Author: Stephenie Meyer
Chapter(s): 1-7
Ok obviously I read faster than I blog because I am actually done reading all of New Moon and am already halfway through the third book! I did say they were hard to put down!
As a whole I didn’t fancy this book quite as much as I did the first book simply because Edward is barely in it! In speaking with another friend who has read all the books…he described the first two as repetitive…and I have to agree to a point especially in this second installment. However, it did hold my attention and I still enjoyed it mainly because with the turn of each page I got closer to Edward's return!
One of the things that I love about Stephenie Meyer’s writing is her references to other classic works of literature. On page 17 Bella and Edward are watching a film version of Romeo and Juliet. Edward expresses that he has never had much tolerance for Romeo and Bella asks him why. Edward explains…“Well, first of all, he’s in love with this Rosaline – don’t you think it makes him seem a little fickle? And then, a few minutes after their wedding, he kills Juliet’s cousin. That’s not very brilliant. Mistake after mistake. Could he have destroyed his own happiness any more thoroughly?” I find his character analysis very interesting. The way Meyer introduces this Shakespeare classic into the story is pretty brilliant as it resurfaces later in the book. Side note: at the end of this same page Bella says that the movie caught her interest due in large part to Edward whispering Romeo’s lines in her ear…HELLO! Someone hose me down please!
Page 106…Bella is out watching a scary movie with Jessica when she realizes how closely she resembles the zombie in the movie and thinks…“It was depressing to realize that I wasn’t the heroine anymore, that my story was over.” She is only 18 so the words “my story is over” hold too much finality for me. The one thing you realize about break ups is that you are not going to die. In time she would probably be able to move on but at least she got her story. I would rather have five minutes of something then a lifetime of nothing.
On page 110 Bella moves towards a group of guys she thinks are the same ones who tried to attack her in the first book. She thinks…“I saw no reason for fear. I couldn’t imagine anything in the world that was left to be afraid of, not physically at least. One of the few advantages of losing everything.” She is right. There has never been another time in my life that I have had more courage to do anything than right after I have had a relationship end. I guess that is because you spend the better part of the relationship being scared of everything…loving someone, hoping they love you back, being rejected, being desired, having your heart broken, etc. that when it ends you are left with nothing but nerve.
Page 113….Bella continues to cope with Edward leaving and concludes…“Between pain and nothing, I’d chosen nothing.” I would choose nothing as well. There is only so much pain a person can handle. It is much more comfortable to be numb.
Page 118…Bella further scrutinizes her pain…“It didn’t feel like the pain had weakened over time, rather that I’d grown strong enough to bear it.” I guess this would be a good argument for whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I always considered that expression to mean make you stronger for the future and while that might hold true I see it more clearly from this perspective.
