Breaking Dawn is the fourth book in The Twilight Saga, written by American author Stephenie Meyer. It was published in 2008. The book has three parts. The first and third parts are told from Bella Swan’s point of view, and the second part is told from Jacob Black’s point of view. The story continues after the events of the previous book, Eclipse. In this book, Bella and Edward Cullen get married, which makes Jacob very sad. Bella faces dangerous situations and chooses to risk her life, even though she could become a vampire and live forever.
Meyer created an outline for the book in 2003. She changed parts of it while writing New Moon and Eclipse, but the main story stayed the same. Little, Brown and Company tried to stop fans from sharing details about the book before it was released. They closed online forums and gave fans a special email address to report leaks or spoilers.
Breaking Dawn was released on August 2, 2008, in over 4,000 bookstores in the United States. It had an initial print run of 3.7 million copies. In the first 24 hours, 1.3 million copies were sold in the U.S. and 20,000 in the United Kingdom. This set a record for the Hachette Book Group USA. The book sold over 6 million copies in 2008 and was the third best-selling novel that year, after Twilight and New Moon.
Unlike the first three books in the series, Breaking Dawn received mixed reviews from critics. It is the most controversial book in the series because it includes more adult themes than earlier books. However, it won the British Book Award for "Children's Book of the Year." The book was translated into 38 languages and sold in over 50 countries. It was also made into a two-part movie. The first movie was released on November 18, 2011, and the second movie was released on November 16, 2012.
Plot summary
After Bella marries Edward, they spend their honeymoon on Isle Esme, a private island near Brazil that Carlisle owns. Two weeks later, Edward and Bella have their first sexual encounter, and Bella becomes pregnant. Because the baby is part-vampire, Bella’s pregnancy progresses very quickly, causing her serious physical and emotional pain. Bella and Edward return home to Forks, Washington.
Jacob, who knows Bella wants to become a vampire, becomes suspicious when she returns from her honeymoon and the Cullens prevent her father, Charlie, from seeing her. Jacob believes the Cullens broke their promise not to bite humans and plans to attack Edward. Jacob visits the Cullens’ home and sees Bella’s poor condition due to her pregnancy. He pleads with Bella to end the pregnancy to save her life, as Carlisle, a doctor, and Alice, who can see the future, are not hopeful about Bella’s chances.
Despite concerns that her pregnancy could kill her, Bella refuses to end it. She believes she can survive long enough to give birth and then become a vampire. The wolves, who can hear thoughts, learn Jacob’s feelings about Bella. Fearing Bella might give birth to a dangerous child, the wolves decide to kill her and the baby. Jacob accepts his role as the true pack leader to break free from Sam’s control. He warns the Cullens about the wolves’ plan. On the way, Seth Clearwater, a younger wolf, joins Jacob. Together, they form their own group and can no longer hear the other wolves’ thoughts. They begin watching the Cullens’ home before Leah, Seth’s older sister and the only female wolf, joins them.
Bella goes into labor, and the baby fights to be born, seriously injuring Bella. To save her life, Edward performs an emergency cesarean section. As Bella dies, Edward injects his venom into her heart. Jacob, thinking Bella is dead, blames her baby, Renesmee. He tries to kill Renesmee but instead imprints on her, an automatic process where a shape-shifter finds their soul mate.
After her painful transformation, Bella wakes up as a vampire. She recovers and enjoys her new life and abilities. Renesmee grows quickly and is seen by Irina, a vampire from the Alaskan coven. Irina mistakes Renesmee for an "immortal child," a human child turned into an uncontrollable vampire. Irina reports this to the Volturi, the most powerful vampire group, who forbid the creation of such children. The Volturi see Renesmee and the Cullens as a threat and plan to destroy them. The Cullens gather other vampire groups worldwide to prove Renesmee is not an immortal child, as requested by Alice. Jacob’s bond with Renesmee creates a lasting alliance between the Cullens and the Quileute wolves, ending their conflict. The Cullen home becomes a training ground for vampires and wolves. Bella learns she is a "shield," meaning vampire powers do not affect her, which is why Edward and Aro cannot read her mind. Bella practices her abilities to protect others.
