EP Read Along Week 3
Chapters 6-8
Happy Friday!
It's my turn to do the EP Read Along post......hope I do as well as Kassie!
Here goes.....
I hope everyone had a chance to read this weeks chapters because we finally get into Edward's head, and I don't know about you, but I find being in EP Edward's head very entertaining. Maybe it's his filthy mouth or his perverted mind, but EP Edward is quite fun!
So Chapter 6 and 7 we get our first EPOV chapters and we learn a few things about Edward. He is the manwhore of Forks H.S. without a doubt. He is the star of the football team, which has totally gone to his head. How do you like the way he treats Jessica? Do you feel bad for her, or is she a slut that deserves it?
We also learn a little more about Carlisle through Edward and what kinds of things he is involved in. We also learn how he, Emmett and Jasper feel about their father's "business".
We are introduced to Rosalie and Alice. Don't you love the banter between Rosalie and Edward? Rosalie brings up a good point, that it was stupid for Carlisle to bring a teenage girl into a house with three teenage boys. What do you think about that? That does seem like a crazy thing to do especially with Edward's reputation and Carlisle is not stupid. So what do you think Carlisle's true motivation is for bringing Bella there?
Then we have Bella's first day alone in the house. One thing that creeped me out is that Bella says that even though she is alone, she suspects she is being watched. I don't know if I could deal with that. She says she is used to having every detail of her life controlled for her. So I guess being watched has been the least of her problems.
Did you think Edward was kind of being a dick when he and Bella left for the grocery store, but by the time the started shopping, something changed between them. What do you think happened? Of course at the end of the chapter, we are introduced to Edward's favorite candy bar, which he kindly shares with Bella. Bella's reaction is the best! Then again, who of us doesn't moan when we get a good candy bar?
There is a lot of breath hitching and heart fluttering in this chapter, but it IS Edward and a girl can't help it, can she? What do you think? Do they have that inexplicable attraction????
One more thing. Last week, Fran mentioned how she would love to have a Cullen football shirt with 21 on the back like Edward's shirt that Bella is "borrowing". So I went on Cafe Press and made one, if anyone is interested in getting one for themselves.
For next week, we will be reading
Chapters 9, 10 and 11.
Chapters 9, 10 and 11.
Let the commenting begin.......
I'm so mad!!! Blogger ate my other comment! It was good too!
ReplyDeleteI'll try to make this short and sweet:
Carlisle definitely has an agenda with bringing Bella into the house, even with 3 teenage boys.
Egoward: He treats Jessica and Lauren like common whores. Those two girls don't have an ounce of self-esteem. If they did, Jess wouldn't let him "into the janitor's closet." Lauren would be happy to be just with Tyler and not the unattainable guy.
Edward is the only obvious choice for going into the 'family' business. He volatile. Emmett? Just keep reading folks...he's not cut out for it...too flighty. Rose and Alice are the most 'canon' in this story. Rose is pissy and won't let an opportunity to call Egoward a whore while dismissing his little harem girls. Alice is the 'all-knowing' of the bunch. She's comes off here as being the eternal optimist - and won't keep it to herself. Groceries and the kids...I think Edward's attitude changes when he realizes even life's simplest pleasures were never given to our girl. Never had an ounce of chocolate? Scandalous in my eyes!!! I think in their first real encounter with each other the connection is there and they don't even realize how alike they are. I hope all of this made sense.
Off to bake a few cakes...ugh! I hate birthday's now!!!
Great job Marie!!
ReplyDeleteI don't think Carlisle was really thinking when he bought Isabella... I don't want to give anything away from what I already know.. but I think he was too wrapped up in his own stuff to really consider any negativity that could have come from bringing Bella into the house. Although those boys are very sweet to her bc they understand a little bit what her life was like before.
I think those little puttane are getting treated just as they should... if they're willing to give it up in a janitors closet or to the whole football team Edward has every right to act the way he does.. I don't personally agree with it but if you act like a whore don't be surprised when you're treated like one.
I love how Edward was acting towards Bella in the grocery store... admitting to her he has never shopped either and that he doesn't know how to cook.. I think that really put her at ease. Although I wanted to smack that little shit for mumbling 'so fucking stupid' grrr did he not think she would hear him? The best way to ensure someone doesn't hear your thoughts is to not voice them at all, especially when they don't understand the context with which it's being said.
