Breaking Dawn Spoilers Thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

We'll have to agree to disagree and I know you're not alone in your opinion. In an effort not to offend those that love the books, I was sort of vague in my reasoning but since you asked. Besides the fact that Bella is passive and indecisive, wimpy, and does stupid things (see your example above), I got extremely annoyed that when Edward left, she cut off all contact with everyone, stopped eating, and generally moped around because she'd lost her "soulmate." That is, until another boy, Jacob, came along. Then she had a reason to live again and perked right up--everything was fantastic because she had another boy to live for. I've taught my dd that she doesn't need a boy to survive and she can take care of herself. If a boy leaves, it is not the end of the world, and it is preferable to pick yourself up and move on with your life--not just give up and try to die from lack of that boy.

I really did not see the reason as being Jacob. I saw it more as she could hear Edwards voice in her head when she did dangerous and stupid things. Jacob was a very willing companion in those activities. She used him to help her do dangerous things.

 

[Caribbeanprincess]

Since we're talking about Bella...this is what I said on the other thread:

I don't have any issues with Bella's character. In many ways she is my favorite character and she is what attracted me to the story in the first place. Bella's character is someone I look up to and admire, and she taught me quite a few things about life, hehe

 

[momto2girls]

I am new to the Twilight series. I actually didn't catch wind of the series until I started to hear about the excitement about the release of Breaking Dawn. Since I wanted to know what it was all about, I bought Twilight... and then read all four books in less than a week.

Obviously, I didn't have time to read posts or form any expectations for BD. I didn't read any of the spoilers or the theories, etc. I had no preconceived notions. But reading BD was a huge shock. It felt like it was written by a totally different author to me. It ended up being too science fiction for my tastes (a genre that I don't like) and I didn't enjoy it at all.

I really hated the whole pregnancy thing. I'm going to try to pretend that Bella never had a baby. However, it will be really hard to forget a name like Renesmee. And I really, really want to forget about the whole imprinting thing. Ick, ick, ick!

I do plan to read Midnight Sun because I really hope that it feels more like the first three Twilight books. But I know that I will never ever buy a book about Renesmee and Jacob.

I thought those Amazon quotes were hilarious! Thanks!

 

[Texa]

We'll have to agree to disagree and I know you're not alone in your opinion. In an effort not to offend those that love the books, I was sort of vague in my reasoning but since you asked. Besides the fact that Bella is passive and indecisive, wimpy, and does stupid things (see your example above), I got extremely annoyed that when Edward left, she cut off all contact with everyone, stopped eating, and generally moped around because she'd lost her "soulmate." That is, until another boy, Jacob, came along. Then she had a reason to live again and perked right up--everything was fantastic because she had another boy to live for. I've taught my dd that she doesn't need a boy to survive and she can take care of herself. If a boy leaves, it is not the end of the world, and it is preferable to pick yourself up and move on with your life--not just give up and try to die from lack of that boy.

As much as I love the books, I had the same sentiment.

 

[HeShootsHeScores]

Besides the fact that Bella is passive and indecisive, wimpy, and does stupid things (see your example above), I got extremely annoyed that when Edward left, she cut off all contact with everyone, stopped eating, and generally moped around because she'd lost her "soulmate." That is, until another boy, Jacob, came along. Then she had a reason to live again and perked right up--everything was fantastic because she had another boy to live for.

Just wait til your DD is a teen!!! While you've taught your DD that she doesn't need a boy to feel "complete", which is a good lesson, she's still going to go through the same things you've listed Bella doing when her first significant relationship ends. It's typical teenager and every teenager goes through it at some point. You can tell them a million times that the boy is just another of many down the road, that she doesn't need a boy, etc. and it'll be words to her. She will go through the loss/mourning and do some of the things that Bella did. I see my nieces going through this now (they're 17 yo) and I remember going out w/a guy for 2 yrs. and we broke up and I was the same way as Bella. Yes, your words will eventually dawn on her ... but in the meantime, she WILL mourn a broken relationship in many of the same ways Bella did simply b/c of her age.

And, yes, reading that part as an adult was annoying because we adults know better. But reading it as a teenager, it's so relatable to them. I remember my nieces saying that they could totally relate to Bella's break-up behavior and have felt the same way. It's all in one's perspective.

