Twilight (Twilight Saga, #1)

by Stephenie Meyer

Fall in love with the addictive, suspenseful love story between a teenage girl and a vampire with the book that sparked a "literary phenomenon" and redefined romance for a generation (New York Times).
Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn.
Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.
Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.
It's here! #1 bestselling author Stephenie Meyer makes a triumphant return to the world of Twilight with the highly anticipated companion, Midnight Sun the iconic love story of Bella and Edward told from the vampire's point of view.
"People do not want to just read Meyer's books; they want to climb inside them and live there." -- Time
"A literary phenomenon." -- The New York Times

• ISBN10: 0316160172
• ISBN13: 9780316160179
• Publish Date: 1 October 2005 (first published 27 September 2005)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
• Imprint: Little, Brown and Company
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 544
• Language: English

Reviews

[Leah]

After her mum, Renee, decides to follow her new husband to Florida, Bella Swan takes evasive action and decides to move in with her father, Charlie, in Forks in Washingon. Bella is absolutely dreading it but on her first day of school she comes across the mysterious Cullen family and is instantly intrigued by the youngest of the bunch Edward. Trouble is the Cullen clan look different to Bella and her classmates: they're incredibly pale, they don't seem to eat or drink and they're frequently off school. As Bella finds herself more drawn to Edward, and him to her, just what will happen between the pair and what exactly are the Cullens hiding?

Unlike the rest of the teenage population I only heard of Twilight when the movie was being released in 2008. I thought nothing of it at the time and it never really occured to me to see the film or read the books. Now, though, in the run-up to the release of New Moon, the Twilight saga seems to be everywhere and I've found myself wanting to read the books more and more. I finally happened upon Twilight and, although I have no interest in vampires whatsoever, I eagerly started it.

The book is narrated entirely by Bella Swan so we really get into Bella's mind so much so that you could probably imagine yourself in Bella's place and feel everything Bella is feeling. We learn her deepest thoughts on her move to Forks, on starting a new school and most importantly of all, of meeting the elusive Edward Cullen. Bella is drawn to Edward straight away and you can see why: who wouldn't be intrigued by someone so utterly mysterious? At the beginning Edward is completely off with Bella and I was incredibly confused as to why. As Edward thaws toward Bella I found myself picking up the pace more and more before the book had me in its vice completely. I truly did not want to put it down.

Bella and Edward's relationship is the main focal point of the book and it makes for compulsive reading. It seemed incredibly surreal and yet so incredibly believeable at the same time. Their relationship gets more solid as the book progresses and it's intensity multiplies itself all of the time. It was incredibly gripping and I felt compulsed to just carry on reading to find out just what would happen next. I had no idea this book would grab me in this way yet I was hooked pretty much from the outset. As Bella finally realises why Edward is so mysterious and so beautiful their relationship just intensifies all the more. It came to the point where I just couldn't put the book down.

If you've been living under a cave and have no idea why Edward is strange but beautiful then I'll let you in on a little secret: the Cullen family are all vampires. Of course that adds a completely different spin onto the book and it all seemingly becomes clear. Unlike regular vampires, the Cullen family don't feast on human blood and instead drink the blood of animals, which is why Edward lets himself become closer to Bella. Of course just because they say they don't drink human blood doesn't mean they're tempted and even though the book is narrated entirely by Bella I could feel Edward's struggles. He loved Bella but he also thirsted for her blood and his struggle was a difficult one but was one he wanted to overcome. It mean that Bella had to be aware at all times and it just made the book all the more gripping. The ending ratcheted up the suspense facter 100 fold and I just couldn't put the book down - I know I've said that a lot but this was a truly unputdownable book.

The characters in Twilight were fantastic. I loved Bella but I loved Edward even more. Bella was incredibly likeable and easy to relate to but Edward was just so fascinating, it was unreal. I loved the entire Cullen family, also, they seemed incredibly nice. There are other characters within the book; Charlie, Bella's father and Renee, Bella's mother; school friends of Bella's, Jacob Black, a childhood friend of Bella's, the aforementioned Cullen family. But the only focus of the book really was Edward and Bella. It was all about those two, everyone else seemed rather irrelevant and I loved that aspect of the book.

