MORE THAN 100 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE.
When literature student Anastasia Steele interviews successful entrepreneur Christian Grey, she finds him very attractive and deeply intimidating. Convinced that their meeting went badly, she tries to put him out of her mind - until he turns up at the store where she works part-time, and invites her out.
Unworldly and innocent, Ana is shocked to find she wants this man. And, when he warns her to keep her distance, it only makes her want him more.
As they embark on a passionate love affair, Ana discovers more about her own desires, as well as the dark secrets Christian keeps hidden away from public view ...
Motion Picture Artwork (c) 2014 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
- ISBN10 1612130283
- ISBN13 9781612130286
- Publish Date 1 June 2011 (first published 1 January 2011)
- Publish Status Active
- Imprint Writer's Coffee Shop
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 372
- Language English
Reviews
Written on Jul 1, 2014
Berls
Written on Mar 24, 2013
I have really mixed feelings about Fifty Shades. I had heard it was fan-fiction for the Twilight series, so while there were several bits that felt familiar (especially the basic characterization of many central characters: Ana/Bella, Christian/Edward, and José/Jacob, Grey family/ Cullen family, Ana's parents/Bella's parents ), I was pleasantly surprised that the plot diverged so substantially. For some reason (maybe because it's Twilight fan fiction) I also had thought the book had a similar supernatural element to it, so I was slightly disappointed to discover it did not.
That was a minor, short-lived disappointment though, which was unfortunately surpassed by other disappointments. I think all the hype surrounding this book did it a disservice, because I was expecting something really great and exciting. For me a good book often centers on the character development; I need characters that I both love and believe in. I never fell in love with Ana or Christian, and on many fronts they remained all too fictional, because they just weren't 3 dimensional or believable enough.
Enough of the bad, though! I may not have loved the characters, but they were still fun to read and their sexual escapades never failed to entertain (even if sometimes they were more laughable than erotic). And Christian is a hopelessly damaged man with potential to grow into a character that I could really care about. If you're looking for a fun and at times steamy read, this is the book for you. If you're looking for a masterpiece, with complex characters and incredible plots, move on. If you do read it (and enjoy it) make sure you have the next book ready, because the book ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger!
KitsuneBae
Written on Jan 1, 2013
I don't know if you agree with me but reading books like these made me more aware of the importance of understanding sexuality and well, you know killing the curious cat in me which I think helped in preventing me from trying the real thing at a young age.
Anyway, I'm really bringing you to a different course. So here's my review for Fifty Shades of Grey.
Fifty Shades of Grey was introduced to me by an office friend and during that time, I wasn't really looking for something to read other than what has been on my to-read-books list. To tell you the truth, I am at the phase of my life now where I'm already contented about what I've learned about human sexuality from the books so I'm directing my efforts in reading dystopian, sci-fi and fantasy-adventure novels. I only managed to read FSG because curiosity got the best of my office friend and she actually shelled out the money to buy the book. And after she was finished, she lent it to me so I can read and totally relate with her views about FSG. So one night, after my shelves ran out of books to read, I finally found myself reading FSG.
To be honest, I was not quite impressed with how the book turned out. I cannot bring myself to relate to Christian or to Anastasia. It saddens me that the book which had so much potential failed to arouse in me that kind of passion experienced by Anna. I give this book 2.5 stars.
Plot
The OC in me tells that FSG's plot is dull and poorly written like E.L. James was just in a hurry to make some scenes where she can insert the sexual intimacies of Anna and Christian. I think the book was just highly publicized and it actually projected an image that it's really good. Honestly speaking, some of the romance short stories that I've read which have almost the same subject matter are far better than this one. What I only admire in FSG is that E.L. James is really detailed with movements that you can vividly picture what has been going on with Anna and Christian. And of course, I also admired how E.L. James described the methods and the sexual gadgets that were used. Although I have to say that some of the scenes really disgusted me that I almost puke.
Another reason that I don't like about the book much is that I'm hardly convinced of what kind of lesson it's trying to convey to the readers. I don't want to put spoilers here so you better read and judge the book.
Characters
I don't know about you but I'm quite sure with myself that there's no character that I liked in this book. Anna's character is as empty as my gaping mouth as of this moment. Why do I have this feeling that E.L. James only created the girl so that Christian can have someone to practice his BDSM tactics? And Christian, he's just a sex starved maniac who has no redeeming qualities at all. Of course, he's handsome, he's rich, gallant and all that but I could never consider him as my hero no matter how "good" he is in bed. Some of his sexual moves left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Interactions and Dialogues
Perhaps, with the previous paragraphs that I've written, you already have an idea as to what I'm going to write here. E.L. James did not really strive hard to make the interactions and dialogues of the characters a reason to fall in love with. I am not impressed with how the characters interact with each other. I do not even find Anna or Christian's dialogue to be witty and charismatic.
