Twilight: The Twilight Saga, Book 1

As a working professional mother I have little time for reading, so I am (and perhaps always have been) a literary snob. When I do find time, I stick to the classics, fiction and non-fiction, and, more recently, again due to time constraints, short fiction of highly regarded authors. E.g. my most recent read (before Twilight) was "The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia" and selected writings of Mark Twain (wonderful) and Dorothy Parker (nice but disappointing). With an English teacher and would-be writer as a mom, I had easy access to the best stuff quite early on. My favourites as a teen definitely included science fiction (Asimov, Huxley, Bradbury). Among other things, I also read everything by Hemingway (considered a "lightweight" by some?). Point being that prior to starting the Twilight series, the closest I ever came to reading popular best-seller was about 20 yrs ago (an Ayn Rand, to see what the fuss was about). However, be forewarned that, as you will see below, I address the question on a very personal note.Why did I start Twilight? My 13 yr old daughter seems finally to have started to "graduate" from Manga (whew!) to the vampire romance genre. She now tells me bedtime stories about incredibly powerful but disturbingly anti-social female vampire girls, and, frankly, I was getting a little worried. I thought it was time I sampled the fare she was reading. I said to her, "Give me the best you've got, " and it only took her 30 seconds to find her copy of "Twilight" and hand it over. That said, she doesn't even come close to being among the more obsessed fans.So, you can perhaps see why I am incredibly embarrassed to say that I was mesmerized. By the last page of Twilight, I had the uncanny feeling of having relived adolescence, moment by moment... the naivety, the foolishness, the illusions, the hormone rush. Meyer's rendition of first love, and of infatuation (even the kinds we sometimes experience beyond teen-hood), was nothing short of vivid. I think I may have held my breath throughout all of chapter 13 at the acuteness with which she rendered the powerful and foreboding emotions and physical interplay of first sexual encounters of youth. (I was intrigued to learn that this chapter came to her is a dream that inspired the book.)Edward - the (dark) prince charming - is a strikingly accurate metaphor for nearly every girl's actual experience with the "first big crush", with his dark side accentuating the universal (and particularly adolescent) thrill of first sexual forays as an exercise in the forbidden. As girls, in real life we are usually utterly and naively convinced that whoever is the target of affection, and frequently undeservedly so, he is somehow perfect in every way, not to mention a strong and wise protector. Meanwhile, unless I'm mistaken, in real life, most adolescent boys in the equation are abused of the same notion, proudly and naively strutting hand in hand with the girl, posing as her knight in shining armour. Other aspects of adolescence that Meyer brings home with incredible immediacy (and which often form the crux of criticism) are the banality of the banter and the self absorption and lack of maturity or focus of the characters (had you chosen your future career path by the age of 16?). While this may contribute, in part, to a two dimensional characterization of Bella and Edward, I think another part of the problem is that the some readers, young and old, may be loathe to remember or admit that we really were (or are?) that way. Didn't we mistake sarcasm for wit, arrogance for intelligence, possessiveness and brooding for declarations of love? Didn't we play stupid verbal games and have petty arguments over nothing, rooted in inexperience and insecurity about our first close ties beyond the family circle? Weren't we shamelessly inflicting our moods and emotions on our beau, often for no other reason than to experiment with their effect on another human being?Bella? To those who say Bella is boring, I fear that some folks probably do think that a bookworm who isn't on the "most popular" list, doesn't like parties or dressing up, blanches at the idea of going to a prom or early marriage and doesn't need a bevy of friends surrounding her is boring. I submit that vast majority of adolescents, and other humans, are more like her than not. Tell me, what were the redeeming graces of Holden Caulfield in "Catcher in the Rye". Classic or not, the book cast him as infuriatingly self-absorbed and mindlessly insensitive to those around him. Some readers have criticized Bella's character as flawed for so callously using Jacob. Perhaps, also, we're ashamed to admit that we all (male and female) likely had a Jacob in our lives at some point. That person we dated on the "rebound", because they were there, because they were such a kind and likable person, but who didn't inspire in us the passion we though love should be all about. There is scornful criticism that Bella is so shallow that she had nothing to live for, by the second instalment, once Edward leaves. Again, I wonder, have so few of us experienced something akin to the agony Bella went through at the jolt of our "first big break-up"? I know I did - it took me a year - the best way I can describe it is coping with a death - a death of my illusions, perhaps. Much later, I could see more clearly that, although he was incredibly handsome, muscular and brilliant (no, really!), he was actually over-domineering and there were misogynistic tinges to his sheer (and intoxicating) adoration of me. While away at grad school, I got a call from my mother when my sister got that fateful phone call from her first big love -- I was told she