Eclipse & Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Eclipse -----------------Breaking Dawn

629 pages -------------------- 754 pages

Published 2007 ---- Published 2008

Little, Brown and Company

New York, NY

I've fallen quite behind in the posting of my reviews, so in order to save some time and avoid repetition I am combining the reviews for the last two books in the Twilight Saga, which I read in late November and early December. Please note I have made every attempt to avoid any unnecessary spoilers.

The Plots:
Eclipse: 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? (Summary courtesy of the publisher)

Breaking Dawn: To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, she has endured a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife to reach the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fate of two tribes hangs. Now that Bella has made her decision, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating and unfathomable consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella's life -- first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and tor in New Moon and Eclipse -- seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed... forever? (Summary courtesy of the publisher)

My Thoughts:
As I mentioned in my review of Twilight, until this past summer I had no plans to read this series. I just am not into the whole vampire thing. But then around the end of June while I was looking for something fast and easy to read (and after months of persistent recommendations by my sister and a sister-in-law) I changed my mind and decided to give the first book a chance. As is evident by my review I ended up liking Twilight (for the most part) and decided to continue reading the series. Next was New Moon, but I didn't like it as much. It had a much darker story plot... which was the intention of the author (hence the title). And so, because I'd started and the books are very fast reads I decided to finish up the saga. Almost back-to-back I read Eclipse and Breaking Dawn and now I'm done!

On a scale of 1-5, 1 being horrible and 5 being excellent I would rate Eclipse a 2.5 There were aspects of Eclipse that I liked, but for the most part I felt as though the story was just more of the same. While the reader gets more time to get to know the characters the reader also gets more time to know the same things they've already learned, which gets old. Edward loves Bella, Bella loves Edward, but she also cares a great deal for Jacob, who in turn loves Bella. What to do! Garr...

What I didn't like about the Twilight saga is that Stephenie Meyer's is just not a good writer. She's got a great story concept, but her writing is rather poor (i.e. poor sentence structure, repetitive phrases and sentences) and full of melodrama. And then there's the fact that the story really drags in Eclipse. I really believe Meyer's could have cut out about half of New Moon and half of Eclipse without damaging the core of her unique story plot.

On the other hand I actually liked most of Breaking Dawn and would rate it a 3 on a scale of 1-5. The first third of Breaking Dawn was pretty much the same as the two previous novels, albeit one major scene. (Again, I think this part could have been condensed a little better.) The second third of the book was interesting as it returned to Jacob's point of view (which was present in some of Eclipse) and this gave the reader more background and details about Jacob and his werewolf friends that proved interesting, but in the end I felt the best part of the book was the last third when at LONG LAST Bella becomes a vampire and the story reaches the long awaited drama and adventure. I won't go into any specifics (and any spoilers). Suffice it for me to say, the story finally gets interesting when this point of the story is reached and it also gets really far fetched.

Far fetched? Ok, so vampires and werewolves are fiction, so how can anything more be far fetched? I guess it's not really possible to be more so, but some how I felt as though Meyers did with the ending of the saga. By the time I reached the end of Breaking Dawn I had two opinions. First, I was glad that the characters I liked lived to "fight another day" (so to speak), but on the other hand I felt the big action scene was VERY anti-climactic and that Meyers made a mistake when she took extreme efforts to ensure everyone has a "happily ever after" ending. In my opinion, I think Meyers could have taken a few lessons from J. K. Rowling.

All in all I think of the four books I liked the first part of Twilight and the last part of Breaking Dawn the best. They are the beginning and ending of this unique story plot and the best because of that.

Yes, I admit I enjoyed the series, but I am no Twifhard or Twifan. If you haven't read the books but have seen the movies I will say, you should read the books. The movies just don't do the books or the story or even the characters justice. (Although the second movie was definitely better than the first.)

I chose to borrow the series from the library and would advise you borrow versus buy this series until you know if it's worth spending the money to add it to your collection.

In summary, I'm glad I read the Twilight saga because I've heard so much about them, but it is unlikely I will read anything else by Meyers. She is just not a great writer, which is a shame because she had a great idea in the whole Twilight concept.

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Related reviews:
Twilight
New Moon
Eclipse
Breaking Dawn

Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie

288 pages

February 2002 (first published 1934)

St Martin's Miotaur (Mass Market Paperback)

New York, NY

The Book

Published the same year as Murder on the Orient Express (1934), Agatha Christie returns to England for the setting of her next crime/murder mystery novel, Why Didn't They Ask Evans?

As was the case with three earlier books (The Sittaford Mystery, Lord Edgware Dies, and Murder on the Orient Express), Why Didn't They Ask Evans has appeared under two titles. First as Why Didn't They Ask Evans in the UK in the fall of 1934 and then as The Boomerang Clue in the United States in early 1935. But unlike those three other novels, I'm still not clear as to the reason for this change, or for the particular choice in title. I guess it will remain a mystery of sorts.

