The song for this chapter is Lonely People by America
[audio:https://twilightguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/lonelypeople.mp3]
Due to some research by Maureen Johnson, I realized that my busyness is quite common this time of year: nearly every writer I know is undergoing revisions, and is getting behind on everything else in the process. But, I managed to sneak away and tackle the dreaded Chapter 3 in New Moon…
I have never had a chapter that carried so much warning. In fact, my last chapter post had more comments on THIS chapter than on Chapter 2. You people have left me filled with dread of what I’m going to find in here.
First off, Bella’s caught the I’m-better-than-you-because-I’m-a-vampire disease:
It seemed strangely childish. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for normal human behavior today. Those pitiful, weakling creatures, sniveling like worms…
But then, things immediately get serious. I notice that Edward is different in this chapter, so much that I’m beginning to feel early on what could be coming. He seems indifferent and unaffected, as if he’s walking in a daze and really isn’t feeling anything. There is a numbness in his voice that seems to tell me that something is bothering him very deeply. I feel that it is the growing pressure on him that every moment he is near Bella, he is putting her in more danger. Seeing what happened in the chapter before, with Jasper, only seemed to strengthen this in Edward’s mind: not only him, but his entire family, is different, and dangerous to Bella.
Edward is in turmoil. Part of him wants so deeply to stay with Bella, because he loves her. The other part feels that if he really does love her, then he would leave, and let her have a normal life.
This chapter is so sad. It is different. I remember a Bella and Edward in Twilight who loved each other, and who were talking all the time: it just never seemed to end, their dialogue through the whole book. You can tell a lot about two people from the way they talk to each other. It seemed endless, the sweet words they exchanged for no reason, the jokes between them about vampires and humans. Their conversations were really what made them who they were.
But suddenly, Edward seems to have become a brick wall. He is no longer the same person, but brooding and depressed, even around Bella. I feel as if all the love is gone.
And then, it all comes down to Edward’s three words:
“Bella, we’re leaving.”
Through all the time of reading Twilight, I did not realize how attached I had become to the idea of Bella and Edward being together. This book, as you’ve read in my bio, is my first vampire romance novel. So I am not one to become attached to two characters being together.
But for some reason, there is a deep and vast connection between Bella and Edward that left me very down as I sped through the rest of the pages in this chapter. It was like a deep gloom had settled over my room.
I realized that I did not pick up the second book in this series to read about Bella, the main character. I didn’t pick it up to read about Edward either. I picked it up to read about Bella and Edward. To me, they were so close, they were nearly one. I wouldn’t have read this book if there was only one of them, going off on adventures as a vampire or a human. And now that one of them is gone, it is like half of the main character has been split away as well.
I hope you’ll forgive me for not posting anything funny this time. It’s really hard to find something funny in a chapter that leaves me so sullen. I will be honest and say that by the ending of it, I was beginning to feel very down; and also uneasy, as I realized I had become attached to these characters when I had tried so hard to keep a sane mind about me.
Somehow, right after Edward left, I really did start to care even deeper about what happened to Bella, and had a deep urge to want to comfort her; while the rational side of me roared in my ear: It’s only a blasted book! Sometimes, we do not listen to our rational sides; or more commonly, do not want to listen to our rational sides.
I don’t think I have ever read a chapter as long as Chapter 3. After thirty-one pages, it would be very easy to rationalize stopping. However, when I got to the last page of the chapter, and instinctively began turning the pages again, I realized that I was literally paging through the months, skipping ahead in time after Edward disappeared from Bella’s life.
Because I’m rambling already, and I’m still in the middle of Chapter 4, I will be posting about it very very early tomorrow (think 5 minutes past midnight again). And to all the commenters: you were right. I really couldn’t stop at the end of Chapter 3 this time.
—ADDED JULY 22, 1:13PM: I absolutely abhor self-promotion, but I just reached the #17 most subscribed in Partners on Youtube, and if anybody hasn’t sub’d me yet, please check out my channel, as I’d really like to stay up there! And thanks so much to everyone who got me that high.
