Monday, December 20, 2010

Breaking Dawn -- Stephenie Meyer

This was a bit of a struggle for me at first because, well, I’m male. The running round and the frocks and all the other palaver of preparing for a wedding hold about as much interest for me as … um, I was about to write ‘watching paint dry’ but that’s wrong. Watching paint dry wouldn’t irritate me as much. The ensuing wedding I skipped through, hoping to get to something interesting. But I have to say again that this is because I’m male. I can understand (sort of) how it was necessary to write this because a huge proportion of the readership of the Twilight series wanted this pay-off. I could have done without the first chapter or so.

After that things picked up very nicely. I’m not going to give any spoilers here, but I roared through the rest of the book and when I put it down I was satisfied. It worked. The series completed. I enjoyed it.

9 comments:

Roger said...

I had to grin a lot reading you post (beeing a man)... You know, sitting through the first movie I was afraid of suffering an aneurism. It's just too corny. By the way, did you read the Host? I started the book because I thought it is a Sci-Fi-Book. When I realised it is basically a love story it was too late to put the book down... well, what is your opinion of the host? Mine, to be honest, is that it was a good idea, emphasis on WAS ;-)

Neal Asher said...

Nope, I haven't read The Host. Presently reading some seriously good stuff by Lisa Gardner.

KJ Mulder said...

The Twilight series is the only series I refuse to read. I haven't seen any of the movies either and unless I'm forced with a gun to my head it's gonna stay that way.

100% Twilight free and PROUD of it!

TKimWrSvc said...

What are you reading by Lisa Gardner?

nerinedorman said...

As much as I enjoy Twilight-bashing, I have to admit (and I say this in mid-bash) that reading Twilight is like eating candy floss. You can't stop and you know it's going to cause cavities somewhere.

Neal Asher said...

Or is it, Crusader, that you don't want to be seen reading it...

TkimWrSvc, I read 'Hide' while in Crete and was blown away, so when back here I picked up three for Two at Waterstones. I'm presently reading 'The Perfect Husband'.

Nerine, I can see the future meetings, 'I am a reader of teen vampire novels,' I declaim, while my sponsor searches my house for hidden books.

KJ Mulder said...

Neal, it isn't a case of not wanting to be seen reading it. If I wanted to read it without anyone knowing I could read it on my ebook reader without a chance of anyone noticing.

I just don't like what she has done with Vampires, converting them to glittering emo teens and the like.

Give me the bloodthirsty killer version any day. Vampires aren't supposed to be cute and cuddly.

KRex said...

Oh good grief Neil. You're a TwiHard?!?
There are so many chick flicks these days masquerading as movies, and so much ChickLit pretending to be a novel. Isn't it bad enough being mugged by these things before you realise and can react by throwing the 'book' across the room, or your dinner in the case of the movie. I was recently subjected to Benjamin Button, the ultimate Cougar movie. She gets older, he gets younger. Chick Fodder.
Repeat after me. "How do I write a woman? I start with a man, and then remove reason and responsbility".

Neal Asher said...

Crusader, very true. My preference is also for the Mr Barlow type.

Keith, thing is, if I read a book and enjoy it, I will say so, bluntly. It's a response I have to seeing too many writers, wannabe academics and poseurs being dishonest about their likes and dislikes. So often I've seen them claiming to dislike popular books (and TV & film) because they are too far above such nonsense. And so often I've seen them claiming to like other obscure books because that seems more worthy and more likely to enhance their intellectual cred.

Yeah, Twilight has gaping holes I would cringe at on a second reading, but first time, going with the easy prose, I enjoyed it. There are good reasons why those books have been successful.