Fifty Shades of Grey: Book One of the Fifty Shades Trilogy

While many may criticize E. L. James for her lack of proper "professional" style writings, as others criticize this as some "fairy tale" from the fantasy dreams of a teenage girl, is it REALLY so hard to imagine that a man, ESPECIALLY, who had such a supposedly horrible & tragic childhood trauma thrust upon him at such a very early stage in his life, who is then truly rescued by a doctor & her husband (as she is the first kind person he encounters in the ER when he is finally "rescued" from the nightmare of a life he has lived til the day his mother dies) when they adopt him and raise him to be the very BEST he can by showing him all the world can offer IF he is able to persevere, commit his time and energy , and work diligently to reach, and maybe even EXCEED, his goals and expectations, a man like this could achieve INCREDIBLE success, at a younger age than someone of less traumatic events in their past and less opportunities than "Christian" was given, and NOT have learned an INCREDIBLE amount of information & skills that others might not because they ALSO were not approached by a "wolf in sheep's clothing" style pedophile in the form of a close family friend, INCLUDING how to take care of a woman's sexual needs & desires in an expert manner, again at an early age, and ALSO be driven to the point of obsession to be an OUTRAGEOUSLY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS MOGUL so he is NEVER, EVER at another human being's feet to be controlled like a slave??? Now, given ALL of that, is it REALLY TOO HYSTERICALLY CRAZY & IMPOSSIBLE to imagine, after all that happening in ONE man's life, that by sheer irony & strange LUCK, he would NOT suddenly, and inexplicably to HIM, come across such an individual as "Anastasia" that at first meeting, seems to be a "submissive-type girl" and is instead realized to be a woman who is quiet but more confident and self-assured that even SHE realizes?! AND, in this chance, and quite possibly FATE-FILLED, introduction and continued interaction between them, given her quite imaginative and creative mind, and her own deep but unfulfilled desires, is it REALLY so hard to believe that such a woman would NOT be able to orgasm as easily as she seems to in this novel, especially when there is that hint of danger and the "forbidden fruit" tantalization to what Christian is asking of her, and truly seems to NEED from her, even when she knows how psychotic and deranged it all sounds to her rational and protective parts of her brain?! Let's be honest with ourselves and easy other and ACCEPT that no matter how weird, crazy, incredibly outrageous, and downright INSANE & DANGEROUS this alternate lifestyle SEEMS to be, it has been MISUNDERSTOOD, MISJUDGED, AND VILLIANIZED FOR FAR TOO LONG!! Having friends and acquaintances who live this way, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, there is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH MORE to D and s, BDSM, and whatever else you want to call it, than 75-90% of the WORLD'S inhabitants will EVER even TRY to understand or REMOTELY COMPREHEND in THEIR lifetimes!!So, given this limitation of the human being, individually and collectively, it is no wonder that so many have tried to shoot down this bold and brave expression, and baby-steps introduction, of this alternative way of life that so MANY people around the world, 99.9% of the time EXTREMELY SECRETIVELY, LIVE OUT EVERY DAY, IN UNLIMITED WAYS, every moment they possibly can to be who they truly are in the HEALTHIEST AND SAFEST WAYS POSSIBLE!!At the core of this alternate lifestyle is a FIRM BELIEF AND "CODE", if you will. Simply said, "Safe, Sane, and always CONSENSUAL!!" Basically, it means that there must ALWAYS be safety measures involved to protect EVERYONE from PERMANENT, IRREVERSIBLE HARM, both physically and psychologically, and EVERY INDIVIDUAL TAKING PART MUST be of sound mind in making the deliberate CHOICE to be a part of any relationship in this realm, meaning they are ABLE, LEGALLY AND OTHERWISE, to GIVE CONSENT, without being given undue pressure, coersion, and/or trickery, to being involved in any aspect of this lifestyle. If you are not certain