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400 Responses
*I don’t know how much you already know about the story so be warned: spoilers below*
Jacob is my personal fave. So I’m glad Edward left, b/c if he hadn’t Bella wouldn’t have sought Jake’s company and the glorious tent scene in eclipse (and the other glorious forest scene which comes after the tent scene) wouldn’t have happened either.
*spoilers over*
And I certainly didn’t cry when he left. B/c that’s crazy in my opinion
i feel your sincere sense of loss.
:[ this is why we are so attached to these characters. Kaleb you rock for reading this! and i agree with autumn[thanks autumn!!!!!!!!!!]
i listened to The Moment I Said It by Imogen Heap and it is perfect for this chapter of bella’s life.
I felt the same way only i was taking a run on my tredmill and had to turn it off and sit down to cry when i was reading it. YOu dont know how intune to the characters you become until somthing major happens..
Chapter 3 is terribly upsetting… most of the book left me feeling depressed even when I wasn’t reading it…The 4 months that go by just… broke my heart…because it is so honest because when you lose the love of your life time seems to keep going while you don’t…. it’s like you get left behind. Chapter 3 was perfect sadness.
This chapter left me broken hearted!!! I couldn’t believe it. I never imagined that Edward could leave.
You know what affected me more than the chapter with him leaving? The pages with just the months on them! Now that was a stark reminder, a slap in the face really that he really left, and how long he had been gone. Tore me up!
I am going to be completely honest. After Chapter 3, it was as if I had been broken up with. I felt sick to my stomach and my chest was heavy with bummed-out-ness. It was terrible.
But keep going! It takes a while….but things get better!
Whenever I see someone or talk to someone who is reading New Moon, I wish them luck. So good luck, Kaleb.
Have you read chapter three out loud? When it was in my head, I just got depressed, but when I read it out loud, I started crying- and I’m not the type to cry. I’m not saying ‘read it out loud!’ I’m just saying it’s even more sad.
I’m glad you feel the way you do about the characters – it shows that Stephenie can even reach those who tell themselves that they will remain impartial. I’m glad that you’re so…what’s the word…touched. I think I know what you mean. You know something’s wrong…but I’d like to correct you on something. The love isn’t gone. It’s there – Edward left her because he loved her.
But none of us have read Midnight Sun yet, so technically, we don’t KNOW.
I will repeat what others already have. Reading this post was like reading that chapter again. For this first time. It was heartbreaking. Every page you turn, it’s like a tear in your heart. And then your mom calls you down for dinner and you feel stupid for caring so much about a darn book. But you can’t help it. It feels like the entire world of the book has been torn in two. And it seems like the story could never go on.
It wouldn’t have been able to…but Stephenie, of course, had a surprise for us fans. A surprise that, without it, the fans would have willingly shunned her for the rest of eternity. THE BOOK KEEPS GOING.
I know – shocker. Keep reading, Kaleb. I think, this time, I’m going to read the book with you. When you finish a chapter, I’ll read the next. Then I can read your analysis.
And thanks for not cracking jokes – cracking jokes during sad books that have a huge fanbase of rabid fanpires – I mean, girls – during depressing chapters that are a huge turning point is a rather self-sacrficial idea. Don’t do it – we like you, Kaleb. Stay with us a little longer – at least until you finish Breaking Dawn and Midnight Sun.
To be honest, when i first read this chapter i was horrified and a billion other things at the same time. I didn’t really cry i just felt a hole get ripped through my heart. ironically, i was able to sympathize with bella. it truly was the saddest chapter ever written. however it is the most well written saddest chapter. I’m not mad about the lack of jokes. it would be quite tacky if you had posted one. enjoy the book, it picks up soon.