The writing is superb from Meyer. She taps into the mind of Bella fantastically well. I also thought she portrayed what it's like to fall in love as a teenager very well, it was very compelling and utterly readable. I truly didn't know what to expect from Twilight so I was incredibly surprised to find that I loved it immensely. I would never have thought I'd enjoyed a love story featuring vampires so it's truly a shock to me to find I adored this. Meyer has created some fantastic characters, characters we really care about. This was a truly outstanding book and I am so gutted I don't have New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn because I'd be half way through New Moon by now, it's that compelling. My next Amazon voucher is definitely getting those three books so I can complete my set and read them as soon as possible. Now I'm off to watch the film... lets see if it's as good as the book.

[Hixxup]

I had watched the movie on my tiny little Ipod when it first came out on DVD and what not. I had fallen in love with the movie and my best friend I knew had copies of Twilight so I ended up borrowing them from her. I LOVED it, even if the writing wasn't all that superior. The story itself was good on its own, regardless of sparkling vampires, that made me laugh but hey everyone is entitled to have their own take on the vampire world. I was quite enthralled in the world of Edward and Bella and even Jake though he didn't show up that much in this book. This book is what got my desires to write again going... Twilight is the muse that got me out of my many year writers block. And yes this Review is way overdue... but hey better late than never right? :)

[reveriesociety_]

sighs- i wish i could give it more stars but...
-Bella is depressing, whinny, dumb, obssesive
-Edward is creepy, a stalker, has anger issued, and maybe a slightly bipolar
I'm working on a story Bella-free, since Edward is still salvageable you can check it out here You Again!

[cherryblossommj]

When these books first came out, I noticed them everywhere, but did not know anything about them nor have a desire to read them. My DH kept commenting about how cool the covers looked. Finally, my group of book blogging friends were getting into them, so I was hearing more about them. Then the debates started.

As always when a general market book hits my "Christian" blogging friends there are skeptics. There are people like me who just look for quality fiction and it can be Christian Market or General and it doesn't matter where it came from as long as it is "quality". A comparison to the craze that this saga has caused, especially with the movie hitting Hollywood this month is to Harry Potter. I did not get on the HP bus until after the first movie and third book were published, but now I'm a die-hard fan. There are the "Christians" out there that are completely of the mind that HP is evil and it supports witchcraft and the Bible says that's evil, so I won't read it. etc etc. Well, I thoroughly ended the HP series, and realize that it is first and foremost Fiction. I get my theology from my Bible, not from fiction books, end of story.

When it came to reading this series, I was hearing the debates... "It's about vampires." "It's evil, and God does not want me exposed to that evil." "The Bible is against it." So, I had not read them. I did not know anything more than what I heard, and just was fairly ambivalent to the entire situation. Then, DH was in the grocery store check out line and called me to check to make sure he got everything on the list and then some. During normal marital grocery store conversation, he said "Oh, hey, you know those books that everyone is so crazy about? They're on sale here at the checkout line. It's two hardback, two paperback. You want them?" (For those of you who do not know me, I'm a book-junkie. I love books. The problem is books are expensive, therefore, I only buy books that I'm crazy about reading. Since my wallet has become attached to my DH's income, book spending has decreasing exponentially, as books are not of dire importance to my sweet DH. Therefore, if DH wants to buy me books, I do not care what it is. BUY IT!!!!) Thus, my interest was fully peaked and I was prepared to read!

Our move was started, and most things were packed, and now I have this pile of books to read. I was excited. So when there were lulls in packing and unpacked I was enveloped into the narrative world of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight...

Oh my goodness! I had no idea what I was missing!