Another unique aspect of the book is that Why Didn't They Ask Evans? is one of only 12 novels (out of 80) that does not include any police or private detectives in the solving of the crime. As noted in the synopsis below, the crime is discovered by a country vicar's son, Bobby Jones and later investigated and solved by Bobby and his childhood friend Frankie (also known as Lady Frances Derwent). For those readers who need a break from Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, this might be the book for you. As I read I was particularly reminded of two of Christie's earlier works: The Secret Adversary (1924), which includes two friends, Tommy and Tuppence, who take on sleuthing for some extra cash, and The Seven Dials Mystery (1929), which includes long-time friends Bill Eversleigh and Lady Eileen Brent (a.k.a. "Bundle").

The Synopsis
Was it a misstep that sent the handsome stranger plummeting to his death from a cliff? Or something more sinister? Fun-loving adventurers Bobby Jones and Francis Derwit's suspicions are certainly aroused-especially since the man's dying words were so peculiar: Why didn't they ask Evans? Bobby and Francis would love to know. Unfortunately, asking it of the wrong people have sent the amateur sleuths running for their lives-on a wild and deadly pursuit to discover who Evans is, what it was he wasn't asked, and why the mysterious inquiry has put their own lives in mortal danger... (summary courtesy of Amazon.com)

My Thoughts
When I started reading the book I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it. The first few chapters seemed a little slow and I started to wonder if Christie might have lost some of her pizazz when writing this novel. But then, within a few chapters, the story picked up speed and I realized how wrong I was. Why Didn't They Ask Evans may have a slowish start, but it definitely becomes a page turner with the necessary plot twists to keep the reader involved until the very end. On a scale of 1-5, 1 being horrible and 5 being excellent I would rate Why Didn't They Ask Evans a 3.5. It was a good read, but not Christie's best. As mentioned above, fans of Murder on the Links, The Secret Adversary, and The Seven Dials Mystery may also enjoy this novel.

A Few more interesting details

I read an interesting fact online about the Why Didn't They Ask Evans character Bobby Jones. Apparently Christie used Bobby's character as a teasing nod to the famous American golfer, Bobby Jones. While the Bobby Jones of the book is horrible at golf, the real Bobby Jones was considered one of the greatest golfers of that era. (In modern times this might be like an author publishing a mystery that includes an amateur golfer and sleuth named Tiger Woods). I imagine it was quite humorous for readers in 1934 and 1935 who were familiar with the real Bobby Jones, a four-time winner of the US Open.

Another interesting fact about Why Didn't They Ask Evans? is that it was the first of Christie's novels to be adapted to the screen following her death and following a long hiatus when the author refused to release filming rights for her books. The reason being she had become very unhappy with several movie adaptations of her books in the early years. At any rate, Why Didn't They Ask Evans? was released in 1980 and was such a success that many more of her novels have since made it to film. Today's readers will be interested to note that there has been a new adaptation of Why Didn't They Ask Evans? which is to air next month as part of the 2009 Masterpiece Mystery series on PBS. Although I am excited about this, I was sorry to also read about some of the major plot changes, including the addition of Miss Marple to the story! (I can only imagine what Christie would have said if she were alive today.) Nevertheless, I do plan to watch the adaptation since I haven't been able to get my hands on the 1980 version.

And speaking of July... stay tuned for my next review: Three Act Tragedy -- the return of Hercule Poirot.

Children's Literature

I'm currently in the midst of reading four books, none that are near completion, so it may be a couple days until I'm ready to post another review. Thus, in the meantime I thought I might post a review or two on my favorite children's books.

Personally I love children's books. If I ever get a book published, I suspect it will be a book for children. In fact, the only story I've ever had published was in fact for a children's magazine.

I chosen three books to discuss today:

Caps For Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business Told and Illustrated by Esphyr Slodbodkina.

The title pretty much gives you the plot of the story, but for those wanting a little more detail here it is: One day a peddler who sells caps decides to take a walk into the country and rest under a tree. He sleeps for a long time and when he awakens he discovers all the caps, but his own checkered one, are missing! What he discovers is a large number of monkeys have absconded with them high up into the tree. Now he has to figure out how to get them back, but the monkeys have a plan of their own (think "Monkey See, Monkey Do").

Caps For Sale is a simple story, but a fun read aloud for children (especially if you include hand and foot motions which I always have). Originally published in 1940, the book is definitely a children's classic. The pictures are colorful and fun. As long back as I can remember this has been a favorite of mine. I have a memory of "reading" this book even before I could read, just because I knew it so well. I've purchased a copy of this book to read to ny daughter and hope she'll enjoy it as much as I did.


The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf (Drawings by Robert Lawson). This is another old, but good book. I am particularly fond of the artist, Robert Lawson's drawings (I'll post more about Lawson later).

Ferdinand is a bull who lives in Spain, but he is not like the other bulls. He does not like to fight. Instead he prefers to sit in the shade of a tree in the middle of the field and smell the flowers, which he does... until one day he accidentally sits on a bee. Stung by the bee Ferdinand rushes and butts his horns about the field looking quite mad. Unfortunately for him, he is seen by some gentlemen who just happen to be looking for the next bull to fight in Madrid.

