Saturday, May 12, 2012

{Book Review} Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James


Title: Fifty Shades of Grey
Series: Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy
Genre: Adult (18+) Romance, Erotica
Publisher: The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House
May 26, 2011

Blurb:

When literature student Anastasia Steele is drafted to interview the successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, she finds him attractive, enigmatic and intimidating. Convinced their meeting went badly, she tries to put Grey out of her mind - until he happens to turn up at the out-of-town hardware store where she works part-time.

The unworldly, innocent Ana is shocked to realize she wants this man, and when he warns her to keep her distance it only makes her more desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her - but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey's singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success – his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving adoptive family – Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a passionate, physical and daring affair, Ana learns more about her own dark desires, as well as the Christian Grey hidden away from public scrutiny.

Can their relationship transcend physical passion? Will Ana find it in herself to submit to the self-indulgent Master? And if she does, will she still love what she finds?

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

I cannot stress this enough...these books are not written for teens or young adults who might be easily influenced.

Well, after skimming through other reviews of Fifty Shades of Grey on Goodreads, I admit to being a little nervous in writing this review. Quite honestly, outside of a full-on book report, book reviewing is a subjective matter, meaning that what appeals to me, might not appeal to you and vice versa...that being said, I, personally, enjoyed EL James' writing, often finding myself laughing out loud because of humor or the sheer absurdity of any given situation.

When you take time to stop and think, how many of the books you read are, or are destined to be, classic literary works of art? I understand that most of what I read is a type of pop-culture and serves, at best, as a lovely escape and form of immense entertainment. The same thing can be said about movies and television but rarely do these two cause as much heated debate and mud-slinging as books do. I wonder why that is?

So, what can I tell you about Fifty Shades of Grey that you don't already know. Very little, I'd guess. Yes, it was originally written as fan-fic based around the Twilight Series. A very adult piece of fan-fic, I'll give you, but fan-fic all the same. Christian, a control-freak, ego-maniac, falls for Anastasia, a plain looking, clumsy college student. Remind you of another love/hate couple?

Anastasia, quite literally, stumbles into Christian Grey's office on a mission for her school newspaper. Her roommate, the editor, is ill and Ana is forced to interview the illusive and powerful businessman in Kate's place. The first words out of Ana's mouth lead Mr. Grey to believe that Ana is a natural submissive. He stalks her, traces her cell phone, and becomes easily angered when other men come near Ana and this is all before his proposed relationship...if that's even what you could call such an arrangement. He couldn't be more wrong, and much to his surprise, he likes Ana's feistiness and smart mouth. He likes that she challenges him.

Unlike Bella, Anastasia doesn't go leaping into anything head first. She listens to Christian's proposal and does her research before deciding to give his "lifestyle" a chance. It doesn't take either of them long to figure out she's not cut out to be a submissive and could it be that Christian actually wants something other than what he's always had? Ana's realization and walk-of-shame out of his life may be the thing Christian needs to control his inner control-freak. What a conundrum!

Yes, this book is taking over the media. Yes, I gave into the hype and read it. Yes, I saw the similarities between this novel and Twilight. Yes, I am a Twilight fanatic and I'm not ashamed. Yes, I also enjoyed reading E.L. James' writing and Christian's and Ana's relationship. The book picked up pace significantly when the highly acclaimed e-mails began flying back and forth between the couple. I kind of loved that Ana could be so honest with Christian from behind a computer screen. Reminded me a little of myself and, before we judge, aren't we all a little braver when cloaked?

Would I recommend Fifty Shades of Grey to my friends? Only with a strong cautionary warning about the amount of, not only sexual content, but also of the BDSM content. Also, Christian is fervently screwed in the head...I haven't figured it all out yet, but I suspect his childhood sucked the normalness out of him, because while he's drop dead, smoldering sexy, he is also demented.

While I always love comments, and I do, please follow the Golden Rule and do as you would have done to you. I always encourage thoughtful and polite debate...our differences ARE what makes the world a more interesting place, so embrace them and respect them...ALWAYS. (This includes any comments posted to this review on Goodreads. I DON'T DO DRAMA! She says in *Yelly Caps*)

14 comments:

  1. I just finished this one last week and have been trying to figure out how to do my review. I liked the book and like you loved the emails. I really liked your insight into the book, it helps me with it a little more. I knew about the Twilight connection, but some things just didn't click with me because of all the hype around the book. You have shed some light and now I have a new appreciation for the book.

    I already have Fifty Shades Darker on my Kindle and soon as I finish my current book I am definitely going to dive in. The last half of Grey was definitely completed at a much faster speed than the first for me and the last 20% I could not put down. I have heard the next two are even better, so I look forward to them. Great review!

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  2. Crystal,

    Thank you for stopping by to read my humble review of this book. I really enjoyed it also but it's a difficult book to review without going to far. And the Twilight connection is easily missed because of the extreme amount of sexual content. I could see pieces of Edward in Christian and Bella in Anastasia. The setting was also similar as was Ana's family dynamics...similar but different.