Overall Impression
I am greatly dissatisfied with the book which is maybe one of the reasons why it took me so long to make a review even though I've finished reading it 3 months ago. I am only making a review because I want to share to you that even if I do not like the book, it doesn't mean that I'm condemning the readers for reading it. ( Again, there's nothing wrong with exploring and understanding your sexuality. And it would never be wrong if you find the courage to read the book and decide that you like it, that it made you understand one part of yourself a lot better.) And of course, to vent out my frustrations with FSG. I was actually expecting so much from it and I thought that I'd fall head over heels in love with Christian and cry with Anna but at the last page, I ended up not liking it. And I was left in the middle of something where I questioned myself, why did I waste my time reading it? Why did I have to spend my time with Anna who's will is weaker than her own knees? Why did I have to spend my time listening to a shallow bully like Christian who only knows how to f**k hard?
I'm not sure if I'm going to read the next two books. But because I'm an OC bookworm and would like to put closure to what I've started, I might just read them but that would really take a loooooong time. I already have the two sequels on my e-reader but I'm sure that they'll be collecting dust when I pick them up.
Before I end this review, I'd like to say again that if you want to read Fifty Shades of Grey, go ahead and do not let this review influence your decision. It is always good if you read it and share your insights here. I always love a healthy discussion. :D
Thanks for visiting Thoughts and Pens.
elysium
Written on Dec 19, 2012
I had to return this to the library and it gave me the perfect excuse to stop reading.
Mercy
Written on Nov 14, 2012
Jyc
Written on Nov 1, 2012
shannonmiz
Written on Jul 29, 2012
clementine
Written on Jun 28, 2012
Now, let me get this out of the way: I knew it was going to bad, but I thought I'd give it a chance. Its origins are Twilight fanfiction, but there's good fanfiction out there! So I thought, you know, I won't discount it just because it's Twilight fanfic.
First - it was more plot-based than I was expecting. Now, the plot was nothing special, but it actually did have some structure to it. So... I guess I was mildly pleasantly surprised there? There was, like, character development and stuff. I mean, kind of - it's not like Ana and Christian are particularly deep (and all the "I'm fucked up because of my crack whore mother" stuff was just so cliché and awful), but she tried, I guess? There's a lot of inner turmoil, at least.
So, the writing was really bad, obviously. Abuse of ellipses, overuse of certain phrases (what? this is Twilight fanfic, you say? COULDN'T BE), and all the weird overused euphemisms. It was really easy to read and get through quickly, though - I mean, most people probably aren't reading this type of book for wonderful prose anyway, so although the writing is undeniably shitty I guess it's not actually that much of an issue.
The characters were barely tolerable. I know Christian's whole thing is the control freak persona, and I tried to be open-minded to it, but I just DON'T LIKE IT. I do. not. like. it. And I don't want Ana to like it, because it creeps me out. Ana is also really annoying, because she's so naive and innocent that it's just revolting. I mean, yeah, I get that it's part of her character, but it was just so unbelievable. Also, this wasn't a huge part of the plot, but what middle-class university graduate in 2011 doesn't have access to a computer? NO. I'm sorry. NO. I thought that the subconscious and inner goddess thing was a good idea in theory (showing her conflicting emotions, etc), but it was really irritating in practice and I wanted to punch her because it just seemed weird and mildly delusional. I liked Kate, though. She knows what's up.
One last thing: Ana had such a preoccupation with Christian's "long fingers". She mentioned it like 7 or 8 times! I thought they must have some significance because she just kept bringing it up, but NOPE, it's just a fixation she had.
I don't know, the whole thing just gave me secondhand embarrassment because it's so obvious that it's fanfiction/a middle-aged woman's fantasy, from the structure of the writing to the lavish lifestyles to the unbelievable characters. I just felt EMBARRASSED for EL James when I was reading it! I'm giving it two stars because I have to admit that it kept me entertained (and I'm totally downloading the other two as soon as I finish this review), but man was it bad. I have more extensive notes that I took while I read it and I have to decide what to do with them. They're really just a list of about 50 or so comments corresponding with different sentences/passages that I thought were awful. We'll see.
ellieroth
Written on Jun 14, 2012
Ashley
Written on May 20, 2012
“Why don’t you like to be touched?”
“Because I’m fifty shades of fucked up, Anastasia.
Ladies and gentlemen, that’s what this book should have been titled: Fifty Shades of Fucked Up.
I literally feel like I could have written an entire novel of my feelings about this book. I tried my best to cut things back to just the core opinions in this review, but I apologize to my boyfriend who spent one brutal evening getting an earful from me about how fucked up this book is.
When I bought this book, I thought it was a romance novel with a bit of dabbling into BDSM. After starting it, I realized that in reality it’s a book about BDSM, consensual slavery, abuse, and pathetic hopes of a romance that ultimately isn’t there.