Poor Kaleb… Tis a sad chapter indeed. I literately cry every time I read it…. Well, good job making it through, it gets easier as you go :)And don’t worry, you are far from being alone in having this book effect you on such a deeply emotional level. Also, just curious, but are you a nerd fighter? Just wondering, because you reference Maureen Johnson in here, a secret sister in Brotherhood 2.0, and I also saw that you were reading John Green’s “Looking for Alaska”. So if you are a nerd fighter, DFTBA.
I was sooo upset about this chapter that I cried and I wouldn’t read it. I told my mother to take it back to the store, and that I was done with Stephenie’s nonsense. Then I decided to read it just for the heck of it, and I am glad I did, because even thought it is the most sad it is my favorite book so far in the saga. I hope you enjoy chapter 4.
it’s such a sad book filled with emotion, but i looove it:))
I remember this is the chapter I always skip when I reread NEw Moon I just go straight to like chapter 5.. its to heartbreaking, the first time I read it I cried,
GRRRR….. I don’t know what time zone you were talking about. Do I really need to wait.
I cried with that chapter. It so uneasy to think about Bella without Edward. When I read it I was so mad at Edward. I felt horrible for Bella. The love of her life, leaving her there. So.. destroyed.
But.. keep reading 😀 Things pick up again (:
ummm…KALEB IT’S 12:35 AM, WHERE’S CH.4?
I KNOW I AM BEING A DICTATOR, BUT OH WELL ;]
I had to close the book after reading the chapter I still do every time I read it. I just get so mad at Edward for leaving.
i know this will sound really pathetic. and loserish.
but it shows how truly obsessed with the books i am. and how truly obsessed i am with edward and bella.
i know it sounds crazy, but really. all i ever think about is these books. im an addict, an obssessive crazy fangirl that cannot get over the fact of how in love i am with bella and edward together. as one.
when i read this book. not even just this chapter, but the most of this book.
I cried. hours and hours of uncontrollable crying.
because i coneected with bella in a way i hadnt before, i mean sure ive been that madly in love, but…
i’d been left. the same way she was. i felt her pain the same ways she did.
of course it wasnt the fac ti was in love with a vampire. but to want to endanger myself to hear his voice, i wouldve done that.
as i turned the pages, written only the names of the months. I soon recognized bella like i did myself. i was a zombie for months. and so…as pathetic as it sounds. i cry and cried for hours when i read chapter three.
My name is Courtney, and i am in love with bella and edward. I’m not afraid to show my obsession
can’t wait for the next one
wow that was so sad i almost cried. i can totally relate to what you are saying. the first time i read that chapter my whole week i felt depressed.the feelings in that story was soo affectionate it just grabs a hold of u. i’ve never felt so much emotion and attachment to a book. but dont worry, keep reading. it will get better :]
Isn’t it amazing how good some authors are? You read a book and it grabs hold of you. Then, something happens and you feel like YOUR entire world has crumbled. If the rational side of you did come out, then you should still be able to appreciate the flawless level Stephenie Meyer has reached. New Moon was probably one of the most difficult books i’ve ever read. Yet it is pivotal to the Twilight Saga. It only took me a day to read it, but it was probably one of the most depressing i’ve ever had lol.
omg just reading your comments on this chapter make me start crying…
im sad. IF U HAD PUT SOMETHING FUNNY ON THIS ONE I’D KILL U!!!
i know exactly how you feel about how you picked up the book to read about bella and edward. before then it had never even occured that it was even possible for edward to leave. well i did think it was possible, of course, but i’d never thought that he would even consider it. they had always been a package deal, you couldnt have one without the other. i was so upset, its actually funny to think about it now, even though it was far from funny then. when edward left i wanted to throw but the book but i destrained. instead i jumped up from my bed and literally started spinning in circles! after my little fit i almost started crying, i was tired, and i forced my self to stop at the end of the chapter so i could sleep, even though the pages with the names of the months had me literally hyperventilating, i wouldnt let myself flip past the first month. anyway im not going to say anymore, yet, because i dont want to ruin it for you. but it’s really cool to think that a guy could appreciate the devastation of this dreaded chapter. keep reading, i cant wait to see your reaction to… rrg,. i knew i should have stopped! anyway just keep reading
as for your rank on youtube: you’re welcome!
