‘NEW MOON’: WHY DID EDWARD LEAVE?

I have to re-read New Moon because it was hard reading it the first time. I was upset with Edward, angry, betrayed and hurting for Bella. I found myself crying for her. So Stephenie is right when she says that people find it hard and will read through it fast because we are wanting Edward to return and how will this happen. So I will go back and re-read. I have to say though, it still made me say the entire time, how could he? Bella is Bella and danger was going to seek her out whether it be from another vampire or her falling or getting in an accident etc. How could he have thought that her love for him was less than his love for her? How did he walk away from her in the woods? Where did that strength come from? What was he doing and thinking while he was gone? I guess I need to hear Edward and hear his pain too so that I’m not so angry with him.

The development of Jacob was a blessing. He was the rock that got us through that horrid time and of course Bella started to love him. He save her life and not just physically but also emotionally and mentally. Like Edward said, he left her torn in two and Jacob sewed her back up so of course Jacob would be in her heart.

I think if Edward didn’t leave, as hard as that was to read and obviously to write, he had too, in order for the story to really grow. Otherwise the saga would have ended sooner and in a way that wouldn’t have us begging for more.

Susan, you make a good point. Edward’s leaving did allow the story to grow much more, as painful as it was. (I cried too). Every great story has to have conflict and crisis, and Edward’s departure certainly brought that to a whole new level that I don’t see happening if he hadn’t left. Thanks, Stephenie, for staying true to Edward’s character. Now, PLEASE FINISH MIDNIGHT SUN! OK? pleeeeease?

At the time, like others, I was angry and upset when Edward bailed. However, we were on this journey with Bella, and journeys aren’t always rosy and happy.
The most amazing thing happened as I continued to read, however. I was hurting as Bella was hurting, but then Jacob came and the sun began to shine dimly…..and then more brightly. Stephanie harnessed the depression and the slow progression to becoming slightly human again so well, that I was as Bella was. An appreciation for Jacob could not have come about in the presence of Edward, and we would have never loved Jacob as we do by the end had Edward not left. Where one thing ends, a platform is set for another thing to begin even if it is not apparent to us at the time.
Edward might have left because he was unwavering, selfless, and tortured Edward, but his abandonment allowed the birth of a new knowledge that there are people out there like Jacob, who bring the sun with them wherever they are.
And so then, we move onto Eclipse, where I end up torn as Bella is torn! Thanks to Stephanie for allowing us to whole heartedly experience all of these very human emotions with the most inhuman of company!

when i first read new moon, it was so hard to get through. i cried so much when edward left, and almost skimmed through most of the parts with jacob b/c i was so eager for edward to come back. however, when i re-read new moon, i could calmly read the parts with jacob (but i still cried when edward left) and found myself really feeling for jacob and i loved how he sheltered bella through that hard time. this re-reading of new moon actually converted me to team switzerland (:

worse twilight book ever couldnt stand reading New Moon thats more because i cant stand jacop

Just letting you know thst on stephenies website you can actually read an extract from edwards point of view, were rosalie tells him that bella is dead. You can see the pain he goes through and its just as bad as bella’s. Also you can read the conversation between rosalie and alice,, after edward has decided to go to italy

Stephenie’s request to read New Moon twice before passing any judgement on Edward made perfect sense to me in hindsight. I was very angry with him at first reading and still catch myself grieving with Bella every time I read it. I remember actually closing the book and saying “NO!” out loud, my two girls looking at me thinking they’d done something wrong. It took me a few days to go back to reading.
ENTER JACOB, “the friend” – I know that guys don’t like to be dealt the “friend” label but long lasting marriages have started out as “just friends” so I found myself kind of crushing on Jacob and wanting Bella to see what a good guy he is. Didn’t we all take in a breath in Ch 8 when she really notices Jacob without his shirt on as he’s driving her to the hospital, “…I just hadn’t noticed before. Did you know, you’re sort of beautiful? I love how Bella compares herself, Jacob and Edward to Romeo, Juliet and Paris. Even giving an alternate ending to the age old love story, “…what if Paris didn’t..”
So onto Stephenies response to Bella’s behavior throughout the story line and her reaction to Edward. I thought she was right on. Everyone is brought up differently, some people don’t believe in Public Displays of Affection or “wearing your heart on your sleeve”. Some women feel that if you show lots of emotion toward men, it defines you as weak. I thought it made her more human, one of the reasons I love the whole series because she is so genuine. When you understand that they Truly are soulmates explains why she was so devastated by his loss, she compares it to, as does her father, his actual death. Just like a death, she had to grieve and as my mother explained to me, “you cannot put a time frame on grief because it has many stages; sadness, anger, defiance, etc.”.

Did you know that Stephenie was editing Twilight while writing New Moon? In what ways do you think that impacted New Moon?

I think it impacted new moon because it gave her a ense of where the story was going and what her next move would be. Maybe, it wasn’t like a sequence of events, but it was moreof a how should I portray this character in the next book.

