Book ~ "Fifty Shades of Grey" (2011) E.L. James

From Goodreads ~ 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.

I read this book because I wanted to see what the big deal is.  I know people who have read the three books in the series two and three times, back-to-back-to-back.

The story is quite graphic in its descriptions of BDSM activity.  I quickly became immune to it.  Sometimes there was too much information, though (like with the tampon).  The language and activity is extremely mature.

When we first meet Ana, she is a very young and inexperienced 21-year-old, forever blushing.  By the end of this book, she has matured a bit.  I never did like her, though.   She whispered quite often when having a conversation.  Why??!!  I just read a review that she actually whispers about 200 times!  She's forever biting her lip ... about 35 times I discovered (it seemed like more!).  And she says "jeez" about 81 times!!  I wasn't expecting much from the writing style but I found it very immature, especially considering the content of the book.

Christian is a 26-year-old gazillionaire, handsome, has a pilot's license (along with his own plane, of course), plays classical piano and, besides having the need to be a Dom, has a weird fetish about being touched (he doesn't like it).  Oh, and he has a weird obsession with not wasting food.  This rich powerful guy often says, "Laters, baby" to Ana ... really?!  He was introduced to the world of BDSM when he was 15 by a friend of his mom's ... ewwwww!  In the beginning, I didn't like him because he came across as arrogant and controlling.  By the end, I didn't mind him, though ... he's honest, caring and trying to give Ana what she wants (which is love).

Everything in this book happens over a four week period.

Though I didn't enjoy this book, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (I give it 1/5).  I must say that I was happy when I was finally finished it.  I won't be rushing to read the next two in the series.

Have you read it?  What did you think?

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Here is a funny clean spoof of this book with Selena Gomez ...



This one is funny too but Gilbert is reading directly from the book so the language is mature.



And finally, here is a funny spoof with a Canadian twist, Fifty Shades of Eh.