i’m **peeved** because I THINK all the comments of ominous warnings subconsciously made you feel so un-funny this time around – it was a melancholy chapter… but sheesh… Edward and Bella do come in a package, in Twilight… but this is a different story, and Bella needed to find out who she was and what she wanted without Edward! life throws a few wrenches in the oily gears of life, people – deal with it! but Bella doesn’t (hence the blank months)… this is why the book got a couple of negative reviews, due to the fact that it seemed like Bella went from the loner in the beginning of Twilight to an empty shell and totally dependent on Edward & Co. by New Moon. and i am soooo incredibly happy that she… well… you’ll see…
*fate throws a few wrenches in the oily gears of life, people.
as in the cliche “life doesn’t always work the way you intend it to” and you must “make lemons out of lemonade”
*shuts up*
oops, i forgot to mention this in the last comment. i dont know if anyone has told you this yet, i havent read all the other comments, but have an open mind, well as open as you can get. when to get to caught up in the fact that edward is gone and waiting for him to come back, you seem to read the whole story form a weird perspective, and let me tell you, you will miss a lot! so just have an open mind about… people, and then you can go back to being a rabid edward fan when he comes back. or maybe it will be different for you, i dont know, that’s just how it was for me.
I don’t blame you for not being funny- I remember the first time I read that chapter, I had foolishly taken the book to school to read (since I had gotten it the night before) and I had to try so hard not to burst into tears when I got to that part! Just thinking about it makes my eyes watery…
Oh Kaleb! just your reaction for this chapter even makes me sad =[
I- unlike a lot of twilighters, did not cry in this chapter but reading your response has made all the sadness I felt whilst reading the beginning of new moon come back to me… and I know the heart wrenching feeling you feel… keep reading and don’t worry ~ fangirls all over the world are supporting you!
I am new to the series as well and read all 3 in one week. I have never been closer to two fictional characters in my life and I am 34. I went so far as to skip ahead a few hundred pages to just hear Edward’s voice again. I knew he would come back, but hearing his voice helped get me through those unbearable chapters.
I left like you did, but with no one to share. I was the only person that had read the series thus far, and when trying to describe the horror I felt when true love left, everyone thought I was just nuts. You were 100% right when you said it wasn’t just about Bella, it was Bella & Edward. Nothing every socked me in the gut when I turned those lovely pages and they were blank with just the months. I still get semi breathless and empty when I think about that first time I read New Moon
So i don’t know how attached you are to this series, but it’s my life! haha it’s the second thing i live for. call me another twilight nut, but i read twilight an new moon a year before the Twilight Wave hit.
this is VERY sad… i cried and it took me about 20 min to get through this chapter alone because i couldn’t see through the tears (//_v)
after i’ve read New moon numerous times, i had my own “New Moon” which suck extremly, and i think Reading New Moon… helped me! haha i hope you finsih the rest of the book in time for breaking dawn!
Yeah, that was a pretty sad chapter. It’s hard to read. But it wasn’t the saddest thing I’ve ever read.
For me that would be Chapter 33 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Omg… I bawled for about 3 hours straight after reading that. Most depressing thing I’ve ever read.
I am not sorry that you felt this way, I am glad.
There are so many of my friends who started reading Twilight because of myself and all of them hated me for a time after reading those first three chapters of New Moon. I didn’t say they had to go on after Twilight, I simply asked them to take a look at the first.
All of them were going on about the same thing. How they literally almost tossed the book across the room when they read those final words and it sank in that Edward was not there anymore. I also found it over powering and almost did just the same as any of them.