When the Volturi confront the Cullens and their allies, they learn they were mistaken about Renesmee. The Volturi try to start a battle by killing Irina but fail. They mention the Cullens’ alliance with the wolves and Renesmee’s uncertain future, calling her a threat to vampires’ secrecy. Alice and Jasper return with Nahuel, a 150-year-old vampire-human hybrid like Renesmee, and his aunt, Huilen, who explains that Nahuel’s mother died in childbirth but was turned into a vampire by Nahuel. Nahuel proves hybrids are not a threat, so the Volturi agree to leave the Cullens alone. The Cullens and their allies leave peacefully, knowing the Volturi might return. Alone with Edward, Bella lowers her mental shield, allowing Edward to read her mind for the first time and share her thoughts and feelings for him.
Background
Stephenie Meyer originally wrote a book called Forever Dawn, which was a direct sequel to Twilight. The main story remained the same, but Forever Dawn was told entirely from Bella's perspective. In this version, the werewolves and Jacob were not fully developed, Victoria and Laurent were both alive, and the book included an epilogue. Meyer later mentioned that she might share some extra material from Forever Dawn in the future if she had time to revisit the manuscript, which she said was as long as Breaking Dawn.
The most challenging part of writing Breaking Dawn for Meyer was the half-chapter describing the three months after Bella became a vampire. She spent significantly more time on this section than any other part of the book, even though she preferred writing in detail about each moment. However, she felt this section might not be exciting for readers.
Meyer included the pregnancy in her story during her early research on vampires in 2003. She discovered the legend of the incubus, a demon that can father children. Bella’s determination to protect her child was inspired by Meyer’s own response to a question about whether she would let one of her children die to save her life. Meyer said she would choose to deliver the child no matter the cost. In an interview with Shannon Hale, published in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide, Meyer explained that the birth scene in the published book was less graphic than her original version, as her editor, agent, and publisher asked her to reduce the violence. She described Bella’s pregnancy and childbirth as a way to explore how childbirth was viewed in the past and acknowledged that these events made Bella less relatable to some readers. Meyer admitted that Bella became less relatable after her transformation into a vampire, but she enjoyed writing about her vampiric experiences and wanted to end the book from Bella’s perspective.
Meyer explained that she could not name Renesmee with common names like Jennifer or Ashley. She researched baby name websites but eventually decided to create a unique name for the most special child in the world.
Meyer said that Breaking Dawn was influenced by two plays by William Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She chose for Alice to write a note to Bella on a page from The Merchant of Venice to hint that the final confrontation in the book would be a mental battle, not a physical one, similar to the play’s ending. This also suggested a happy ending for the couples, like in The Merchant of Venice. Originally, Alice was shown tearing a page from Jane Eyre, but Meyer changed this because Jane Eyre had no connection to the story.
The idea of imprinting, which appeared in Forever Dawn, was inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Meyer described imprinting as a magical way to fix problems, which is fantasy, not real life. She introduced this concept earlier, in Eclipse, so she wouldn’t have to explain it later.
Meyer said the cover of Breaking Dawn was very meaningful. She was happy with how it turned out. The cover represents Bella’s journey throughout the series. She began as the weakest piece on a chessboard, the pawn, but ended as the strongest, the queen. The chessboard also suggests that the battle with the Volturi in the book was about strategy and wit, not physical fighting.
The title Breaking Dawn refers to the start of Bella’s life as a newborn vampire. Meyer wanted the title to reflect the book’s tone, which included a sense of disaster. She also chose the title because the story focuses on a new beginning and a new day, even though it brings challenges.
Release
On May 30, 2008, Entertainment Weekly magazine published an excerpt from the book Breaking Dawn. Stephenie Meyer shared a "Quote of the Day" from the book for about three weeks before its official release on August 2, 2008. The first quote was posted on Meyer’s website on July 12, 2008. The first chapter of Breaking Dawn, titled "Engaged," appeared in the special edition of Eclipse. The book was officially released on August 2, 2008, through midnight release parties in more than 4,000 bookstores. These events included costume contests, trivia games, crafts, and face painting.