you WANT to give permission, because of alarming behavior, improper PRESSURE to ignore something you see or hear that is a warning, or just an unknown but strong gut feeling, GET AWAY AND DO NOT RETURN until you are clear and confident that in giving consent to ANYTHING, whether in THIS lifestyle or any other area of your life, you are certain that you are safe, being watched over properly and sanely, and that you ALWAYS have an option to LEAVE ANY SITUATION, willingly & without reprisal, AT ANY TIME!! This goes for EVERY SINGLE ASPECT OF ANY PERSON'S LIFE ~ Business, Personal, Family, Friends, etc. ~ so that ALL have the freedom to be who they are without fear of being persecuted, or WORSE, for determining the course of their OWN LIFE JOURNEYS!!This novel, the 1st in the "Fifty Shades" trilogy, is a first step inside this "alternate life path" that has been in the dark for far too long!! IF a reader, with no previous FACTUAL knowledge about this way of life, makes a judgement against this book and what it is trying to help people understand better, BEFORE getting additional, alternative sourced FACTS and background, then it is the READER who is in error, NOT E.L. JAMES!! There is so much complexity and HEALTHY psychology involved that to pass it off as "CRAZY, UNHEALTHY, AND JUST PLAIN TOO DANGEROUS FOR ANYONE" does a criminal injustice to the multitude and variety of healthy, QUITE SANE, and simply ordinary looking people who find happiness, joy, and completeness of self in living this path. In fact, I would be willing to bet, if you were able to get EVERY SINGLE PERSON involved in this "lifestyle" to abruptly, and all at the same second in time, publicly declare their involvement in, and satisfaction from, this unique way of existing that goes WAY, WAY, WAY BEYOND JUST SEXUAL CONNOTATION AND ACTIVITY, ALONE, every one of us would be completely STUNNED & INCREDULOUS when we learn that the quiet church-going, community service volunteer we sat next to at church services last Sunday, is, in reality, the Dominant female in a D/s and/or BDSM relationship with the President of some Fortune 500 company!! We probably ALL interact with AT LEAST ONE PERSON, every day, that is keeping that part of themselves EXTREMELY PRIVATE & WELL HIDDEN from 98% of the people in their lives.So, if you looked into the true realistic potential of the HUNDREDS of allegedly "impossible and/or outlandish" aspects of each character in this book, I suspect you would ALL be shocked at how POSSIBLE they really could be, in REAL LIFE!! And to those naysayers who refuse to believe that ANY woman could orgasm THAT EASILY, think about this next bit of info I learned from a friend in the lifestyle. She had been trained, over a series of months, maybe even a year or more (I can't recall the exact time it took), how to make herself orgasm ON HER MASTER'S IMMEDIATE COMMAND, within LESS THAN A MINUTE OF THE DEMAND!! If the right circumstances were in play, it could happen in LESS than 10 SECONDS after to demand was made!! Now, it took time to learn this skill, and not everyone is capable of doing it, no matter how long they attempt training to do it. BUT, it IS possible for some, and I would NOT have believed her if I had not witnessed a display, PERSONALLY!!!As for the other supposed flaws in the main and background persons in this story, SERIOUSLY?! is it so DIFFICULT to imagine that these flawed characters could actually exist in any real life place in reality? After all of the odd, deranged, and previously believed to be nonexistent personalities that have been brought to life in the form of politicians, business men/women, celebrities, and even men of religious power and prestige, that have been shown to have very different sides to them, and very hidden aspects of their character which VERY FEW, if any, truly had knowledge of, is it REALLY THAT IMPOSSIBILY DIFFICULT to believe that THESE UNIQUE, AND AT TIMES UNBELIEVABLY PERFECT, PEOPLE could EVER exist in ANY REALITY, WHATSOEVER, and could ONLY EXIST AS SOME WEIRDLY SUCCESSFUL (YET so unique, they could NEVER be a real person) AND EXTREMELY DEPRAVED character is some fictional novel?! Seriously folks? Given the facts in life that have turned out to truly