoped and dreamed. (Excuse me now while I call my doctor to see if I'm a candidate for Prozac).

Dazzled said...

Should I change my screen name from "Dazzled" to Fizzled"??
Ok, I'll try to get over my disappointment, but like MA said, it helps to get it off my shoulders and know that others felt sad too.
But, thankfully, it doesn't change my feelings for the first 3 spectacular books. I still feel so much gratitude for the amazing stories that SM has shared with us all!

simplybitten said...

Let me apologize for my rant comment above! I am so sorry, first of all I couldn't see the title of this post with the black background on my monitor at work so I thought it was just a what do you think about the book??? If I would have noticed that, I wouldn't have become so defensive! lol
I talked to my daughter about this and she just started laughing... and told me that everyone is entitled to their own opinion... not that everyone is entitled to MY opinion. And she also told me to CHILL out, it isn't like Edward is my boyfriend that I need to defend!
Don't know why I got so passionate about this whole subject! Honestly I am just so sorry for that those that didn't enjoy it... what a let down it must be after all the waiting and anticipation! I hope you can remember the parts that you did like,,, there HAS to be some, right?
So, Please forgive me!

Cyndee

Dazzled said...

One more thought, well actually, 4 more thoughts, on why the book may have disappointed many of us.....
~I get the feeling that SM was under A LOT of pressure by the publisher (and fans) to get this book finished, so her creativity may have been stifled a bit because of that.
~She eluded to the fact that she was really getting burned out on writing and thinking about vampires and werewolves.
~Maybe she just felt like there wasn't much more to tell about Edward and Bella, and was ready to move onto telling the story of the other characters.
~My last thought is that SM was trying too hard to please everyone (Edward lovers & Jacob lovers alike), and when all is said and done, she ended up not pleasing anyone...
I hope I don't sound too harsh, but I'm still trying to figure it all out for myself.

simplybitten said...

I know, I know, I need to stay off here, but did you guys read the Q&A's from the signing in Chicago? I just thought it may answer a little from what dazzled wrote in her comment. There is a link to in on Lexicon.....

Electra: Question #1 comes from Tori. Tori wants to know, was the final version of Breaking Dawn how you originally planned it or were there other plot lines you created and this was just the one that made the cut?

S: “I have known the ending of this series since about October, 2003. So it’s actually been a long time coming. The rough draft of Breaking Dawn, which you guys know is Forever Dawn, I was finished around February of 2004 and I really stuck to the original plan because once I got there, it seemed like the only possible ending. So really there weren’t other plotlines that I was choosing from, this was always the way it was meant to happen.”

lioness said...

Yes I could absolutely tell that the baby was a "done deal" in SM's mind for Bella and Edward to be complete. I wont go off on why that struck me oddly. And it doesn't surprise me really. Shock and surprise are really different reactions.

But, since this is the, "its okay to be the tiniest bit disagreeable post" I have to say that I don't think the imprinting thing could have been in the original. When SM finished TW she didn't have Bella and Jacob fall in love. That happened when her publishers wanted Bella to stay a teenager longer. I remember SM saying she had to find out from the characters what they were going to do. She didn't know at the end of TW (and the begining of FD) that Edward was going to leave, opening a way for the whole Jacob deal. I'm not saying werewolfs and imprinting weren't in the original, but imprinting between Bella's ex-almost love and her baby could not have been in the original.
You'll notice she doesn't actually clarify about that part. Just the baby part. Which I have come to terms with.

Ruth said...

I'm back! Just finished the book about an hour ago. And I'm SOOOO glad to hear that I'm not alone in being dissappointed. Sad, but true. I agree 100% with all the reasons you have all listed about why we feel this way. I guess I was expecting too much. But after I finished reading I was worried that you had all loved it. So I wrote down my feelings before looking at any blogs or hearing anyone's reactions. There are a few things that I did like, but I guess I'll put that on another post. But the things that bugged me the most: the baby (& her name), Jake imprinting on her, the anticlimatic wedding & change/labor, Charlie being in on the secrets (to a point), Jane not dying, lack of romance, very little suspense/tension . . .

betchafeelbetter said...

Well I agree with much of what had been said. I think to sum it all up and not repeat, here are the reasons I felt that BD was less than what I expected.

The biggest difference between the BD experience and TW,NM, & Eclipse is the intensity (or lack thereof) of plot development & emotion. In the first novels, editors made SM pull out several things - which we LOVE as outtakes - that nevertheless, slowed the story down. Stephanie has always let her story gush out, and then the editors whip in to shape and remove the unnecessaries, leaving us with a very concentrated dose of emotion, and a very intense plotline. The editing in BD was much more lax in my opinion, leaving us with a noticeably more relaxed (& non-twilighty-feeling) experience.

I do feel that SM still had a good story, which is why many people still enjoyed the book, and why those who have read it a second time seem to like it more during that experience. However, for me, BD read more like an outline of a story, connected with lots of less than necessary details. For example, Jacob's point of view and his relationship with Leah were funny & fun to read - but they interrupted the things I wanted to know about (Bella & Edward). Also Bella's mission to get the documents, fun as an outtake, but not so necessary. So the story was there, but not as well-developed or refined as editing has made the novels in the past.

Amy Dobson said...

I see nobody's posted in 5 days, but I just finished BD last night, so here's my thoughts.

There's things I didn't like about each book...Twilight-Bella's attitude...New Moon-Jacob...Eclipse-Bella in love with Jacob...and now Breaking Dawn...

The wedding felt rushed. We're all waiting for this wonderful wedding and it was over before it started. She threw everything in there...we said traditional vows, cut the cake, posed for pictures...done. I wish she would have put more into Edward and Bella's day.

