
Here's an excerpt:
So I suppose I consider the books . . . problematic, especially (now here I’m going to speak to the moms who are reading this) for those readers who are still growing up. Considering that many girls aged ten and just above are reading books, since the word is out that the books are ‘clean’ with ‘no sex,’ I’m afraid too many impressionable minds are being primed learning to fall in love with a man who just doesn’t exist. I actually feel really sorry for the teenage boys who are having to compete with Edward.
As a romance writer myself, I try to be kind to the average guy. While it’s laudable to create an idealized hero that will raise the standards of girl readers, I’m not sure it’s fair to make him so beyond the pale that no average guy can aspire to be like him. read more...
ADDENDUM: Arianna Clark commented on my post on HJ and brought up this one point which is SO obvious I can't believe I overlooked it:
Furthermore, I never really noticed a meeting of minds or of a friendship between Edward and Bella, which I have always understood to be essential to a marriage or any meaningful relationship.
AMEN! Yes, THAT was missing from the series in a very large way. In fact, there are notable instances of Edward making fun of the things that Bella loves, such as her vintage truck and Wuthering Heights. If there *is* really common ground between them aside from each other, it's really buried deep.