I knew I wasn’t alone. No matter how many times I read New Moon, I choke up over the leaving scene. And, the blank pages that follow are so powerful and drive home the point of her pain.

I think you have to read Midnight Sun on Stephenie’s website to understand exactly how much Edward hated being a vampire. I think just as much as Rosalie. And, of course that translates into him hating himself.

He really is a good person. Even with the controlling aspects, and intensive hovering he does with Bella, he is good inside. He just loves her so much. I wish he hadn’t left, not only to spare he and Bella the agony they suffered, but to prevent the bond Bella had with Jacob.

I actually like Jacob. He was an innocent before he became a werewolf. And afterwords, I could understand his efforts to win Bella, except that one time in the beginning of Eclipse when he showed Edward what Bella looked like after he left. That was too much for me.

Like many others, I had to read New Moon a second time to really get a grip on our beloved character’s relationships.
#1) As Stephenie states, everyone handles devastating grief differently. Bella built a wall around herself to not allow anything emotional to enter and literally, to help keep her physically together. Anyone who has had this kind of trauma will understand.
#2) What a joy it was to see Jacob become the one to help her connect with the world again. Their relationship allowed her to smile and laugh again, even if she would never be free of her love for Edward.
#3) I can truely say that this is my favorite book now.

I don’t think it changed how she wrote Twilight. It was already written she was just editing but what it may have done is have her focus just a bit on Jacob and perhaps have him be the one that tells her who Edward is?
I have read that outtake of Rosalie’s call to Edward and then the conversation between Rose and Alice. That is an example of what would be in Edward’s book if she were to write his POV for New Moon. Edward is a character crying for his story to be told. I really hope it does get told.

When I first read New Moon I cried when it got to the part when he left. I read further until it got to the point to were I couldn’t stand Jacob any longer and I skipped major amounts in the book. I found myself getting angry with him because he was taking Edwards place to an extent. The 2nd time I read it I cried yet again when it got to the part of him leaving. I still could not however bring myself to read about Jacob. So i skipped the section again. The 3rd time I finally read the parts that i skipped. I still do not like Jacob to this day. I think it is because they way he came in and well I just prefer Edward. I don’t think Twilight got effected while she was editing it.

I do wish Moonlight Sun would get Published. I would love to know how he was feeling at the time and what was going thru his head.

yea, the first time i read new moon i dont think i could even read it properly, but i’ve read it six times since and it still makes me cry every time

despite the fact that im a TOTAL team edward fan (and Team Robert) now that i’ve reread the new moon so many times im actually kind of glad edward left. it made bella and edward’s relationship stronger for it…it even almost helped jacob kind of cause he got renesmee in the end

good job stephenie meyer(:
gosh im so excited for new moon(:

Like everyone else, I was irate that Edward left! How could he be so stupid with Bella’s welfare given she was the 10-mile trouble magnet? After he left, I cried. I must have flipped those pages of emptiness multiple times. And like you I agonized over the budding relationship between Jacob and Bella constantly wondering “What about when Edward returns?” Midnight Sun (rough copy 4) was a wonderful read through of the self-loathing that Edward experienced. After reading that, I reread the 4 books and found New Moon less painful. Painful still..but it was getting better…mind over matter right? So the what if Edward had stayed – - Jacob still would have come into his own as a werewolf but Bella couldn’t have stopped that battle because of there’d been no bonding between them. Bella would have died from something…Edward would have had to change her against his will or die in the process at the hands of Jacob. It would have been a bloody mess. Bravo to the development of Jacob!
Here’s my question – How did Alice not see what Bella was going through and doing? She asked Charlie – How bad was it? How did she not know? This part I did not understand – she has the ability, whether she wants it or not to see the possible futures – How did she abstain from seeing Bella aside from the cliff diving scene? Curiousity – she turned it on? Ignorance – refused to think about Bella which usually means you really overthink it….? Thoughts?

Another point to remember about Edward’s leaving, at the end of Eclipse, when Bella struggles to choose, she acknowledges to herself that if she had not experienced the devastating pain of Edward leaving, she might have chosen Jacob. She finally realizes she loves Jacob too. Just not as much as Edward. This point in the story is very difficult for me. Especially after reading Breaking Dawn, it doesn’t seem possible she could have even considered not choosing Edward, but she did consider it. If there was a positive side to his leaving, I think this is it. New Moon is still gut wrenching, but Breaking Dawn equals it. And it more than one spot in the book. Oh Stephenie, please don’t let the vampire stories stop!!

As painful as it was, had Bella and Jacob not developed their relationship, there would be no sense of loyalty by the werewolves to the Cullens when trouble came ie. newborns in Eclipse and Volturi in Dawn

Hmmmm what really stands out is that Meyer says “when” Midnight Sun comes out not “if” Yeah!

