Review: Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James

The series have gone through 3 books from what seemed to be a long story. Yet in fact, the story only goes within months and then a quick plot skip to the future in the last book, but... 


Title: Fifty Shades of Grey
Author: E. L. James
Publisher: Vintage Books by Random House
Year: 2011
Pages: 514
Language: English
Rate: 3

...the whole long story is started where Ana has to replace her best friend (and roommate), Kate, to interview Seattle's amazingly rich CEO, Christian Grey, for a student magazine. 

Both intimidated and fascinated, Ana leaves Christian's office after a bold interview done with hidden mixed feelings. The next encounter took place only within days, where Christian just finally showed up at a store where Ana works. Later, it becomes the moment that ties up the two to the next path together as he hands her his business card and welcomes the young senior university student to call him anytime. 

The controlling Christian gives ambiguous signals---breaking her heart once, giving her hope and turning into a hero that saves and protects her life. Unfortunately, Ana still finds uneasy to read his fast-changing mood and intentions. Somehow, the drama keeps both of them to give piece by piece of their lives to each other. For surprise, Christian lets out his 'unique' fondness and need of particular sexual pleasure, the fetish BDSM taste, which shocks (and intrigued) inexperienced Ana. 

In attempts to make the special relationship works out, Ana and Christian have to put their mind into the same state, blending their own differently far-apart point-of-views and fighting through the turbulence at the end where the limit is felt 'too hard' to accept. It is to swim down under each other's skin and to manage the missing puzzle in the past in completing the whole bigger picture in the present, however, the couple is almost failing to see what it takes for a relationship.

Despite the controversy the book gains, the so-called 'mommy porn' book has successfully attracted massive (female, mostly) readers to fall into the character of bright-yet-innocent Anastasia Steele and the mysterious charm with distinguished predilection, Christian Grey. Honestly, I found the story is quite simple yet intriguing the further characters development. Most people talk about the book and relate it to Twilight series for resemblances, nevertheless the erotica and feminism twist speak out for huge difference, marking the Fifty Shades author's own fantasy of the original story. Besides, E.L. James has cultivated the psychological dimension enough to put 'another Edward Cullen' on the page. 

Although the idea is still not far from the rich and the poor's love story, Christian and Ana in Fifty Shades of Grey brings up the depiction of sexual fantasy awakening towards freedom and today's sensational love story versus the dry conventional one. It takes more into a telenovela-alike novel that put a relationship progress; a drastic ups and downs on focus, going in a fast lane roller coaster in bipolar mode.

Two of the main protagonist characters lead the center of the story. It is dichotomous between the strong domineering man who's never been in love---and thinks himself as heartless---but oddly enough has sense to protect by default and the girl who never lands her focus of her life for a crush as she has a patent vision of figure she wants herself to be. The psychological and upbringing of the two people vaguely in love has enlightened the readers of the old-fashioned fairy tale back to life, with the new era that meets woman needs and principle on attitude, money and fame and by defying and reshaping man's ego and desire.

The story is simply narrated in the views of the main protagonist, Anastasia Steele, in mild pop language. Readers might find the beginning of the story as funny and weird, or annoying. Some part could turn you on, some part could just turn you off. Ana's narration mostly is too truthfully giving out most girls' mind language. For the first book, Fifty Shades of Grey, the introduction of BDSM predilection has a rough explanation to accept, the NDA idea even sounds overreacting and the drama goes with bias lead of how the story would go.

Out of far deep end, the steamy novel has a easy plot and completely broad describing way. In the last chapter, it has a nice cliffhanging that links to...

...continue to the review of the second book, Fifty Shades Darker, click here*
or
...skip to the review of the third book, Fifty Shades Freed, click here*