I actually read this book a couple of years ago when the hype was all over the place. I had an idea of what the book was about and decided to read it mostly out of curiosity due to all the media hype rather than true interest. Either way - I read it. Ever since the movie was released, I really went back and forth on whether or not to write a review on this book. I have some pretty strong opinions regarding this entire thing but didn't know if THIS blog was really the right outlet.
In the end, I decided that I would review the book as a book and attempt to leave (most) of my own humble opinions out of it.
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past couple of years, I probably don't need to go into great detail about the plot line of this book. Plain Jane meets dashing millionaire. Millionaire has some dark, deep rooted issues to sort out. Jane falls in love and thinks she can fix said millionaire. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
OK, in all seriousness though - here you go. Fifty Shades of Grey is the first of 3 (yes, there are 3) books that tell the story of Anastasia Steele and her relationship with business mogul, Christian Grey. Ana first meets Christian while standing in for her friend who was supposed to interview him for an article. Due to the instant attraction and Christian's intimidating confidence, Ana stumbles through the interview and thinks she will never hear from him ever again.
SPOILER ALERT - Christian finds Ana's awkwardness completely endearing and ends up pursuing her. On their date, Christian mentions that Ana will need to sign a non-disclosure agreement which prevents Ana from discussing anything they do together with anyone. She agrees to sign it. Eventually, Christian takes her to his playroom which is full of BDSM gear. There is yet more paperwork to sign and it is at this point that Christian informs Ana that their relationship will be strictly a sexual one - no romance.
Ana does not agree to sign this contract right away which results in a somewhat flirtatious, yet confusing exchange of emails between her and Christian. When Ana finally meets with Christian in person about the contract, she becomes too overwhelmed and runs away. She does not see him again until her college graduation. Ana has had a change of heart by this time and agrees to sign the contract. The story continues with a confusing tug between the agreed upon sexually dominant relationship and Christian's lavish gifts and meals with his parents. Eventually, Ana asks Christian to push the limits and show her how extreme this contractual relationship could be. He agrees. Ana then decides this relationship won't work. Cue exit.
I'm not even going to sugar coat this - beyond the obvious psychological issues that both main characters have to deal with, the mental/emotional manipulations and physical abuse undertones that this entire plot brings to light - this book is terrible. It comes across as having been written by a hormonal teenager who really doesn't have the best grasp of the English language. I understand that this books is fiction, but to me, neither the plot nor the characters seem to have any realistic qualities and this is concerning. Some people may read this story and believe that it describes love and romance when it couldn't be farther from the truth. THIS IS FICTION, PEOPLE. Everything fits entirely too perfectly together - the characters are too perfect (even in their flaws) and the entire setting is too perfect.
I finished the book - I always finish every book no matter how terrible it is. I will say this though - I did not read the next 2. I couldn't even bring myself to do it. So, if you are reading this post and think there are some redeeming qualities in the next 2 books that might make me change my mind, I'm all ears. Or eyes. This is a computer after all.
Rating: Terrible 1 out of 10
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