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theredhead210 's review for:
New Moon
by Stephenie Meyer
I'm continuing my reread of this series (see my other review on book 1) because I'm apparently into torturing myself.
Let's set aside the obvious issue with this book--how Edward's leaving broke Bella and turned her into a miserable zombie for four months--and how anti-feminist it is. I'm not even going to address it (This is a lie).
I know people love the misery of others, it makes for a compelling read. But the whole plot of this one is so weird and bad and nonsensical.
Her boyfriend breaks up with her and vanishes, so Bella starts risking her life and safety in order to hallucinate his voice a few times. She makes friends with a werewolf who has a crush on her, and she considers, briefly, if she should date him even though she has no romantic feelings for him. Oh and then she -yet again- is the only one who can save her boyfriend, despite being completely normal, boring, and bad at everything. The plot in this one is... nonexistent. Bella diving off a cliff is the most interesting part of this book.
Okay, I lied. I have to address the anti-feminism of these books. I will even give it a little bit of credit because yes, when this book was published in the early/mid 2000s, the culture was a little bit different, and I'm pretty sure the author comes from a conservative, religious background. You can tell in all of these books. Her attitudes towards women are problematic at the very least.
- Everything is Bella's fault. You could argue that's just her anxiety manifesting as guilt/shame, which would be valid, except that even things that are Edward's fault are also Bella's. The male characters can do no wrong. They're constantly described as perfect, beautiful, no mistakes (except Jasper, kind of? But even then, he just kind of vanishes conveniently and is never seen again). Bella is constantly taking on blame for the actions of males around her because she's weak, clumsy, bad, etc.
- The female characters are catty, gossipy, illogical, and unsupportive. Most of the story's negative situations happen because of female characters.
- Bella's role is to cook and clean for her bachelor dad. She does this willingly and eagerly, even through her depression.
- Bella is "hollowed out" and empty without her man. She sees no real hope or purpose in her future.
- The male characters kind of fight over Bella like a piece of meat and she just goes with it, trying to pacify all parties even though she has no interest in either. The way this is handled is so uncomfortable.
Again, I'm sorry, but the entire premise of this book makes me angry. The fact that she just kind of dies after Edward leaves and there's nothing redeemable about her life afterward is just so mind-numbingly stupid. Is this what we're trying to teach young girls?
The last thing I'll address is regarding mental health. The portrayals of neurodivergence, depression, and anxiety here are ... certainly attempted. The most realistic parts are the unintentional ones, which has its own implications (I say this as someone with ADHD, anxiety, and ASD). But not once does anyone ever offer to help or support her. Regardless of the cause of her depression, everyone sees how miserable Bella is and does nothing. School counselors existed in 2006. I know, I was there. There's one mention near the end where her father says "I thought I was going to have to hospitalize her," but that's not the only way to get people help. And I know, some people will say "that's not the point of the book" or "it would make a bad story if Bella was just fine after Edward left her, it's supposed to be devastating" - it's bad THIS way. It could only get better.
If this story had been: Edward leaves, Bella gets depressed but gets help and makes friends with werewolves and falls for one, it would be a better story. The love triangle attempt would have been more compelling. Instead, it reads as though Bella's just shifted her anxious attachment to someone who has feelings for her, and she can't ever reciprocate because there will only ever be ONE man for her. There's no real conflict, no real triangle, no decision to make. She already made it, apparently the moment Edward paid her any real attention. * aggressive eye roll*
If reading complicated characters with mental illness is what you enjoy, go read Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series. Please.
Let's set aside the obvious issue with this book--how Edward's leaving broke Bella and turned her into a miserable zombie for four months--and how anti-feminist it is. I'm not even going to address it (This is a lie).
I know people love the misery of others, it makes for a compelling read. But the whole plot of this one is so weird and bad and nonsensical.
Her boyfriend breaks up with her and vanishes, so Bella starts risking her life and safety in order to hallucinate his voice a few times. She makes friends with a werewolf who has a crush on her, and she considers, briefly, if she should date him even though she has no romantic feelings for him. Oh and then she -yet again- is the only one who can save her boyfriend, despite being completely normal, boring, and bad at everything. The plot in this one is... nonexistent. Bella diving off a cliff is the most interesting part of this book.
Okay, I lied. I have to address the anti-feminism of these books. I will even give it a little bit of credit because yes, when this book was published in the early/mid 2000s, the culture was a little bit different, and I'm pretty sure the author comes from a conservative, religious background. You can tell in all of these books. Her attitudes towards women are problematic at the very least.
- Everything is Bella's fault. You could argue that's just her anxiety manifesting as guilt/shame, which would be valid, except that even things that are Edward's fault are also Bella's. The male characters can do no wrong. They're constantly described as perfect, beautiful, no mistakes (except Jasper, kind of? But even then, he just kind of vanishes conveniently and is never seen again). Bella is constantly taking on blame for the actions of males around her because she's weak, clumsy, bad, etc.
- The female characters are catty, gossipy, illogical, and unsupportive. Most of the story's negative situations happen because of female characters.
- Bella's role is to cook and clean for her bachelor dad. She does this willingly and eagerly, even through her depression.
- Bella is "hollowed out" and empty without her man. She sees no real hope or purpose in her future.
- The male characters kind of fight over Bella like a piece of meat and she just goes with it, trying to pacify all parties even though she has no interest in either. The way this is handled is so uncomfortable.
Again, I'm sorry, but the entire premise of this book makes me angry. The fact that she just kind of dies after Edward leaves and there's nothing redeemable about her life afterward is just so mind-numbingly stupid. Is this what we're trying to teach young girls?
The last thing I'll address is regarding mental health. The portrayals of neurodivergence, depression, and anxiety here are ... certainly attempted. The most realistic parts are the unintentional ones, which has its own implications (I say this as someone with ADHD, anxiety, and ASD). But not once does anyone ever offer to help or support her. Regardless of the cause of her depression, everyone sees how miserable Bella is and does nothing. School counselors existed in 2006. I know, I was there. There's one mention near the end where her father says "I thought I was going to have to hospitalize her," but that's not the only way to get people help. And I know, some people will say "that's not the point of the book" or "it would make a bad story if Bella was just fine after Edward left her, it's supposed to be devastating" - it's bad THIS way. It could only get better.
If this story had been: Edward leaves, Bella gets depressed but gets help and makes friends with werewolves and falls for one, it would be a better story. The love triangle attempt would have been more compelling. Instead, it reads as though Bella's just shifted her anxious attachment to someone who has feelings for her, and she can't ever reciprocate because there will only ever be ONE man for her. There's no real conflict, no real triangle, no decision to make. She already made it, apparently the moment Edward paid her any real attention. * aggressive eye roll*
If reading complicated characters with mental illness is what you enjoy, go read Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series. Please.