Comments on: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:52:49 +0000

I really don’t like Breaking Dawn. I find that the characters, Bella especially in the Twilight series never really evolve. There isn’t much character development or growth and I feel that the cliches only continued to reveal themselves as the series went along. I hate how Bella is always an exception. Everything is always perfect for her regardless of any other contributing factors. Breaking Dawn is just so…odd. The only decent part I feel, is the chapters where Jacob is narrating.

By: samantha

samantha — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:37:35 +0000

i agree in every aspect of wat u have written!!
infact to be totaly honest i think that the third book eclipse anoyed the crap out of me!! Bella is so anoyiny in the book so MOANY AND MOODY so selfish(atleast she could admitt it) and flat out ANOYING.. Edward was kinda OVERPROTECTIVE..but all girls want that guy a guy who is beautifull, who wants to keep u safe who wants to be with u out off all people posible.. and i hated the betrail the LOVE i mean u dont say u love one person and then tell another u love them to!! BELLA KISSED JACOB!! she asked him to!! i hated that part infact i wanted to shut the book and stop reading!! i am so glad that in the end jacob inprinted on bellas baby.. i love all the books once u start reading u cant stop!!its like my drug=]=] and im adicted i wish there was no ending and it would go on forever=]

By: Cassandra

Cassandra — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 03:52:11 +0000

Well, it’s too bad you didn’t like the first three, but each to her own! I personally thought it was a bit annoying how Bella kept going on about “human weaknesses” after she got bitten. Grrr… stupid vampire! *I’m not weak!* Sometimes… : )

By: brina

brina — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:00:09 +0000

Cachou, I don’t think it’s exactly feminist. Just the most feminist of the four books. Bella Swan, at eighteen, is clearly Not Thinking Things Through. But her determination to become a vampire is to me a much, much bigger deal than her decision to get married or even have a child.

But in certain ways my reading was different from yours. For instance, I thought Edward’s reaction that first night was natural — if you had hurt your SO, wouldn’t you freak out? If your physical strength and natural urges were more than you could control?

Then there is the fact that in some ways, Bella becomes a vamp to protect herself, her father — and yes, her boyfriend and his family.

As for having a child, I think I addressed that part in comments earlier.

Again, she isn’t giving up the chance of a college education. She has eternity to do those things. Yes, it was foolhardy of her to want to become a vampire from almost day one, but in this last novel she does consider what she’ll be missing once it happens. And she is smart enough to find a way to keep in touch with her parents.

If anything, I’m surprised Bella’s character showed such intelligence and reason, because she has not been known for that up to this point. But in Breaking Dawn her actions are careful and measured.

Would I become a vamp? No. But if I was going to be a vamp, and I knew that was what I wanted with all my heart, would I marry the man who was going to turn me? Yeah, probably. If, just before I turned, I found out I was pregnant, would I carry the fetus to term? Hell, yes. This was Bella’s one and only chance to have a child: vampires cannot have kids.

And then, in a few years, would I go to college? Of course I would. And have a career? Definitely. I don’t think Bella eliminated any of those options by marrying and having a baby.

Okay. Rant over. But I really do think that reading all four books in a row helped me to understand what I took to be a turn for the better on Bella’s part. Then again, if I were her I wouldn’t have stuck with the Cullens to begin with. Then again, I don’t believe in finding True Love at eighteen.

Sarah, thank you so much. Sorry I haven’t been in touch — I’m still recovering, and loathing the fact that I don’t have the requisite energy to review a novel a day, or even a novel a week. But I’ll e-mail you, or FB message you, and we’ll definitely get together soon. ♥

By: Sarah MacLean

Sarah MacLean — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 19:39:55 +0000

Fantastic Critique! I’m always happy to see people really delve deep into the isms that pop up in YA Literature…Thank you! (And…come on over to MacLeanSpace! I nominated you for the I <3 Your Blog Award! xoxo!)

By: Tarie

Tarie — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 07:29:09 +0000

Thank you for this interesting and helpful post! My favorite book in the Twilight series is Breaking Dawn. I loved reading things from Jacob’s point of view and learning more about him and the other werewolves in the process. (I *heart* werewolves. I still can’t understand the “allure” of vampires. They’re the walking dead for crying out loud!) I loved that Bella had a child and I loved how passionate she was about her child. And I loved that Bella ultimately saved the day.

By: Cachou

Cachou — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 06:48:12 +0000

I enjoyed Stephenie Meyer’s serie but I have to admit that I am quite suprised to see that someone finds it feminist where I found it pretty conservative and sexist. Just consider the fact that Bella, at 18, get married to go and live in her husband’s family to be “protected” by them. And the only purpose of her life then is to have a child. At 18. No more studies, no more LIFE if it isn’t for her husband and her child. And no talking about sexual pleasure while she is human: her husband spoiled their first night by being rude and not even letting Bella enjoy the pleasure… (not saying too too much…).
It disturbed me a lot, even if I took a lot of pleasure to read it.

By: brina

brina — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 20:28:16 +0000

Nina, I remember reading Alisa Valdes Rodriguez’s post at the time, and being outraged. As in, I thought this Stephenie Meyer character was clearly a Big Bad. I think I even posted a link to the article in my “No, I haven’t read the Twilight series, but you can talk about it if you want to” entry.

But … after reading Breaking Dawn myself, I found the evidence to be pretty thin. Jacob Black’s character is clearly one of the heroes of the series, a good guy with the rotten luck of being Bella’s second choice. Indeed, he’s such a good guy that through some mystical and ancient power, he and his relatives are the only ones who can hunt and kill actual evil vamps. They’re protectors of society, which is about as noble as it gets.

Which is why I’m not yet convinced of the racism argument. Because after reading the series myself I found very little evidence of racism. What I’d like is a real character breakdown, not based on names but on actual details of the books, with more insight on the accusations of racism. For now I remain unconvinced.

By: Wanda Vaughn

Wanda Vaughn — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:30:09 +0000

If you want a vampire book with a girl who doesn’t sit idly by as the ‘hero’ saves the day, try Robin McKinley’s Sunshine. It is most excellent, imho.

By: Nina

Nina — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:11:49 +0000

I haven’t read the last book, so I can’t comment much on it. But if you’re wondering about the racism, this post seemed pretty reasonable to me: http://alisavaldesrodriguez.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html#3554407638079814097

I was, however, pleasantly surprised to see plenty of Asians and blacks in the movie.