I cried during New Moon because when i read The Twilight saga i Get so in to it that i cant stop but New moon was very sad and i bet i felt the sane way as Bella did. I had to stop every few minutes and start breathing deep i was a mess

jdhuston – As to Alice seeing what Bella was going through, I think she consciously avoided seeing Bella doing anything for a long time. She had promised Edward she wouldn’t monitor her. Remember, for several months, Bella went through her normal daily routine, even though she was empty emotionally. If Alice happened to see her accidentally during this time, she might only see the actions and not the emotions.

Also, she would have expected Bella to be sad, withdrawn, etc., and evidence of those emotions would not have triggered any action from Alice.

The cliff diving, without any explanation, would look extreme. Certainly could have been construed as suicide. Of course, we won’t know exactly what all Alice saw/thought without Stephenie letting us into her mind, but this is how I think it could have happened.

One other question that has stayed with me related to Alice’s visions, was after Rosalie’s phone call to Edward. In Midnight Sun, Edward follows everyone at school in order to watch Bella. He not only hears their thoughts, but can actually see what they see. Remember Jessica’s conversation with Bella the day after Port Angeles? He could even see Bella’s expressions and her blush. I don’t understand why Edward could not see that Bella was with Alice, and therefore alive. I know he explained to Bella his ‘sight’ was limited to a few miles, but when they were both just outside of Volterra (sp), he would have been able to see her. Was he just not looking? Anyone have thoughts on that?

I had to go back and read it, because the first time i read it to fast to make edward come back haha

i read the part of midnight sun available, and it clears up any reason on why edward left her. so i suggest everyone read it

I don’t think it clears up why he left her, at least what was he thinking. In the beginning, when Edward realized that he loved her, he realized that he had to leave, yet he couldn’t. He was saying to himself that his rejection would just be a pin prick to her, that it would NOT be painful to her because she’s human and deep down knows that he’s something dangerous and frightening and that she’d be relieved when he left or rejected her. The thing is, that is all before the meadow and before saving her from James. Obviously Bella told him that she loved him and obviously the relationship changed. So I have to wonder, when he left, what was he thinking? Did he think that it would still not hurt her as much as him? Did he think that she would get over it? Did he really think that because she’s human she can’t possibly love him as much has he loves her? I’m sure that when she showed up to save him from killing himself that he was stunned and would love to know what the heck he was thinking and I think it probably took seeing the thoughts of others on how Bella was during his absence to really comprehend just how much this girl loved him. But in truth we will never really know until Stephenie writes his POV.
As for Edward seeing Bella in Italy. Remember, Edward can’t “see” or “hear” Bella. He can only do that through others. So she’s with Alice and why didn’t he “see” or “hear” Alice? Well, first off, they would have to be close enough and then once they finally did get close enough you have to understand that he really thinks Bella is dead and if Alice shouted to him he would just think she was just there to stop him from killing himself and he wouldn’t believe her if she said Bella was alive. He would think she’s tricking him. That is why Bella has to go with Alice to Italy. Otherwise, Alice could have just gone by herself and stopped him herself with her thoughts.

Edward only left because he thought he was protecting Bella from the himself and all of the action included in the vampire world. But, of course, she really needed him more than anything. I think if Edward had stayed, their bond might not have been quite as tight. But her want and need for him to stay would not have been as dire because she wouldn’t have known how bad it was for him to be gone.

Fabulous point Creamy. Alice was respecting her brother’s wishes and as my husband said, the outside did not really show what Bella was going through on the inside. (He’s read them all too!)
I had a thought on why Edward was not aware of Bella. In Twilight Edward described the additional voices as buzzing in his head but if he selected one person’s voice he could hear them crystal. I’d imagine he was so devastated and desperate for his death that he had completely tuned out the voices. Alice’s included – I could envision her yelling by the car in Volturi at the top of her lungs “Edward! Stop!” and he was refusing to listen to her voice too.
Oh how I do love living in this world for a while everyday.

Another thing that I’ve noticed. In all the books, starting with Twilight and ending with Breaking Dawn, Edward is nothing if not confident. Confident in that fact that Bella loves him and confident in how she thinks and feels about him and yet, when reading Midnight Sun, you discover the boy doesn’t have a clue what she’s thinking or feeling and can’t even guess and most of the time gets it wrong. LOL
Through Bella’s story, he comes across as being the one with all the answers and never being wrong and being one step ahead of her and you think, WOW he’s so…perfect. Then you hear his POV and you realize, he’s more human than HE realizes. LOL Edward makes me love him more from his POV because he’s just like the rest of us…he’s so endearing and he sure does make me laugh out loud. (sigh)

Susan: I probably didn’t make myself clear. I understood, and Alice explained this part during the plane ride, that you can lie with your thoughts. She could have been saying over and over, “She’s alive, she’s alive,” and he would have thought she was lying and just trying to stop him from killing himself. I meant that Edward could actually ‘see’ (physically) the person through someone else’s thoughts. Not just see what that person was thinking. He could actually see Bella sitting next to Jessica AND heard both of their sides of the conversation. I thought he should be able to actually see Bella in the car with Alice because he was looking through Alice’s thoughts. Unless of course, he was trying to shut everything else out like jdhuston said. I mean at this point, he was certainly not his normal self.