To my understanding, this is a teen saga (four books in a series). It's a romance, it's a suspense, and it's about vampires. Through all of the debates that I read. One topic was on whether or not as a parent you should allow your teen to read these books. Well, they are meant for teens, which should mean sure they'd be okay. But today that is not always the case, so my best advice and pre-read opinion was to read the book first and discuss it with your teen if necessary, or to read it in cue and the same, discussion, etc. The best comment that I read from someone who had read the series was how to first realize that it is fiction, and not something to "change your theology about". And then, she went on to highlight her opinion that the book was about abstinence as a main theme, and how can there be something harmful in that! She said that the book is about a vampire boyfriend who desires his human girlfriend in a vampire thirst and how he works to abstain from hurting her and going about what is best for both of them. Imagine! So, with this thought in my head, as well as all of the people screaming, burn the books, I jumped in to read.

Wow. Stephenie Meyer is a new favorite author for me. I am just plain ecstatic that I already have the rest of the saga to read, because if I did not, I would be on my way to the store to buy them immediately, before they are sold out! Call it a teen read, I do not care. I would say that it is an everyone read, but that definitely a teen could read it (safely) and love it. This is another one of those books that pulls you into their world and takes you on an adventure ride of love, friendship, family, jealousy, fear, and chills. It is a fact that a main theme through out is to live by what is right and not by what you simply and ultimately desire. There is a path for life and even though you may change it at your will, your efforts may cause more harm than good if you follow yourself instead of what is true and just.

As a reader, I was fully enraptured in the day to day life of Bella and her emotions for Edward. I cannot wait to read the rest of the saga and I cannot wait to see the film! I do hope that it does it justice. Bella is an average teen. Going between parents in two states, and being a klutz prone to humiliation, she just rides on the sidelines of life with her good grades and normal behavior. Her story is one that any romantic girl who has loved or desires to love can fall into and be held to the pages as the story unfolds.

I recommend this book for anyone and everyone. It truly is a keeper for my shelf. Put into the realm of the supernatural, this story portrays all that is dear and near as any Romeo and Juliet story in a different atmosphere can. There will always be two people that by appearances should not be together. It is in the making it work and love enduring that proves that there is a way for anything to happen when you follow what is good and not evil.

[Charli G.]

I have to admit, as I didn’t start reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer until after all the major hype began for the series, I went into reading the first book, Twilight, with high expectations. To be honest, I’m not at all sure those expectations were met.

First of all, we have Bella who states at the beginning of the book that she is “exiling” herself to the town her father Charlie lives in, Forks, WA. She doesn’t say why she is doing so at that point, and really, when asked later why she moved to Forks, her answer doesn’t actually give the impression of an exile. It gives the impression of a teenager who simply doesn’t want to stay at home alone.

Plus, we don’t really get any background information other than Bella’s mother hated Forks as to why she left and took Bella. Did she hate Bella’s father? Did she fall out of love with him? There were questions about why they’d actually split up that made me wonder the entire time, but that never were answered. Call me strange but I like to see some background and back story on characters.

Then we have Edward Cullen and his family. We first meet Edward at school when Bella appears fascinated with the group of four students who keep to themselves. Then Edward’s strange reaction at having to share a class and also be a lab partner for Bella leaves you wondering what’s up. Edward does explain why he reacted the way he did later, but still, it leaves you wondering about it.

The back story on Edward and his family is lacking. There simply wasn’t enough back story on the family. The most back story you get is on Carlisle and even then, it doesn’t begin to cover all the years that have passed from when each vampire was created. And Alice’s lack of past strikes me as an easy way out of not having any idea what to use for her background.

The biggest thing that bothered me however, was that there was an entire section I felt was missing from the book. It goes, literally, from Bella being in trouble, to Bella now being saved, with absolutely no record of what happened between her passing out and her waking up. I realize the book is mostly told from Bella’s point of view, but honestly, that would have been a great scene and I’d have loved to have read about the battle between Edward and whats-his-name. A very forgettable character in my opinion as you can see.

