Fifty Shades of Grey – On My Bed

I’ve actually stopped reading since “The Historian”…some years back. Recently I was determined to start reading again. Just picked up “Pride & Prejudice” from my bookshelf and started the first 20 pages, then I got my hands on this “Fifty Shades of Grey”. I borrowed it from Mun See when I was back in Ipoh the last time, when she told me that she had just finished with it.

I’ve heard of it from somewhere before but I didn’t know that it’s such a big hit. Suddenly now everybody’s talking about it on Facebook and when I googled it, Wikipedia said it has sold 40 million copies worldwide…and many many critics have written about it already.

Anyway I’m not trying to be one of the critics…just sharing my opinion & thoughts about it, if you’re contemplating to read it.

If you don’t know what Fifty Shades is all about, it’s about a young innocent girl, Anastasia, who is deeply attracted to Grey, an extremely rich, handsome & charming young man. However she soon found out that Grey has a dark side…he enjoys a BDSM relationship – Bondage, Discipline, Sadism, Masochism. So in order to be with him, she has to decide if she wants to be the ‘Submissive’, while he’s the ‘Dominant” to do anything as he pleases, to her. Soon they embarked on a passionate & erotic sexual affair of discovering each other.

First of all, it’s a very easy read. Easy, as in simple English. Hmm…may be a bit too simple if you’re one who’s interested in expanding your vocabulary. Some words, I thought, were overused (i.e. smirked, murmurs, chuckles, etc.). Unlike “The Historian”, the language lacks richness. But on the bright side, it means you’re able to read it fast & finish the book sooner. However I finished it in slightly less than a month, which is considered slow. Anyways…

There are lots of sex scenes in the book. If you’re looking to spice up your boring sex life with your partner, this may be the catalyst you need. 😉 And because it’s about sadism & masochism, there’re some tools used here that I don’t quite understand. But anyway, it doesn’t matter…you can imagine it to be anything that you want. Haha.

I personally find the whole BDSM here a bit mild. I was actually expecting more pain, intensity & coldness in the relationship…but what I read is a lot of lovey dovey scenes. So it was a bit contradicting…about Grey. He’s supposed to be this cold-hearted & screwed-up soul…but he turns out to be quite sensitive & a gentleman in most parts. So I felt it wasn’t hardcore enough. Therefore, I thought this is more of a romantic novel than anything else.

But there are some parts that are quite hilarious & witty too. Because the book was written with Ana as the narrator, it’s very much a woman’s read. We, women, will be able to identify with many emotions & thoughts expressed here. I can’t imagine a man would actually enjoy reading Fifty Shades. Haha. Unless he wants to understand what goes on in a woman’s mind better. 🙂

Anyway, here are some quotes that I picked up which I thought was quite funny:

• “Grey – you’re on my shit list and I’m watching you.”

• “You didn’t have to track me down with whatever James Bond gadgetry you’re developing for the highest bidder.”

• “Which medieval chronicle did you escape from? You sound like a courtly knight.”

• My heartbeat has picked up, and my medula oblongata has neglected to fire any synapses to make me breathe.

I read that some people commented that this book is a bad influence to women, especially those in abusive relationships. People are working hard to tell these women that it’s wrong to be beaten up by their partners and that they should be walking out of the relationship. Instead, Fifty Shades sensationalises the whole issue of being abused into something erotic & sexy. So there are moral concerns here to know before you start reading it.

“Fifty Shades of Grey” is the first part of a trilogy. The 2nd book is called “Fifty Shades Darker” followed by “Fifty Shades Freed”.

Anyway I found out why the author had kept the hardcore part to the end (of this first book). Because there are 2 more to follow. So perhaps the 2nd book would be more intense…I don’t know. I haven’t decided if I want to continue reading the other 2 parts. Well, I kinda think that there are other more ‘informative’ books to read, that I can gain more knowledge from, than Fifty Shades. Like “The Historian”. Haha. OK I think you can guess that I still like the latter better. 🙂

Read it if you’re curious. But if you decide not to read it, you don’t miss much either.