And Susan, I think too the perspective of Edward revealed to us in Midnight Sun makes all the difference. Not only is it clear how intense his self-loathing is, but as you said, his confidence is nothing to what Bella believes it to be. She is so enamored with him, she glosses over any indication he might show that reveals his lack of confidence. I won’t go into some of the places in Eclipse that I would love to read from Edward’s POV, I’m sure that will be covered in another discussion. I mean, we are addicts, right??

I think Edward left for her saftey because whenever they were together something bad would happen.
If Bella didnt go to the baseball game, They never would have run into James Victoria and Laurent.
In the movie if you watch the look he gives bella when he see’s her,( I know its different but in the book she doesnt notice his pained expression) i think he is realizing she wouldnt be in pain if not for him. James never would have noticed her if not for Edward. Now i dont think its his fault cause how could he know? I love Edward, and Susan made a point. He is alot more human then he realize’s but that may be because of Bella.
“The more time i spend with you the more human emotions seem comprihendable to me” in a way she was making him more human.
Of course when he left i cried, and im not an easy crier, but i felt like he had taken a piece of me aswell. If he never left nothing would have happened with jacob, and there may only have been 2 or 3 books.
Everytime i read New Moon (and i have 7 times) it makes me cry and when she is going to Italy, I cant sit still and Stephenie is such a good writer that you feel like you are Bella, you feel the emotions she feels and when she forgets to breath, my friend pointed out i do to. We were sitting there reading and she said “How come your not breathing?” and I quickly breathed.
Im team swizterland, I can see where Jacob is coming from, how Edward feels predujce toward the wolves.

jdhouston, I’m with you; I love living in this world for awhile everyday! You’ve all made some really great points here and creamy, I agree with you-Alice had promised Edward she wouldn’t monitor Bella and she was keeping her promise. We can’t be sure, but I think that she saw Bella diving off the cliff because it was such an extreme act and maybe in part because of the state of mind that Bella herself was in by trying to “hear” Edwards voice. I think that for Alice’s psyche, Bella doing something so fool-hardy would have been a psychic jolt.
Susan, I’ve wrestled with so many of the same questions you have about his leaving. I posted this observation on another thread but, I think that Edward’s leaving points to the fact that in many ways, despite his very real and very grown-up desire to keep Bella safe, we see that he is in many ways still a 17-year old boy. He’s doing what he thinks is best but in some ways (at least for him)leaving is the easiest, best answer. I mean, he has no context for what he’s feeling-he’s never been in love and what with Bella being human and his seeing himself as a monster, he’s unwilling to put her mortal soul in jeopardy. That and, while Edward may believe that Bella does love him, he doesn’t have Faith (with the bigF). It seems to me that his belief that he doesn’t have a soul is the first step to thinking that she’ll get over his leaving-he doesn’t have faith that her love for him is as eternal as his for her-he makes a boys’ mistake of underestimating the depth and breadth of true love. It’s only in the leaving and the encounter with the Volturi that he comes to realize that there truly are options. It’s only after those experiences that he finally starts to become the MAN that he needs to be for Bella as well as for himself. Okay, I’ve hogged up enough space but I’m really grateful that I found this space to say these things; I think one of the best gifts from Stephanie and Twilight is being able to think all of these things through and connecting to people who are on the same page.
cheers!

Sigh….I feel so normal….thank you twilightbloom and Creamy… I cannot wait to read New Moon again – you all have given me so much more to consider while reading. His confidence does seem shaken more often when going through it again – I notice more often how many times he has an “unreadable expression” or “his face was like stone”. I cannot wait to hear his thoughts – although I will be painstakingly patient. At 104 years old it’s interesting that he had never experienced love before. twilightbloom – you pegged it with he is still just a 17 year old boy. Oh! and Stephanie what a brilliant recap you had of his stating” how Bella brought out his human side. Aaah…. Okay – quick thought…for those of us who have been in love – what was with Bella never trusting Edward enough to keep her safe…escaping Jasper and Alice to confront James? Begging Edward not to fight the new vampires in Eclipse? twilightbloom brought up Faith – where was hers? Was her lack of belief in the coven due to her inexperience, naivete, or youth? This bugged me throughout the books… Probably why I like the Cullens so much – they trusted each other to the end…werewolves included.

First let me say, I am smiling as I read and respond to everyone’s thoughts. Yes, this is a wonderful part of my day to not have to keep quiet about these stories. I’m probably the oldest person here, my teenage daughter is embarrassed I am so obsessed! Doesn’t bother me in the least.LOL!

