Twilight (novel)

Twilight is a young adult vampire/romance novel written by author Stephenie Meyer. It

was originally published in hardcover in 2005. It is the first book of the Twilight series,
and introduces seventeen-year-old Isabella "Bella" Swan who moves from Phoenix,
Arizona, to Forks, Washington, and finds her life in danger when she falls in love with a
vampire, Edward Cullen. The novel is followed by New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking
Dawn.

Plot summary

Isabella "Bella" Swan moves from sunny Phoenix, Arizona, to rainy Forks, Washington,
to live with her father, Charlie. She chooses to do this so that her mother, Renée, can
travel with her new husband, Phil Dwyer, who is a minor league baseball player. In
Phoenix she was a bit of an outcast, so it surprises her that she attracts much attention at
her new school, and is quickly befriended by several students. Much to her dismay,
several boys in the school compete for shy Bella's attention.

When Bella sits next to Edward Cullen in class on her first day of school, Edward seems
utterly repulsed by her. He even attempts to change his schedule to avoid her, leaving
Bella completely puzzled about his attitude towards her. After tricking a family friend,
Jacob Black, into telling her the local tribal legends, Bella concludes that Edward and his
family are vampires. Although she was inexplicably attracted to him even when she
thought Edward drank human blood, she is much relieved to learn that the Cullens choose
to abstain from drinking human blood, and drink animal blood instead. Edward reveals
that he initially avoided Bella because the scent of her blood was so desirable. Over time,
Edward and Bella fall in love.

The seemingly perfect state of their relationship is thrown into chaos when another
vampire coven sweeps into Forks, and James, a tracker vampire, decides that he wants to
hunt Bella for sport. The Cullens plan to distract the tracker by splitting up Bella and
Edward, and Bella is sent to hide in a hotel in Phoenix. Bella then gets a phone call from
James in which he says that he has her mother, and Bella must give herself up to James at
her old dance studio, to save her. She does so, and while at the dance studio, James
attacks her. Edward, along with the rest of the Cullen family, rescue Bella before James
can kill her. Once they realize that James has bitten Bella's hand, Edward sucks the
venom out of her system before it can spread and change her into a vampire. Upon
returning to Forks, Bella and Edward attend their prom and Bella expresses her desire to
become a vampire, which Edward refuses to let happen.

Cover

Stephenie Meyer has stated that the apple on the cover represents the forbidden fruit from
the book of Genesis. It symbolizes Bella and Edward's love, which is forbidden, similar
to the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as is implied by the quote from
Genesis 2:17 that is quoted in the beginning of the book. It also represents the choice that
Bella has, of partaking of the "forbidden fruit", Edward, or choosing to not see him.[3]

Awards and nominations

Twilight gained recognition and won numerous honors, including:

* A New York Times Editor's Choice

* A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
* An American Library Association "Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults" and "Top
Ten Books for Reluctant Readers"
* Translation into 20 languages [4]
* A New York Times Best Seller[5]

Critical reception

The critical reception for Twilight has been mixed. Booklist wrote, "There are some
flaws here–a plot that could have been tightened, an over reliance on adjectives and
adverbs to bolster dialogue–but this dark romance seeps into the soul."[6] Kirkus wrote:
"[Twilight] is far from perfect: Edward's portrayal as monstrous tragic hero is overly
Byronic, and Bella's appeal is based on magic rather than character. Nonetheless, the
portrayal of dangerous lovers hits the spot; fans of dark romance will find it hard to
resist."[7] Publishers Weekly's starred review described Bella's "infatuation with outsider
Edward", their risky relationship, and "Edward's inner struggle" as a metaphor for sexual
frustration accompanying adolescence.[8] Hillias J. Martin of School Library Journal
praised the novel, saying, "Realistic, subtle, succinct, and easy to follow, Twilight will
have readers dying to sink their teeth into it."[9]

Film adaptation

Main article: Twilight (2008 film)

Twilight has been adapted into a film by Summit Entertainment. The film was directed
by Catherine Hardwicke and stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson as protagonists
Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen, respectively. The screenplay was adapted by Melissa
Rosenberg. The movie was released in the United States on November 21, 2008.[10]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_(novel)