Published in 1936, The Story of Ferdinand is a comical story and, like Caps for Sale, a wonderful children's classic that has survived the test of time. I've also purchased a copy of this book because I want to be sure to share it with my daughter.

The drawings are especially fun, even though they are black and white. Robert Lawson is mostly known as an artist, but he was also an author. Some of his books include: Rabbit Hill, Mr. Wilmer, and Ben and Me just to name a few. You may have seen his artwork in books such as Mr. Popper's Penguins, Pilgrim's Progress, and They Were Strong and Good (again, just to name a few). All of these books I've listed are excellent and worth tracking down -- though they are generally for older readers (8 years+), unlike The Story of Ferdinand (3-8 years).

Corduroy by Don Freeman is also one of my all-time favorites. The first in a series of books about a teddy-bear with green corduroy overalls, Corduroy was first published in 1968.

The story begins with Corduroy living in a department store and wishing for a home. A little girl sees him and wishes to take him home, but her mother won't let her because he is missing a button, and besides they've spent too much at the store as it is... Corduroy had no idea he was missing a button and so when the store closes for the evening he goes on the hunt for his missing button.

I loved this story so much I even had my own Corduroy bears growing up -- the first with the authentic green corduroy overalls and the second, a replacement for the first, with customized navy blue corduroy overalls (my favorite color). This book is a wonderful addition to a children's library and as the child grows you can add the other Corduroy books to their collection. Right now I only have the first, but I am on the lookout for: Corduroy Lost and Found and A Pocket for Corduroy.

What are some of your favorite children's books?

Recently Read & Reviewed

In spite of how busy life has been the last couple of weeks I was still able to finish a couple books.

A few weeks back I read The Silver Pencil by Alice Dalgliesh. (Once long ago I read another of Dalgliesh's books, the more famous The Courage of Sarah Noble.) I came across The Silver Pencil while browsing the Youth section of our library, something I do from time to time.

I've hesitated posting about this book only because I wasn't sure how to sum up my thoughts or even the story. I will sum it up this way: The story is about a girl who spends her youth in the Caribbean island of Trinidad and later travels to the UK and the US for schooling. Most of the story centers around her life as a teacher and writer in the United States during the early 1900s (around WWI). TSP is a great book for a youth to read or to have someone read to them, but it is also a good story to read as an adult. There is something pure, innocent, and gentle in the book that I enjoyed. In a sentence, The Silver Pencil is a sweet story with some old fashioned humor, a worthwhile read (think Besty-Tacy).

The next book I finished was a very quick read, Penelope by Marilyn Kaye. This book is based off the screenplay for the movie of the same name. The movie was produced by Reese Witherspoon and came out in 2006... though it is only coming out on DVD this month (2 years later).

The book itself was good -- a cute, modern fairytale with a good moral tucked neatly in at the end. However there were a couple aspects I didn't like about the book. First, it read like a book based off a screenplay. This made it easy to visualize things, but in my opinion it wasn't great writing. Another book written as a fairytale which I just finished reading (more on that later) was written with a much better style. The other thing I didn't care for in Penelope was some of the modern aspects to the story. For example, the almost too obvious comment about alternative lifestyles being "fine if that's your preference". I felt as though the author felt compelled to include that and so it was there and thus stuck out rather irritatingly and as text useless to the story, just some attempt to be PC. That aside, it was a cute/clever story and worth the quick read, or at the very least -- worth tracking down the DVD.

***[UPDATE: After viewing the movie I wanted to quickly update my final thoughts on this book. Normally I'm a "book over the movie" type of person, but I have to say I loved the movie more than the book. Perhaps it was watching the story come alive on the screen... or maybe it was the fact that the things that annoyed me in the book weren't noticeable or weren't included in the movie. Either way, I definitely recommend that you check the DVD out, even if you decide to skip the book. It's a great modern fairy tale and worth the time.]***

The most recent book I read is Elizabeth Goudge's The Little White Horse. Years ago I read two of Goudge's other books (Green Dolphin Street [aka Green Dolphin Country] and Pilgrim's Inn). I never felt too favorable towards either of those books, so I never bothered to read any of her other works. Now years later I feel differently towards GDS -- I think I would recommend that book to others, though I'm still on the other side of the fence re: PI.

That being said, when I came across The Little White Horse I decided to give it a chance. I am so glad I did. This fairy tale type story is set in the countryside of England during the early 1800s. In a way there is almost a sort of Dickens-ish about the book, though maybe it is only in the type of people you meet in the story. The writing is good and the descriptions of Moonacre Park and its surrounding lands, homes, and manors are beautiful. The names of the characters and their descriptions are unique and fairytale in a way. The story itself is charming and very enjoyable with a perfect ending that doesn't leave you feeling disgusted at its sweetness. It was definitely worth the read and if I ever stumble across a copy of this book I think I would even add it to my collection.