I also really hate the idea of being watched, I couldn't imagine trying to work and do something you weren't given specific instructions on. I'm a very literal person so I need to be told specifically what is supposed to happen, I hate guessing what others expectations are. I also hate being told what to do.. I'm full of contradictions, but that's a story for another time.
HB - I think you're right about Edward's attitude change at the store. I don't think he realized how completely sheltered Bella was from the outside world until that point. Then they found solace in each other in the grocery store that was bewildering to both of them. I think it's at this point that Edward feels sorry for Bella.....his first experience with empathy I would imagine.
ReplyDelete@Kassie - Yeah, E really pissed me off when he was mumbling 'so fucking stupid' because I thought he was calling Bella stupid. After thinking about it it though, a little part of me thinks that he may have actually been referring to Bella's whole situation as being 'so fucking stupid' and not Bella herself. Am I making excuses for him? It's possible right?
@Marie and Kassie, Edward was definitely calling himself stupid for embarrassing her and for the situation in general.
ReplyDelete@hisbella, welcome to the world of EP obsession! You've been bitten I can tell.
These beginning chapters do a great job introducing Edward's cocky, bad ass side. He's a product of his environment, he lives the life of a mob family, his role models have been Carlisle, Alec, and made men. We have yet to learn what other events shape his seemingly self-assured personalty. So it's no wonder that he's, and it's interesting that he readily admits to being: short tempered, rich, has clout, smart, talented, and has a good sense of humor, oh did I forget he's also handsome and hot?!
He realizes that being so cocky has gotten him in trouble with his father and he's determined to change. I think the real reason was that he didn't want to lose his Volvo C70 hard top convertible,lol! That car could be considered a character in this story, just sayin. Carlisle is the only person he seems to be afraid of, and with good reason.
Don't you just love the relationship between the brothers? Edward jumping on Emmett. I think Edward has the closer connection to Emmett, while Jasper is the softer side, reminding him of his mother. I think Edward is a mix of Emmett's rough and tough side, Jasper's sweet soul, and his father's hard edge.
Edward's feeling a bit of an outsider to his brother's of late, since they are in serious relationships and he's still a horny, bad ass teen still enjoying drinking shots, bong, and getting the girls. Alice, like cannon Alice holds a soft place with him. Rosalie, is his mirror image she's the "vainest bitch". Those two understand each other for sure.
Edward is such a contradiction. To the rest of the world he appears to think only of himself, and up until the time he meets Bella, this may be true. Bella awakens in him a protectiveness. Right away he picks up on her innocence, her abused past, and the unfairness of it all. He's been with a lot of exotic girls, but he's shocked to admit, Bella's innocent beauty takes his breath away.
I love how he looks at her with "raised eyebrows" questioning everything about her. And how cute was it that they both don't know how to shop, she never having the experience, he not ever having to.
This sums up these beginning chapters: him sharing the Toblerone, she tasting the bits of crunchy chocolate triangles for the first time and Edward loving that he introduced her to this bit of melt in your mouth heaven. It's sort of like a metaphor for what's to come as he says, "We'll figure this shit out together."
Ahhh, the best is yet to come.
Don't know how you girls can only read a few chapters a week!
@Kassie, the shirts!!! Thank you for setting them up. Now I have to buy three of them. This one, and the two WFE ones for NY!
ReplyDeleteOk, I'm putting in a new request. I want one with BellaTesoro, or Mia Bella Ragazza, or some other beautiful Italian saying!
XO
Fram- Marie set up the shirts.. I need to get myself one and a WFE shirt too!
ReplyDelete@Marie- I wanted to smack Edward (almost put Rob<-he's on the brain after MTV & Leno tonight lol) because he was talking about himself but Bella was going to clearly misunderstand him if she overheard... which she did. But I know that he's never going to know when to bite his tongue.
I love the interaction between Edward and Bella in the store, discussing brussel sprouts and his being finicky. Bella is testing the waters of independence already by speaking frankly about his eating habits, and Edward seems a little unsure of himself around Bella. Something he is not used to feeling.