All in all, the book was good, a bit draggy in places, but could have used a bit more background and could definitely have used a better ending to the book. I have [b:New Moon|49041|New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2)|Stephenie Meyer|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/414jgcy2FAL._SL75_.jpg|3203964] coming as soon as BOMC2 ships it, so I’m hoping that the books get better with each coming book. So far, I must say, I can’t see what the hype is all about.

[ladygrey]

I finally read Twilight. Actually, I flew through it. I know it's thick, but it's a really quick read which was fun.

The majority of the first third of the book was slow for me. There were a lot of pages to read, but I didn't really feel that the story was moving forward. We weren't learning much, things weren't really happening. There were moments of action and happening (which were all enjoyable) but I think the gulfs between them were too large.

Which is not to say that Stephenie Meyer didn't put the span between happenings to good use. She really develops the characters well, and not just Edward and Bella. There's a great sense of a community, how these people react to one another, which I think is her strength as a writer. She draws you into the story by connecting you to the people. I do hope, though, that as she matures as an author she becomes more succinct.

In particular, the dynamic between Bella and Edward is incredibly well developed. I liked how amused he is at her, specifically when she's angry or frustrated, which just made her more indignant. It's cute because it's playful. I liked how she defused his anger by being self deprecating or teasing him. I thought it created a good relationship dynamic.

The other part of their relationship that works is that Meyer has tapped into the protector aspect of our psyches. Women, somehow instinctively, want to be seen and desired, to be sought after and fought for. We don't need a protector, but we like one all the same. And men like being that; they want a battle to fight, for adventure and a beautiful girl who makes all the fighting worthwhile. These are base desires and the foundation of most hero stories and romantic tales. Meyer isn't afraid to incorporate them into the nature of her characters nor does she feel the need to be subtle in revealing them. We respond to it because we share these desires and we enjoy seeing them manifest. Granted, sometimes she goes overboard with the whole thing - calling utterly ridiculous things dangerous or giving Edward an overwrought need to protect Bella. But there's also places where it works so you kind of overlook the ridiculous.

My civilian editor (who hasn't even read it yet) pointed out that it's a rather chaste vampire story and I sort of like that about it. It's not as gothic or macabre as vampires tend to be, more romance than horror. It's ferocious in places, but even that is out of the sight. It's different, but I enjoyed it.

ETA: You can see from this initial review that I totally fell into the intoxicating second half of the book and wasn't so bothered by some of the things Meyer actually fails at. I know most of them in general off the top of my head, but still think it would be fair to articulate them after re-reading the book in full (which I may not do because I usually don't re-read books in their entirety. I just re-read the parts I like).

[mbtc]

I really wanted to like this book. I like vampire stories and I wanted to be really into a series so I could look forward to future books in a series.

But I didn't.

The book isn't horrible. I understand why people like it. If I come across the future books in my library or get a chance to read them for free I probably would. I think it's great that these books are encouraging more young people to read. I credit a lot of my "success" in school to reading when I was younger.

My major complaints about the book (without spoilers):

Bella. I couldn't stand her. I kept hoping that I would like her personality more as the book went on, but I really didn't. She was a bummer and it's rough when the main character is a bummer.

Certain things seemed glazed over. It was like she took such a long time setting up the beginning that she needed to cram all of this stuff into a small number of pages.

The end. The end really killed it for me, more than I thought it would.

Maybe I would've liked this book better if I was younger, which is the target audience.

[Eve1972]

Loved this book, quick fast read!!

[ibeforem]

This was one of those great YA novels that’s tame enough to be appropriate for the YA audience but mature enough to appeal to adult readers. I really liked this and found it unique, even for a vampire story. After all, with all the vampire sagas and series out there, how many of the vampires can be out in the daytime? I believed in Bella’s maturity and in her love with Edward, because no one falls in love faster than a pair of teenagers (even if one is really over 100 years old). I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

[inlibrisveritas]

When I first read it I liked it...but then the more I thought about it the more I started hating it. The plot became very thin and un-enjoyable. Some aspects could have been cool but others seemed to make vampires "human friendly" and I just didn't like it. Not really my cup of tea