    I've began Fifty Shades Darker but think I'm going to set it aside and read something light and YA'ish next. I'm afraid my brain might fry with Christian overload. LOL.

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  3. I am a fan of Twilight and while I see bits and pieces of Edward/Bella.. they really can't be compared too much in my opinion. I really liked her writing although there were a few things that bugged me. I have also read Darker but I haven't read Freed even though I own it. I'm glad you enjoyed it.. I fell head over heels with the story, personally.. so I am in agreement with you!! :) Nice review!

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  4. I agree that Edward/Bella can't really be compared to Christian/Ana. There is a minimal likeness at best. I did see the similarities in the setting and other places, like Christian's adoption, Ana's whimsical mom, location, and so forth; but outside of Edward and Christian sharing a bit of over-zealousness, their characters aren't all that similar. Same with Bella and Ana's clumsiness.

    I'm glad you enjoyed my review. Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. I loved the trilogy. While there are a few personality similarities between the couple, Christian is rich and controlling, Anna is clumsy, innocent, and doesn't want money spent on her, I find the series nothing like Twilight. I really was addicted to the couple. Couldn't put the books down! And of course the sex scenes were hot!

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  6. Great review. Specially now, as you say, that so much drama is going around. Personally, I also enjoyed this book. It wasn't because Christian was drop-dead gorgeous, or because the scenes were hot and steamy... but because he was messed up, and she stood up to him. I think, and I might be wrong (read: just my humble opinion) that, if you take all the sex and BDSM out of Fifty Shades of Grey, you get a very real story about abuse and domestic violence. He got seriously screwed, and even thought he has moved out of his powerless position, he hasn't healed the scars. She walks in, or falls in, or whatever, and he can be kind and generous and sweet... but he doesn't respect her boundaries, as we can see. He pushes for his kind of relationship, because he either doesn't know how to have one or isn't capable of, and (this is the great part) she doesn't give. She agrees to try, but then she stands up for herself and walks away-which is what many abused women should do and very few find the determination to do. That's the reading I gave to the book, and why I enjoyed it so much.

    That's also the reason I haven't read book 2 yet (that, and I don't have that much free time, granted). I want to see how it all evolves, I want to see if Christian manages to heal... And at the same time, I'm not ready. I'm not sure it'd be a good example. I'm not sure it'll happen like that, or the relationship will be back to being unhealthy. I will eventually read it, but later.

    Last but not least... to be completely honest, I didn't see Twilight here. There were things, yeah, but then again... Those were traits shared by more than 80% romance fiction out there right now, so if I hadn't been told that it was a former fanfic, I'd not have guessed! I think that's the only point where I disagree a little on your awesome comments.

    Thanks for sharing, Kristin!

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  7. Ron,

    Until reading your comment, I hadn't thought of Fifty Shades of Grey in the respect you've so perfectly raised. I completely agree with you, it does a perfect job of addressing physical, emotional, and domestic abuse and what these things can do to a person's mind. Christian has found control as a coping mechanism, but instead of doing what many men in his situation would do and turn into abusers themselves, he chooses a lifestyle that allows this behavior under consensual circumstances. I'm not saying this is healthy in any manner, just maybe better than other options.

    I was so proud of Ana for walking away when she did, not only because she'd have been crazy to stay, but also because she realized she was trying to be someone she couldn't be for any man. Not even Christian.

    It's not Christian and Ana that remind me of Twilight, it's more of the setting (Washington/Oregon) and other smaller things. Christian's adopted family, Ana's hair-brained mother, Christian's over-protectiveness - including his need to buy her an expensive "safe" car for graduation, etc. However, the actual plot was so different, many people don't see certain things, and honestly...I wasn't bothered by the similarities in the least. I would just be reading and think...yep, there's a Twilight connection.

    I'm not giving anything big away here, but even in regards to you shedding some light on the abuse aspect (sometimes I can be so obtuse, LOL) I'm pleasantly surprised at the turn Fifty Shades Darker has taken and not let down at all. Again though, like Twilight, I'm thinking Christian should be the protagonist because he's the one maturing and changing so much. Ana's already relatively strong, after walking away, so...

    Anyway, I've went on way to long. Thanks for checking out my review and I'm getting to your book soon, I promise. LOL

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  8. A lot of people didn't see much of Twilight in the books, and I think that is because Ms. James did such an excellent job of developing her own story line, but I've read Twilight so many times, it's etched into my brain, so maybe I just saw them a little easier than other people. But, like I said, it didn't detract from the story in the least for me.

    I'm about half-way through Fifty Shades Darker and loving it so far. Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. I heard a review of this book on Elaine Charles' radio show, The Book Report, (bookreportradio.com) yesterday. That is why I am looking around the web at the reviews. It sounds like an amazing read. It certainly has grabbed some attention.