literally had to be scraped off the kitchen floor and carried to her bed. This isn't just a girl thing, mind you. I spoke not long ago with a friend about how her son, a good student, fell completely apart at such a time, to the point of failing out of high school. He's been trying to recoup ever since. Did Meyer really get that so wrong?If we're lucky, we mature to realize that passion and love are not synonyms, that infatuation is suspect - a drug that seriously warps the senses. If we're lucky, we were able to emerge from our first big break-up as a stronger, perhaps wiser person. If we learn from our mistakes, we realize that the kind of person we fall in love with in high school is a far cry from the one we seek out when we're 25 years old, or 35 years old, that the ones we really ought to marry are the Jacobs or even the Mikes out there. But that's life, not fiction.Moral message? Should Bella do so much sneaking around behind her father's back? Get real. Apparently, even a Mormon has to own up to the facts of life. Some readers are infuriated at the happy ending, that Bella doesn't pay for her self absorption and doesn't have to grow up. Instead, girl gets boy back and marries prince charming, and right out of high school, no less! Where's the college and career ambition? In this, too, I'm fairly forgiving, even though I explicitly raise my children to expect to go to college and beyond and, like Renée, hope they will marry late enough to know reasonably well what they're doing. Aren't fairy takes supposed to have happy endings? One reader argues that fairly tales are supposed to teach a moral lesson and that, even if viewed as such, this one doesn't. Well, find me one single fairy tail involving a Prince Charming that teaches girls to be strong, independent, and assume responsibility for themselves. No, the ones with Prince Charming in them are sheer fantasies about the impossible; commoners making good -rags to riches in a feudal era. I might add that the classics are also littered with women who ultimately fail, even on the somewhat rare occasions (think, Ana Karenina, or for that matter, even Kira in "We the Living") when they appear to be headstrong and intelligent. I'm intrigued to say, that my daughter's own made-up vampire stories feature extremely strong and stubborn girls who don't fall for the guy at all, but rather ignore or rebuff his adoring advances. That is bound to change. Perhaps, the one redeeming grace is that with so little emotional guidance out there, the story might help kids realize, when their turn comes for the inevitable heart wrenching experiences, that they aren't alone.Writing? I won't begin to try to argue that Meyer is a literary heavyweight - but certainly a cut well above pulp fiction. A good writer is not supposed to "stoop" to clichés, right? Yet, it has struck me - although I could be giving Meyer too much credit -- how does one write for and about teenagers, in a setting of back-woods middle America, in an authentic and accessible voice without writing in the vernacular? Teenagers simply don't sound like Shakespeare, or Updike. Like the clothes they wear, they usually talk (and think?) in a way (maddeningly, to some) that reflects the latest in pop culture. Another feature of good writing is creating tension and suspense, and that the characters are well-developed so that the reader can be interested in them and want to know what happens to them and how they confront the inevitable challenges the story inflicts on them. On both of these scores, Meyer is very good. The only character I didn't get a feel for was Emmett, the brawny one (and discovered that a delightful passage revealing his playful side had hit the cutting room floor). I believe that an attachment to the characters is what drove me (even more incredulously) to the sequels. I also wonder whether I was driven by the prurient interest akin to following soap operas (another thing I've never done). Finally, one of my more personal prerequisites for decent fiction (and one that I always stressed when critiquing my mother's manuscripts for her) is that it allows the reader to see and feel the story. On this score, by using a seemingly simple blend of dialogue, body language, and sensory perceptions, I found Meyer to be right on the mark. For my part, I was living the story as I read.I have, by the way, read Harry Potter and other prize winning youth literature to my kids, hoping to stoke their interest in books (and kept reading after putting the lights out). It did nothing for my son; Potter's a fantastic read, but we were perhaps a bit put off by the British vernacular and boarding school thing. For what it's worth, my daughter is now an avid reader, no thanks to Harry Potter. The turning point for her a few years ago was our discovery of the quite silly Melanie Martin series. She realized that books didn't have to be serious but could be humorous and fun. Sure, I'm a chagrined that my daughter hasn't graduated to more classic fare, but I'm confident that will come.Is the series worth the time? I found the time, somehow, in the small margins of my otherwise very busy schedule, and I'm not sorry I did. Rather, I'm mostly mystified, and a little embarrassed at how it hit me like the proverbial truck (run over by Bella's pickup?). Am I simply more of a sucker for a good love story than I ever imagined? (I cry without fail at the end of Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet, but oddly, not when they die, but at the exact moment the Friar realizes what a mess he's made.) Would I have been a shameless addict to soap operas, were I not "over" educated? Like much of reading, in general, the Twilight experience is so very personal. Try it and see.

