Breaking Dawn and the Twilight Saga: Review

This review contains spoilers...

Although, I'm mostly a fan of historical fiction when it comes to reading books, I also have an inclination to reading fantasy sometimes. I adored the Harry Potter series for example as well as the Lord of the Rings trilogy to name some of the most popular fantasy stories.

Sometime ago, I came across the name Twilight on a message board while browsing the NET. I was hooked by the story immediately and made it a point to look the book up. I became very keen after reading the summary of the first book and was intrigued to start reading especially because this was Stephenie Meyer's debut book and because suddenly it became highly popular due to the movie coming out. I bought and read the brilliant introduction book before I saw the movie. I fervently believe that books transmit much more emotion and are more enjoyable than watching movies and so I wanted to experience the emotional ride of fully reading it without actually knowing beforehand what was going to happen.

Throughout the whole series my favourite part (especially being a hopeless romantic), was Bella and Edward's relationship. I love how it evolved during Twilight, enhanced during Eclipse and reached its climax during Breaking Dawn (in several ways :P). New Moon is my least favourite book of the four mostly because of Edward's absence which lessened the brilliance of their relationship, although needless to say I really enjoyed it too.

Breaking Dawn was the cherry on the cake and despite other people giving it poor reviews, I really and truly enjoyed it. In fact, I finished it much earlier than I thought, it being a huge book. The first part is wonderful for those (like me :P) suckers for romantic and happy moments. As the book paced and entered into Jacob's POV, I began to like Jacob more and more. Jacob was not one of my favourite characters but I started to like him more and more in Breaking Dawn and he is in fact one of my favourite characters now. This was because he was being reasonable in the last book. He pissed me off in New Moon and super annoyed me in Eclipse but his reputation with me was saved during the brilliant Breaking Dawn :P. I also loved how Bella's character evolved throughout the series and I even liked her most in Breaking Dawn. As Felix told her, I think immortality really suited her :P. I'm not going to rant about Edward. I'll be a little biased him being my favourite character. :)

The third part of the book is the best part of the saga in my opinion. Meyer did an excellent job to round up the saga quite nicely and I'm still reeling with excitement due to its massive ending. ( I finished reading it about an hour and a half ago). I don't know what to say anymore, except I love Meyer's diction in the book. The intense descriptions created by her made me feel like I was really Bella rubbing shoulders with Edward's marble, strong own shoulder and Jacob's russet fur :P. By the way, as you may have well noticed, I can now safely say that I have become a proud fan of paranormal romance.

I'm sure this review did not do any proper justice to the wonderful saga which I'm already starting to miss like crazy but it's a miniscule part of the praise it deserves from me. A message to all those who did not read these massive books... do yourself a favour and read them. Why anyone would choose to skip them and wait for the movies to come out is beyond me but that's just my opinion.

On to another book :)... Most probably, this time it will be a historical fiction. Can't wait :)

Ta ta xxx :) See you later :)

Rejection

When I was reading Silent Honour what struck me most out of the themes tackled by Steel in the novel was that of rejection. It really enabled me to symphatise more with the main character and her family as they went through the ordeal of feeling rejected in a foreign character due to their heritage and all its connotations. This theme triggered my memory in remembering a short story I wrote sometime ago which confronted the notion of rejection. I wrote this 4 years ago and it was through this story that I received the compliment I mentioned earlier in my first post by an ex-teacher. Here is the story. Hope you enjoy it even though it's got a melanchonic tone. You can find it also at fictionpress.com along with other snippets of my writing:

Rejection

The trees swayed, accompanied by the light breeze of that autumn evening. A solitary dog scurried down the pathway, whimpering slightly. Then, the dog, vanished round the corner and utter silence ruled again, only for a few seconds. Soon after, a black car drove slowly along the road, lighting its way by its bright headlights, which shone up the place. The car halted in front of an abandoned house and as on cue, people peered out from windows or doorways nearby to survey the scene.

