Books and Movies

I finished Breaking Dawn this morning. I had avoided reading any spoilers, so I had no idea where the story was going. I did read the first part of Natasha’s review at Maw Books Blog, (and bookmarked it to read the rest after I finished), so I knew there was some controversy and fan backlash over the plot. After I finished the book, I went to EW online and watched their ten-part video interview with Stephenie Meyer, in which she answers some of the backlash and questions over why she wrote this book the way she did.

I then went and read the rest of Natasha’s review, then clicked over to Amazon to see what all the fuss was. And my most prominent reaction is incredulity. Since when is an author supposed to end a series of books the way his or her fans expected? Isn’t it ultimately still her vision that drives the story? Aren’t her characters - that she created - hers to do with as she pleases? I know that many of her readers are tweens and teens, and they are emotionally invested in the characters, but I still think people are taking things much too seriously. I respect everyone’s right not to like Breaking Dawn, but to feel like the author somehow betrayed her readers is ridiculous. To say that the whole Twilight experience has been ruined, that they’ll never read anything else she writes, etc. - that’s crazy and extreme, in my opinion.

I, for one, am glad that Meyer had the courage to write the end of Edward and Bella’s story the way she wanted, knowing very well that she would upset many readers in the process. In fact, in the video interview, Meyer reveals that she had written a first draft of this book before she even wrote New Moon and Eclipse - so this was how she always intended to end the Twilight series.

Spoilers ahead:

One of the major criticisms has been the fact that Bella conceives Edward’s baby. Some people have gone so far as to say that Meyer herself had said that this was impossible. She refutes this in the video interview, explaining that she was very careful not to ever say that, and that it was frustrating not being able to correct the people who were putting words in her mouth without giving away the plot of the book.

Another criticism has been that part of the book is from Jacob’s point of view. I loved this part of the book. I enjoyed getting to understand Jacob, learning more about the dynamics of being in a pack, and the way the imprinting experience worked. If Meyer had stuck to Bella’s point of view for her pregnancy, we would have been severely limited in what we knew was going on. Bella spent that entire time stuck indoors, in a room, with most of the action taking place away from her. The only way for Meyer to tell the complete story was to switch to Jacob’s point of view. Plus, he is extremely funny and sarcastic, which made that section a pleasure to read.

I read one review on Amazon where the reviewer actually claimed that Meyer was letting all Mormons down by implying that all women should get married young, have children, never have an abortion even if their life was in danger, and never go to college or get an education. People, this is fiction! Meyer is telling a story, not writing Mormon - or any other religion’s - doctrine.

Meyer did answer the idea that now that Bella has a husband and a baby, it seems she’s no longer interested in getting an education. She said she doesn’t see Bella’s future that way at all - just that Bella had a busy year. Now that everything is settled down, and she has all of forever to learn and change and experience life, she fully expects Bella to pursue other interests or educational opportunities, not just settle down and be a housewife.

And, I would ask those people who question that, what is wrong with being a stay-at-home mom? Making that choice does not mean that you are turning your back on your own education, goals, or dreams. Attending college is not the only way to further your education, nor is having a career the only way to be fulfilled as a woman. But, I’m getting sidetracked.

Jacob imprints on Bella’s baby, Renesmee. I did not see that coming at all. Some people have said that this ties up the Jacob-Bella-Edward triangle too neatly, but when I’m reading escapist fantasy, I like it to have a happy ending. I like knowing that Jacob and Bella are still part of each other’s family. I’m glad that Charlie was able to accept that Bella is part of a supernatural world, and so Bella is able to keep Charlie in her life. I suppose the people who think things are tied up too neatly are the same people who hated Rowling’s epilogue in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I don’t require everything I read to end happily, but I am glad that both of these series ended the way they did.

One other criticism people have had is that the book is not extremely well-written. I don’t really look at any of the Twilight books as well-crafted literature. They are escapist fantasy, and Meyer is a brilliant storyteller. No, she may not have the writing chops of Rowling or Lewis or Tolkein, but that wasn’t what drew me to these stories. It was Meyer’s ability to draw me in to the story, get me involved emotionally with the characters, and make me want to know how their stories will end.

I liked this book. Maybe I have a different perspective because I’m a married thirty-five-year-old mother. But my daughter is a tween, and she loved Breaking Dawn. She didn’t have any problems with the plot twists. If I had read it first, instead of out loud to her, I might have asked her to skip over the honeymoon scenes. They were not descriptive, but they were more racy than anything she has ever read. I skipped a few sentences when I saw fit, and continued to read the rest of the book to her. As a parent, you might want to keep this in mind for your own tweens who want to read it.

To sum up, I liked Breaking Dawn, and I liked the direction Meyer took the story. 4 out of 5 stars.

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