NOTES/THOUGHTS/REACTIONS:
Bella wakes up and isn't at all disturbed that Edward is still there, watching her wake up. She acts like they haven't seen each other in ages and throws herself in his lap. Is it me, or did this novel get cornier and cheesier after the two of them have gotten together? It's not just me? Good. Bella once again says she thought it was dream and I have to say, this is getting OLD.
We get more description of Bella's morning routine and comes back and notices that Edward had gone back home while she slept and is slightly miffed. We then get this:
"I love you," I whispered.
"You are my life now," he answered simply.
From Twilight, page 314
Um...correct me if I'm wrong, but they've only been going together for what, a DAY? If this were a cheesy romance movie I'd maybe buy this (but would still roll my eyes) but this (according to Meyer and Twihards anyway) is apparently a serious romance story. Okay, then. Have these guys spend more time together and go through more trials and tribulations before they say this. Because I'm sorry, it is WAY too soon for them to be saying stuff like this. Yeah, I know Romeo and Juliet only had a few days but Romeo and Juliet was a SATIRE. Therefore, that should not be a model of true love.
After the way too soon declarations of love and they go get breakfast. Edward goes caveman once more and actually carries Bella to the kitchen over his shoulder. I'm sure Meyer thought this was sweet and romantic but to me it just seems pointless and kind of stupid. Edward watches Bella eat and I personally would find that creepy and slightly annoying but she of course, has no problem with it. Edward then suggests Bella meets his family. She gets nervous. It isn't of course because they're vampires (which they aren't but since this book calls them that, I'll just let it go) but because she's worried they won't like her. This is natural for any girl in a relationship (well, I'm assuming for most, some I guess don't care) so that's expected.
Alice's gift is mentioned and apparently, judging from Edward's actions, she had some sort of vision of Bella. We also get this part:
He stood in the middle of the kitchen, the statue of Adonis again, staring
abstractedly out the back windows.
From Twilight, page 317
Okay, first, this isn't even needed. Second, enough with the adonis comparisons. He's hot. We get it. Enough already. Third, how do you stare abstractedly? Here are all the possible definitions for abstract: 1) Considered apart from concrete existance, 2) Expressed without reference to a specific instance, 3) Disignating a painting or sculpture whose intellectual and affective content depends soley on intrinsic form: nonsubjective, 4) A summary, 5) Something abstract as a term, 6) To remove, 7) To steal, 8) To summarize. No where in there does it mention anything about expressions. As a matter of fact, abstractedly isn't even in the dictionary to BEGIN with! There's abstracter, abstractly, and abstractness but no abstractedly. Also, again, NOTHING TO DO WITH EXPRESSIONS. I'm sorry, but Meyer majored in literature in college? Did she sleep through the classes or something?
Moving on, Edward brings up meeting the dad and this makes her uncomfortable and she almost acts like she's ashamed of her father or something. This is making me all pissed off at her again because she has no reason to be ashamed of him, he's awesome (if a little overprotective, but that's a Dad thing, it's especially bad when you're his only daughter like Bella). We get more eye worthy declarations from Bella and Edward being all angsty about it until she finally goes to get dressed.
We get Bella choosing her outfit and apparently that whole dressing with her mood thing, is out the window because she doesn't do it here. She ends up putting on a dark blue blouse and a long khaki skirts. Um...what? I'm sorry what sort of teenager wears this? No one wears long khaki skirts anymore, those were a nineties thing. Bella must really not care about fashion. Edward of course says she's so tempting in that outfit when she comes down the stairs.
Yeah, a long skirt and blouse really screams "come get me, big boy". More eye roll worthy love scenes and I want to get to the Cullens already.
Luckily they finally go. We get more vivid description that is actually not that bad but I have to wonder how Bella, who is someone who apparently doesn't like nature, knows how the trees that are on the Cullen property are primordial cedars. I also have to wonder how the hell a house can be considered graceful. Elegant, sure but graceful? It's inanimate object: IT DOESN'T MOVE.
More description that basically drills into our heads that this house is perfect and the Cullens have good taste (of course they do, they're Mary Sues and Gary Stus). Mr. and Mrs. Cullen are there and we get a whole long paragraph about how beautiful and perfect they both are. Carlisle welcomes Bella by saying, "You're very welcome, Bella." This is a bad greeting. It sounds like he's thanking her, not welcoming her.
More descriptions of Alice and then later Jasper as they come down the stairs. Somehow Bella knows that Esme thinks she's brave when she says "We're so glad that you came." Yeah, I didn't get that all but this is Bella so of course, it means Esme is praising her.
More description of the house (I thought we were done, guess not) and there's a piano and oh look: Edward is a musician. Also, just in case the book wasn't any cornier, Edward wrote Bella a song. Roselie and Emmett aren't there and once again, Roselie doesn't like Bella because she's jealous of her. For god sakes Meyer, it is possible to simply NOT LIKE A PERSON. For instance I don't like Bella. It is not because I'm jealous of her. It's because I find her very irritating, shallow beyond belief, a doormat, more then a little stupid, and a thousand other things that have nothing to do with being jealous of her. Mostly because she's a fictional character, but also because were she a real person I wouldn't like her. This brings me to my next reason for disliking this series: It makes everything black and white.
Don't try and tell me it doesn't either. It over simplifies issues. Those minor characters who don't like Bella? It's because they're jealous of her. Nothing at all to do with character or maybe even past issues that have happened between the two. Nope. It's jealousy. You'll notice this excuse is used a LOT in this series and it drives me up the wall. Other instances come up later on in the series. I'll point them out as I go.
Roselie is apparently the only one to have a serious problem with Bella. The rest of the family is magically okay with it. Edward is, for some odd reason, reluctant to tell Bella about the vision she had about her. If you've seen/read New Moon you'll know it really isn't a big deal and he has no reason to be reluctant to tell her. Bella is crying AGAIN (this is what, fourth to fifth time she has?) and then there is big tour of the house. Which means, yes, more flowery description.
Bella sees a cross and I admit, the irony of this does sort of tickle me and then we have Carlisle's back story.
You know what? I actually do kind of find Carlisle intriguing. I mean a priest who got turned into a vamp? That is a sort of twist that I enjoy. I don't want Meyer to write Midnight Sun, I want her to do a story on this. Or actually, I want someone else to do a story on it. Cause she'll just ruin it by basically just focusing on Esme and Carlisle and ignore all the moral dilemmas he must have gone through.
But something about Carlisle's story bugs me: he was bitten and then left bleeding and then turned? So in Meyer's verse, all you have to do is feed a human to become a vamp? Or what? Makes no sense. Also, how does Edward even know all this? He wasn't there. Would have been more effective to have Carlisle tell Bella himself. Also, if he's not sure when he was born, why does Edward say he just celebrated his 362 birthday and that he was 23 when he was turned? Those are awful specific numbers for someone who isn't sure when they were born.
Anyways, the chapter then ends with Edward pulling Bella down the hall. Yeah, that's suspensful all right.
WORDS A TEENAGER WOULD NEVER USE/DON'T BELONG/USED INCORRECTLY: abstractedly (used wrong/no such word), ingenues, leonine.
MARY SUE/GARY STUISMS: Edward: I play piano and compose songs! Look, I wrote one for you.
CONTRIDICTIONS: Told that Carlisle doesn't know when he was born, yet we're given specific numbers for how old he is and when he was turned.
BOOKS THAT ARE BETTER: Dracula by Bram Stoker
WHY IT IS BETTER: The original bad ass vampire that pretty much made vampires popular. Do I need to explain any more?
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