Reading Log: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

In the dead silence, all the details suddenly fall into place for me with a burst of intuition. Something Edward didn't want me to know. Something that Jacob wouldn't have kept from me. . . . It was never going to end, was it?

                       - Bella Swan

Eclipse is the third novel in Stephenie Meyer’s popular Twilight series. With the question of Bella’s fate sealed, new sources of conflict felt heavy-handed at some points and over-the-top at others. The book begins sluggishly, with the first several chapters stifled by issues of jealousy which are slow to develop. Still, Eclipse picks up steam as it revisits the tensions of romance and friendship between Jacob and Bella. I find the deepening of Edward and Bella’s relationship pleasing, and the final battle delivers on excitement, though it seems thin on justification.

Eclipse carries on not long after New Moon left off.  Eclipse opens with teenager Bella Swan and her vampire boyfriend Edward reunited after their tortuous parting in New Moon. Bella’s high school graduation is approaching and she will soon be leaving Forks forever, ostensibly to go to college - but in reality she is planning to join her boyfriend in his vampire existence and will therefore be unable to return home, due to being dead and possessed by a terrible blood lust for the first few years. Meanwhile, in Seattle there has been a rash of unexplainable murders that soon the Cullen family links with vampire activity. I soon learned the killings are being committed by an army of newborn vampires created by Victoria (from the first 2 novels). As the murder toll goes higher, the Volturi are more likely to make the trip from Italy to investigate - and while they are there check up on Bella as well. But the situation suddenly changes when Bella realizes that the activity in Seattle is linked to her. 

This is only one part of the story though.  Eclipse is primarily a romantic saga, so Bella and Edward’s relationship is the primary focus of the novel.  Or as I should say Bella, Edward and Jacob’s relationship - because there is a love triangle in the plot of this novel. 

Bella and Jacob have always been friends, at least they were - right up until Jacob became a werewolf.  Then the enmity between vampires and werewolves put a huge strain on their friendship.  Besides which, Jacob is in love with Bella, who is in love with Edward so this is going to make things awkward between them.

 At this point, Eclipse descends into soap opera territory – Bella has found her soul mate in Edward but Jacob is the soul mate she should have / could have / would have had if Edward didn’t exist.  She loves him too but not as much as Edward.  Why she loves Jacob is beyond me – he knows that she loves Edward but Jacob still tries to make her feel guilty that she can’t love him like he wants her too.  Blatant emotional blackmail is unattractive whatever way you serve it up and it detracted from his otherwise fine character.  I’m sorry, but when it comes to love, blackmail just isn’t cool!

Eclipse revolves around the confusion in Bella’s mind to choose between the love of her life and her best friend. She is again in danger, as Victoria the enemy vampire has created a vampire army to kill her. On the other hand, the vampires and the Quileute werewolves unite together to face the deathly vampire army who are eager for a revenge on Bella. So in all this tussle of emotions, the battle of vampires, her life in danger, she has to choose between the two indispensables of her life and further choose the path of immortality. Will she be able to take the right decision??

In the end Bella must make choices about who she is and who she loves, and with what sacrifices can she make and still live with herself. The tension flows through the book and in the end bursts with both a physical and emotional battle. 

In Eclipse, we finally hear the back stories of all the Cullens in this book. Before being changed into a vampire, Jasper was an officer in the Confederate army. He was changed because of his military skills by a female vampire who wanted to claim the southern portion of the continent for herself. 

Since Jasper was so experienced with vampire combat, he trains all of the Cullens, wolves, and Bella to fight the newborn vampires before they take over the town of Forks. Jacob and Edward had to put aside their differences to ban together to conquer these vampires. Edward comes out victorious! He wins the fight against the vampires and the fight for Bella’s heart.