This is a light romance between a ordinary 16 year old girl who falls for a vampire, who doesn't want to be evil.Twilight starts a PG rated series that's great for all ages. This is the series that started a vampire fascination that still hasn't stopped. It's great for those who have a weak stomach or those who don't like vampires at all. It's laid back and very relaxing for older adults, while still being aimed at teens. If you hate vampires and the paranormal, prepare to be swayed. Meyer opens a whole new world that we'd love to live in. Give this series a try and the next time you go to Walmart, you'll find yourself searching the young adult section. It's slow paced as Meyer paints a beautiful setting, with Bella being a daughter we'd all like to have. With romance, light comedy, and some ending nail biting tension the book is a must read.The negative.It's very slow paced with a lot of detail. Probably too slow for young readers who need a lot of action. I don't think there is any action until page fifty. Meyer might try to write too beautiful. She must use a record number of words to describe copper hair, and golden brown eyes. I had to go by her first description because I didn't understand several of the words she used. There are many editing errors and a couple sections that should have been edited and copied to the paragraph before it. Most of them should be blamed on the editor IMO. The vampires are too powerful and too hard to kill. It seems to take a nuclear blast, or another vampire or paranormal creature.Characters.Edward, the vampire, might be considered too perfect, but he has his flaws. He could be considered a bit of a pervert, but I don't think so. His weirdness actually adds comedy and more to the relationship. He's actually very morally sound. He's dedicated, mature, and very responsible. He's also too pushy. Sometimes I thought he was going to be one of those guys who beats his wife, but later I saw I was wrong. He's just over protective. Almost criminally so.As others have said, the side characters are one dimensional, but still very good. Most books don't show us anything of the side characters. Well most of Meyers do. It might be one thing, but at least it's something. They have very strong voices, and you'll remember every one. Even what they look like. Some new books today don't even describe the main character well. I honestly wish the books were longer to get more of them.Bella... The daughter everyone wants. Reading this story from her view makes you want to be a better person. Yes, she's a great role model for every teenage girl out there. She's very mature, responsible, long suffering, and loving. She does her homework and chores. She tries to always put her parents above herself and she isn't whiny. She's a normal ordinary looking girl with above average intelligence, and no athletic ability. She's also brave. One of the great things of this series, is that a ordinary girl, surrounded by super powers, might end up being the hero.Her flaws. Well falling in love with a vampire. She's a bit insecure, but who wouldn't be with Edward? She also lets him boss her around too much, but she is in love.Some answers to other negative post with SPOILERS.People don't like Bella...Why in the world not? Is she too perfect? I don't think so, she's perfect to me, but falls to temptations other teens do as well. She took cold medicine just to sleep. Just the once, but the attitude is there. In later books she shows a little of a criminal side by debaiting if love should make you overlook murder. She shows she can make mistakes too. I explained my other views above. Some say she whines too much. That's not true. She mentally complains in her head about having to move to Forks. This is very believable. She came from sunny Phoenix, Arizona. When I was a teen, I had a friend move to Tennessee from Florida and he complained all the time. And it doesn't even rain a lot in Tn. Bella didn't even complain out loud! Edward picked the information from her and she admitted she hated it to him. We hear some complaints in her head over the first of the book, but it's not too much. By the end of book one she even likes Forks. Trust me.Bella comes to small town and everyone likes her...This isn't just believable, it's highly likely. It's also not completely true. First Loren hates Bella, and Jessica uses her. I'd say ninety-nine percent of new students get the same attention Bella did. They don't always get negative attention. Espescially a average looking girl. Most guys like all girls anyway. She's a novelty. Espescially transfering in the middle of the year. Plus it's a small town. Bella is also introverted. That will keep the attention up.We don't see what Edward see's in Bella...No we don't see enough. He likes her facial expressions. He's intrigued by her smell, and by the fact she's the only person ever who's mind he can't read. She calls his name in her sleep. She shows that she can be trusted. There is some little stuff, but not enough. Even so, haven't you heard of love at first sight? We don't get much, but we get a little more than that. I've