However, we all took the easier route. I think my own was the longest, but it was all the same. We simply sat the book down, placed our bookmarks in it, and cried. They all had gotten over it rather quickly, or as quick as one can when they are feeling down about their new favorite characters, and then proceeded on. I, who had read it before any of them, sat in my room, all alone and cried by myself.
When reading I tend to become part of the story myself and as the Twilight series is first-person I can become more in-tune with Bella and for most of the story I do feel like I am her. So naturally I had much of the same reaction as her. If someone entered my room during my small fit of being … well practically catatonic, they wouldn’t be able to get anything out of me. (Infact, day’s later my sister told me that I had been muttering something about not wanting Edward to leave, that he needed to come back. XD)
I did my share of crying, as did my friends and then we all plowed on, much the same as yourself. I will admit the coming chapters were difficult for me however. Seeing his name on the page brought hope that crashed and I couldn’t stand the thought of him not there.
I hope your travels are better than my sad one.
Hey, yeah I know exactly how you feel, I have read the series exactly 17 times now and I still cry every time I read it!!!!!! The first time I read it I cried for 2 hours straight, that is how emotional I can get, and that was very sad!!!
I also think that Hate Me would be a really good song for that chapter, maybe you will understand better later, but it is a perfect song for it, coming from Edward’s perspective! at least! 🙁
When I read it I cried for about five minutes, wishing a different ending to the chapter. Then I didn’t read the book for two days.
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listen to the song “sorry”
wow. I’m actually crying at my computer.
“I picked it up to read about Bella and Edward.” Thank you. I have always thought that even though Twilight is narrated by Bella, it is Bella AND Edward’s story. I’m glad you can see that special connection they have. How some people can deny it, I have no clue. After the incident in Phoenix, Edward seemed to have thoughts of leaving already, so I can’t say I was surprised. I was hoping I was WRONG though… And a lot of people often forget that … yes, Bella is in pain.. but SO IS EDWARD. I am not saying he didn’t make a mistake, but I can’t condemn him for trying to do the right thing either.
I know it sounds really corny or whatever, but i cried in this chapter. And right after, i couldn’t put the book down, i finished the book on the same day,
when i read this chapter and read that Edward was leaving, i threw my book on the floor.
i didn’t pick it back up for exactly 4 days.
and then i was like.
D:
i can’t do this!
and then i finished the book in the same day.
x;
Wow! haha ….if it didnt say “twilight guy” i would have thought you were another vamptastic fan girl(like me)! you write wonderfully….i love reading your opinions on chapters and such. I completely understand what you mean about reading the books for edward and bella…… it hurts me so much to read new moon without edward being in it… but i havent ever skipped pages….
Shannon
I meant the fan girl comment as a compliment not an insult 😀 its amazing how much i can relate to your take on the chapters!
Twilight unites the world …lol
i almost stopped reading the book after that chapter because i was so depressed 🙁
when i read this chapter i started crying and couldnt stop.. i was SOOO depressed out of my mind….even at school i was depressed and couldnt focus on anything..i didnt find leave the darkness until later on in the book… the whole three days it took me to read the book was spent in a deep depression probably as bad as bella was feeling i felt horrible like i REALLY was bella and edward had left me..i even had dreams about how the situation would have really happened with me being bella. i know its just a book but every emotion bella felt i felt and it wasnt very pretty.. just to let you know: I HATE JACOB BLACK with the passion of a gazillion burning suns…i HATE HIM SOOOOO much…. oh and i LOVE Edward definetely as much (maybe even more,if possible) as bella does….
in reply to what most of you said about crying even after reading the book over again, you are definetely NOT the only one i read new moon 5 times and it is the hardest book of the series for me to read because of the lack of edward in most of the book….it feels good to know there are other people out there that feel the same..
i was crying in class when i read that chapter…tee hee
:'(
i actually made myself really depressed reading new moon, so much it was affecting how i felt day to day. you get so engrossed in how the character is feeling, you almost become part of it. once alice comes back into the book, you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.