The driver of the car, hurriedly and slightly reluctant began to unpack several shabby looking suitcases from the car’s boot and putting them carelessly near the doorway of the abandoned, quiet house. The back door of the car opened and a middle-aged woman dressed in a black dress and a shawl covering her dark curls stepped out. A petite three year old girl followed, promptly taking the woman’s hand, her own bouncy curls adorning her smiling but tired face. The neighbours peered closely, waiting for a man to get out of the car and thus completing a traditional family. But, he never came, and most of them looked disapprovingly at each other as the driver drove off and the mother and child made their first entrance into the lonesome house. As the door closed behind them, the gazing eyes retired into their homes, though never ceasing their judgmental thoughts throbbing into their minds.

Several years passed and the house endured a complete transformation as it now breathed a more homely look. However, its inhabitants were finding it difficult to adapt in the rural society of the village. Whispering voices and condemning looks followed them wherever they went, so much so that after seven long years, the poor child dropped out from school because she felt she couldn’t cope with all the torments while her mother in vain tried to accept the situation hoping that someday a friendly smile will reply to her own. The entire village seemed to be against the fragile woman, constantly making assumptions about her and her sorrier circumstances which they never really found out.

The day she first visited the Parish Church will always live in her memory. As she entered the humble place, her footsteps echoing down the aisle, the familiar murmurings pursued her, till they guided her to the back seat, isolating her from the rest of the community. The worst part was the priest’s sermon, who being pestered frequently by the local inhabitants, talked about unforgiving sin. His stern eyes seemed to bore into her, exposing her every single weakness. Reluctantly but forcefully she had to leave the church, to the eager delight of the other church-goers.

One day, she visited the mini-market to buy her daily supply of food. As she stepped inside the welcoming store, she noticed a group of women gathered near the vegetable stall. A smile on her face, she greeted them warmly with a chirpy voice. A hushed silence fell amongst them as slowly , they parted allowing her to take care of her needs, not out of kindness but because they cruelly wanted her out of their way. Crestfallen, she led her way to the house up the hill, her hands full of bags containing food, which she would have to share alone with her miserable, lonely daughter.

Suddenly, a boy purposely bumped into her causing her to drop her bags, as apples and oranges scurried down the hill. Everyone halted, seemingly entertained watching her pick up everything, calmly. Through her blurred vision, she could see people pointing at her, marking her with indecent names. From under her eyelid,then she saw a man quietly bending down to reach for a green apple. The woman smiled and breathed along a sigh of relief as heartily she thanked the grateful soul. A ray of hope seemed to suddenly light her own path of sufferings and torments she went through under the inhumane misgivings of her local fellows.

However, the man aloof threw the apple at her, hitting her hard at the back of her head. Flustered, the woman sat back helplessly, her big dark eyes watering as she finally started to sob uncontrollably. Shuffling, she stood up, left everything where it was and trudged back home, perceiving her bitter grief once again. Feeling loneliness and resentment towards the prejudiced world. Sensing, once again, the recognizable weight of rejection.

Thanks and talk to you later xxx

Silent Honour: Review

Silent Honour - Danielle Steel

In her 38th bestselling novel, Danielle Steel creates a powerful, moving portrayal of families divided, lives shattered and a nation torn apart by prejudice during a shameful episode in recent American history.

A man ahead of his time, Japanese college professor Masao Takashimaya of Kyoto had a passion for modern ideas that was as strong as his wife's belief in ancient traditions. It was the early 1920s and Masao had dreams for the future—and a fascination with the politics and opportunities of a world that was changing every day. Twenty years later, his eighteen-year-old daughter Hiroko, torn between her mother's traditions and her father's wishes, boarded the SS Nagoya Maru to come to California for an education and to make her father proud. It was August 1941.

