Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) | 
| Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Category: Book
List Price: $10.99
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Rating:  2140 reviews
Sales Rank: 1
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Pages: 544
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.7
ISBN: 0316015849
EAN: 9780316015844
ASIN: 0316015849
Publication Date: September 6, 2006
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Amazon.com
"Softly he brushed my cheek, then held my face between his marble hands. 'Be very still,' he whispered, as if I wasn't already frozen. Slowly, never moving his eyes from mine, he leaned toward me. Then abruptly, but very gently, he rested his cold cheek against the hollow at the base of my throat." As Shakespeare knew, love burns high when thwarted by obstacles. In Twilight, an exquisite fantasy by Stephenie Meyer, readers discover a pair of lovers who are supremely star-crossed. Bella adores beautiful Edward, and he returns her love. But Edward is having a hard time controlling the blood lust she arouses in him, because--he's a vampire. At any moment, the intensity of their passion could drive him to kill her, and he agonizes over the danger. But, Bella would rather be dead than part from Edward, so she risks her life to stay near him, and the novel burns with the erotic tension of their dangerous and necessarily chaste relationship. Meyer has achieved quite a feat by making this scenario completely human and believable. She begins with a familiar YA premise (the new kid in school), and lulls us into thinking this will be just another realistic young adult novel. Bella has come to the small town of Forks on the gloomy Olympic Peninsula to be with her father. At school, she wonders about a group of five remarkably beautiful teens, who sit together in the cafeteria but never eat. As she grows to know, and then love, Edward, she learns their secret. They are all rescued vampires, part of a family headed by saintly Carlisle, who has inspired them to renounce human prey. For Edward's sake they welcome Bella, but when a roving group of tracker vampires fixates on her, the family is drawn into a desperate pursuit to protect the fragile human in their midst. The precision and delicacy of Meyer's writing lifts this wonderful novel beyond the limitations of the horror genre to a place among the best of YA fiction. (Ages 12 and up) --Patty Campbell
10 Second Interview: A Few Words with Stephenie Meyer
 Q: Were you a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Angel? What are you watching now that those shows are off the air?
A: I have never seen an entire episode of Buffy or Angel. While I was writing Twilight, I let my older sister read along chapter by chapter. She's a huge Buffy fan and she kept trying to get me to watch, but I was afraid it would mess up my vision of the vampire world so I never did. I don't have a ton of time for TV, and my kids get rowdy when I have on "mommy shows," but I do have a secret fondness for reality shows (the good ones, at least in my opinion). I always TiVo Survivor, The Amazing Race, and America's Next Top Model.
Q: What inspired you to write Twilight? Is this the beginning of a series? Why write for teens?
A: Twilight was inspired by a very vivid dream, which is fairly faithfully transcribed as chapter thirteen of the book. There are sequels on the way--I'm hard at work editing book two (tentatively titled New Moon) right now, and book three is waiting in line for its turn.
I didn't mean to write for teens--I didn't mean to write for anyone but myself, so I had an audience of one twenty-nine year old (and later one thirty-one year old when my sister started reading). I think the reason that I ended up with a book for teens is because high school is such a compelling time period--it gives you some of your worst scars and some of your most exhilarating memories. It's a fascinating place: old enough to feel truly adult, old enough to make decisions that affect the rest of your life, old enough to fall in love, yet, at the same time too young (in most cases) to be free to make a lot of those decisions without someone else's approval. There's a lot of scope for a novel in that.
Q: What is your favorite vampire story? Fave vampire movie?
A: I guess my favorite vampire story would be The Vampire Lestat, by Anne Rice, simply because it's one of the only ones I've ever read. I keep meaning to pick up Bram Stoker's Dracula, because I get asked this question so often and I should probably start with the classics, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Again, I'm afraid to read other vampire books now, for fear of finding things either too similar, or too different from my own vampire world. Ack! I can't even answer the movie question. I can't remember ever seeing a single vampire movie, outside of clips from Bela Lugosi movies on TV. I don't like true horror movies--my favorite scary movies are all Hitchcock's.
Q: What other young adult authors do you read?
