The Twilight Series - Book Three Review: Eclipse

Eclipse (Book Three in the Twilight Series): Stephanie Meyer

Within an eclipse, a shadow, hidden and darker side is revealed and so it is in Book Three.

Eclipse is the third book in Stephanie Meyer’s ‘Twilight’ series and is the first time where the deeper and less likeable sides of characters are slowly revealed. It is also the first time where Bella was a character that both annoyed and exasperated me. I finally detached from the hypnotic hold Meyer’s romanticism had on me (only briefly) and looked at the character on the page before me as she was: young, foolish and behaving exactly as a fickle teenager would. It was unbearable and I wanted to shake Bella many times.

I did, however, need reminding that she is supposed to be a teenager and she is meant to be rash, unthinking and irrational.

The course of true love never runs smooth.

This is a novel of conflict – between characters, within themselves and even within the setting. It is as though this book is the natural progression of all the animosity and tension exhibited in the first two novels and it has to be played out. Literally, something has to happen or else there can be no resolution and no point to the journey each character is on. And so much does go on in this book.

Edward and Bella find the issues of marriage, sex and mature compromise an overwhelming part of their relationship in this novel. A desperate desire to be completely physical is balanced by a desire for one to marry first. The values of two eras collide as these very complicated adult concepts are given their due with some wonderfully written scenes.

Learning to love, forgive and be compassionate in relationships can be difficult.

No relationship is perfect and so, relationships explode within this novel. We have angst between father/daughter, friend/friend, rival versus rival, enemy and enemy, predator and prey, parents and children, boyfriend/girlfriend and tribes. Often, Bella’s relationships are ‘typically teenage’ but her personal struggle to love both Edward and Jacob is, at times, frustrating and annoying and I longed to put Bella straight. There is no sympathy for this leading lady … just a ‘get over yourself NOW’ response.

I actually disliked Bella and loathed Jacob in this novel as their characters undergo their eclipses. As for Edward … ahhh, dear beautiful Edward … how could one ever not love every side of this character? He’s perfect and all of this is a huge credit to Meyer because only superb characterization can make a reader feel this much about any character.

Would you choose to be immortal?

I really liked the many facets of immortality being expressed in this book. Bella’s determined and unwavering desire to become immortal is nicely shadowed by the views of other characters – those who themselves are immortal. This contrast was really interesting because, as our bonding to Edward and Bella deepens, we almost take for granted that for their love to remain, they need to be together as vampires. Meyer explores the giving up of being human really well.

We also witness the power of choice alongside characters that did not appear to have any in becoming an immortal being. We see the differences from one immortal to the next as each comes to terms with what they have become – be they vampire or werewolf. Within the comparisons, alongside Bella we begin our own questioning of whether or not we would choose to live forever and what we think it may be like.
Would we do it? Would someone try desperately to talk us out of it? Is it a selfish act?

More importantly, could we ever love someone that much?

A good story told well is captivating.

Above all else, ‘Eclipse’ is a story of the lives and loves of a vampire and human. It is a busy novel with lots going on (great history, mythology and action) and a love story so mesmerizing it left me desperate to hold the final book in my hands before it had ended.

Dian Brown