ReplyDeletePlaying devil's advocate, sure Jessica might be a skanky ho, but if I were in her shoes and had a chance at Edward, I would certainly be tempted to find the nearest janitor's closet. You only live once!
@ZanyMouse, I'm with you, a chance at Edward just might get my skank side out too, but sadly, he has no respect for skanks...so I guess I'd rather be a Bella, she had much more fun and she didn't have to wait between classes for a piece of Edward!
ReplyDeleteGirls,
Just an FYI: Khar is going to write anotheer BPOV out take for the Japan situation, which I think is generous of her. I won't give a spoiler about what it's about, but I will be donating not only to get that awesome extra epilogue but it's for a good cause too. Thought you'd want to know.
@Bella Tesoro You have a very good point. I shall clean myself up and put my Bella hat back on ;)
ReplyDelete@Fran- I heard about the outtake it sounds pretty cool!
ReplyDelete@Z- I think we'll all clean ourselves and put our Bella hats on to get a piece of Edward.
Wow, I forgot how great this story is!!! I'm getting so much more out of reading these chapters the second time around (I never made it all the way through, though) because I'm not racing through them like a maniac.
ReplyDeleteI'm still so perplexed by Carlisle and can't reconcile his two very contradicting sides: kindly doctor and brutal mob consigliere. You want to trust him, but then again he is a slave owner who murders people.
Edward is a very strong personality and I'm having such a hard time imaging a high school student who's plans for Friday night were "some shots of Patron, a few hits from the bong, and a nice hard fucking." I guess that's the horrified mom in me, but I'll do my best to get over it.
Bella is written as a true survivor, and comes across as intelligent and very likeable. It's no surprise that she would be drawn to Edward because he has those same characteristics. I love it that they both feel that spark of electricity, and the grocery store trip was a great beginning for the two of them.
I haven't read any of the other comments yet cause I wanted to be kind of fresh with my first reactions, but I'll be back shortly :)
@hisbella - That's a great point about how Edward's attitude changes when he realizes just how restrictive Bella's life has been. Besides not ever having chocolate or going to the grocery store, she hasn't even owned shoes. And wasn't Carlisle the first man she had ever met besides her asshole Dad? Wow. She actually is very well adjusted, considering all that she's been through.
ReplyDelete@UtterlyAbsurdBella - This probably is the first time Edward has experienced empathy. He's led such an egocentric "user" life and probably very seldom, if ever, considered anyone else's feelings.
@BellaTesoro - Where do we donate for the fandom Japan fundraiser?
Just a thought, Jasper seems to be very different from the rest of his family, with a lot of qualities that contradict the lifestyle that they lead.
Howdy!
ReplyDeleteHmm, sorry I've been MIA. Turns out it's really hard to fit in three chaps of a fic you've already read (although I LOVE it) between reading all the other fics I have on the go!
I remember not really knowing what to think this early in the story. I was afraid for Bella, mostly of Carlisle.
Also, I might have missed this, but is there somewhere you could note down who has read this before and who is a first timer? I wonder if that's something we could add to the sidebar where our names are. Just an idea though.
My mission for next week - read some EP!
A xxx
@TwiloveSue- I have those same conflicting feelings about Carlisle throughout the whole story and by the end I still don't know how exactly I feel about him... still don't actually :)
ReplyDelete@TK50- I'll try to get something together that lists first time readers with those taking a second or third read through.
Oh and I also wanted to say something has been bothering me since chapter 5 but I forgot about it until just now... when Bella takes her first shower at the Cullen house how does she know what a garden tub is(I'm still 100% certain I know what a garden tub is)?? Or frosted glass for that matter, although that is a little more self explanatory than garden tub.
ReplyDeleteI guess they must have watched a lot of HGTV at Charles house.
@TwiloveSue, Yes I agree with you, Carlisle is a contradiction for sure, that gets explained slowly as to why. Same for Edward. I just accept that he's been pretty much left to grow up in a world where his father murders, steals and has slaves, so I guess a Friday night getting stoned might be understandable.
ReplyDeleteBella sort of shakes things up right from the get go.
Whenever I read ff with teen E/B I always am horrified as well, like you, the mom and teacher in me has a hard time wanting to believe young people get involved in all that but that's where we suspend real life I guess.