Will Bella actually marry Edward (which is different than a vampire conversion)? Will Bella convert to being a vampire so that the smell of her blood doesn’t keep driving Edward insane (as he attempts vast self-control)? Will Bella stay friends with Jacob even though Edward feels that it’s unsafe for her to be anywhere near a werewolf, especially a werewolf who loves her? (Edward and Jacob were born into their unusual families but at this point Bella still has the choice to remain human, and if Bella becomes a vampire she will be any – in this case Jacob’s – werewolf’s enemy, as Jacob is afraid that Edward will eventually kill Bella if she doesn’t convert, and Edward is afraid that Jacob will kill Bella if she does convert). Will Bella have to leave her high school friends and her mother and father forever without any explanation of her whereabouts? These are some of the questions that are answered in Eclipse, although if you’re a Twilight addict you may have already read Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse. Fate, especially the fate of a vulnerable young female teen with whom anyone could easily identify (and reading this book and its predecessors will bring you right in tune with today’s mass culture!). Kudos again to Stephenie Meyer, whose commercial success is well-deserved and whose readership is definitely not limited to teens! She has turned Bella, Edward and Jacob into immortal American icons.

Eclipse cannot be categorized under one genre; for me it is a collection of several genres like fantasy, action, thriller and romance. This book entirely grasped my attention with its fast pace, freshness and exquisite and detailed description. I got addicted to the way it is written and to the attractive and spectacular characterization. The story is beautifully weaved that keeps me completely engrossed in the plot.

I enjoyed the novel immensely. I got what I wanted from the novel. I got to see Edward prove his love for Bella time after time, defend her honor, and compete with man (well, wolf really) for her affection. For teens already hooked on the series, Eclipse is another solid installment of Forks goodness.  Adult readers may be put off by the teenage relationship angst in this novel but if you have already enjoyed the author’s previous offerings I think there is still plenty here to entertain.

One of the things I really enjoyed about Eclipse is the background of the Cullen family. We find out about both Rosalie’s and Jasper’s pasts. The history that formed them and their reactions towards Bella become clear and the characters much more solid because of this knowledge. I think that is part of the appeal of these books - the fact that you do become so wrapped up in the characters, that they touch places deep inside you. It isn’t just Bella and Edward that capture your attention but Charlie - Bella’s dad, Jacob, Alice, and the rest. 

Stephenie Meyer is so good at painting the emotional image. Not only are you living Bella’s heartbreak - but your own, too. So good at putting into words the fuzzy over powering feeling of that first heartbreak, and of the second, that you are left breathless in the wake of its passing. It is gripping fiction, and Meyer is much more than just a young adult author; she draws from her reader such an emotional reaction, writes so fluidly and propels the reader forward so effortlessly, she truly is a great author for any age range.  

I hit a wide array of emotions while reading Eclipse and once I closed the book I felt emotionally exhausted. When you pick up Twilight, New Moon — and now Eclipse — you must be prepared for the emotional rollercoaster ride of not only being a teenager but a person, with all the thrilling highs and depressing lows that fill everyday life. So, full of trepidation, I’m waiting for the next book and wondering what the future holds for Bella and Edward.

Despite its shortcomings, Eclipse offered me an absorbing read which likely kept me up past bed time to finish. The author’s ability to express the workings of the teenage mind is uncanny, though Bella sometimes frustrates when she is slow on the uptake of plot points which have long since become obvious to me. Ultimately, Bella and Edward’s tale of impossible, fervent love remains compelling, and this penultimate entry in the Twilight series is sure left me thirsting for its conclusion.

The book is a masterpiece with a general message of the good winning over bad, but it doesn’t deliver any particular social message. I personally liked the thrill and the irresistible romance between the three characters. The final climactic war showcases excellent thrill and excitement and this is what I loved most about the book. The author’s skill of portraying the teenager’s mind is outstanding. It feels like you can read the character’s mind on your own with a crystal clear view. As Bella was in my mind as I joined her in Eclipse in her difficulties of dealing with her father Charlie and her mother Renee, applying for college, going out with Edward (with whom she’s reconciled), and longing to help Jacob in his pain at the former withdrawal of her friendship. And, of course, the most important part, fear of her upcoming conversion in becoming a vampire, “the conversion that would make me forever a prisoner to my own thirst,” and her marriage to Edward so that she could spend eternity with him. Other than the conversion issue, the lengthy though easily-read Eclipse does not stray too far from the issues involved in the lives of many teens, parental divorce, trying to choose the right boyfriend and the right college, and possible marriage plans. The book is a romantic thriller that appeals to the young generation because of its innocence. It left me thrilled, anxious, biting my nails and waiting for the final conclusion