read a lot of teen books and Twilight gives us a lot more in the romantic department. Romance is very hard to write and most authors do the love at first sight.The vampires are shiny...Ok it adds more PGness to the story, but I've read much worse. Some vampires can telaport to other countries, and control human minds. Some can even turn human again. How crazy is all of that? Sparkling seems minor too me, but Twilight got me started on vamps.These vampires aren't killers...The Cullens aren't. Most are. Remember this is a book best for people new to the vampire world, or who couldn't get into the violent ones. This is the book that showed some vampires to be good.Reading this book, I started trying to read the evil vampire books too, but I can't find them. I read The Vampire Lestat, and compared to this, it stinks. Lestat had character, but was also homosexual and wanted his mother. Rice put terrible details, and her story was boring a lot of the time. She had one comedy scene, and she did it wrong to where it wasn't even funny. Rice goes into everything a vampire can possibly do, but in little detail. She dazzles us, but doesn't tell us much of anything. I couldn't find Interview with a Vampire, but heard it was in the same mold. Meyer explains everything slowly and in great detail. She gives us a great idea of how much vampires can see, and how far they can hear.Bella and Edward don't progress...I'm rereading the series now for the tenth plus time, but I think that's right. They progress on some small stuff, like finding Romance, Bella liking Forks now, sex, marriage but not much. We do see huge progression in book four, and a lot of bestselling books don't have progression at all.Twilight won't win awards from the critics, but look at what it's done. Twilight has changed our world. Many adults are now looking in the YA sections when they never considered it before. Vampires are popular again. Meyer has opened the door the other authors with series like Morganville Vampires, Vampire Academy. Just about every new book about vampires is on the shelves because of Twilight. Vampire Academy is my second favorite and in some ways it's better than Twilight, but if it hadn't been for Twilight, I would have never bothered. Some authors are writing a vampire novel just to get interest in their own material. Like VC Andrews.And don't overlook that Twilight is PG rated. That is a miracle. How many authors can write a book anyone from eight to ninety can read and enjoy? It's hard to write a book, and even harder to write one while keeping the violence and romance clean, yet still enjoyable. In book three I wasn't even sure if Bella cut herself or not until I saw the movie! A little blood wouldn't have hurt this books rating anyway.Meyer also keeps this paranormal fiction slightly possible. I don't believe in Vamps, but it's impossible to prove they don't exist. So there is a one percent chance Twilight could really happen. That makes the book easier to loose yourself in. Twilight feels real. Harry Potter on the other hand has time travel, magical everything, and every paranormal creature you can think off. I'm not bashing Harry Potter, I just mean that series would be easier to write and keep everyones attention. The more action, magic, and sex you use, the easier the book is to write. Meyer is outstanding keeping the pages turning without having to throw action or magic at us every few pages.

2.5*Bella’s not like other girls... she reads classics.But in all seriousness this book is bad.Yet... I’m struggling to give this book a rating. There’s no doubt in my mind that if this was the first time that I’d read this book it would be a one star rating.However, it’s not the first time I’ve read this book. Me and this book, we have history.I remember the first time I read this book as clear as day, with my tattered, borrowed copy from my school library. As soon as I met Bella and the Cullen’s I fell in love with a book for the first time. I also related to Bella (please forgive me, I was 10 years old and didn’t know any better) because like her I didn’t fit it; I loved books and the strange and mysterious fascinated me. 10 year old me would have jumped at the chance to become a vampire, and Edward’s “overprotectiveness” was seen as only charming.Now, at 19 (God, has it really been 9 years), Bella’s character is insipid and 2-dimensional. Edward is controlling and toxic - he constantly calls her silly, absurd and ridiculous when she raises genuine concerns - and the only saving grace for this book is the Cullen family. The story is even worse with no compelling plot, and a lot is made to propel the story forward while lacking any sense. For example, when Bella was on the phone to James and Alice was in the room, how was it that with her [Alice’s] superior hearing she couldn’t tell that it was James on the phone rather than Bella’s mother?There are so many things wrong with this, so when I give this book 2.5*, I’m more than aware that this is more than it deserves, but this book holds a grudging place in my heart and I can’t deny the love I once had for this series.