A: My favorite young adult author is L.M. Montgomery I also enjoy J.K. Rowling (but who doesn't?), and Ann Brashares. As a teen, I skipped straight to adult books (lots of sci-fi and Jane Austen), so I'm rediscovering the world of teen literature now.
Stephenie Meyer's List of Books You Should Read 
Anne of Green Gables | 
Romeo and Juliet | 
Dragonflight | 
To Kill a Mockingbird | 
The Princess Bride |
See more recommendations from Stephenie Meyer
Q&A with Stephanie Meyer
Q: What book has had the most significant impact on your life?
A: The book with the most significant impact on my life is The Book of Mormon. The book with the most significant impact on my life as a writer is probably Speaker for the Dead, by Orson Scott Card, with Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier coming in as a close second.
Q: You are stranded on a desert island with only one book, one CD, and one DVD--what are they?
A: The CD is easy: Absolution by Muse, hands down. It's harder to give myself just one movie, but the one I watch most frequently is Sense and Sensibility--the one with the screenplay by Emma Thompson. One book is impossible. I'd have to have Pride and Prejudice, but I couldn't live without something by Orson Scott Card and a nice, thick Maeve Binchy, too.
Q: What is the worst lie you've ever told?
A: My lies are all very, very boring: "No, you really look great in hot pink!" "My children only watch one hour of TV a day." "I didn't eat the last Swiss Cake Roll--it must have been one of the kids." That's the best I've got.
Q: Describe the perfect writing environment.
A: It's late at night and the house is silent, but I'm still (miraculously) full of energy. I have my headphones in and I'm listened to a mix of Muse, Coldplay, Travis, My Chemical Romance, and The All-American Rejects. Beside me is a fabulous, and yet mysteriously low in calorie, cheesecake....
Q: If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?
A: I'd like it to say that I really tried at the important things. I was never perfect at any of them, but I honestly tried to be a great mom, a loving wife, a good daughter, and a true friend. Under that, I'd want a list of my favorite Simpsons quotes.
Q: Who is the one person living or dead that you would like to have dinner with?
A: I'd love to have a chance to talk to Orson Scott Card--I have a million questions for him. Mostly things like, "How do you come up with this stuff?!" But, if he wasn't available, I'd settle for Matthew Bellamy (lead singer of Muse).
Q: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
A: I'd want something offensive, rather than defensive. Like shooting fireballs from my hands. That way, you're really open to going either way--hero or villain. I like to have choices.
Product Description
"Softly he brushed my cheek, then held my face between his marble hands. ''Be very still,'' he whispered, as if I wasn''t already frozen. Slowly, never moving his eyes from mine, he leaned toward me. Then abruptly, but very gently, he rested his cold cheek against the hollow at the base of my throat. " As Shakespeare knew, love burns high when thwarted by obstacles. In Twilight, an exquisite fantasy by Stephenie Meyer, readers discover a pair of lovers who are supremely star-crossed. Bella adores beautiful Edward, and he returns her love. But Edward is having a hard time controlling the blood lust she arouses in him, because--he''s a vampire. At any moment, the intensity of their passion could drive him to kill her, and he agonizes over the danger. But, Bella would rather be dead than part from Edward, so she risks her life to stay near him, and the novel burns with the erotic tension of their dangerous and necessarily chaste relationship.Meyer has achieved quite a feat by making this scenario completely human and believable. She begins with a familiar YA premise (the new kid in school), and lulls us into thinking this will be just another realistic young adult novel. Bella has come to the small town of Forks on the gloomy Olympic Peninsula to be with her father. At school, she wonders about a group of five remarkably beautiful teens, who sit together in the cafeteria but never eat. As she grows to know, and then love, Edward, she learns their secret. They are all rescued vampires, part of a family headed by saintly Carlisle, who has inspired them to renounce human prey. For Edward''s sake they welcome Bella, but when a roving group of tracker vampires fixates on her, the family is drawn into a desperate pursuit to protect the fragile human in their midst. The precision and delicacy of Meyer''s writing lifts this wonderful novel beyond the limitations of the horror genre to a place among the best of YA fiction. (Ages 12 and up)
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| Customer Reviews: Read 45 more reviews...