 

[NMAmy]

Just wait til your DD is a teen!!! While you've taught your DD that she doesn't need a boy to feel "complete", which is a good lesson, she's still going to go through the same things you've listed Bella doing when her first significant relationship ends. It's typical teenager and every teenager goes through it at some point.

Thanks for the thought but my daughter IS a teen. In fact, she's 17 and will be 18 in just a couple of months. She is quite confident and knows her own worth. With her first serious boyfriend, he began to cancel dates at the last minute and she suspected he was seeing another girl. She dropped him like a hot potato. She told me, "I'm worth more than that--no one is allowed to treat me like that." She read the books before me and she was the one who brought up the fact that she thought Bella was dumb for acting that way.

So, yeah, I think she did pay attention and internalized the things I'd taught her.

 

[Caribbeanprincess]

Well, one of the things I really related to Bella was during New Moon because I have been through an incredibly hard break up like that, and even then it will never be to the extremes that Bella and Edward loved each other. The pain is unbearable and even though it sounds very harsh (but it's still the truth), but sometimes it feels like you want to curl up and die. So I completely understand her feelings at that moment. I got over it, but I don't think Bella ever would, her love for Edward was really a once in a lifetime thing.

 

[mla1977]

Reading the pre-break up part of New Moon just about killed me. I knew what was coming and I have lived through those feelings myself. It was horrible to have to read that part because it felt like I was reliving past break ups.

 

[txSleepingBeauty]

Wow, that just...sucked. The others I enjoyed so much that I read each in a single night, so for three nights in a row I was a busy girl. This one was a CHORE to finish--it was like a completely different author had taken over. Everything was just so pat and predictable and just...lame.

And "Renesmee"? Seriously? GAG.

Damn. I'm really disappointed. I tried reading "The Host", too, and I just CANNOT get myself to care about it at all. Oh, Stephanie. What happened??

the Host actuall gets better, after she gets out of the hole and starts to interact with everyone. don't give up on that one.

 

[Caribbeanprincess]

Reading the pre-break up part of New Moon just about killed me. I knew what was coming and I have lived through those feelings myself. It was horrible to have to read that part because it felt like I was reliving past break ups.

Same here. I cried so much during that chapter in New Moon, it was horrible.

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

Okay I had a thought today about Breaking Dawn. Remember the scene where Bella, Jacob, and Nessie were going to visit Charlie at his house... As I was driving today I finally realized what bothered me so much. Nessie climbed from Bella's lap to Jacob's. Even as an almost indestructable half vamp she should have been a car seat! LOL!!!

I guess I am too much of a mom to let that one pass.

 

[MemoryMakers2669]

Okay I had a thought today about Breaking Dawn. Remember the scene where Bella, Jacob, and Nessie were going to visit Charlie at his house... As I was driving today I finally realized what bothered me so much. Nessie climbed from Bella's lap to Jacob's. Even as an almost indestructable half vamp she should have been a car seat! LOL!!!

I guess I am too much of a mom to let that one pass.

Shoot, I thought that WHEN I read it!

 

[jamimb]

Thanks for the thought but my daughter IS a teen. In fact, she's 17 and will be 18 in just a couple of months. She is quite confident and knows her own worth. With her first serious boyfriend, he began to cancel dates at the last minute and she suspected he was seeing another girl. She dropped him like a hot potato. She told me, "I'm worth more than that--no one is allowed to treat me like that." She read the books before me and she was the one who brought up the fact that she thought Bella was dumb for acting that way.

So, yeah, I think she did pay attention and internalized the things I'd taught her.

I don't get it . Im 31 yrs old and totally head over heels in love with my hubby and if he just up and left me out of the blue I would react just as Bella did but does that make me less confident? I am a very independent woman with very healthy self esteem but when you lose the love of your life you lose the love of your life. It seems odd to me (if you were really in love) not to react that way! I agree Bella went a little overboard (come on she was 17) but IMO reacted appropriate for what had happened. I acted the same way when my then boyfriend of two yrs just dumped me out of the blue when I was sixteen. So what did I do ? I married him He was in the military and when he left on his first deployment I didn't eat for a week! I don't think that was a testimony to my lack of self worth or confidence but a testimony to my love and devotion to him!

