I only read five chapters of the first book and couldn't drag myself any farther. I tried to read it, wanting to give it a fair chance, but I just...couldn't.
The first five chapters were about 80% listening to Bella bitch about how much the situation that she voluntarily put herself in sucks (despite the fact that it's not that bad by any stretch of the imagination) and the rest is her talking about the weather and having the same (BORING) conversation with Edward every time she bumps into him. Honestly the only way I can imagine someone not being bored by that is if they're so simple minded that they actually need that much repetition to understand what's going on (which isn't much.)
I also couldn't empathize with Bella at all. She's a shallow, whiny, self absorbed popular girl who likes to pretend that she's a misunderstood outcast because she thinks it makes her seem more mysterious and interesting. Don't believe me? Let's have a look; she pretends she's being forced into some kind of exile, when in fact she made the decision to go to Forks herself and her father goes out of his way to accommodate her (Martyr complex anyone?) She brushes aside all the normal people who (inexplicably) are desperate to be her friends, treating them at best as annoyances, and doesn't pay attention to anyone but herself until she sees the one table of really good looking rich people, with whom she them becomes obsessed, not being able to think about anything other than them (because they're SO pretty.) She's obsessed with looks to such an extent that she feels the need to reiterate how "OMG PERFECT" Edward is every time he enters her field of vision (which is tiresome as hell.)She's ether so insecure, or so egotistical, that she actually cries when she thinks Edward doesn't like her, despite the fact that she hasn't even had one conversation with him and EVERYONE ELSE she met that day threw themselves at her. So, based solely on his appearance and the knowledge that he's (apparently) too good for all the other girls in the school, she values his opinion above all others? Really? Honestly, if Bella had been a more likable character I may have been able to make it all the way through the (boring, amateurish) book, but the sheer repulsiveness of her shallow, pretentious, self-centered world view made that impossible.
Retch Inducing
I only read five chapters of the first book and couldn't drag myself any farther. I tried to read it, wanting to give it a fair chance, but I just...couldn't. The first five chapters were about 80% listening to Bella bitch about how much the situation that she voluntarily put herself in sucks (despite the fact that it's not that bad by any stretch of the imagination) and the rest is her talking about the weather and having the same (BORING) conversation with Edward every time she bumps into him. Honestly the only way I can imagine someone not being bored by that is if they're so simple minded that they actually need that much repetition to understand what's going on (which isn't much.) I also couldn't empathize with Bella at all. She's a shallow, whiny, self absorbed popular girl who likes to pretend that she's a misunderstood outcast because she thinks it makes her seem more mysterious and interesting. Don't believe me? Let's have a look; she pretends she's being forced into some kind of exile, when in fact she made the decision to go to Forks herself and her father goes out of his way to accommodate her (Martyr complex anyone?) She brushes aside all the normal people who (inexplicably) are desperate to be her friends, treating them at best as annoyances, and doesn't pay attention to anyone but herself until she sees the one table of really good looking rich people, with whom she them becomes obsessed, not being able to think about anything other than them (because they're SO pretty.) She's obsessed with looks to such an extent that she feels the need to reiterate how "OMG PERFECT" Edward is every time he enters her field of vision (which is tiresome as hell.)She's ether so insecure, or so egotistical, that she actually cries when she thinks Edward doesn't like her, despite the fact that she hasn't even had one conversation with him and EVERYONE ELSE she met that day threw themselves at her. So, based solely on his appearance and the knowledge that he's (apparently) too good for all the other girls in the school, she values his opinion above all others? Really? Honestly, if Bella had been a more likable character I may have been able to make it all the way through the (boring, amateurish) book, but the sheer repulsiveness of her shallow, pretentious, self-centered world view made that impossible.