Anyway, back to Edward, another point (yes, another), that I feel is revealed to us from Midnight Sun is the ‘boy’side of Edward’s psyche as several members have pointed out. I know he said he was frozen during his transformation at the state he was in. But, he has been through college several times, and, lived life for ninety plus years, despite what he looks like from the outside. He alludes to the patience he has gained (waiting for Bella), and all of that combined frequently makes him seem much older than 17. However, in Midnight Sun, it is so sweet, can’t think of another word that works, when he is just so THRILLED when Bella says yes to him. I mean from agreeing to ride to Seattle, to sitting with him at lunch. It sounds just like a teenager in his first relationship. He was so, so happy when she rode to school with him that first morning after Port Angeles. A small thing, but when it is the person you love, it is a BIG thing. So many of those little moments, just like a teenager. That’s just one more reason to hope MS is published. Of course, I could make a list a mile long of different scenes I would swoon over to be able to read from Edward’s POV. How luscious that would be!

Holy cow! Am I a chatterbox today?!

jdhuston – I think Bella did trust Edward, I just believe she was very naive herself. I think the whole vampire world was still so new to her, remember, almost all of Twilight took place from her first day at school (Jan 19th?), and then it was just a few weeks until the Port Angeles scene. All very fast. She was completely inexperienced as far as relationships go, and of course this one was as unique as they get.
So, she would have been pretty easy for an experienced hunter such as James to trick. As far as begging Edward not to fight, she learned that vampires can die. Laurent? James? I can certainly understand that she feared Edward was overconfident about not getting killed. She just didn’t want to go through that agony again of thinking she would have to live without him. How many times, throughout all the books, did we read that Bella said to herself, that Edward HAD to exist. Even if he wasn’t with her. She had to know he was alive, somewhere. So, with that mindset, she couldn’t take a even a small chance of him being killed in the newborn fight. I can see her point. She developed this from her pain. She even worried about Emmett. And he was a tank!

Well that is true Creamy. The mythical world would deal a great blow to the ability to believe that immortality goes a long way. And with the deaths of Laurent and James….killed by vampires – yes that is also true. Thank you…. Side note – my daughter is 12 1/2 and when I showed her this conversation and the cars on the home page and a few other areas – she called her friend on the cell phone to announce that I was crazy. She started it…Christmas time she got these books – I just finished them twice in the time she read through them once! This story brings to my mind all of the things I have wanted to do and forgot because, like Bella – dinner has to be made, the house has to be cleaned, and other people (scatter brained mom’s like Renee or children like ours) must be tended to…oh and there’s work too. The magic of Twilight is as alive on the pages as it is if we pursue those things that the Cullens did at night…I picked up learning how to play piano – of course I bought the Twilight Score. Or going white water rafting – planning it for the summer. I think that’s part of the magic – average girl isn’t turned into a princess but rather given an adventure while falling in love! Edward has had many adventures but nothing like falling in love.
In Twilight- I’m up to the baseball game and Rosalie has just stalked away. I do hope that in any future publishings SM does, she includes more thoughts from Rosalie. Her “tenacity” is curious.

I too was introduced to the Twilight world by my daughter. She requested some of the books for her birthday. That was November 2nd. I only read the first book after she was finished. It was off to the races after that. I bought my own copes of the first two because I could not wait for her. Then of course, I bought the last two, and she has yet to read them. So, I have been totally immersed in this new world just since the middle of November. Whew! I can relate to all the ‘other’ activities you mentioned except the rafting. I’m an indoor girl. But, I sure do travel in my mind!

I like Jacob more since New Moon and also if Edward hadn’t left Jacob couldn’t have grown as a caracter and if you red the next two books Jacob is actually becoming a main caracter fighting for Bellas love and I belive that if Jacob wasnt making a big deal of making sure he was in Bellas life the outcome would have been obvious but in breaking dawn it really isnt i mean he imprints on nessie i thought he would imprint on tanya or something or Leah.

TwilightBloom you nailed it. Edward’s lack of faith. I just read the part in the book where he tells her that she’s wrong, that she doesn’t like him more than he likes her and he can prove it. He tells her that if leaving her is the best thing for him, even if it causes him great pain, he’d do it. She gets angry saying you don’t think I wouldn’t do the same for you? He tells her, you never have to make that choice. Choice. A very BIG word for Edward. Choice is important to him as well.
But she does have to make that choice. Edward was wrong. She puts herself in mortal danger to prevent him from killing himself. Does he recognize that? When? When she leaps into his arms in Italy, when they are in the dungeon with Aro? When they are leaving? When they return? When does he start to have hope..and maybe a little faith? I don’t think it was sealed at that time or maybe it was…we will never know for sure until we see his POV. When she cut herself during his fight with Tanya and she swears she hears him sigh…is that when he had it? Or was it when she decided to give her life to have his child? When was faith sealed for Edward. I know that he started to change upon his return in New Moon. You can see the change and feel the change.
The thing that I also find ironic is when he recognizes that he’s never felt more human, even when he was human until he met Bella. Silly Vampire. Thinking he’s a monster. Bella knew from day one that he wasn’t.
Do you think when he left, do you think he took with him the lemonade lid with him. His memento of when she first said yes to him. That scene in his book touched my heart immensely. When he’s sitting at the piano and he puts it on the piano. I hope he took it with him and kept it in his pocket. I hope it made him think.