Godiva, a chocolate company, released a Twilight-themed chocolate bar at Barnes & Noble bookstores during the release parties. A four-city concert series featuring Stephenie Meyer and Blue October’s Justin Furstenfeld took place at the same time as the book’s release. Three of the four concert locations sold out on the day tickets became available, with one city selling out in less than an hour.
Before Breaking Dawn was released, the first three books in the Twilight series had sold 8.5 million copies in the United States and over 2 million copies in the United Kingdom. Breaking Dawn was one of the most highly anticipated books of 2008. The Guardian reported that teenagers worldwide were eagerly waiting for the next book in Stephenie Meyer’s vampire series. To meet demand, Little, Brown Books added 500,000 more copies to the print run, increasing the initial print to 3.7 million.
In its first 24 hours of release, Breaking Dawn sold 1.3 million copies in the United States, 20,000 copies in the United Kingdom, and 100,000 copies in Canada during its first weekend. The book debuted at #1 on USA Today’s top 150 best sellers list and remained on the list for over 58 weeks. It was also the best-selling children’s book of 2008, with more than 6 million copies sold.
A special edition of Breaking Dawn was released on August 4, 2009. This edition included a DVD of the Breaking Dawn Concert Series and an interview with Stephenie Meyer.
Reception
The reception of Breaking Dawn was varied, with some critics and readers praising it and others criticizing it. Lev Grossman wrote that despite many one-star reviews, he loved the book. Cara von Wrangel Kinsey of School Library Journal gave a positive review, calling the book "captivating" and noting that the story's twists and turns still fit the characters. The Charlotte Observer also praised the book as "pretty darned good" but said the story was too long and should have been split into two books. Mary Harris Russell of the Chicago Tribune described it as a "fun read" and noted that Stephenie Meyer continued to write about families and teenagers in a witty way. Time magazine called the book "a wild but satisfying finish to the story of Bella and Edward" and gave it a rating of A−. An article in The Daily News Tribune said some dialogue felt forced, but the story's suspense and emotional depth could still be enjoyable.
Publishers Weekly pointed out that the main issue with the book was that characters often got what they wanted without facing major consequences or changes in their personalities. In an article by The Associated Press, Sara Rose wrote that fans of the series would enjoy the characters and humor, but casual readers might find the story too focused on emotions and not enough on action. The Independent criticized the book as "shockingly, tackily, sick-makingly sexist," saying Bella's character seemed to exist only to serve men. Entertainment Weekly gave the book a D grade, criticizing the childbirth scene and Bella's intense devotion to Edward. The Washington Post said the book hurt the series' reputation and noted that the childbirth scene might discourage some readers.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Stephenie Meyer explained that some fans' negative reactions were due to what she called the "Rob Effect," referring to the time it took for fans to accept Robert Pattinson as Edward in the movie. She said fans needed time to adjust to the ending of Breaking Dawn.
Breaking Dawn won a British Book Award for "Children's Book of the Year." In the 2009 "Children's Choice Book Awards," the novel was named "Teen Choice Book of the Year," and Stephenie Meyer received the "Author of the Year" award.
Film adaptations
In November 2008, Summit Entertainment announced they had acquired the rights to the fourth book in Stephenie Meyer's series, Breaking Dawn. The studio approved making a movie based on The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn in April 2010. The film was divided into two parts. The first part was released on November 18, 2011, and the second part was released on November 16, 2012.
Bill Condon directed both parts. Stephenie Meyer helped produce the film with Karen Rosenfelt and Wyck Godfrey. In July 2010, Summit announced the movie would be filmed in Vancouver, Canada, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Maggie Grace played the character Irina, and Mackenzie Foy played Renesmee, the half-vampire, half-human child of Edward and Bella. A robot was used to portray the infant Renesmee. The movie was filmed at the Canadian Motion Picture Park Studios (CMPP).
The film did not follow the book exactly. Many scenes were created to add tension to the story.