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 enlarge | Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Category: Book
List Price: $22.99
Buy New: $12.64
You Save: $10.35 (45%)
New (67) Used (19) Collectible (5) from $12.64
Avg. Customer Rating:  3474 reviews
Sales Rank: 6
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 768
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 2.5
ISBN: 031606792X
EAN: 9780316067928
Publication Date: August 2, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Pre-Order (0-0 Business Days)
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| Customer Reviews:
 Saved the Best for Last! (No Spoilers) August 6, 2008
148 out of 205 found this review helpful
I don't remember the last time I have felt so passionate and angry about a novel. I enjoyed Twilight, I liked New Moon, I loved Eclipse, and now I am completely infatuated with Breaking Dawn. Each one got better and better.
It will be hard to give complete specifics of what I loved about Breaking Dawn without using spoilers, but I will do my best, without ruining the details for someone who has yet to read the book.
I was one of the ones waiting in line at midnight with a bunch a preteen girls in prom dresses. It would take a lot for a book to be worth that experience. Before I started reading it the next morning, I hopped on Amazon to see the soaring ratings of five stars and was shocked when the vast majority of what I saw was one and two stars. I didn't read any of them at that point so I wouldn't ruin the book's surprises, but I went into it afraid that I would hate it too. At first I thought I was going to, I thought I saw where Meyers was taking it and I kept pleading with her to not go there. She did. And, she pulled it off beautifully. What easily could have been cheesy and contrived kept me in awe page after page and made me fall more and more in love with characters that were already dear to me. The aspects of Bella and Edward's personalities that I always found flat and dormant, I saw grow and mature in this final installment. Ever since I finished the book, I have been sad, simply because I miss it. I want to still be lost in Bella, Edward, and Jacob's world. I am going to re-read all of them immediately, something I didn't plan on doing.
The complaints I have read on here, I find laughable. The book was too long. It was too happy. It has bad morals. It is weird. It grosses me out. It is contrived, blah, blah, blah. We have spent three books with very little else but angst and stress and tears. It is not a betrayal of the series that the characters don't all slit their wrists at the end. Plus, this book was filled with stressors and tears. And giving a book low rating because you don't like a new character's name is insulting to everyone's intelligence. As for bad morals and a bad message for teenage girls. Get a grip. We are talking about vampires and werewolves, lighten up! If that was your concern, you should have been worried from the beginning about all these lemur-like girls who you believe have no minds their own. They should have been out trying to drink their neighbors' blood years ago! I am teacher, an I can attest that I have seen more girls involved in reading and dreams of writing as a career thanks to Stephanie Meyer's books and her constant encouragement through interviews than any other motivator.
I wish I had another seven hundred pages to read. Every question I had been dying to know since the very first book was answered, some in ways that I guessed and some that completely shocked me. Having your series wrapped up in a completed way is not a sign of poor or safe writing. When done well, as here, it shows the amount of thought, planning, and detail that was given to these beloved novels.
I hope that Meyers can take the low stars as a compliment. Anything done well, anything that takes risks, and anything that makes people uncomfortable enough to think is something that has immense value, and it is always controversial and condemned.
Amazing work, Mrs. Meyers! Thank you for the awesome ride and adding gleaming gems to my library and irreplaceable characters to my heart!
Not what I expected but... August 14, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Breaking Dawn was definitely not what I expected to end a series of books that I truly became engulfed in and loved. However, I wasn't disappointed. I honestly believe that Stephanie Meyer wrote a book filled with the happiness of writing something you truly enjoy. So it's not my place to quarrel what someone else has imagined. The fact of the matter is, is that this is a work of fiction. In the world that Meyer created where vampires do exist, Bella could only live for Edward, she could get pregnant, and she could have the ultimate happy ending. Via crazy twist and turns! The fact that people can get so worked up over meaning and tone and analyze a book to death is beyond me, especially when its a story about vampires, werewolves and becoming immortal! I'm amazed at how some people can't stretch their imaginations enough, who cares about Bella being married and having sex by 18. That world of fiction is not the tangible one we exist in. Meyer even makes that clear in Eclipse, when Bella mentions how in a normal world she would be with Jake. But she isn't in a normal world, under normal circumstances and so belongs with Edward. Besides, if all you're worried about is some crazy intention on the part of Stephanie Meyer to condone getting married and having sex at a young age, I think this book is the least of your worries. Bella and Edward may be young but they hardly fall into the category of horny uneducated teenagers who have sex because everyone else is. How about we take a closer look at the parents who are "parenting" these teenagers instead of pointing a finger at an author who wrote a book and gave you the CHOICE to read it. I chose to read this book, and just because Bella and Edward had sex, doesn't mean I'm running out the door with Stephanie Meyers encouragement. People can get so caught up in their virtues and ethics that they forget to think for themselves.