I also just thought about this..when editing Twilight, did Stephenie change the kinds of dreams that Bella had. We see Bella dreaming of Edward where she is always asking him to stay. Please stay. So Bella senses that he wants to leave.
She also has a dream of Jacob turning into a werewolf and describes how he looks and that Edward and Jacob (the vampire and the werewolf) started to fight..perhaps over her? Bella screams no! She realizes that she screams no because she fears for Edward. She doesn’t want him hurt.
So I wonder if those things were perhaps changed during the editing since she was writing New Moon at the same time.

Wow, how can she do that, write one new book while editing another?

She’s got a talent that I envy for sure.

I never thought Edward was wrong for leaving Forks in New Moon! I can’t agree with you, guys… He only did it to protect her and of course he never actually wanted to – as he claimed when he returned. Anyway, his departure was the reason why Jacob becomes a more active character, and Bella learns more about herseelf, the Cullens and the whole werewolves-vs-vampires thing…

In one of Stephenie’s FAQ’s, she talks about Edward and what a know-it-all he is. She also talks about Edward not understanding that Bella’s love is as strong as his, even though she is only 17. At some point (I think) in Eclipse, he starts to understand that Bella loves him as he loves her. Remember at the beginning of Eclipse, when he was trying to keep her from seeing Jacob, he told her, her love for him was not as great as his was for her. He still had some learning to do even then. And of course, that was well after Italy. I thought her willingness to go to Italy and risk her life was a pretty solid indication of how great her love was.

I too believe he left in New Moon only to protect Bella. It was a major decision for him to ask his entire family to move, especially as it was to protect Bella, not for their safety. I think it hurt him as much as it hurt her. In the tent (in Eclipse) just before the newborn battle, he explains in quite a bit of detail to Jacob, the four options he felt he had in dealing with Bella. He says he left because of fear for her,and all the danger his world posed for her. And he thought she would get over him. That shows he didn’t believe (or understand) her love was equal to his.

As for Stephenie writing and editing at the same time, I believe she could. And, on top of that remember, she had THREE small children to care for during all the writing and editing. Simply mind-boggling. I’m not sure that I think Bella’s dreams and asking Edward to stay meant she thought he would leave. I’m undecided about that. I do think the dream with Jacob as the werewolf and Edward showed even at that early stage that she preferred Edward. She took that as the meaning from the dream too.

all my friends hate new moon because its “all about jacob” but-and i won’t deny i bawled for hours when edward left(my boyfriend thøught i was insane, luckily hes a great guy who does’nt get too jealous… teehee) but i think it made the story better. i’m glad it happened in the long run. and it has made me a team switz. edward will always be my favorite, but jacob is a life preserver. and keep in mind that edward was doing what he was doing because in his eyes he was protecting bella (sad as it is). so don’t blame jacob.

Like everyone else here the first time I read New Moon I screamed and cried when Edward left, my husband thought I was insane…then I just skimmed through the rest of it until Edward came back. When I went to Stephanie’s site like I always did after finishing her books I looked at the FAQs and saw that she said people need to read it twice to truly understand it. So after considering it I decided to give it another go and actually READ the book.

After reading it a second time I totally got a better understanding of why she said to read it twice. I still don’t like the fact that Edward left but had he not Bella would have not gotten as strong as she did. Like everyone else on here said she also would not have gotten as close to Jacob which in return would have caused a werewolf/vampire war. Now I’m not a huge Jacob fan because to me he doesn’t seem to truly care that Bella loves Edward more than him until he imprints on Renesme.

I believe now that by Edward leaving their bond only got stonger in the end. And Bella’s relationship with Jacob actually helps to shape the rest of series. So after reading New Moon about 4 times the book is actually growing on me. I cannot wait until it comes out in November and I can actually see how it plays out, though I’m sure I’ll make a fool out of myself bawling when Edward leaves….but I know I won’t be the only one…..

i paticularly did not enjoy new moon..it made me cry..i really dont feel for jacob at all! I understand why Edward left but it was a little too extreme…he probably could of handled it differently!! I really want to know what Edward was really thinking so that way we can understand him better!!
0o0 yea and btw..I HATE JACOB’S GUTS!!..THATS NEVER GOING TO CHANGE!!!

Jenn: As much as I have written on this thread, and as many times as I have read New Moon, your post is the first time I’ve even thought about what my reaction will be to Edward’s leaving as I watch the movie! Yes, I had better plan on an entire box of Kleenex!

As far as Jacob is concerned, I do like him. I just like Edward more. For all of those who hate Jacob, please remember, he stayed in the equation because Bella wanted him to. She needed him to make it through the time after Edward. She fell in love with him during New Moon, this is per Stephenie, and I think she would know! So, Jacob wasn’t just hanging on to Bella because he wanted her. She hung on to him too. She finally admitted to herself that she used him. It’s a hard fact to face. But, luckily it all turned out in the end.

As for New Moon making everyone cry, I cried just as much in Breaking Dawn. Actually, even more.

Stephenie, Stephenie: Where are you?

