Fifty Shades of Grey [Book Review]

My E-Book in Books HD Windows 8 app.

What could make a book the fastest selling paperback of all time as well as NY Times E-book fiction best seller for sales on Amazon’s best seller list? Emerged from a “Twilight saga fan fiction”, Erika Leonard also known now as E.L James swept the world especially women with this erotica novel sprouted as “Master of the Universe” in fanfiction.net with unique, overwhelming but widely accepted erotica about a domineering sadistic billionaire with dark issues in the past and an inexperienced and demure coed bonded by their attempted BDSM (Bondage/ Discipline, Dominance/Submission) relationship. The book is a combination of romance, comedy, drama, mystery plunged in spicy erotic sex scenes in a not so normal type because of sadomasochism issues.

The two main characters captured the interests of the readers because they have this mix of eroticism, romance and deep personality issues which their true love to each other endured. Within the book, there are so many repeated phrases or expressions and some of them were Ana’s biting of lips, rolling her eyes describing her inner goddess and Christian’s quirking up and cocking of head making me focused more on their body languages connecting to what they feel be it lust or excitement. Some conservative people would look up to the story as “porn”, “disgusting” or immoral but the open minded would say that psychological issues made the characters behave the way they do especially for Christian. The sadism/masochism theme in the story is way interminable that a reader may feel disgusted at first but as the story progresses and deep feelings of love was being emphasized, deeper sympathy would sprout. For an instance, I too felt Christian as “bad” at first because of that weird and hard contract and that he did just make it for his own pleasure. As I went through pages, I more and more discovered that he had fallen in love with Ana and just can’t accept it digging down the unknown reasons he doesn't want to fall in love.

What are my favorite parts of the story? First, I love when Ana talked about something in her sleep, I already knew what it is the time when Christian told her she spoke about it when she was sleeping. At the climax part of the book, it was said that she had said that she needed him but in the book 2 (Fifty Shades Darker), Christian mentioned what she really said and as what I expected, she told him that she love him. Second, the end part when Ana became angry of the ultimate pain he gave her and I succumbed in that poignant part when Christian was begging Ana not to leave him. For a strong, ideal and control-freak man, begging someone not to leave with strong emotions is way emphatic and dreary. Love can only do that.

Haven’t finished reading the book 2 (Fifty Shades Darker) but I sense in the end, they would end up together and they would sooner solve issues blocking their way as a couple before I read its wikia.

Indeed, this novel did not only conquered the world but it showed love in another form and that as humans, we may not be all perfect and good in the eyes of others but love could wipe those shadows of darkness away making us happy in spite of hidden pain and insecurities in our hearts as made by the past or the norms we live with. --faf