Synopsis

‘Bella?’

Edward’s soft voice came from behind me. I turned to see him spring lightly up the porch steps, his hair windblown from running. He pulled me into his arms at once, and kissed me again. His kiss frightened me. There was too much tension, too strong an edge to the way his lips crushed mine - like he was afraid we had only so much time left to us.

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 approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

Following the international bestsellers Twilight and New Moon, Eclipse is the much-anticipated third book in Stephenie Meyer’s captivating saga of vampire romance.

What the Critics Say

INDIAreads Review
Let me begin with a warning: Do not read this book....unless you have read the first two parts and do not miss it if you have read them.
Books in a series are always meant to be read in a series, but this is especially the case with the Twilight saga. The book will have little value for you, unless you start at the beginning. Because this series is not about action or plot or adventure, but about characters, or rather a single human character who is desperate to shed her mortality and humaneness, Bella.
In this part 3 of the saga, we see the still human Bella torn between the two people who she loves - the vampire, Edward and the werewolf, Jacob. By the time you get to this novel, you won't be surprised at her choice. In fact this saga has no surprises, no horror and little action. Then why is it so popular? Because of Meyer's unmatched skill in making you experience the characters in the book. You don't just read about Bella and her life, you experience it - her indecision, her frustration, her love, her joy, her fears. You live every minute of it. And while you witness little actual action - for instance, there are no prolonged battle scenes - the build up to the scenes is so fantastic that it is sufficient to give you the feel of a fast paced novel. It is surprising and refreshing to find a love story that is so fluid and well written that you can't put it down, though you know the end all along. And then there are the little fantasy stories re. werewolves and vampires woven in, albeit in a subtle manner.
This novel, like the others in the series is worth reading. It has also generated a lot of debate on Bella's choice and many intriguing questions. Is it possible to be in love with two people at the same time? Who does one choose - the person who defines your very existence or the one who stood by you and provided you with the strength to carry on when the reason for your existence left you, albeit for your own good? Both Edward and Jacob are "truely, madly, passionately" in love with Bella. Both are ready to sacrifice everything, including themselves for her. Who is more worthy of her love then? Who should win her and who should be left hurting and pining? Is such a choice even fair? Eclipse leaves the readers with many such questions as they feel Bella's anguish and Jacob's love. The only thing that they don't experience is Edward's feelings - what is he thinking? What does it feel like to know that the love of your life is in love with two people, the other being your mortal enemy? What do you do when you have to trust your mortal enemy to save your love? The reader never gets into Edward's head; and I, for one, was constantly wishing that I had his uncanny ability to see others' thoughts and emotions - because I really wanted to see his. And yet though you never get to live Edward's character, his unselfish love for Bella is never ever questioned. You can feel it pulsating throughout the pages of the novel. Perhaps this is why Bella and Edward have replaced Romeo and Juliet as the "ultimate lovebirds" for Generation Y.