Book: Fifty Shades of Grey
Author: E.L. James
Page Numbers: 356 pages
Publication date: May 25th 2011
Synopsis:
When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—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 family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.
Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.
This book is intended for mature audiences.
When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—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 family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.
Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.
This book is intended for mature audiences.
My Review:
Yes! I finally did it!
The book which almost everyone has been raving and wooing about while reading with simultaneous utter shock and delight on their faces. Some reviewers judged this book with a brilliant 5 star rating.. others were completely ridiculed about the story and gave it a rating as low as they can go.
Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion, but when you pick up a copy of Fifty Shades of Grey, 99% of the reader population are already aware of the rumours circulating this book, I feel you should know if you would be the type of person to enjoy this type of book. You're either going to hate it or absolutely love it. Well, I am not ashamed to say that I quite enjoyed reading this book. Of course there are some moments in the book which I felt could've gone better, or even better, could have been left out; but my enthusiasm about the story and where it could possibly be leading to in the next two books of this spicy trilogy, overrules any negative thoughts I may have.
Now let's get started...
Yes, this book contains a lot of sex scenes. Yes, to be precise the type of sex they are practicing is called BDSM (very kinky!). And YES, the E.L. James is not merciful on sparing her most deepest and detailed descriptions of her spicy and provocative scenes! But this book is oh-so-much-more than just about sex.
Primarily, we are introduced to the protagonist and narrator of this book, Anastasia Steele. Anastasia is your typical college student, who does't seem all to secure about herself. She ends up doing an interview with Mr (Christian) Grey on behalf of her friend slash peer college student, regarding his magnificent enterprise. Electricity and sparks surrounds the two, as they find themselves caring a little more about each other, than first presumed. Mr. Grey more on the physical side, while Anastasia more on an emotional level.
The story takes you into a rollercoaster, hasting through colliding emotions from the leading characters, from one formidable sex scene to the other (building up as they go!). Mr. Grey is not your ordinary "hotty". In fact, he is quite the sex addict, his preference going out to BDSM instead of the ordinary 'vanilla sex', as he so calls it.
He lures (yes I'm deciding to use this exact word) Anastasia into his dark world, where the only way in is for her to sign a strict and descriptive contract of the do's and don'ts in their potential and highly physical relationship, where Christian is the ruthless dominant and Anastasia is the meek submissive.
Rules such as strict submissiveness, discipline and punishments are the golden thread of this contract. Not only is this contract an immense shocker for Anastasia, but Christian has a fully equipped room, also known as the Red Room of Pain, where these compulsive and outrageous sexual deeds take place. Clearly, Anastasia is thrown in a dark pit full of conflict and confusion. Her 'inner goddess' who screams she should sign the contract and subdue to submissiveness, and then her heart, which is yelling NO; love is not about expensive toys and sporadic and unemotional sexual acts.
I have to say that these emotional rollercoaster trips normally sets me off track, where I would want to put the book away; but for the first time this actually drew me more into the story and the characters. Anastasia's character is someone I definitely can relate to. She is not super self-conscious, but also not extremely confident to feel worthy of the handsome and extremely wealthy Christian Grey. The decisions she makes, related sexually or emotionally on their relationship, are often forced by the pressure Christian puts on her. Thus, I would not call this the most healthiest relationship.
More and more throughout the book, Anastasia becomes bit by bit more confident about herself and knows what she does and doesn't want in their relationships. Boundaries are pushed, emotions are toyed with, and hearts are bound to be torn little by little. What Anastasia decides to do in the end, is quite shocking and unexpected, and I am in full anticipation to what the next book is going to bring to the table.
