As Dawn comes, Memories of the Night Fade into the Morning Light

In other news, I read the Twilight series, because they had been recommended to me in several places I like to visit and had been told that this series of books was a great romantic tale. I wasn’t impressed with Twilight. It isn’t my thing at all. I felt they were too much like someone’s messed-up romantic fantasies and not enough real story. I had been told these books get better as the go along. I have read books that weren’t wonderful at first but got a lot smoother, more intelligent, and more enjoyable as they went along. Not so with Twilight. The writing itself got a bit better towards the end, but the story just got less and less family friendly as it went along.
Mom says her literary forums think they are very poorly written too, so it’s not just my opinion.
The characterizations especially left much to be desired.

Take the vampire Edward for example.

His selfishness was being explained away in ways that, as we often say around here, wouldn’t hold water.

He was very rude to Bella when he met her. Officially, this is because he is close to attacking her in the classroom. Later he goes on (several times!) about how Bella seeks him out when it’s the other way around. He only protects her when he has no excuse not to, he is going to gain something from it, or when her father and the local Native American tribe will come after him if he doesn’t. He didn’t bother to research what would happen to her when they had a kid before actually fathering said child, even though he knew that she could easily die.
Edward kept getting angry every time she didn’t do whatever he wanted or even if she merely spoke to another guy about neutral topics like school assignments, the weather, and how gym class went, even early in the relationship when he was still being rude to her.

He led her on, dumped her, and then expected her to get back up with him when he finally waltzes back into town. He claimed he was letting her go, but he obviously still thinks he owns her. He doesn’t seem to think he should be starting over, or mending his ways.

Edward’s behavior stemmed from selfishness.

That is not love.

He wanted to be with her but he didn’t respect her or truly love her. If he had really loved her, he would have wanted to take much better care of her. He would have been a lot more concerned about her feelings and safety.
Please consider 1 Corinthians chapter 13 which outlines the nature of love. I feel that it is relevant, since love builds you up, not tear you down.
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1 Corinthians 13

1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
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Edward's behavior is not loving.

Love means caring about others. Love is wanting the best for the other person. Love means that you will look out for the other person’s interests. It also means being willing to let someone go if that person seeks to break ties, because by letting him go you are respecting his decisions.

I REALLY can’t condone his behavior. I don’t get why this mess is being held up as a romantic ideal. He’s an abusive jerk!
At least the actor who played Edward said he didn’t like the role. I was surprised the guy signed up for it at all, considering that the last role I saw him in he was playing a really nice guy. It may have been another case of the actor didn’t do his homework beforehand.

In real life, a relationship like Edward and Bella’s generally ends badly. I ended up witnessing one. Ultimately, the guy betrayed the girl. She wasn’t a nice person, but we did feel kinda sorry for her.

Whoof, needed to say that! It’s been awhile since I last read such an atrocious book. Even most of the fan fiction I’ve come across over the years hasn’t been this bad!