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 enlarge | Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Category: Book
List Price: $10.99
Buy New: $4.99
You Save: $6.00 (55%)
New (66) Used (56) from $4.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  2065 reviews
Sales Rank: 3
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 544
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
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: New Item Delivery Confirmation Standard 2 Buesines Days Shipping.
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| Customer Reviews:
 PG rated Interview with the Vampire August 18, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Awful. At times it read like fanfiction, most memorably a scene where Edward (super hunky vampire love interest) shows off his powers to Bella (self-insert awkward bookworm protagonist who all the boys at school want). Or the scene where Bella goes to watch the vampire family play baseball and they hit the ball SO HARD and then Edward runs SO FAST to catch it. And Edward drives a really nice car and he drives it SO FAST but he never crashes because he's so smooth.
The book has a passable setup and a passable ending, but there are 300 pages in the middle of intolerably bad "romance". There's a painfully bad scene where Edward and Bella aks one another if they've ever 'done it... you know...'. (Of course he hasn't even though he's 109 years old, he has never wanted to be with any girl before he met Bella).
It's like the author read Interview With A Vampire and thought 'This book would be great if it didnt have all the sex and violence!' I at first blamed the sanitized writing style on the fact that it's aimed at teens, but I can recall reading far less childish material in my youth.
At several points I almost quit reading the book, which is rare for me. I only soldiered on in the vain hope that a heavily alluded to plot twist was going to pay off.
disappointing series August 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have read all 4 books in this series and I would not recommend them to anyone. I am 36 yrs old and this series is for the young adult crowd so maybe I am too old to enjoy it. I found the main character Bella so annoying I had a hard time reading the books. The story took a strange direction in the last book (I thought way too out there for teens). I read the books because I saw a preview for the Twilight movie which I hope is not as bad as the books. I recommend checking them out from your local library before you waste your money. Just a side note- this is the only time I have ever written a review about books or anything, that is how bad I thought the books were.
 Just bite her already: a guide to older men for luring helpless girls August 17, 2008
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
Twilight outlined for me two different meanings of the word Fantasy. Being a fan of JK Rowling, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Susanna Clarke, et al, I bought the book expecting "imaginative fiction featuring especially strange settings and grotesque characters." I'm sorry but Forks, or the description of Forks does not necessarily transport me to another world. And as for Edward and his family, how many ways can you say they were perfect? Seraphic, Adonis-like, a Greek God, a model, chiseled chest, good at everything, etc.
But I can see how it would be popular. It does cater to another meaning of the word Fantasy. As in, "the power or process of creating especially unrealistic or improbable mental images in response to psychological need ; also : a mental image or a series of mental images (as a daydream) so created ." This is the fantasy of an unremarkable girl from the big city who moves to a small town where she is suddenly every boy's dream. And surprise, surprise, the most mysterious and good-looking of all falls for her, too! Every time the klutz and the coolest boy in high school walk together EVERYONE stares at them. And, oh joy, she is even welcomed into his family, the coolest, most exclusive club in all of Forks.
I took out 1.5 stars out of five because in half of the book Bella and Edward did nothing but talk talk talk. The other 1.5 I took out because I was horrified at what kind of relationship this book was promoting.
"I'm the world's best predator, aren't I? Everything about me invites you in -- my voice, my face, even my smell... As if you could outrun me."
- Bella, who has never dated before, is going out with a much much older man.
- On the first date, she felt compelled to lie to her father and friends about where she was.
- Bella is constantly being saved by Edward. In the book's high point, it is Edward that puts Bella in danger and then has to save her.
- We are never clearly told what Bella brings into the relationship. Only that he can't read her mind, that she smells floral and that her clumsiness is somehow endearing. It seems to me Edward started dating in the wrong era.
- Bella is being constantly reminded that she could get killed. So of course this attracts her even more. Oh, you do know how to play the "I'm not good enough for you" card, Edward.
So a clearly older, dangerous man is attracted to a helpless, hapless teenager who seems to have no hobbies nor interests of her own, has almost no parental supervision and has no deep friendships (neither in Phoenix nor in Forks). Oh, and he spies on her while she sleeps and can also deliver her truck to her no matter where she lost her keys.
This book may as well be titled, "How to find a willing victim: the sexual predator's guide to hunting."
I leave two stars because I am always in awe of authors anyway. Stephenie Meyer has done a good job in getting people to read. And, if she really wanted to, she could write a compelling piece. My reading kicked into high gear when Bella was being hunted by some wild vampires. She was still insipid as ever, being carried everywhere, but the family/pack seemed to get a bit more exciting in trying to protect her.
Also, wow, that's a really good cover.
 Still completely compelling August 17, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I was apprehensive after reading the negative reviews. I'll agree that Meyer spends a lot of time telling us how perfect Edward is over and over again...but I honestly didn't notice until I was 300 pages in. Then I went...oh yeah..that does kind of get old. With that said, the intensity and the passion completely had me hooked. Oh...and I'm 37 ;) I read the book in two days (only because work interrupted me). I would have read it straight through otherwise. Huge Anne Rice fan so I wasn't sure how I'd take to this but it is a love story first and foremost. Magical chemistry is a severe understatement. I cannot wait for the movie. Oh..and going to buy the rest of the saga now.
 a vampire love story August 17, 2008
"Twilight" is basically a vampire themed love story - kind of like Romeo and Juliet with fangs. :) While the book is directed towards young adult readers, it's definitely worth reading for all ages. The story boils down to a romance between a young girl and a boy who turns out to be a vampire. While the backdrop of the story is fictional, it does deal with themes relevant to any teenager: love, family, friends, relationships, and high school, with all of its concerns. The story takes place in a small town in the North West and in Arizona (Phoenix???). "Twilight" starts off with the main character of the story (Bella) moving from Arizona to a small town where her father lives. While at her new school, she comes in contact with Edward, the boy with whom she falls in love. Without giving away too many details, the story revolves around their complex relationship that stems from the fact that he is a vampire. In a way, it's a story about forbidden love.
I love vampire stories, and naturally, I couldn't help but compare the novel to others in the genre. Unlike Anne Rice and Poppy Z. Brite, "Twilight" is completely devoid of questionable acts of sexuality (don't get me wrong... I love most of Anne Rice's work and some of Poppy Z. Brit's stuff). "Twilight" does lack the depth of other vampire novels, like those written by Anne Rice. There is no "wheels- within-wheels" plot, and you aren't pulled into some lush and lavishly created place in the past. It's simply a modern story in a small town that could be anywhere. There is no real "excitement" until the end of the story, and then it's nearly impossible to put the book down. The ending is really great.
I would recommend this book to people that like vampire stories, and would like something without so much overt and over-the-top sexuality. The ending of the book more than makes up for the lack of much excitement in the earlier parts, which are filled with the day to day problems of a young high school girl. I, myself, can't wait to read more novels in the series, and I look forward to seeing the movie adaptation this year.
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