be "stranger than fiction," I must say that I am disappointed in the reader of this, or any other seemingly "impossible to ever in exist in any realistic place and/or time" character or even setting in ANY fictional novel or storyline, for being so small-minded and extremely limited in imagination and/or intellectual flexibility so as to accept that while we might WANT everything & everyone to be neat, tidy, easy to understand, and of good "moral fiber," like we feel WE are (most of maybe), VERY FEW, IF ANY, OF US EVER FIT THOSE UNREALISTIC & FANTASY-BASED IDEALS, EVER!!!So, in closing, I strongly urge anyone passing unfair, and/or downright mean/cruel, judgement on this novel, its characters, the storyline, the author, or any other connected aspect, to take some extra time out of your "busy" lives and learn the FACTS in psychology, medicine, and alternative lifestyles of ANY kind. Once you know the WHOLE story and the supporting FACTS, THEN come back and reexamine this book along with any others you may have misjudged far too quickly in the past. Once you know more, you will most likely find that your negative perceptions of any reality-based potential characters, settings, events, etc., are probably incorrect and quite possibly INAPPROPRIATELY HARSH AND/OR MEAN!! As a society, we have ALL been guilty of taking the "shortcut" and not looking more deeply into something we are not realistically familiar with, personally. In doing so, we do ourselves an injustice, as well as society and the author or presenter of the original story, plot, and related characters/participants. Once you know the REAL story, and not just what the media, your church, or any other major influences over what you think, feel, and how you react to ANYTHING in your daily lives, you are now armed with the proper knowledge to have a better understanding of what you were initially introduced to. In being armed this way, YOU now can make up YOUR mind with better support to your deductions and overall perceptions. THAT is what I strive to do, at every possible opportunity, so I do NOT improperly but intentionally make a bad decision and/or judgment based on limited or potentially FALSE and/or MISLEADING information I received from past "reliable" sources in my life. I'm not perfect, so I don't always achieve what I strive to do, but at least I am trying to learn from my errors and personal character flaws. If you can say the same, BRAVO!! If not, go back and start this novel trilogy over again, once you have taken the time to learn as much TRUTH as you can about whatever topic, etc., that you originally judged as implausible or too "perfect" to ever be real!! As I alluded to earlier, "Fact is sometimes stranger than fiction!" Remember this and it will help you keep an open mind until you have received as much information as you can, from more than one or two sources you've checked in the past, which will allow you to see not just what other believe you SHOULD see and feel, but what YOU know, see, and now feel is a more proper perception of ANY topic!!As for my opinion on this first of three books, I enjoyed them immensely, and especially appreciated the way E.L. James ended the first novel on such a cliffhanger type situation!! I won't spoil it for those who have not yet read it, but it set the stage perfectly for the second book to pick up from and RUN WITH!!No, her writing would most likely not please a high school English/Writing teacher in that she is not always terribly creative as she might have been and may need a little assistance with certain syntax, etc. Overall, though, I found it to be a story that could happen at any given moment across the globe, but most likely in the USA, and the characters were, to me, believable, imperfect despite an expression of "alleged perfection," and a story I STILL enjoy reading again now and again, even though I could almost recite the story line by heart by now!! Step outside of the "normal, average, and at times, BORING" routine we expect from the average American every day. Only then can you truly follow and enjoy the nature and spirit of this incredible adventure surrounding Christian & Anastasia "Ana" and their path through life, separately and together!!