I posted earlier in the thread. Just came back to check to see what everyone else had written.

Most of you had a point of him leaving. And you can feel in Twilight that it might be coming. But at the begining I would have never believed you until I actually read it myself. I think the reason why I am not pro Jacob is because he “loves” Bella so much as much as he can but if they would have gotten together and then he imprinted on someone where would that have left Bella. That is what i kept thinking throughout the book after i read about the imprinting thing. I just kept thinking how selfish can this boy be when he knows sometime in the future that he will have to leave Bella and she would be broken again. And the whole time I was thinking dang you Edward how could you do this. I was litteraly pissed off. My boyfriend thought I was crazy when i went off midway thru the book that is why i had to skip to where alice came back.

OMG!!!

She said when, “midnight sun is available,”-I thought it was “indefinitely postponed”…

Does that mean…SHE CHANGED HER MIND? ? XD

Hayley: The truth is, we don’t know. Stephenie said in an interview, I believe in November, 2008, that she did not write most of that message on her site concerning MS. I believe she said her attorneys did. She also said the part she did write, about all the Cullens dying was a joke.

She said she wanted a break from the topic of MS, and might get back to it. I’m sure she has been extremely busy with everything, and now New Moon is starting, so who knows when she will get to it, or if.

Let’s all just hope she will get the urge to let Edward finish telling his story. Of course, letting him tell it all the way through Breaking Dawn would be heaven on earth!

i love new moon i seriously cried when edward left it was so sad
but still i dont kno why its my favorite book i love when she hears his voice and he finally comes back to her its great
Jacob is an asshole though evn thou hes all nice at first he disses her all the time i hate him especcially in the third one

I found it hard to finely reread.I have read all the books 2 times. some I am on my 3rd time around but new moon was the hardest.I would just go back and read over the things I underlineing,and then I would just read up to the 3rd chapter then cry my eyes out.I could not bring myself to reread the hole book.Some of you might say that is crazy that I would reread the sadest part of the book over and over but the point in my life where I need to cry for no darn reasen so I would blame it on the book so I didn’t look stuped. But deep down inside I new I just need to cry. My aunt told me what was going to happen so put off reading it for a long time.When i finely got oround to reading it I locked myself in my room and had a box of kleenex.I almost used the hole box…and I NEW what was going to happen.Then when I was done and I gave it to my other aunt to read and I told her she was going to cry and my aunt was going to have a baby and I told her that she would cry so hard she would need a hole box of kleenex But……she did NOT CRY at all. I was so mad aka not realy.I like jacob BUT…only before he changed…now he is just mean and bad but good in his known mine.lol but why did Edward have to leave It broke Bella’s heart.Then he goes off to get him self killed what a stuped thing to do.In book one she told him never to go off and kill him self but there he goes and tries to kill him self.My fav. books in order is breaking dawn then eclipse then twilight then new moon.New moon is just the sadest book. Who ever likes new moon and new moon is there favorte book well that is just stuped.They must realy like sad books.Or somthing,cuz it is one of the sadest books I have ever read.

The first time I read NM I literally cried for 3 hours and couldn’t put the book down until chapt. 19 when I knew Edward was back ! I do understand why SM made the choice because she had to build up the relationship between Bella and Jacob. Honestly, it did make a good storyline. This was especially hard to read because i’ve been through Bella’s pain so I felt for her and I think that when a writer can make that connection with their readers the book is that much better even if it was 8 hours of straight unbearably painful reading !!

New Moon, I loved it, I took my time (or tried to at least!) reading it. I was VERY upset when Edward left. I’m not going to lie, I cried! LOL. For some reason, its just not a story without Edward in it, and I was so nervous that he wasn’t going to come back in that book. (I knew he was going to come back though, just didn’t know when.) I’m not going to lie, i’m really not a big fan of Jacob. I know that he helped Bella out alot, but he is just not as interesting as Edward. Bella also made me mad in this too. I know she was really really hurt, but how could she love Jacob?! I know its not the same love that she has for Edward, but come on! Maybe it is just me. I have serously tried to like Jacob, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Sorry SM!!! I was soooooo happy though when Edward came back. The story was complete again.

When Edward left I cried and cried, and I physically felt sick. I could totally feel Bella’s pain. But despite that, I was not mad at Edward for leaving. I even sided with Bella when she defended Edward to Jacob. I just kept thinking, if only Edward understood what kind of pain he was putting Bella through. If only he could see. And when Bella was hearing his voice, I really hoped that he truly was “communicating” with her, and not just her wanting to hear his voice. I slightly understand why Edward left, to protect her. It did make for a captivating page-turner, wondering not if but WHEN is Edward coming back.

Like the saying goes, you never know what you had until it’s gone. Which I think could be said for both Bella and Edward. I will read New Moon again, but I don’t want to go thru that pain of losing Edward all over again.

I didn’t think Jacob was right for Bella’s in anyway more than friends. Partly due to the whole imprinting thing. But also because Jacob was at times just too immature for my taste. That’s why I’m totally Team Edward. Edward is the physical embodiment of the unattainable and unrealistic prefect man, which he became over the many years of his existence.