Anyway, this is supposed to be a review for a book I did enjoy. I'm incredibly glad Bella got her incredibly perfect happy ending. The world and life can be so unbalanced and cruel that I don't need to be reminded of the "realities" of it. For once, for freaking once, someone had the guts to just give me what I wanted. A sweet ending, to an incredible love story. The end.
Absolutely LOVED IT!! August 3, 2008
205 out of 300 found this review helpful
Just finished "Breaking Dawn" and loved the book. (NO SPOILERS in this review). I felt no sense of disappointment in the outcomes of the characters I have grown to know and love over the series. In fact, I was extremely pleased with the outcome, it is exactly what I wanted (and more).
I have read reviews complaining about the writing, and I'm not sure what that's all about. I see no difference in the writing style or language or syntax in this book from the first three books. I found the author's writing to be genuine and amusing.
There also seems to be a lot of disatisfaction about how the stories are resolved. The bottom line is, there is no way to please every rabid fan. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this book... it's entertaining fiction, what it was intended to be all along. It's a suitable ending for the series as told from Bella's perspective.
Don't let the mixed reviews scare you away. The final book stays true to the series with a satisfying conclusion.
A final note: I find it kind of suspicious that not only are there so many 1 star reviews, but that most of the negative reviews got the "most helpful" votes while positive reviews were given the most "not helpful" votes. I realize there are some strong feelings about this series on both sides, but I also know Stephanie Meyer said in an interview that she reads the 1 star reviews on Amazon. HMMM....
Breaking Dawn: an opinion in 10 parts August 3, 2008
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
**Spoilers Inside**
I highly anticipated this book (probably most people who have posted reviews did as well). The book brought on several emotions for me which I will break down in detail. I will not recount the entire plot of the novel, only key points to make comments on.
1. The wedding - the wedding was beautiful and I was glad to see that Bella finally saw her human self as being beautiful. It was nice to see Jacob back, but he did ruin the mood once Bella mentioned the honeymoon and that angered me. The wedding and reception were shorter than I would have like it to be, but there were more important story lines to explore.
2. The honeymoon (part 1)- I thought Meyer did a fabulous job of conveying Edward and Bella's intimacy without being smutty. She reinforced the sanctity of marriage before sex which I believe is a fabulous message to young readers.
3. The honeymoon (part 2) - I was livid once I realized that Bella was pregnant; and, honestly, it was obvious that Meyer would go in that direction from all of the foreshadowing in Eclipse and in Bella's nightmares. I was horrified that a. Bella wanted to keep the baby and b. she ran to Rosalie for help. I could not refer to the baby as such, instead I deemed it vampire spawn. I felt that Edward was a blubbering idiot during this section and I wanted to smack both him and Bella and tell them to pull it together.
4. Jacob's section - I was so extremely angry and frustrated with Bella that Jacob's voice was immediately refreshing. His quips between him and Rosalie kept the mood light when everything else was not. I love that he matured in this section and was not the egotistical idiot that I once deemed him to be. I rooted for him as he took charge and took what was rightfully his - his postion as Alpha. I do admit that the imprintation on Renesmee was a complete and utter shock to me. Given the circumstances it is strange, but it also made complete sense. By incorporating the imprinting on Renesmee into the storyline, it opened up the communication between the wolf packs, allowed for peace to finally come between Jacob and Edward, and created a solid alliance between the wolves and the vampires. As for those who believe that this imprintation promotes pedophilia, I believe that they are misunderstanding the delicate balance and nature of the situation. Yes, Renesmee is just a baby, but no, Jacob is not thinking of her in a romantic or sexual nature. Jacob is first and foremost a guardian and a soulmate. He is not rushing her to grow up, but encouraging her to enjoy her childhood. Jacob will remain a teenager until he decides to give up his shape-shifting ways. Renesmee will become a full grown adult in just seven years and then they can live their happily ever after. For now, he is more a body guard and friend than a lover.
