Twilight (Twilight Saga #1)
by Stephenie Meyer
Paperback, 498 pages
Little, Brown and Company
Published September 6, 2006
ISBN: 0316015849
ISBN13: 9780316015844
Rating:
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, Bella'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 Bella, 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.
So, here's what I think of Twilight. Is it the best writing I've ever read in literature? No. What it is is a young adult novel meant to evoke the emotions that we feel when we first fall in love as a teenager. Does it accomplish this? Yes, I think so.
The story is told from the point of view of Bella Swan. By now, most of us know the story: shy girl moves to small town and meets our brooding hero, Edward Cullen. Even though he seems completely uninterested in everything, he saves Bella's life. Bella knows there's something different about Edward, so curiosity gets the best of her. She confronts Edward and Edward is honest with her. He warns her to stay away, but like any girl - when we're told not to do something, we have to do it. Edward and Bella are caught up in a whirlwind romance that's not only completely dreamy, but also completely dangerous.
I absolutely love this book. To be completely honest, it's the reason why I got into reading again. It also got my husband reading. If something is interesting enough to get my husband to read it, then it's pretty impressive in my book! The first book is more about introductions and details, so we don't really get into the conflict or action until the last quarter of the book. Up until that point is just as interesting, as it deals with new love and the discoveries that come with it.
I found the characters to be fleshed out well. Bella is our main character. She's flawed, but most of her decisions are based on helping others out, which is admirable. Edward is a great love interest. He's very gentlemanly, yet he does things that do remind us that he's more than just human - he is a predator. I know people say he's possessive. Well, yes. Not only is he a boy in love, but he is a vampire. Vampires are essentially selfish in nature and territorial of things that they claim as their own. I don't think it's creepy, it's simple part of his human and vampire nature. Our antagonist James is simply perfect. He's like the vampires we're used to hearing about - he's strong, fast, and thinks of humans as food and nothing more.
Like all books, there are the lovers and the haters. I'm a lover, so I can't give this book enough praises. It's a nice young adult book with a paranormal edge to it. If you're looking for a fast read though, you might want to look elsewhere. This book is almost 500 pages and does tend to get very descriptive.
3 comments:
I like this book as well. And I think its not so much about the books, but about the love between Edward and Bella that people look forward too. They want something secure and strong to hold on too.
This got me into reading again as well. Meyer has a great talent at story telling and character development.
Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog
I really liked this book, too.
The writing was not something extraordinary, but it was evocative and emotional and that was enough for me to like it.
Although it was a bit slow and the plot wasn't fast, there was some haunting underlying quality about it that hooked you! :)
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