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Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) | 
 enlarge | Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Category: Book
List Price: $10.99
Buy New: $4.88
You Save: $6.11 (56%)
New (43) from $4.88
Avg. Customer Rating:  1461 reviews
Sales Rank: 14
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 544
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.5 x 1.5
ISBN: 0316015849
EAN: 9780316015844
ASIN: 0316015849
Publication Date: September 6, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW FACTORY SEALED
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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
Amazon.com's Significant Seven
Stephenie Meyer graciously agreed to answer the questions we like to ask every author: the Amazon.com Significant Seven.
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 1456 more reviews...
 My Favorite Book! May 2, 2008
(Daughter of user)
Twilight is the BEST book I have ever read! It is amazingly addicting, as well as interesting. Many of the characters are likable, even lovable, especially Edward Cullen. The book will sweep you off your feet from the very first sentence, all the way to the last page. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a great book.
 Not quite for all but good read on its own May 2, 2008
In the Amazon video for Stephenie Meyer's upcoming novel the Host, she says that "a good book's a good book" which is an oft-used descriptor for anything. Whether it be music, a TV show or a movie, books that appeal to you and you enjoy can be from any genre and meant for any audience. But trying to persuade (or dissuade) people from reading can be tricky since people would end up reading it anyway since it's their preferred genre so hearing so much about Meyer's Twilight saga, one comment I often heard was if I was a 12 year old girl, I'll love it. However, as a 24 year old man, I'll say I did enjoy it even if the larger audience is way out of my age bracket.
Isabella Swan (though she prefers just Bella) is leaving Phoenix and is off to the town of Forks, Washington to live with her dad, Charlie. Like most new kids, there's a level of immediate interest in her which she's quite annoyed at, especially by all the guys vying for dates. But she has her eye on mysterious Edward Cullen who she barely gets along with her but they both feel strong attraction to each other though in Edward's case there's a reason he wants to stay away: he's a vampire and Bella's "scent" makes it difficult to keep him from killing her. But romance grows though Edward and his family aren't the only vampires around and not all can show restraint.
Despite the age group which many suggest is for junior high/high school girls, Twilight was actually an interesting read. Now, there is a fair amount of romance thrown around and declarations of love or thoughts of it get thrown around quite a bit but it's not really nauseous or sickeningly-sweet so that was quite the plus. Meyer's writing is also a good plus as its quite serviceable and neither flashy and scholarly in tone, nor is it simplistic and almost elementary level.
My one complaint is in its pacing as most first novels tend to be a bit more slower-paced to establish characters and setting but the book is never boring or time-killing on Meyer's part but there's never really a sharp case of tension and when the "villains" are introduced, they're so near the end of the story that they don't really establish a real sense of dread or menace, they just sort of arrive (after probably the quirkiest use of vampires since the "Once More With Feeling" episode from Buffy).
With 2 more novels for sale and one set for future release, there's a lot of story to cover but this isn't really a book where everyone will love it but there will be a select few that enjoy it so give it a shot and see what you think. Can't kill you, right?
 there's better teen lit. April 30, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I'll start off by admitting that it has been almost a year since I had the misfortune of reading Twilight, but I have a vague memory of my thoughts on it. I was fifteen when I read it (now 16), and had been pressured for MONTHS into reading it. Everyone told me how much I would enjoy the book. I hate vampires. Always have. There isn't really a NEW way to twist a vampire story. But, I was heading off for two weeks of sleep away camp, and needed some books to bring along. I bought Twilight and picked it to read first. Normally, based on how often I read, it would take me three days to finish this book. Instead, it took me the better part of two weeks to finish. Twilight was actually painful to read.
I found Bella to be weak and shallow. She seemed to float through the story, serving no real purpose in a story she narrated that was about HER. Bella seemed to be utterly inactive in her own story. Her immediate obsession with Edward was disturbing on an incomprehensible level to me, as was something about her persona. I am an enormous fan of Meg Cabot's novels, which seem like high literature compared to this trash. There was nothing about Bella to which I could relate - except maybe the brunette thing. But it is characters like her that make me cringe and worry about the future of our women.
And, Edward? I have no image of him in my head (despite the obsession some girls have), and find nothing appealing about him. He didn't have the same appeal as Tamora Pierce's Jonathan in the Alanna books: Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness). He was "godlike" (which isn't really a description), and seemed to have a sort of God complex. It is truly sad that we cannot get past this idea of the Damsel In Distress. If we are returning to this concept, I find myself worried.
If you're looking for a good book to read, I would keep looking. This is a book to get out of the library prior to wasting your money on. Do not buy this book because you've heard its amazing - people are wrong. Twilight has a large fan base, and they suck people in, creating expectations. I was lead to expect something amazing, and I got something nauseating and terrible. You could easily cut the book in fourths and make it a complete story.
35yr old mom who LOVES this book-not a Harry Potter Fan either! April 30, 2008
I read this book last week along with #2 and working on book #3 right now. This is so unlike anything I have read before because I am not a "vampire fan" per say, or a sci fi person either I usually read chic lit actually. I fell in love with it and have been hooked ever since. I think everyone should read it. I think it is appropriate for teens on up and I would not say it is ONLY for teens. I am bummed that they call it a young adult book because I feel like a teenie bopper reading it and I am far from that! The other thing is that I don't care for scary, horror, or mystery books because I get scared easily and this book was not like that either. So I think this book is non-traditional for me. So if you like the typical chic lit books then I think you should give this one a try.
Addicting! April 29, 2008
I was amazed by the book. My BFF brought the book over to my house for a sleepover and I got instantly interested. I bought the book the next day at 7:00pm and had it finished by 5:00pm three days later. I would have to agree at some points I think Bella seemed a little obsessed by this Edward guy, but all the same I would still rate it a 5-star book. I'm twelve and beleive that this book is great for anyone my age and up. It can be a bit overwelming(consitering how large it is) and hard to follow so you need to make sure you can read well. I loved the romance with the twist of fantasy. I would highly recommend this book and look foward to reading the following ones soon.
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