originally posted on GoodReads.com:I had to think pretty hard before giving this review. It baffles me to see a book with such high ratings get so many conflicting reviews here on GoodReads. Maybe some of those that gave it a high rating were too scared to give their reasons why. I was thrilled to give my five stars, but as I read through some of the reviews, I kind of got embarrassed. I also saw the same disgust on the discussion board for this book. Was I not supposed to like this? Does it make me look like a freaky nympho? But then I thought about E.L. James and how she must have worried what will people think of her at some point. She had some serious guts to write this book. So courageous to share her vision of this story with the world. So here I am, gladly giving this book 5 stars and I will also be courageous in giving my reasons why. If you found the book horrendous, then judge away. I do not mind.Let me start with...There are some spoilers. I'm not super direct with them, but if you are sensitive to spoilers, please proceed with caution. I don't spill what happens in the end. And If you have read some spoilers, don't worry, it's still very worth it, get the book. The sex scenes sell!I couldn't relate to Ana much at all, but found myself jealous of her. What really kept the pages turning for me was Christian. What a crazy awesome character! The mystery behind him had me intrigued - where he came from, his early life, how he came to be who he is, why he does what he does. Christian had a really hard early childhood and it really has messed with his head and has ruined his chance at having a relationship in what society sees as normal. I've seen it asked several times by the folks who haven't read this book, yes, there is a lot of sexual BDSM in great detail. It's all Christian knows and it fulfills his need. It seems like a lot of people that were put off, don't really understand the lifestyle. Although I haven't been in this type of relationship before, I can understand most of it, especially all that Christian is into. He's a powerful man in many ways and many women love powerful men. He's ridiculously rich and is used to having anything and anyone he wants. He gets it with a snap of his fingers. What he wants is Ana, and she defys him. She plays games and it drives him crazy. He can't easily have what he wants all of the time. That makes the desire greater....so much so that he tries so hard to change for her to keep her. All of a sudden, there is a shift in power. Even though she doesn't realize it, she makes the rules and he bends over backwards to make sure she's happy.I'm so disappointed to see readers hate Christian like he's a villain. I thought he was more than fair. First, he tells her he is no good for her in hopes she will run away. She does not leave. After that, he tells her straight up front that he is a dominate man and explains that to her. She does not leave. He shows her the playroom. She does not leave. He gives her the contract to read. She does not leave. He tells her to take a week to read over it. She does not leave. He tells her she can negotiate the majority of the contract. She does not leave. Then he says the contract is not even legally binding and she can leave whenever she wants. She does not leave. He changes so much for her and tries so hard at giving her "more," which is what she wants. She knows he has a past that makes him the way he is and he works hard dealing with it. So......why is he the villain to readers? She kept going for it. She asked for it. So he likes to tie her up, spank her and have his way with her. He never tortured her or peed on her or anything like that. In fact he told her he'd never really hurt her, never break or damage the skin. She had safe words to yell at any time. Did she use the safe words? No. So I guess I can't really wrap my head around him being a bad guy. He worked so hard to earn her trust. He asked her if she trusted him every single time before he would tie her. She said yes every time.Honestly, it's been a couple days since I finished this book, and even though I've started a different book (I'll read the 2nd book of the trilogy next week), I still can't get Christian out of my head. This book was super hot and his commands to her are like Whoa! Biting her bottom lip really got some delicious sayings out of him. I was turning pages so fast, wondering what he was going to do to her next. There is sex on almost every page, and it can be easy to focus just on that, but I do realize there is a bigger story here. The shift in power between both of them was awesome to witness, watching a powerful man crumble to her feet in order to keep her. He'd do anything to make her happy. It's hard to see through his dominating ways, but he's smitten, for sure! Totally unexpected.Now on to what I didn't like....Ana. Ugh, she was annoying to me. As I talked about above, she never left after all the things he warned her about in the first place. She was a stupid girl if she didn't want this. When he was there, she was in love, but if he left for work, she would cry her eyes out and hate him. He's a CEO of a huge company...I'm sure he has to work once in a while. Her inner dialogue was ridiculous. The questions she asked herself. For example, Christian could tell her he absolutely adores her, kisses her passionately and has to leave for the day. Five minutes later, she's sure he does not like her one bit. This goes back and forth the entire book. She also did some childish things along the way. And what she did the morning at the end of the book more than pissed me off. Stupid girl! She acts like she's a young teen! She asked for it. Hello safe words!!!But you know, Christian more than made up for all the parts that Ana pissed me off about, so the book definitely got 5 stars for me. I look forward to 2nd and 3rd books, and what else E.L. James has in the future. No, I didn't mind the repeated phrases that many people complained about.How do I differ from Ana? Call me demented, sick, twisted or whatever you want, I would have already been digging in my purse for a pen before reading the contract and sprint for the playroom. Christian can do with me what he wants...whew! Once again, I'm frustrated that a fictional man is not really real. Is it hot in here?