New Moon was a let down after the very enjoyable Twilight.
I have issue with how Stephenie Meyer paints Bella in this book. Oh woe is her… Edward’s decided he needs to be out of her life for her own good and she simply can’t live with out him. To drive this point home there are four pages devoted to the four months (simply labeled October, November, December, January) where apparently Bella did nothing but pine for Edward. Is this the right message to be sending to the young people reading these books? That you have to wrap your life completely around the one you love, or think you love? And even more distressing than thinking about the message this sends was having to read some 400 pages of how much the hole in her heart hurt.
There were aspects of the book I enjoyed. Finding out about Jacob and his morphing into a werewolf was very interesting, especially how the clan took down Laurent and were going after Victoria. The glimpse of Edward in Italy with the Volturi was also fascinating. Truth be told, by midway through the book I was interested in almost anything besides Bella trying new stunts so she could hear Edward’s voice inside her head again.
I hope the remaining two books get this story moving into a more interesting direction because I can’t take 1,300+ pages of Bella whining and complaining. Let’s either go back to the great vibe Edward and Bella had in Twilight or on to something more compelling than a mopey teen.
Next up: It’s time to take a break from the vampires and werewolves. Martin Wilson’s What They Always Tell Us is next. I bought it because the jacket blurb caught my eye plus the author was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where I lived for about 15 years. I’ve since read more on Wilson and found out he set the book in Tuscaloosa and at my high school, which he also attended. So I’m fascinated…
