I don't see any post-reading thoughts from you, only your thoughts from before you read the book?
Post #13 was after I finished the book and my comments are in the spoiler tag of that post. I realized there would be people who wouldn't have finished the book and didn't want to put my comments in the open.
I loved the first section; the wedding, the honeymoon. It went downhill after that for me. I never wanted Bella to be changed. She stopped being "Bella" for me the moment that happened. She lost every trait that made me love her; her vulnerability, her clumsiness, her low self-esteem, her moodiness.
As for becoming a vampire, I think that was inevitable with the way
Eclipse ended. And I think most of us were curious exactly how she would change.
But that is life, people mature and change. Most teenagers, in particular teenage girls, are clumsy while they adjust to their changing body and most grow out of it. Now, granted, she went from being uncoordinated to coordinated, which doesn't usually happen; instead I think what bothered me is how easy that transition was for her. She didn't have a problem where she forgot she wasn't clumsy anymore. I suppose some of that would be blamed on her super vampire mind but still seems like it should have made more of an impression on her. Though it did bother me that Bella saved the day at the end of the book, becoming the big hero instead of the victim -- it just seemed too much.
As for low self-esteem, I never really saw her as having a bad self-esteem. I think she had a somewhat honest, if slightly pessimistic, view of herself. Rather, in comparison from Edward she was weak and not as intelligent, nor as beautiful; but those changed when she became a vampire.
I hate the fact that she had a child. Bella, to me, is the broody, clumsy teenager who can't believe that Edward loves her. She isn't a vampire, she isn't a wife, and she certainly isn't this instant just-add-water mother!
I didn't have a problem with Bella being a mother. It did seem odd, and poorly written, that she went from not really caring about having a child to wanting one desperately overnight (seemingly just from a nightmare). OTOH, there are women I've known in RL that were that way, didn't want a child until they found out they were pregnant. My problem with the child was only that it seemed like such a contrived plot device.
I supposed Meyer wanted to give us lots of surprises and kinda of wrap everything up and give the fans what they wanted, but I think it was rushed and hasty. And a good author, IMO, doesn't give the fans what they demand; she stays true to the story, true to the characters, and the fans can take it or leave it.
All that said, I can't WAIT for Midnight Sun. And I definitely plan to see the movies.
Actually, as many fans are upset as are happy. Meyer has said all along that she's writing these for herself and not for her fans -- she knows she can't make her fans happy. As such, this book was her own wish fulfillment. Bella is, at least to some degree, a version of Stephenie Meyer. She has mentioned how she was the girl in high school who guys weren't interested in but had lots of dates in college; which is the same as Bella switching to Forks. I think Stephenie, being a mother and loving her children, wanted Bella to be the same way. Not to mention, it was the one thing she hadn't really thought about, just like prior to the end of
Eclipse, she never really thought about what else she'd give up by becoming a vampire.
And she has set up the future books that won't be from Bella's POV. One that seems inevitable is Jacob and Renesmee. And there has to be some resolution to the Volturi, though I find it hard to figure out what might happen. The Cullen's have no interest in taking over the job of enforcer of rules but I can't see the Volturi allowing the accusations made to go unanswered/unpunished.
One last complaint, I didn't like the way she left the Quilieute pack, seems like they should have reformed with Jake as the leader. Granted, while Jake doesn't want it, he is the Alpha by birth. I can't see the Quilieute's allowing two packs.