That's how I know if the writing is good, if I can sympathize with the characters even when their behavior isn't so nice, and there is a lot of that in EP. But you get to the core of the characters and see who they really are and there you are cheering them on, even when they have backgrounds in the mob!
The Bella POV outtake is on:
fandomfightstsunami.blogspot.com
OMG I love that t-shirt!!
ReplyDeleteOkay I'm going to have to come back because I didn't complete my assignment but I know that I love the shopping trip. And who could have known that I would become so affected by the site of a Tolberone in the grocery store once I read this the first time. The private internal giggles I had!!! Who knew I had so many of you out there I would be sharing those with eventually.
Yeah... I get to play along!!!
ReplyDeleteOkay... First, I am such an EPOV H00R! I love being in E's head... Maybe it's the dity mouth, it could be the dirty thoughts, but there is something I love more... the fact he is so caring and loving... I love seeing that side of him before anyone else could see that side of him.
Sorry, but Jess just deserves everything she gets. I have issues with the Skanks of Twilight. (Anyone want to do that story with me? LoL)
E and Rose... I LOVE THEM TOGETHER! Their banter has been killing me throughout the story.
As for Carlisle's reasons, I am on 36? 37? I still don't know that mysery... and I am going nuts about knowing, too.
The shopping trip was so cute, so sweet... I sighed when he gave her the triangle of chocolate. My heart melted out loud! Much like Bella's moan at her first taste of chocolate.
Oh, that shirt is AWESOME!!!
I have to try and be on time for class next week. Seriously. Sorry for the late reply again.
@TT- I always get a little giddy when I see a Toblerone bar :)
ReplyDelete@RP- Glad to have you!! There is no timeline that you must get your responses in by... we're relaxed like that around these parts lol.
I can't wait to get you take on Carlisle further in the story as you unravel the mystery behind everything he does.
@TT - Sadly the first thing I think of when I see Toblerone is my mother, they are favorite, and I really don't want her invading my fanfic experience. Do you know a good hypnotist who could erase those thoughts from my mind?
ReplyDelete@TheOnlyMrs.KassieCullen - What is a garden tub anyway? I am decorating-tarded and have no idea, but it sounds like something I'd like. With Edward in it.
The one thing that stands out the most for me from these three chapters is Jasper's muttered, "If Mom could see you now."
ReplyDeleteThat really stayed with me. What happened to their mother? How much does her not being around shape who Edward is now?
Loved their shopping trip together. It was eye opening for both of them.
The simple act of him reaching for the candy and her flinching was another moment of discovery for Edward...another reason for his protectiveness to kick in.
It's plain to see how their attraction to each other is going to complicate their lives given their "stations" in life.
@Lisa - the absence of their mom is like the big elephant in the room right now, isn't it? All in good time.......
ReplyDelete@Z, nope sorry! LOL But if you buy yourself one to eat while you read EP just tell yourself Edward would want you to have it.
ReplyDeleteSo these chapters are just great learning the dynamics of the core group and the rest of the kids at school.
Edward knows he is a prick, but he doesn't really have a reason to be anything else. Yet.
Coming up on chapter 9 next week, gotta say 2 of my very fav, memorable lines from the first read.
ReplyDeleteSee ya next week!
**Going back over Chapter 9, looking for memorable lines...**
ReplyDelete@Z, one was a Rosalie line. It just sounded so funny in my head the first time and I wanted opportunities to repeat it places in real life but didn't have much.
ReplyDeleteThe second was an Edward line, said in the voice of an ex-. I went in and out of hearing an ex- while reading this from that time on. I never was able to resolve how I felt about that.
@Lisa, You are on to something big with Jasper's words. The brothers add such a balance and contradiction to "the life-sytle" they live. Jasper especially, he seems to have his mother's soul and none of his father's. Edward is haunted by that. For me, through out the story I kept wanting Edward to acknowledge.., oops I can't say more, sorry! (keep reading girls!)
ReplyDelete@TT and ZM, let's save chapter nine for the weekend...TT just loves Rosalie's lines because she's a funny bit*h, and well, kiTT you just love to yank chains just like Rosalie!