Episode 11: “New Moon” Book Discussion

1. Shannon the Movie Moxie Said,

   Wow, your book is in great condition! It’s still makes me laugh where your notes are for New Moon. Mind look so battered in comparison.

2. Marina Antunes Said,

   That was actually my first thought when I saw your photos!

3. Sia Said,

   Hi girls,
   I really wanted to send you guys a email about this past show but for some reason it wouldn’t let me so I’ll just post it on here. I wanted to let you guys know that this is going to be very long so please bare with me. THESE ARE ONLY MY OPINIONS SO PLEASE DON’T YELL AT ME haha ..
   First of all I’M TEAM EDWARD. I love Jacob and in any relationship would seem like the right choice but were talking about Bella here and what’s right for her and what she wants. We might not like it or we do either way it’s a relationship that will grow past the books we’ve read and I do think that they are in love it might be what we all like or think it should be but what relationship is the same ? LOVE IS DIFFERENT FOR MANY PEOPLE.
   Second-
   Edward in my opinion is pushy and thinks he knows whats good for Bella but I think it’s because he’s in love for the first time. He doesn’t go about it the right way everytime but I honestly think he tries and it’s a learning experience for him.
   I don’t think for minute that Edward is a an ass. He does make stupid decisions but NEVER AN ASS !
   Third-
   I disagree with New Moon being like Twilight. Yes she finds out about another mythical creature but circumstances are different.
   Twilight was about love and New Moon was about lost and friendship. The only similiarity is CHOICE even though Bella has different ones at the end of each book.
   I love New Moon so much that I just went with scenes from the book-
   When Edward whispers Romeos lines to Bella
   Sad but true I loved the break up scene it was heartbreaking.
   The scene were she’s laying in bed finally feeling the pain after feeling numb for a long time.(After she hears Edward for the first time)
   Scene at Emily’s
   Cliff diving scene
   Seeing Alice back
   The Whole Italy scene
   When Bella wakes up to Edward
   What I really love about this book and the others is the feelings you get from it the connection you the reader have with the characters. It’s not about the plot or having really cool fighting scenes and that’s what I love about New Moon and the others.
   What I DISLIKED-
   hmmm this is hard because I didn’t like this book at first but reading it the second time I JUST LOVED IT.
   I would say
   Anytime Jacob would touch Bella or when they were touching. I don’t know it seems misleading but that’s just me.
   Lastly,
   I appreciate your preparation for each podcast and your witty topics. I LOVE YOU GUYS AND LOOK FORWARD TO MANY MORE PODCASTS !
   Thanks for reading this long message haha …

   Comment on Trueblood/Twilight/Buffy.
   Let’s just say the Twilight vampires would win. I will post my reasons why later.
   And I’M ON TEAM TWILIGHT and yes I’ve read the Sookie books and watched Trueblood and have watched Buffy for many years.

4. Sia Said,

   P.S My books look exactly like that haha …

5. Wray Said,

   Yea! Go Sia!! I love that I’m not the only one who writes long posts!

   Anyway, after listening to the latest podcast, I thought I might need to look at New Moon again. Just a disclaimer, I’m not team anything – just a reader who likes a good yarn. That said, I completely understand the take that Edward comes off like an insensitive lout when he leaves Bella, but I also completely understand his POV. And I even think he’s justified. Hear me out though ’cause I know I’ve said this before, but he’s justified in BELIEVING that leaving Bella is the right thing to do. Unlike Jacob, who later becomes something that could potentially harm Bella, Edward has had first hand experience being a “monster”. As a vampire, he is the predator and humans the prey. He has spent years (decades) wrestling with this idea and some time happily devouring humans as well so he knows what he is talking about – it’s not just a potential for danger, it’s the real thing. Jacob could hurt others as well if he’s not careful (and this is quite serious too), but his main natural diet does not consist of human blood…eww.

   Anyway, throughout Twilight Edward is struggling with the idea that his love for Bella is a completely selfish thing. Like Bella herself, he has a hard time believing that he has anything to offer her and that whatever he has is nothing compared with the joy she gives him – and he has a point.

   Bella and Edward are really much the same in their insecurity. But as we all know, they are together because they unlock something in each other that probably would otherwise be only unrealized potential.
   I suppose if Edward were a regular “boy”, I wouldn’t buy his “leaving her for her own good” routine – ’cause it would be complete hogwash.

   One of the things that I love about the New Moon Bella and Edward story (as opposed to Twilight) is that Edward is forced (and not for the last time) to re-evaluate everything he has learned in his many years about being a vampire, or being a man, in light of what Bella has taught him. He realizes that he is wrong, makes changes, and tries again. Clearly he has never been challenged like that and I think he handles it pretty gracefully.

   Sia is right. These are flawed characters and they are just beginning. They make mistakes, they learn and grow. I think it’s pretty cool that these books are really about love as a kind of journey. I’ve never seen this series as a “how to”, but just their story.

6. Marina Antunes Said,

   I haven’t said this lately: I LOVE OUR LISTENERS. Seriously.

   I’m unabashedly (and wholeheartedly) Team Edward. One of the things that stuck out to me more the second time I re-read New Moon was the actions Edward was making and though I completely agree with Sia that the reasons the decisions feel so wrong is *because* it’s his first time falling in love too and he’s just working through the process. It just happens to be that he has the really difficult decisions to make and he makes them without consultation. Again, I think that’s something to do with the whole inexperienced in relationship aspect of things (and it’s something I pushed quite adamantly during an earlier show) it just seemed so much more pronounced this time around.

   I’ve been thinking about that a little more and I actually think that Edward has it even harder than Bella. We get to see Bella’s reaction so it’s much more immediate and we can relate to it much more but we don’t get to see or even know what Edward goes through. Let’s just consider for a second that he feels everything so much more acutely than humans do. His suffering would be so much more tragic (and epic) than Bella’s. It’s a bit depressing that he doesn’t fully understand what leaving will do to Bella but again, that’s all part of the humanity of his character.

   Thanks again for the comments guys. That’s AWESOME!

7. Wray Said,

   It certainly seems that way, Marina (regarding Edward’s decision to leave). As much as Bella suffers – and indeed she does – she finds a way to keep on going and make a life for herself. After re-reading she doesn’t come off as zombie-like as everyone talks about. Not only that but she doesn’t enter “life on auto-pilot” until she realizes how thorough Edward has been in his attempt to strip away all evidence of his existence. Bella is a lot stronger than people give her credit for – it’s just a quieter, less flashy kind of strength. THAT seems to be the origin of ‘the voice’. Bella has her shield up and in full operation in order to protect herself from falling completely apart, but sometimes that ability can be a detriment too because…look what she has to put herself through in order to listen to what she KNOWS to be true! Deep down Bella knows that Edward lied when he said he didn’t want her.

   As for Edward and his inexperience with relationships, let’s not forget that his ability to hear the thoughts of others has made him lazy…or maybe rusty. With Bella, he’s just like an ordinary human. He’s so hyper-focused on keeping her safe that he can’t see the danger right in front of him – there’s no better example of not seeing the forest through the trees.

8. Marina Antunes Said,

   “Bella is a lot stronger than people give her credit for ”

   I think you’re right on with this Wray. It amazes me that so many people gloss over Bella as weak because there isn’t a physical prowess. What ever happened to looking beyond the surface?

   “let’s not forget that his ability to hear the thoughts of others has made him lazy…or maybe rusty.”

   I never thought of it as lazy but I can definitely see it – especially when he’s so used to it – it would definitely put him at a disadvantage (and on the same footing as a human) to not be able to read her.

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