Giving In -- A Vampire Tale

When Breaking Dawn came out last month, I finally gave in to see what all the fuss was about. I actually read Twilight last August after my friend Allison told me about the books. I thought it was a fun page-turned, but I didn't feel compelled to keep reading the other books. I felt the writing was low-quality, and Bella drove me nuts with her overly-dramatic teenage passions. For Christmas, my sister-in-law Rachel gave me New Moon. I decided to read it since I was really stressed at work and needed an escape. I read the first few chapters, but wasn't really that into it. Then, Breaking Dawn came out, and I felt interested in the hype. I decided to pick up and read the rest of the books. I finished the second book of the saga while Sam and I were in Colorado and then immediately started reading Eclipse. I was officially hooked. I actually had to set the book aside for a day because it was getting a little too intense. Once I finished, I borrowed Breaking Dawn from a friend on Thursday night and just finished this afternoon. Over all, I liked the the books. I enjoyed the last three much more than I thought I would, after my initial reaction to Twilight. I think New Moon was my favorite of the books, as it seemed to propel me into an obsession for reading the last two. However, I do have some other, deeper thoughts on the books. (spoiler alert-- if you haven't finished the books, don't keep reading.)
Firstly, Bella and Edward's relationship is totally unhealthy. Until Bella becomes a vampire (which I really didn't think was going to happen, might I add!) there is this very lustful addiction between the two of them. If my 18-year-old daughter were in a relationship like that, I would react much more strongly than Charlie did. While Bella and Edward are "meant to be together forever," I think Bella's relationship with Jacob is much more realistic and much more healthy. I'm glad things worked out the way they did in the books, but in real life (sans vampires and werewolves), a Jacob-like relationship is much more healthy and likely to last.
The writing improved with each book-- kind of. By Breaking Dawn, I felt like Stephenie Meyer's writing skills had definitely gotten better. There was more showing than telling (as opposed to Twilight) and Bella had also matured. The story was better, and it wasn't as cheap of a thrill. However, I found numerous occasions where Bella would say things like "I knew we were on the same page." Or, "Edward didn't have to be able to read my mind to know what I was thinking." but I didn't know what was going on. Maybe I'm a little slow when it comes to figuring things out, but this seemed to be a little bit of sloppy writing. The books are very plot-driven, so it isn't as important to work out the cohesion of the writing-- as long as Edward's rippling pectorals are nearby.
Speaking of which, one review of the books I read said that Stephenie Meyer did leave a lot to the imagination. I agree. She gave just enough detail that you could make your own mental image. There weren't so many things to bog down your picture or confuse your preconceived notions. This is a definite strength of Meyer's writing. (Although, I have to admit, it took me up to Eclipse before I finally felt comfortable with Edward having copper-colored hair. I still imagine it as black. Also, Alice has long hair in my imagination. Not short spiky hair.)
Lastly, and this is just a critique of the publisher, I'm sure editing a manuscript like these four books is a monstrous project, and after editing, copyediting, and proofreading, I'm sure everyone is ready to just call it a night. But, I found numerous errors of missing words from sentences. Probably six to eight in each Breaking Dawn and Eclipse. But when a book is going to be a New York Times bestseller, I think meticulous proofreading is in order.
OK, those are my thoughts. I am going to miss it, I think. I thought Breaking Dawn was a fine end of the saga (although I'm curious about the leaked book that is now indefinitely on hold). And now, I suppose, I must get back to real-life of changing diapers and washing dishes. Sigh.