 The story continues..., 2010-07-26
I decide to read Eclipse before seeing the film - as I have with the previous two books. It didn't fail to disappoint and I'm now eager to read the next book in the series. Written in the first person, you get to see and feel Bella's experiences - will she or won't she change from human to immortal? It's a question that must be on every reader's mind!
Eclipse (Twilight Saga), 2010-07-18
Read book twice and found it was well put together and looking forward to seeing the DVD version. It is best to read the book before the DVD as you can judge what has been edited.
 Eclipse, 2010-07-22
This is the third book in the twilight saga, in which we once again join Bella in her strange love triangle with her boyfriend Edward (a vampire) and her best friend Jacob (a werewolf).
The supposed main storyline deals with a group of new vampires in neighbouring seattle, who as it turns out are actually being made to hunt Bella, as their maker Victoria is still pretty violently put out about Edward killing her lover when he attacked Bella. This storyline is greatly overshadowed however by the love triangle between the three lead characters.
Edward, (who is possessive and controlling at best) is demanding that Bella marry him before he turns her into a vampire (which she doesn't want to do) and even more rigidly demanding that she marry him before he will have sex with her! I mean, what age are we living in here? Is this not just a bit bizarre? He also seems to think that Bella is being unreasonable about the whole marriage thing, when she is only 18, and of course her parents will object and everyone think she's crazy! Never mind that if he's going to turn her they will have an eternity in which to get married anyway.
Jacob on the other hand is either not talking to Bella at all, or desperately trying to convince her to pick him over Edward, and acting very much like a jealous, obsessed stalker who won't leave her alone. Although, in his favour, at least he seems to be happy to take Bella as she is without making the outragous demands Edward does.
Bella herself seems to get stuck in the middle of this little tug-of-war, although a lot of the time she puts herself in that position, and doesn't make things easier for anyone, especially as it seems she has already choosen who she wants to be with. She also constantly cries and whines throughout the book, and is apparently incapable of being alone for even a second without someone to watch over her. I also don't get why she is so incapable of making a choice and sticking with it. If she wants to be with Edward she should just say so and stop leading Jacob on, and if she doesn't want a graduation party, and doesn't want to get married she should just say so too instead of allowing everyone else to make her decisions for her.
I would suggest that this book is too long for the events that take place, with major events like the fighting and the graduation glossed over, while most of the focus is on discussing characters feelings over and over again when it really isn't necessary - we've heard it all before. Action-wise, its not as good as 'New Moon' which at least seemed to have a little pace and excitement. I have to admit that at times during this book I felt my attention really wavering, and had to make a conscious effort to bring my attention back to what I was reading.
Overall, the book continues the story set out in the first two, and gives us a glimpse into what Bella's life would be like depending on which boy she picked, it also leads up to the obvious finale and expected turning of Bella in the final book. Hopefully the last book in the series 'breaking dawn' will make up for what this one lacks and mean that I haven't totally wasted my time thus far, and hopefully Bella will grow a backbone and learn to stand on her own two feet for once.
beautiful looking book, 2010-07-26
this version of eclipse is absolutely beautiful, its so well made you just want to stare at it, the fact it is eclipse just adds to how amazng this book it, personally i have kept it unused and sealed up.
Total Eclipse of the plot..., 2010-07-17
The premise for Eclipse sounds good - a spate of mysterious murders in Seattle lead the Cullens to believe that they are inexplicably linked to Bella, and as such that her life is in mortal danger. However, by page 325, the story still hasn't progressed and instead we're treated to a step-by-step account of Bella's boring life, leading up to her graduation (an event that is over in a matter of pages). Even the moments featuring Jacob can't lift this book out of its own self imposed quagmire, as there simply aren't enough of them. In fact, with Edward now firmly ensconced at Bella's side, Jacob is forced to take a back seat, with Edward now slowly sucking the life out of a story that was barely registering signs of a pulse anyway.