On December 7, Pearl Harbor is bombed by the Japanese. Within hours, war is declared and suddenly Hiroko has become an enemy in a foreign land. Terrified, begging to go home, she is nonetheless ordered by her father to stay. He is positive she will be safer in California than at home, and for a brief time she is—until her entire world caves in.

With clear, powerful prose, Danielle Steel portrays not only the human cost of that terrible time in history, but also the remarkable courage of a people whose honor and dignity transcended the chaos that surrounded them. Set against a vivid backdrop of war and change, her thirty-eighth bestselling novel is both living history and outstanding fiction, revealing the stark truth about the betrayal of Americans by their own government...and the triumph of a woman caught between cultures and determined to survive.

taken from goodreads.com

I was never an actual fan of Danielle Steel. I only read 3 of her books before Silent Honour and was not particularly super impressed. However, I stumbled upon this book during a book sale and because it fell under the label of historical fiction thought I'd give it a go. Now that I have finished it, I can say that I'm glad I did so.

At first, I was kind of sceptic about it. The diction seemed kind of juvenile especially when compared to the witty diction used by John Grogan in Marley and Me, my previous read. However, as I immersed myself into the story, I found the diction very comfortable and flowing to read, and I would have finished it sooner hadn't I enjoyed the story so much that I did not want it to end (I willingly dragged the story myself :P)

I love how Steel tackled the themes of love, rejection and racism in the story and although the story's period is too contemporary for my taste, I was really into it. It was interesting to get a different side of Pearl Harbor's story and I thoroughly enjoyed the insights, Steel gave into the Japanese world. I found myself emphatising greatly with the character especially with Hiroko and even shed a few tears at some of the poignant moments.

All in all, I really enjoyed the book and will definitely add any of Danielle Steel's historical fiction to my growing to-be-read list anytime soon. This was my first very own book review and so I'm open to all forms of criticism. Feel free to comment.

Regarding my current read, I came across Breaking Dawn while on holiday a few days ago and being a fan of the Twilight saga, I am now shifting myself from a world of WW2 bombs to one full of vampires, in order to conclude Meyer's series :)

Tata and take care xxxx

Beginning

First of all, welcome to my blog. This is my very first blog (Yayyy!!!) and so an introduction is undoubtedly suitable. I once owned a website related to a movie I love but with time I lost interest and due to lack of time had to shut it down. I am planning not to follow the same example this time.

I've been born with a passion for literature. I have always adored books since I was a little girl and relatives and friends have always helped to fuel my passion by buying me books as gifts for various occasions. To this day, (even though not many years have passed :P ) a book is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give me. Needless to say, I love to spend a generous amount of my allowance on books, as long as I have interesting books to keep me occupied in my free time. My greatest wish is to have more time to dedicate for reading but this is generally not the case. So many books, so little time. *sigh*

For me, literature is a great way to escape reality particularly fiction. It's a brilliant alternative to the real world. I can boast of a fruitful imagination and often find myself immersed in a world synonymous to what I am currently reading.

My imagination also proves worthwhile to my other passion - writing. My ideal career would be that of a writer but unfortunately where I live, this does not make much of a living. Anyway, another great wish of mine ( I should get a genie to grant all of my wishes :P) is to successfully write a book one day, or more than one for that matter. I have attempted to write snippets of text at times ( although most of these are fanfictions) and my ex-English teacher once told me that I am a brilliant storyteller, so I will not entirely abandon that prospect in the future.

Anyway, I will be using this blog to review any books which I'll be reading in the future or have read already. I will also try to post some of my attempts at writing. After all this long rant, I realised I haven't talked about my favourite genres. I really love to read a gripping story, adore page-turners (like everyone else, I suppose), love romance and fantasy but mostly I tend to incline towards historical fiction. I am a history graduate who is particularly interested in all kinds of history but especially any history concerning women. I have come across various blogs and sites across the web regarding the historical fiction genre, which I'll be glad to share with you. Also, if you'd like to add me as a friend, feel free to do so.

In the meantime, bye bye and talk to you later. :) xxxx