Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3)
by Stephenie Meyer
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Book Summary Information
Author: Stephenie MeyerBrand: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-08-07
ISBN: 0316160202
Number of pages: 640
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Product features:
- Stephenie Myer
- Twilight
- First Edition
- Hardback
- Vampires
Book Reviews of Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3)
Book Review: A bizzarre love triangle; or, Bella finds her groove
Summary: 5 Stars
My favorite moment in Eclipse occurred on page 10. Charlie says to Bella, "For a teenager, you're amazingly non-whiney." Given that the majority of complaints people have about Twilight and New Moon revolve around Bella being whiney and possessed by an extraordinary amount of angst, I found Ms. Meyer's tongue-in-cheek reaction to her critics marvelous. If that's not a perfect example of someone who doesn't take themselves too seriously and can laugh at (perhaps) their own shortcomings, I don't know what is. Charlie's comment brought a smile to my face, and renewed the respect that I have for Ms. Meyer.
One thing that is very much appreciated is the conspicuous absence of Bella being a complete and utter clutz. While cute and endearing for a time, it grew old with even the staunchest fans. In this book she isn't falling all over herself and causing flash avalanches (to speak figuratively). That said, virtually everyone still growls and glowers. That should be addressed. Not every character is going to react the same way.
In Eclipse, we are brought back to Forks, and given the events of New Moon and the return of Edward, we know immediately that we're going to be in for some leg hiking and territory-marking. And, wouldn't you know, there's gobs of it.
In between the "spraying", we get a lot of back history. We learn about how Jasper turned, how Rosalie turned, how the werewolves came to be - and much more. For the first three hundred pages the book reads more like what I'll call "fun homework". Some setup occurs, with regard to the eventual plot and conflict, but the setup is mentioned almost in passing and in very soft hints. If what Ms. Meyers was telling us wasn't already information we were dying to know, we might have been bored (I assume that some people were). I wasn't, although I did find myself snapping my fingers, saying, "OK, point made...let's get going."
One plot line that begins to develop isn't so much a plot line as it is realization. Jacob is in love with Bella. We've known this since Twilight; it's no secret to us. It's also no secret to everyone in the books whose name isn't Bella. She has chosen to pretend that the Jacob she got to know in Twilight, and the one who was there to pick up her pieces in New Moon when Edward left her, is still the Jacob of Eclipse and that's not the case. Jacob has had time to ponder his emotions and feelings, and to probe their depths. He's also learned how to play dirty, and is very manipulative with Bella. We spend a disproportionate amount of time examining his feelings for her, as well as - gasp - her feelings for him!
That's where I ran into trouble. I read Twilight (more like devoured), and sped through New Moon. Like everyone else, I knew what Jacob felt. What I didn't know - and what I still am having difficulty believing - is that Bella loved Jacob back. The Jacob in this book was a sad shadow of the immensely lovable teen we met in Twilight. The wolf has wound its tendrils into his soul, and he is changed. It's not for the better. I'm not sure what this says about the werewolf in general, and for as much backstory that we received about how they came to be, I still felt (as I did in New Moon) that I didn't "see" the werewolves as clearly as I did the vampires. When that occurs in fiction, it's often the result of the author feeling much more in tune with one or the other. The vampires we know. Everything about them, from their impossible beauty (is everyone that's bitten/turned truly model material?) to their individual talents and idiosyncrasies. Since we spent so much time with the wolves in New Moon, and again here in Eclipse, something more than their pack mentality and the different colors of their fur would have been helpful.
Realize, please, that I'm not saying that the werewolves were a failure. I'm saying that they're not as fully realized as the vampires, and I wish they were. They come across to me as two-dimensional, whereas the vampires are multi-dimensional.
Ms. Meyer tells a terrific story here. It's a carryover from New Moon with a fascinating twist that gives further depth to the vampires: someone is creating *new* vampires in Seattle, and they are going on a killing spree to rival the Green River Killer. Bella plays an interesting role, although it leads to expressions of angst that some may find off-putting. (I didn't.) Eventually the realization is made that in order to quell the problem in Seattle before the Volturi become involved, the Cullens need to take action. But they won't be enough. They'll need the help of the wolves.
That's where the true genius of this story lies. Vampires and werewolves are often (if not always) depicted as blood enemies, so to force them to work together, even if it is against a common enemy, takes quite a bit of doing. Thankfully, Bella is able to supply the motivation. Seems that everybody wants a piece of her. Figuratively and literally. The resultant action sequences are tense and well told.
And during this action, there's quite the love triangle. Imagine Bella sleeping in a tent with Edward and Jacob, and in this tent is a sleeping bag. Put Jacob and Bella in that sleeping bag. Put Edward outside of it. Something he does willingly. Tricky stuff, yet deftly and well handled by Ms. Meyer. Frankly, I can't say enough good about how she handled the varied love interests (even if I don't buy the reasoning behind it).
So, what's wrong with Bella loving Jacob? Well, she loves Edward. And that's pretty much all we've heard for the last two books. Edward is her heart, her soul, her eternity - and I have a hard time buying into the belief that there would be room for anyone else inside of her heart, other than a very good friend. But, that's just my opinion.
Bella's angst in the later chapters have to deal with her decision to become a vampire. I think that Ms. Meyer is handling this extremely well. Other writers, impatient to move their story in a direction that perhaps it isn't ready to go in yet, would have had Bella turned in the first 300 pages. Ms. Meyer proved to be a true storyteller, true and honest to her craft.
I can't WAIT to see what she has for us next.
The Epilogue was a brave departure from a series that so far has been told from the inside of Bella's head. I'll leave it at that, though I will note that there are some serious issues that could arise from what happens there. (EDIT: After having read Breaking Dawn, this wasn't so much brave as it was ill-advised. I wish she hadn't of done it.)
Summary of Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3)
Readers captivated by Twilight and New Moon will eagerly devour Eclipse, the much anticipated third book in Stephenie Meyer's riveting vampire love saga. As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob --- knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?Horror Books
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