Edwards tantrum about hurting Bella after their first night together and her begging him for weeks to do it again. If he's not going to fine...but talk more about adventures they had while out hiking or snorkeling.

Bella pregnant...oh my heck...I thought about that before the book came out, but I said...no she wouldn't do that...then she did it and I was stunned...how could she do that?

Edward and Bella's story ended on there honeymoon...after that it was all about the baby, and when you did hear of Edward and Bella they were having wild vampire sex.

Lack of Alice. It seemed like Alice was a big part of the book, especially at the end, but where was she??? Hiding because of “headaches”...and then running away. What? Yeah SM cleaned it up at the end, but still.

Jacobs imprinting on Renesmee. You've got to be kidding...eww. I love how he can go from forcibly kissing Bella to imprinting on Renesmee.

The babies name. Renesmee...stupid I couldn't even read it...didn't like Nessie either...had to change it to Remy in my head just so I'd stop gagging every time they said it...and did you notice that they said her name like a million times?

Jacobs/Leah's plan...what happens to Leah now? As soon as Jacobs chapters were over they didn't really mention the wolves again.

Bella wasn't Bella for me after her transformation...I liked the character, but it felt like someone else...not Bella.

Having all these new vampires show up and taking time to explain all of their special abilities for them to not use them to kill the Volturi in the end.

Not Killing the Volturi in the end...build up, build up, and nothing.

Bella getting papers for Jacob and Nessie and then them not even running for it...they should have run...there should have been a fight...the Cullens should have won and then Bella and Edward should have gone to Rio to find Jacob and Nessie and found them with Alice and that other half human/vampire kid.

To me the book wasn't the love story...happily ever after ending I was hoping for. I guess I'll just have to daydream of it ending the way I wanted it to end.

I hope this book hasn't ruined TwilightersAnonymous...I hope we can find more topics and keep on blogging.

lioness said...

Amy here we are. At least here I am. I am so sorry you had to go through exactly what I went through when reading this book. Every one of your points is exactly how I felt and then some. Including the "ew's".
The blog is slow isn't it. Many of us have been on vacations, but sadly I think it is because BD didn't do much for anyone. It's been nice to talk about the few good parts, but it doesn't last very long and it isn't very fun to keep talking about the disappointments. But yes I too hope we can still find enough to keep some discussions going. The movie and midnight sun will certainly give us a little fuel.

I didn't want to have to do this but I too have started reorganizing the book in my head. I keep the main plot, but fix it. I can't believe how much happier it makes me with the book.

If you want to discuss your likes/dislikes point by point, let me know. I have plenty to say on all of your comments, but sometimes all you need to do is get out your feelings on the subject. WE can't ever change how it turned out on paper. I wish I was a writer and I would write my version out.

So the one part of the story though that I absolutely cannot, will never come to terms with, so I have changed it in my head. . . the imprinting on the baby. Shock and awe!

Okay, see you later.

turkeymama said...

I can see why everyone had problems with the book, but everyone I work with, and my daughter all LOVED the book, as did I. My perspective is that this book was written by someone who had an idea and wrote it into a book. Those that had problems with it had expectations and I did't. I just wanted to see how SHE ended HER story about Edward, Bella and Edward. I'm re-reading all the series and will probably listed to BD on CD soon. I loved how she resolved all the issues, which the imprinting did for me. I had a problem with the name, but I didn't like the name "Bella" or "Edward" either. So, names were not of significance to me. So, I haven't been active on the "bashing" or "venting" (depends upon how we felt) because of that. A friend of mine suggested that maybe there was a different editor, so some of the peripheral stories (and the huge amount of typos) were due to that. I think her point is valid, but I'm curious about whether it is true or not.

So, I don't mind hearing all the feelings, but please don't assume that BD was a let-down for ALL of us. Many of us loved it and have been talking about it for over a week.

Just my happy 2-cents worth. *smile*

turkeymama said...

I could have re-read my post, but I didn't. I meant, Bella, Edward and Jacob. Oops! *grin*

lioness said...

I like that this post has gotten some usually silent friends here a little more vocal. It's all in good fun Turkeymomma.

Don't worry we absolutely know that the majority of people did like the book. Heck, I could barely stand the book but I went the signing and enjoyed myself. I just wanted to clarify that when we talk about the things we don't like its on this post. There is a post for everything we liked about the book, remember. It just doesn't have as much discussion on that post.
So I think its sweet that people get a tiny bit defensive on this one. Love the passion ladies. But also keep in mind it was a unusual ammount of passion that got this blog started so I don't read every book with so much scrutiny.

On a positive, I just read the School Library review and it was postive over-all. And Time magazine gave the book an A- in a very short review. That really surprised me since most of the "big-time" magazine reviews have been negative. So I was glad for SM.
Is that better. Less negatively biased. Just kidding. If I didn't have this venting forum I think I would be a wreck.

Have a Twilighty Day!

lioness said...

I really do think its great to have you all on here!

Amy Dobson said...

I totally agree with you on the imprinting thing TM. Yuck. I don't think I'll ever get over that one. I really, really liked that Bella tried to rip Jacobs head off when she found out though...that made me feel a little better. :)

I think it would be fun to discuss and pick apart the good and the bad aspects of the book...I'm totally up for that. Hopefully that will let those of us who are having issues with BD get them out and blog about them until we get over it...and those of us who loved BD can keep on sharing the love.

And before we know it we'll be bloggin about the movie coming out and Midnight Sun.

Ok, Twilightmom...where do you want to start disecting?

Trish said...

Oh yeah, lack of Alice, that is sad. I realize it more now that I think about it, but I think I always knew something was missing with her. Sad she wasn't a bigger role in everything. She kept trying to stay away from the unborn baby because she couldn't see anything. Hmmm. Definitely not enough fun Alice stuff, or otherwise, once chapter 3 was over.