I haven't read Twilight in years, I didn't know how I was going to feel after a reread but gosh I'm as obsessed as ever with this story and the characters Stephenie created.I decided Twilight would be a good place to start for my first audio book. It was a little strange at first and sometimes the narrator irritated me, the pronunciation of ‘Bella’ really got on my nerves but overall it was enjoyable.I enjoyed Edward's wit, that's something I forgot about.Bella's need for Edward can sometimes border on the dramatic line, but in those moments of irritation at her obsessiveness I thought back to my teen years and how my boyfriend was my everything, we can be so dramatic, but love, even puppy love is funny like that.My feelings towards the rest of the characters haven't changed at all. I love and adore Alice, Jasper, Carlisle, Esme, Emmett and Charlie. Renee, Rosalie, Jacob, Mike and Jessica irritate me for various reasons. Billy is just Billy. I like Billy.I don't have a quote, there's just too many.I really enjoyed this. I'm looking forward to listening to New Moon.

I'm reading this after watching the films for like the 3rd time. I wanted to see if the books would clarify Bella's obsession with Edward a little more but this first installment certainly doesn't do that. The chapters are long, a personal pet hate of mine as I hate stopping halfway through a chapter when my lunch break is over or tiredness wins. I was very much Team Jacob with the films and I'm still very much the same at the end of this. Edward is moody, secretive, and manipulative. Perhaps reading this as a 33 year old woman means I have the ability to spot abusive traits in a potential partner that an 18 year old wouldn't pick up on. Either way, I don't find Edward attractive in the least. Perhaps reading on will change my mind.

Believe me, I loved Twilight, but it wouldn't be for everyone.This book follows a teenage girl named Bella (who I'll be getting to later) and her life when she moves to Forks, a small town located in Washington. If you ask me, Forks would be my ideal place to live, so long as the Wi-Fi's strong, but Bella dosen't seem to think so-in fact, she judges the place as a major stepdown from Pheonix, her home-town…Home-city.In school at Forks, whilst having lunch in the cafeteria with some of her new friends, she sees the Cullens-a mysterious family of five adopted children. Each one is, in her opinion, 'astonishingly beautiful', but she seems to take a certain interest in Edward Cullen…and the story progresses from there.I'm gonna start by talking about Bella. She is your average, cynical high-schooler, with a personality that has inspired numerous heroines since the books release.Though I gotta say, I don't like her. She OBSESSES over Edward, snd almost every single moment of her discovery of him is filled with thoughts of just Edward Edward Edward. She even dreams about him. If Bella was real and I knew her, I'd advise her to get a therapist.Now on to Edward himself. If you've watched Fantastic Beasts you'd know how possesive Nifflers are about their gold. Now times that by a million and you've got how Edward is with Bella. He get's physcotic if any other boys approach her, he's obsessed with her SMELL, and he stalks her. At one point he admits to have been watching Bella as she sleeps, and, no lie, Bella is PLEASED about it.He also never stops insulting her about how clumsy she is, and laughs when she injures herself, and, as usual, Bella is powerless to resist as she is 'entranced' by the 'meliodic' sound of his laugh.So, overall, Twilight is a great read, though flawed by the characters. Speaking of which, everyone else is great, especially the rest of the Cullen family. I would recommend this book, but, as per said, it's not for everyone.A solid four stars.Review by Teknik Reviews.

oh my , I kind of enjoyed the movie so I have decided to read the book.the dialogues between Bella and Edward are the most boring ever, page after page the author just repeat the same boring routine...I had to force myself to finish it, I know the story, I won't bother with the next chapters.