And Edwards little trip away in New Moon, seems to have done nothing for his personality either. In fact it's safe to say that by the middle of Eclipse he has turned into a frightening control freak. He tries to stop Bella from seeing Jacob, claims he isn't jealous of the relationship that she has with him and that it is simply his way of trying to keep her `safe'. But on the one attempt Bella tries to disobey him and see Jacob, he gets Alice to kidnap her and take her hostage so she can't leave. I know the guy is a vampire, but this is truly MENTAL behaviour and certainly not the kind of relationship that should be promoted to teenage girls as healthy or normal. It's not OK if your boyfriend is trying to control every aspect of your life, and it's certainly not OK if he then gets family members to kidnap you and hold you prisoner, claiming it's for `your own good.'
Bella is still a wet sap, incapable of functioning without draping herself off the arm of some male. She manages to do for women's lib, what the Cheeky Girls did for pop music - set it back 50 years, to a time when women were defined by the husbands they chose and the domestic duties they performed. And why do all the men in her life seem to pull her places? Is she completely incapable of walking unaided?! Edward `pulls' her to class at school; Jacob `pulls' her along the beach; Edward `drags' her away from something or other - it's repetitive and just highlights the weakness of the saga's lead character. And she is completely obsessed with looks, particularly Edward and the Cullens. No one should define themselves purely on how they look to others, and yet Bella can't stop harping on about how beautiful they all are compared to herself.
Then there's Alice who seems to have turned into nothing more than a glorified party planner - first with Bella's birthday in New Moon, then Bella's graduation and finally with the wedding. And gone are the days when Alice's visions of the future were hazy - now she has an uncanny ability to predict the future with pinpoint precision.
Which leads me on to the biggest flaw with Eclipse... the introduction of random plotlines and character traits that do nothing to add to the storyline and in fact only serve to confuse the reader. Meyer has now taken to inventing new plotlines and changing the way characters behave, one can only assume so the story can go in the direction she wants, with no messy endings and everyone getting what they want in life (or death). It all blends together to form a story that feels as if Meyer is making it up as she goes along, which given the quality of writing, wouldn't surprise me in the least!
And therein lies another BIG problem - the style and quality of writing in Eclipse is the worst yet. Meyer's use of certain words and phrases are hysterical, my particular favourite being `his eyes tightened.' I lost count of the number of times she used it to describe the look Edward gives Bella, but my question remains - how can anyone's eyes tighten?! Another favourite was `angry moisture.' I have no idea what this is, but it managed to make me laugh (although I'm guessing that wasn't Meyer's intention). And it would appear that Edward has now turned into some kind of mockney geezer, putting `love' at the end of sentences when talking to Bella (e.g. "...well, you do stink, love.") It's not romantic, lyrical writing, it's just plain sloppy!
And Meyer doesn't stop there. I truly believe that no author should let their personal beliefs bleed into their writing, but Meyer clearly sees things differently. Sex before marriage, Bible references, women portrayed as subservient to men - it's all here, badly written and poorly concealed as teenage fiction. None more so than in chapter 20, when Bella tries to talk to Edward about (whispered tones here) s-e-x, an experience she wants to have whilst she's still human. What's annoying is Meyer never once uses the word, instead choosing all kinds of trite expressions and phrases, skirting the word like some kind of poisonous snake. So, what could have been a good chapter showcasing an awkward but necessary conversation, becomes some flowery, overly wordy rubbish, shrouded in code and culminating in Edward once again getting his own way. It would appear, you see, that the only way Edward will consent to sex with Bella, is if they are married first. So, rather than allow Bella and Edward to experience sex in the same way many normal teenagers would do for the first time, she throws in the complication of marriage. She may as well have written, "Sex before marriage is always BAD, even if the usual rules don't apply and your boyfriend is a fully signed up member of the undead!"
The last few chapters were an absolute chore to read - wading through mounds of dull text to get to the final scenes (which the reader only experiences second hand anyway). Meyer is wonderful at artfully dodging a subject, writing 1000 words to convey her ideas, where 50 would suffice. By the end Bella has become a whiney, morose martyr, banging on about her `pain' and the `pain' she has caused others, particularly Edward and Jacob. In my opinion she should be with Edward - they can be wet and uninteresting together.
Having now read the first three Twilight books, and after reading the reviews of `Breaking Dawn', this is where it ends for me. I don't think I could physically or mentally cope with wading through any more of Meyer's dross.
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