Book Review: Fifty Shades of Grey

Sexy, entertaining, guilty pleasure are all words that come to mind when trying to describe Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. I heard about the series from a co-worker who described the trilogy as written porn. I'm not really into cheesy love novels, so I originally dismissed the idea of reading it until I heard that not one, but several of my co-workers were reading it and were all hooked. I think I realized what I was getting myself into when I

went to buy the novel from Amazon and found that I could only get it for my e-reader.

For the first half of Fifty Shades of Grey I wasn't convinced I liked it. Although the main character, Ana, is close to my age, I found her to be mousy and annoying. It wasn't until her and Christian started sexing things up that I started getting into it. It's an easy read that you can get through quickly (though, chances are you'll want to savor each chapter), but I respect the author's somewhat expansive vocabulary, making me have to look up a few words.

I think only an hour had gone by after I finished the first novel that I couldn't hold out any longer and downloaded the second, Fifty Shades Darker. It was then that I became thankful I could only get electronic copies of the books, preventing others from knowing what I was reading. Reading Fifty Shades of Grey in public made me feel a little giggly guilty. The books get pretty descriptive and sexy, so I would glance nervously around while reading in public and try to shield my e-reader protectively to prevent anyone from seeing any inappropriate passages.

I suppose inappropriate is not the correct word. Although Christian and Ana's sex life is not quite the norm with the “red room of pain” containing all sexual toys, their love and the ultimate act

is what many people's relationships are like (or at least what they wish it was like) behind closed doors. E L James' trilogy is so risque and is causing such a buzz because she brings fetishes and “kinky fuckery,” as it's c

alled in the book, to the spotlight in written words. I applaud James actually for taking the risk and turning very private, intimate sexual boundaries into a guilty reading pleasure on every woman's 'must read' list.

It seems like everyone is talking about Fifty Shades of Grey. Glamour says “it’s not just a page-turner, it’s setting fires to some marital beds and women everywhere are saying it's helped revitalize their relationships.” Wowzers. Well, okay, I do admit that there were a few times I'd grin up shyly at my boyfriend while reading the Fifty Shades of Grey books next to him. I even welcomed him to read a few pages to get some ideas. What's more though is James' ability to keep the story moving. She gets the reader's attention in book one and–what's hard to do but somehow she does it–she's able to make Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed equally as entertaining. I did not get bored with the story because there was constantly another piece of drama unfolding and continuing character development. What's interesting with the character development of Christian is that even though he is overly possessive, protective, domineering, and a control freak, James is able to turn his actions and sad childhood to make the way he behaves into a hot coping mechanism that–dare I say it–is almost appealing. At the same time, the non-stop drama and the odds of a twenty-something billionaire falling in love with an un-established, arguably unremarkable college graduate are very very very slim and unrealistic. It's fun to get wrapped up in Christian and Ana's fantasy life, but unfortunately, their fun, possessive romance cannot be (entirely) mirrored.

I really enjoyed the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. I became so hooked that I tried reading during any spare moment, however brief, even if I only had time to read two pages. I greedily took in Fifty Shades of Grey just as Ana did…okay, inappropriate. Anyway, ladies, I definitely recommend reading at least the first book. I was thoroughly entertained, and hey, you never know, these books might just spice up your sex life like it has for so many others who've read them