 

[Caribbeanprincess]

Okay I had a thought today about Breaking Dawn. Remember the scene where Bella, Jacob, and Nessie were going to visit Charlie at his house... As I was driving today I finally realized what bothered me so much. Nessie climbed from Bella's lap to Jacob's. Even as an almost indestructable half vamp she should have been a car seat! LOL!!!

I guess I am too much of a mom to let that one pass.

I thought that when I read it! I was like, wait a minute...shouldn't Nessie be at least in the back seat? lol

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I was going to be good and read all 19 pages, but I give up- LOL!

Although I will agree it was a different direction, I positively loved this book. It's a tie between this and Twilight for my favorite in the series. Maybe because I didn't discover Twilight until recently so I haven't been building it up in my mind? I started Twilight on Friday and finished Breaking Dawn at 4am Monday morning. I think that's a record for me, four books in essentially three days. Maybe that freight train of reading kept me from processing it too much.

I am going back through and re-reading the series at a slower pace, absorbin those little moments that now make sense once I know what is going on.

I will say that I think my favorite 'funny' moment is when she attacked Jacob after yelling at him "you nicknamed my baby after the Loch Ness monster?" That was a definite Laugh out Loud moment. I did not like the name Renesmee at first, but it kind of grew on me. I like it because it has meaning.

I do get the impression that there may be more books in the future. I don't think we've heard the end of the Volturi at the moment. I would also like to see what happens to Renesmee as they get older, and how Bella handles her interactions with Charlie as she never ages (and if she ever sees Renee again). I am stoked about Midnight Sun. I just read the chapter online and it sounds amazing so far.

 

[NMAmy]

I don't get it . Im 31 yrs old and totally head over heels in love with my hubby and if he just up and left me out of the blue I would react just as Bella did but does that make me less confident? I am a very independent woman with very healthy self esteem but when you lose the love of your life you lose the love of your life. It seems odd to me (if you were really in love) not to react that way! I agree Bella went a little overboard (come on she was 17) but IMO reacted appropriate for what had happened. I acted the same way when my then boyfriend of two yrs just dumped me out of the blue when I was sixteen. So what did I do ? I married him He was in the military and when he left on his first deployment I didn't eat for a week! I don't think that was a testimony to my lack of self worth or confidence but a testimony to my love and devotion to him!

I do understand losing a love. My ex had an affair after 13 years of marriage. I was devastated but I had a daughter to take care of. I had to be strong for her the same way you'd have to be strong for your girls if something, heaven forbid, happened to your husband. Mooning around wasn't an option--kids still need to have meals, help with spelling words, and a mom to provide for them financially and emotionally.

Another example--my father died after over 40 years of marriage to my mother. He died a very painful death and it was obvious he didn't want to go because he was worried about my mother. She told him that he didn't have to try to stay for her because she would be fine. And, yes, she was heartbroken and she misses him all the time. But she's fine. She has friends and goes on trips and has gone on with life. She loved him more than anything but she didn't just give up because he was gone.

Think about your own girls--would you prefer that when they fall in love at the age of 16 that they just give up on life when they break up with a boy or that they know they're strong enough to go on? While I've always let my dd read whatever she wants, I prefer that she knows my views on a character like Bella instead of romanticizing her behavior and thinking that that behavior is something to emulate because she must not have truly loved someone if she doesn't go into a swooning decline at the end of a relationship.

I apologize to all of those who seem to be offended with my views. I did enjoy the stories. I read lots of books with characters I don't care for--it doesn't mean I didn't like the story itself or the author. YMMV.

 

[Mean Queen]

I apologize to all of those who seem to be offended with my views. I did enjoy the stories. I read lots of books with characters I don't care for--it doesn't mean I didn't like the story itself or the author. YMMV.

I totally see where you're coming from. By the end of the third book, I started rooting for Victoria because Bella was annoying me so much with her Edward/Jacob thing. Then I remembered she was 18 and this was stereotypical behavior for someone that young and immature. While I loved the books, I wasn't a fan of Bella as a character. Like you, she's not someone I would want my daughters emulating.