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  10. I'm glad I helped you discover a new reading (and one you agree with, to boot)!

    And, you know, you're right. Christian should be the main character. Then again, perhaps we'd not be able to see so much change if we were watching the world through his eyes... But yeah. I think I'll now go ahead and hurry working my pile till I get to Darker, because I'm really curious (and feeling more at ease) now.

    Also, I can now see what you meant about the Twilight references. I hadn't even considered the small details-just the characters and plot, and I kept going "uh?" everytime I read the "this reminded me of..." But now, I think it makes sense :)

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  11. Unfortunately I didn't like this book. I totally respect your review and opinion though. I guess my dislike of this book is at least partially my fault. Going into it, I expected romance with a bit of BDSM. But really it was much different than that. The whole contract thing really threw me off and almost seemed like slavery to me. I have no problem with BDSM in the bedroom, but I think it's a bit creepy when it also goes into normal life.. like how the contract says she can only eat specific foods, wear specific clothes, must attend a specific beauty salon, etc. I guess in the book it really was an entire lifestyle rather than just sexual preferences/fantasies.

    My biggest problem with the book was the lack of consent. I mean obviously Ana did agree to give things a try with Christian, but she never actually wanted the *pain* that went along with his deal (the punishments). She always made it very clear that she didn't want to be punished and she wanted that out of the contract and she literally cried and wanted to scream/run away when he spanked/beat her. That's what disgusted me. Maybe it's just that I can't understand the lifestyle. I can't understand why someone would get so much pleasure from watching their girlfriend cry and writhe in pain. It disappointed me that Ana (until the end) was willing to put up with that. It actually did remind me of flat out domestic violence. If your husband beats you, everyone is going to tell you to get away from that man. But Fifty Shades of Grey made it seem like an okay thing to do as long as he said "I want to beat you." I know Ana sort of gave her consent, but IMO it's not an okay thing to do unless both people actually want it. Ana may have said "Go ahead," but she never actually *wanted* it.

    I guess ultimately we will have different opinions, which is perfectly fine. Just thought I might share my thoughts :)

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  12. Ashley,

    You have very well thought out reasons for not liking the book and I completely respect that. The only part of your logic I see any problem with is the fact that Ana DID agree to try Christian's lifestyle. She was completely aware of his "needs" going into things. The fact that she said "go ahead" is completely on her. She had many ways to stop anything he did and plenty of leeway in or out of the contract that she did not utilize.

    I'm not defending Christian, but I don't think ALL the blame can be put on him either. I don't understand that sort of lifestyle at all and could never imagine being part of such a choice but to each their own.

    I'm always interested in hearing everyone's views on books and such. I'm sorry you didn't like Fifty Shades of Grey. Thanks for stopping by and providing such a well thought out opposition to my review! Much appreciated!

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  13. Great review. Specially now, as you say, that so much drama is going around. Personally, I also enjoyed this book. It wasn't because Christian was drop-dead gorgeous, or because the scenes were hot and steamy... but because he was messed up, and she stood up to him. I think, and I might be wrong (read: just my humble opinion) that, if you take all the sex and BDSM out of Fifty Shades of Grey, you get a very real story about abuse and domestic violence. He got seriously screwed, and even thought he has moved out of his powerless position, he hasn't healed the scars. She walks in, or falls in, or whatever, and he can be kind and generous and sweet... but he doesn't respect her boundaries, as we can see. He pushes for his kind of relationship, because he either doesn't know how to have one or isn't capable of, and (this is the great part) she doesn't give. She agrees to try, but then she stands up for herself and walks away-which is what many abused women should do and very few find the determination to do. That's the reading I gave to the book, and why I enjoyed it so much.

    That's also the reason I haven't read book 2 yet (that, and I don't have that much free time, granted). I want to see how it all evolves, I want to see if Christian manages to heal... And at the same time, I'm not ready. I'm not sure it'd be a good example. I'm not sure it'll happen like that, or the relationship will be back to being unhealthy. I will eventually read it, but later.

    Last but not least... to be completely honest, I didn't see Twilight here. There were things, yeah, but then again... Those were traits shared by more than 80% romance fiction out there right now, so if I hadn't been told that it was a former fanfic, I'd not have guessed! I think that's the only point where I disagree a little on your awesome comments.

    Thanks for sharing, Kristin!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I just finished this one last week and have been trying to figure out how to do my review. I liked the book and like you loved the emails. I really liked your insight into the book, it helps me with it a little more. I knew about the Twilight connection, but some things just didn't click with me because of all the hype around the book. You have shed some light and now I have a new appreciation for the book.

    I already have Fifty Shades Darker on my Kindle and soon as I finish my current book I am definitely going to dive in. The last half of Grey was definitely completed at a much faster speed than the first for me and the last 20% I could not put down. I have heard the next two are even better, so I look forward to them. Great review!

    ReplyDelete

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