When the book starts out, Anastasia is an innocent, insecure, virgin college student who has never been that into guys. She’s only been kissed twice and has never had a real boyfriend. But romance and love are things she sometimes daydreams about. Then she meets Christian. He’s handsome and mysterious, and for the first time, Ana feels sexual attraction.
The problem is that Ana looks at Christian and wants romantic relationship. She wants to “make love,” go on dates, go see movies, and fall in love. Christian isn’t into that and he makes it clear from the get go that he “[doesn't] make love. [He] fuck[s]… Hard.” He’s not a “flowers and romance” kind of guy.
Despite that, Ana clings onto the possibility that one day a real, romantic relationship might be possible. She fears that if she doesn’t do what Christian wants (by basically becoming his sex slave), she’ll lose him and be alone forever. So despite her reluctance, she consents to becoming his sex slave, or his “submissive” as he calls it.
Christian draws up a contract for her that literally says stuff like this is for his pleasure, she must do whatever he wants — sexual or otherwise, she has to exercise 4 times a week, she must eat 3 meals a day (absolutely NO snacking in-between) and only from a list of pre-approved foods, she must always be shaven and waxed and attend a beauty salon of his choosing, etc. And then Christian has the right to punish her in any way he sees fit, should she misbehave or do anything he doesn’t like. He is not required to provide a reason.
Remember, Ana is completely inexperienced when it comes to sex.
So she signs away her free will (note: she doesn’t actually sign the contract, but she ends up doing basically everything that’s in the contract). She’s relatively open to playing with sex boys, being tied up, and she tries to obey his commands. But from the very beginning, she doesn’t like the idea of being punished — of being subjected to pain. But she decides to put up with it anyway (through her tears and cries of pain), because she’s still clinging onto the possibility that she’ll walk away with a ‘real’ or ‘normal’ relationship.
I’ll let this quote speak for itself:
And he hits me again and again. From somewhere deep inside, I want to beg him to stop. But I don’t. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction. He continues the unrelenting rhythm. I cry out six more times. Eighteen slaps in total.
[...]
I can’t say that I enjoyed the experience. In fact, I would still go a long way to avoid it.
This is her punishment for jokingly rolling her eyes at one of his comments.
To sum it up, I’m completely and utterly disgusted with this book. I have no problem with BDSM in general, but I don’t view Ana’s consent as “true” consent. I see her as an insecure and emotionally unstable girl who’s clinging onto any shred of a relationship. Ana is a woman who has never been exposed to the world of sex, and suddenly her inexperience and innocence is being abused. Her insecurities make her afraid of being left alone, afraid of being abandoned by Christian, and afraid of never having a real relationship. So she clings onto this abusive slavery contract in hope that it will become something more.
Even her flatmate Katie sees how damaging Christian is. She notes that Ana (who normally never cries) is constantly brought to tears by Christian’s behaviour. Katie doesn’t know the full extent of what’s going on, but she knows that Christian is creepy and that he is having a negative affect on Ana.
Side note: Ana constantly refers to her “inner goddess,” who I assume is basically her sexual side. But honestly, the constant remarks about her “inner goddess nodding in approval” or her “inner goddess spinning like a world-class ballerina” are just retarded. What the heck does that mean? Does she have some sort of multiple personality disorder that we weren’t made aware of? I’m just going to quote the awesome review by Novel Sounds to express how I feel about this:
“I do not know what exactly an inner goddess is but [Ana] WILL NOT SHUT THE FUCK UP about hers.”
I think this book sends a horrible message to the reader. It’s basically saying that it’s fine to tolerate horrible pain that makes you cry and want to run away and hide, because one day you might get a real relationship out of it. And on the plus side, the guy will occasionally reward you by cuddling you and will buy you expensive gifts.
These comments barely even scratch the surface of what I have to say about this book. At the end of the day, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. My mom showed an interest in reading it and while I’ll eventually leave the decision up to her, I’m making sure she knows my full thoughts before diving into it. I’m seriously horrified that people are praising and loving this book.
I personally was more interested in hearing about Katie (Ana’s flatmate) and Elliot’s (Christian’s brother) relationship, which seemed to be both loving and sexual.
And on that note, I’ll leave you with one final quote that really sums up what this book is about:
“How did you feel while I was hitting you and after?”
“I didn’t like it. I’d rather you didn’t do it again.”
“You weren’t meant to like it.”
“Are you going to hit me again?”
“No, not tonight.”
“Why do you like it?”
“I like the control it gives me, Anastasia. I want you to behave in a particular way, and if you don’t, I shall punish you, and you will learn to behave the way I desire. I enjoy punishing you. I’ve wanted to spank you since you asked me if I was gay.”