5. Bella- Not exactly the transformation she had in mind, but her tranformation took place because it needed to and not only because she wanted it. It was nice to Bella finally believe in herself and not rely on others. I really felt that Nessie and Bella's relationship was not as close of a bond as it should be. I also felt that Edward seemed somewhat detached from Nessie, and not very fatherly. I was relieved that she did not have to hide from Charlie and that he was somewhat in on their secret life, but I couldn't help but think - what about Renee? She is barely mentioned beyond the wedding. Poor Renee. I was, however, extremely excited to finally see Bella hold her own and become a stronger character once she transformed. I thought her power was amazing and for once she was the one who saved the day.
6. Renesmee - What an awful name. I get that it's a combination of Renee and Esme, but it's still hideous. I hope that fans do not become inspired to name their daughters after her. I did not want Nessie (a name even worse than Renesmee) to be born. I thought she would be an evil spawn that would destroy the characters I have known and loved. Once she was introduced, I, like the characters in the book, melted. How could you not love her? Yes, the Jacob imprinting was weird, but it gave Jacob a purpose in life and created an improved alliance with the Cullens and a reconciliation with his own pack. She was the key to pulling together the vampire clans to prevent the destructions of the Cullens. I really would like to learn more about her character and to see her grow...a Meyer spin-off perhaps?
7. Alice's role- I was aggravated that Alice did not have a voice throughout most of this book. I enjoy Alice's character and thought that she really did not have much purpose in this novel. I was extremely angry when she and Jasper left, but I had a feeling they would be back. Alice quickly redeemed herself in the final chapters, but I still hold a slight grudge.
8. The vampire clans - It was extremely interesting to meet the characters that had been mentioned previously but not introduced. With their help, Bella was able to become the strongest weapon in the group - for the first time. I thought the scene with the Volturi would have turned more violent and found myself somewhat disappointed that it did not turn into a showdown, but I was happy with the end result.
9. The happily ever after - Yes, this story had a happy ending. Did anyone remember that Stephenie Meyer's favorite author is Jane Austen? Austen was also a firm believer in her characters getting whatever they desired. Meyer's ending was no different. The characters had conflict in all the books, but it was resolved. Any conflict, no matter how large it may seem can be resolved. Yes, everything worked out conveniently well and there is no longer discord. The overwhelming theme was not that you do not have to make choices in life because everything will work out for the best, but rather, love does conquer all. It is a universal theme - with love anything can be and is possible - isn't that a lesson we can all agree on? Instead of a bloody war torn ending, there was a peaceful resolution - we can only dream of this happening more in real life. Yes, everything worked out for our beloved characters. What else was to be expected? This was a fantasy, no, I'm wrong - this was a FAIRY TALE! How could a reader not expect all the pieces of the puzzle to fit together when all along it seemed like a fairy tale - the knight in shining armor, the damsel in distress, the evil Volturi...(Meyer makes several allusions to literary fairy tales). Readers need to remember that this is not a work of nonfiction. It is not a work of realistic fiction. It is a fairy tale and everyone got their happily ever after.
10. I am going to miss these books and these characters. May they live forever on library shelfs and in the minds of their truly devoted fans. Bring on Midnight Sun!
Gratitude to a fabulous author. August 4, 2008
147 out of 218 found this review helpful
I was thrilled from beginning to end reading BREAKING DAWN, grateful to Stephenie Meyer for writing such a wonderful saga, and saddened to read the bad reviews from petulant readers.
Ms. Meyer has created complete, rounded, fully-faceted characters, and let us go along as they each matured -- even the adults. I was hoping for a book that brought the saga to a happy ending, because that was the point all along: Bella and Edward had a once-in-an-existence love that could meet and defeat any and all challenges.
For those who carp on small details, I ask this question: When did you decide that vampires, werewolves, Volturi, mind-reading and all the other staples of THE TWILIGHT SAGA were permissible, but a baby and a happy ending was not? Either you hand yourself up to be entertained, or don't bother reading.
One other thought: These are Stephenie Meyers' characters, not yours, no matter how you might identify with them. She fleshed out her dream and shared it with the world. To have any response other than gratitude for being taken on a wild romantic ride is sheer selfishness. For those who would rather be right than be happy, pick at details. For those who want to be satisfied over and over by a fine author, grab BREAKING DAWN and the first three in the TWILIGHT SAGA and have the time of your life.
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