 Great Book!!! August 29, 2008
M. Lockhart (st. robert, missouri)
i bought this book not knowing anything about the story or the author. i read about the author on a yahoo! news article and decided to read the book to see what all the buzz was about...all i have to say is i was hooked almost instantly!!! i loved everything about the book from the charachters to the way the author uses words to describe a particular scene or event happening in the book. i t was just great. i have since read the whole twilight saga and would love to keep going if stephenie meyer ever writes anoter book related to the twilight series!!!
 A waste of time and money. Why is this popular? August 29, 2008
Danica West (Salt Lake City, UT)
Please don't buy this book. Please. I'm begging you.
I honestly don't know why it's so popular. The writing is juvenile and feels extremely unedited; Stephenie Meyer really isn't a very good author. And the main character, Bella, is a mary sue (an "ideal" character, generally seen in bad fanfic). Nothing action-wise really happens, besides Bella falling into oh so dramatical and unlikely problmes (such as almost being hit by a van and almost getting mugged/raped) only to be saved by Edward Cullen, the main fanservice, who really only likes her because she smells delicious. I was cheering for him to tear her throat out and just leave it at that through the ENTIRE story.
So again, please don't buy it. Really. Don't waste your money.
 Melodramatic But Quite Good August 29, 2008
Andrew Corsa
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As an adult man, I'm sure I don't belong to this book's target audience. I suspect its intended audience will find it even more compelling than I did.
That said, I did enjoy this book. But I also recognize that it's not for everyone. Other Amazon reviewers have already pointed out how melodramatic it is, and how repetitive the dialogue and emotions might seem. For one example, you might notice how frequently Bella's dialogue and thought go like this: Edward, you are perfect and beautiful, and you mean everything to me.
If simple characters, melodrama, repetition, etc. will irritate you, then I don't recommend this book. I, personally, thought the book was very fun. The melodrama worked for me.
I found myself caring for the characters. I also found myself reading for hours on end, involved in what was going on. I found the love between the characters very compelling - perhaps because of its blind intensity and melodrama. I liked the simplicity of the writing, combined with the complexity of a relationship marked by strong feelings and the possibility of violence.
If this had been a mere love story, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much. But it had a clear element of suspense, which propped it up.
Again, this book is not for everyone. It has elements that other readers might consider flaws. But it worked for me.
 This book should not be as popular as it is. August 29, 2008
D. M. Cornwall (Ohio United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
this is the first book i have read in a long time that i did not like. i chose to read this book, since there is so much hype about it, and after reading a pro/con review in the new york times.
first of all the main character is absolutely pathetic. she moves to a new town, and basically becomes the most popular girl in the school, all the boys the auther mentions, except the vampires, are in love with her, and she makes a few good girl friends right away. if this had happened to me i would be pretty excited about it, but she doesn't really express any happiness about being this popular. secondly, i don't see any reason she should be this popular in the first place, since she apparently falls down when standing on two feet and not moving. if i knew someone in real life with a problem like this i would be seriously concerned that they have some kind of muscular disability, and should be evaluated by a doctor. also, this whole town is full of idiots, since they don't realize these "kids" are not normal, since they are never seen to eat, they don't come to school when the sun is out, they are incredibly pale dispite there love of the outdoors, hello people it's pretty obvious. also, how would they not get in trouble for missing so much school in the first place. i also agree with some other reviewers that this relationship it very unhealthy, and sets a bad example. when she first met edward he was a complete jerk, and yet she falls in love with him anyway. he tells her his instinct is to kill her, and she still wants to be around him. why would anybody want to be with someone that is mean to you, and wants to kill you. i could go on and on about the rediculous plot and idiotic characters, but i will finish with the opinion that all these characters have no depth, and this plot is totally unbelievable.
Rife with amateur mistakes August 29, 2008
A Quiet Conscience (Canada)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book is great -- for people who don't write or who don't know what good writing looks like. Teens will love it.
Twilight is a mess, to put it bluntly. Smeyer is a fanfiction-level writer whose work should never have seen the light of day in its current condition. Did this book even HAVE an editor? Perhaps the editor had taken a vacation when this book somehow missed the slush pile.