I wept in New Moon as Edward left, after reading Midnight Sun on Stephenie Meyer’s website, I understood his perspective. Unfortunately he had to leave as he thought it was best for Bella. If he had been able to read her mind the story would have ended at the end of Twilight, and would not have been as intriging or have the hold on people to last for four (4) books. I have read each book 4 times, and am so swept away with all of them. So, my point is, if you are able to still have strong emotions after re-reading the books, then the story has been told well. Att he age of 32 (I), I love to read, but have not been personally swept away in such a very long time. I love the books, they hold ideals, and show people there is always a choice. (Personally – it was destined for Bella to be a vampire, to be Edward’s other half to make him whole) ie ying and yang. I look forward to seeing the following movies with great anticipation.

hi. I have copied and pasted the above question os it easier for others nad you guys to udnerstand my answer since they aren’t numbered.

If you have read New Moon, you know why Edward left – to protect Bella. But in this FAQ, Stephenie offers a detailed analysis on this and also answers and discusses several other questions. What do you think of her comments?

I do agree iwt hher comment and are bti confuse.d the wodnerfu l stehpane imey s is ta,end but hwe wrote hte book but the same she praboly attached to her character and maybe she was doing this in a dream. more my preotecvienss thing, Edwrd overproteict/nes prtoect start i the tiwlight sirs adn in new moon and evne toward the nedo f new moon. Jacob want to hug belal but Edward worriee she’s goan ngeth ur and doesn’t ler and Jacog ets mad and qursiton nd tih anger Edward thiking she is trying to endanger bllea. they nearly get into. Belle tires to stop them but Edwrd gnetly psuehs her out the wya so she don’t get hurt however the ifhgt is stppped by chairle yelling. in ecliepse, when Edward gets jacob off belal, jacob reacts isntivnely and aciccdnely rolle unto bella while Edwar’d oveprotetivness has decreed in eclispe, Edwrd mad that Jacob was curshing her puhes Jacob and hte tow nearly fight but Bella stops that. Edward left Bella in newm ono to protect her. yes I sometimes akse,d Edward wh
d ypu ;eave? but aht where his oveprotetivnes puop ups.
Did you know that Stephenie was editing Twilight while writing New Moon? In what ways do you think that impacted New Moon?

What do you think of the story behind the development of Jacob’s character?
It was a god odvelopment. wovles and vmaps smem to go together. Jacob reutns as good and best firend to Bella protecting her and trying to make her happy again. I tihkn i showed that ambye hcaractes ay go thorugh a sturggle.

What do you think about Stephenie’s response to the criticism of Bella’s behavior in New Moon and throughout the series? What do you think about Bella’s reaction to Edward’s loss?
I’m sure stpena handled well. I cna smpathize with Bella. sHe lvoed him so that he was abousltey devstated in the book. of ocure, I liekd it just mas mcu has if Bella prayed or beocme abetter hcrian. but yeah she does a chirtna liek paul comamdn by geting aroud nher greif. she sil msised edward horibly but starts doign and haing out with Jacob and the quiletes. hse goes to work. soem pe er life jsut reoveld oarund or used but evne it didn’t. Bella still lvoed to hang out with aclei in hte clispe wlel mostly and sitl hung iwth Anegle and Jacob. she stil lthoug of charlie and renee adn sitl lwent ot see Jacob depstie Edward’ rejection. sje dpes things outside of Edward too. howev,er I’d be deststaed if a bf I loved so dearly lef.t ohwever it the voice,s I thingi t added osme itnerst to the book( I don’t oe new moon as much other but I sirll love) because he loves ihm so mch that she wants to kepep him with him. hse goes abit crazy iwth he caotnic but comes our her revier but sitll fesl depresed at first. thism ade hte book interesting.

I understand why Edward left – to protect Bella so that she could have a normal hunan life “as if he never existed.”When he left I didn’t fully understand why.And since you are reading the story through Bella’s perspective you were also left heart broken and torn.Almost everyone I know cried when he left.I did,too.I was relieved when Alice came back to get Edward back!

can anyone see that bella and edward’s love may not have really grown into this epic love IF he hadn’t left her??? I think they were always putting themselves down. trying to figure out why the other would want ot be with them. Bella never thought she was good enough and edward was always wallowing in his “i’m a monster and therefore how could anyone want me in such a way”, that how could either see what was right in front of them. If edward had not left , I think that they would have never realized just exactly how much they really loved each other.Thi ultimately woulf have lead to them never letting there masks done for the other to really see what they wer nmissing.

I completely agree with stephenie meyer. This is Edward we are talking about, he overreacts about EVERYTHING. He does not want to hurt bella physically and he thinks the best way to do so is for her to have a ‘normal’ life. Which she is not fond of……sure she is miserable, but it was necessary for us and Bella. She needed to mature…

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii love this book it romantic awwwwww back in the days