"Isabella Swan?" He looked up at me though his impossibly long lashes, his golden eyes soft but, somehow, still scorching. "I promise to love you forever -- every single day of forever. Will you marry me?"There were many things I wanted to say, some of them not nice at all, and others more disgustingly gooey and romantic than he probably dreamed I was capable of. Rather than embarrass myself with either, I whispered, "Yes."
"Thank you," he said simply. He took my left hand and kissed each of my fingertips before he kissed the ring that was now mine. (p. 460)
It took me quite a few days to get through Eclipse this time around, but I can blame that on the visitors we've had (my parents!!) as well as errands and just being tired from too many late nights. I enjoyed Eclipse even more this time than I did the first time I read it (I liked New Moon more the second time as well, since I could better see how it "fit" into the series; Twilight is still my favorite, though), and since I still have plenty of time until Breaking Dawn is released, I think I may give Eclipse another read, so that the story is really fresh in my mind before I start Breaking Dawn.
Some thoughts on Eclipse:
* Bella was being extremely selfish when she gave Edward her ultimatum - 'either let me be there when you fight, or stay out of it and let your family and the wolves do all the fighting.' I can't believe how incredibly immature and selfish she was being! These others are fighting to keep her safe and alive, and they can use all the help they can get. To make Edward sit out because she "can't stand it if you leave me again" (p. 419) is incredibly self-centered. First, to hurt Edward so badly saying something like that, and then to make him either bring her along to the fight or skip it altogether is just showing her true colors. (I looked back at the title of that chapter, and it was very appropriately entitled "Selfish.")
* Bella having the epiphany that she's in love with Jacob still really annoys me. And it annoys me that she kisses him -- no, she begs him to kiss her. Here she has this perfect man vampire who would do anything for her and she's kissing another man werewolf. I understand that the time Bella and Jake had together when Edward was gone (in New Moon) led them to build a good friendship, so I guess I can understand that she'd have strong feelings for Jacob. But to be in love with him? I just don't like it.
* Edward's proposal to Bella is incredibly sweet. I loved it the first time I read it, and I love it still. He's so understanding and good. Even when Bella is crying on his shoulder after she tells Jacob that they can't be anything more than friends, Edward is considerate and understanding and kind to her. She's shedding tears over another man she loves, and Edward just holds her and asks if she really wants to be with him (Edward). "Bella . . . are you sure? Did you make the right choice? I've never seen you in so much pain. . . . If it hurts you so much, how can it be the right thing for you?" (p. 610). He's suuuuuch a good guy! But I do love Bella's response to him. She grabs her tattered copy of Wuthering Heights and searches for the perfect passage to describe her feelings for Edward: " 'If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.' . . . I know exactly what she [Cathy] means. And I know who I can't live without." (p. 611) I just reeeeaaaaallly hope Bella continues to put Edward first.
* I love the discussion between Bella and Jacob that leads to how the title of the book applies, on pages 599-600. Jacob tells Bella that he'd be better for her than Edward is; Edward is like a drug to her, and she therefore can't live without him. But he'd be like the air, the sun. Bella says: "I used to think of you that way, you know. Like the sun. My personal sun. You balanced out the clouds nicely for me." Then Jacob responds: "The clouds I can handle. But I can't fight with an eclipse." Such a powerful image! It really stood out to me. Edward overshadows Jacob in so many ways.
* I had totally forgotten that Jacob leaves at the end of Eclipse! I was reading some things about Breaking Dawn (I've been on Goodreads' Twilight group discussion page, and there are some really interesting theories being tossed around), and someone said that Stephenie Meyer has said that she won't be bringing Jacob back in Breaking Dawn. I scoff at that; how can she not bring him back? I don't like Jacob all that much, but he's been such an integral part of the story; Stephenie Meyer can't just leave him out of Breaking Dawn. And I don't think she will.
* Okay, I know I've bagged on Jacob a lot, but my experiences in rereading New Moon and Eclipse have made me more sympathetic of him. He really is a good guy, even though he's not Edward! And while I still wholeheartedly want Edward and Bella to be together, I guess I am slightly more willing to forgive Stephenie Meyer if she has decided to put Bella and Jacob together at the end. But only slightly (as in, maybe 2 percent! I'm still an Edward girl, after all, and I'm hoping Jacob will "imprint" on someone else!) I was discussing this with a friend the other day, and she said that she doesn't care who Bella ends up with. Unlike me, she won't have a heart attack if Bella doesn't end up with Edward. She can go either way. I understand her reasoning, and if I wasn't such an Edward fan I may say the same thing. There are pros and cons to both relationships, obviously. But I've become too caught up in everything Edward. He's just meant to be with Bella. He's certainly replaced Mr. Darcy as my #1 literary crush!
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