Some issues:
1. Bella comments on the weather too much. Yes, we know you like the heat and don't like the rain.
2. Bella hammers it home that she's clumsy. How many times do we need to see her getting dizzy or falling over?
3. Her friends (Mike, Eric, Jessica, Angela et. al.) aren't real friends. They are just there to play off of. She's not really interested in or close with any of them. In fact she seems more annoyed by their existence than anything else.
4. Every male in school was hot for Bella when she got there. MarySue, there's a phone call for you.
5. Edward is too perfect.
6. There's no good reason for Edward to truly love Bella. He likes the smell of her blood, that's all. That's kinda shallow to build a relationship on, no? And Bella -- she doesn't seem to truly like him, she's "dazzled" by him and unable to resist him. Is pretty much having no will of your own in his presence equal to loving him?
7. Bella is never frightened of him enough. Because if she were, that would be very inconvenient for the plot.
8. Edward is always laughing, chuckling, amused etc. The whole thing's getting old.
9. Bella has an extraordinarily good relationship with her parents; she even chose to go to Forks to let her mom spend time with Phil. What 17 year-old would do something like that for her mom and stepfather, anyway? Take into account that Bella doesn't like the dreary weather in Forks; why would she go there? I couldn't see ME doing it, even if I was on great terms with my parents. Maybe for a week, but not any great length of time. What exactly is the motivation there? Did I miss it?
10. There's too much time spent telling me about all the little things Bella does. What she cooks and how, when she showers, more about the loudness of the truck, etc.
11. Edward can't read Bella's thoughts. There's no good reason for this except that again, it would really screw with the plot if he could.
Stephenie is so arbitrary with things. She seems unapologetic about not giving us good reasons for her choices. I want things to make sense! In the words of the X Files or something, "I want to believe"! I don't want to be sitting there wondering why Edward lights up like a disco ball when the sun hits him.
Another thing Smeyer did in the book was write, "My eye fell on the book on the table." Ack. Poor Bella's eyeball fell out! It would have been better to say, "My gaze fell..." Not the eye itself. There are jokes about this ... "She cast her eyes out to sea..." stuff like that.
My next technical problem is that at the end (SPOILERS AHEAD), Bella goes unconscious and when she wakes up she asks what happened to James and is told, "We took care of him." I'm sorry but I would have liked to have experienced the ACTION here. Show, don't tell! One of the main rules of writing. She made her main character UNCONSCIOUS in a first person story exactly at a time when the action was finally happening! We want to see the villain get his! we want to see it all happening -- Edward rescuing her and all! Can you imagine if the movie fades out when Bella does and comes back to have them say, "Oh, the whole action sequence was awesome but you missed it!" No, they're going to have a huge drawn out fight scene! People like that. And with Twilight, it has to be building up to SOMETHING. But it falls flat right at the end. Right when things should be gripping and fantastically fun, it's absolute nothingness!
JK ROwling plodded me through Chamber of Secrets until about 3 quarters of the way in, when everything started happening and when I got to that point it was great fun to read to the end. She has a habit of doing that in the HP books, but I know I'll get that good, fun ending. Look at Goblet of Fire -- all leading up to THAT ENDING! And what an ending it is. Exhilarating and gut wrenching. I *cried*! But with Twilight, I just find repetition (even in these last pages Edward is still chuckling and Bella is still talking about being uncoordinated) and blank spaces. The characters are good but not fleshed out enough.
This book is like a huge outline for a book -- so many good elements but very bad execution. I read it because I like the characters and want to know them better, but Smeyer seems to be stingy with their details. We learn more about Carlyle than Edward or anyone else. I'd like to know each of them better. Some of her explanations are just lame, too. What is with Bella (SPOILERS AHEAD) being all, "I don't care if I have to go through 3 days of agony to turn into a vampire and forsake my whole family -- I just want to beee with yooou!" That's a huge choice to make and she makes it so easily. She's like a stubborn child.
This could have been a good book if only a team of editors ripped it apart and took out all the fluff, filler and cliched writing. With so many truly obvious mistakes, I can't believe Smeyer has a degree in Literature.
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