 

[Disneyglobegirl]

I do understand losing a love. My ex had an affair after 13 years of marriage. I was devastated but I had a daughter to take care of. I had to be strong for her the same way you'd have to be strong for your girls if something, heaven forbid, happened to your husband. Mooning around wasn't an option--kids still need to have meals, help with spelling words, and a mom to provide for them financially and emotionally.

Another example--my father died after over 40 years of marriage to my mother. He died a very painful death and it was obvious he didn't want to go because he was worried about my mother. She told him that he didn't have to try to stay for her because she would be fine. And, yes, she was heartbroken and she misses him all the time. But she's fine. She has friends and goes on trips and has gone on with life. She loved him more than anything but she didn't just give up because he was gone.

Think about your own girls--would you prefer that when they fall in love at the age of 16 that they just give up on life when they break up with a boy or that they know they're strong enough to go on? While I've always let my dd read whatever she wants, I prefer that she knows my views on a character like Bella instead of romanticizing her behavior and thinking that that behavior is something to emulate because she must not have truly loved someone if she doesn't go into a swooning decline at the end of a relationship.

I apologize to all of those who seem to be offended with my views. I did enjoy the stories. I read lots of books with characters I don't care for--it doesn't mean I didn't like the story itself or the author. YMMV.

I enjoyed the first three books however I also had some problems with some of Bella's reactions so I totally understand what you are saying. My DD who will be 12 in Oct hasn't read Twilight yet but I plan to let her read it before the movie comes out but we will be having some major discussions about some of the ways Bella acts. I do know that my DD will have to wait to read BD until she is older because of the content and I haven't decided about New Moon and Eclipse yet. I am really leary about New Moon because of Bella's reaction when Edward leaves. I've seen the way these books effect some grown women, some being depressed because their husbands are not like Edward. If it effects grown women like that it makes me worry about how it may effect some of these young impressionable girls.

 

[akhenaten]

I've seen the way these books effect some grown women, some being depressed because their husbands are not like Edward.

really?? where did you see this? on another board??

I know that when I read the previous book , I was botherd by Bella being so "weak"... it started to become like the old perils of pauline with the woman always needing to be rescued...
it particularly bothered me since the book was sold to a teen / pre teen audience....



I enjoyed Breaking dawn.... the only thing I realy did not like was the name renessmee.....

 

[RUDisney]

Think about your own girls--would you prefer that when they fall in love at the age of 16 that they just give up on life when they break up with a boy or that they know they're strong enough to go on? While I've always let my dd read whatever she wants, I prefer that she knows my views on a character like Bella instead of romanticizing her behavior and thinking that that behavior is something to emulate because she must not have truly loved someone if she doesn't go into a swooning decline at the end of a relationship.

The thing that must be remembered, IMHO, is that Bella didn't feel close to either of her parents and she wasn't going to take advice from either of them. The difference between my breakups, and the future breakups that my kids will have is that I, and they, have a strong support system to remind us that we are special and deserving of love.

She also didn't have anyone to live for, as you did for your children. That makes a big difference in dealing with something tragic, too. I'm sure that you spent nights crying in your room and feeling all sorts of bad, but you knew that you had to take those moments to mourn and to present a better face in the morning. In Bella's mind, she didn't have anyone. Plus, she was finally going to kiss Jacob and see if they could have a go at a relationship when she heard from Alice.

Even in Bella's relationships with her friends, she was basically just tolerating them. Jessica droned on and on about things on which Bella wasn't concerned, and her other friend, what was her name, Amanda? She was into her boyfriend. Bella liked her the most, but she didn't feel compelled to put all her faith and trust in her like you would with a good friend.

Bella came into this book flawed. She remained flawed until she became a vampire. Then she became strong and vital.

Oh, and in case I didn't state it emphatically enough, I agree with your points on teaching our DDs to be stong and independent. I just don't think Bella had anyone to teach her.

I enjoyed Breaking dawn.... the only thing I realy did not like was the name renessmee.....

It could have been worse. All of the parental names could have been combined. How would Charenessmeelisle strike you? (Blech!) Looking at that name, it looks like I don't know how to type and just struck at random keys.