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Publication (dd/mm/yyyy): 25/01/2015
Publisher: Vintage
Pages: 356
Pages: 356
Source: Kindle
Genre: Adult - Erotica (18+)
Genre: Adult - Erotica (18+)
Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity
My Rating:
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| Meh. |
My thoughts
OKAY. I'M DONE! NO MORE, I CANNOT DEAL... No more My Fifty Shades, no more "Oh My!", no more "inner goddess" and "my subconscious" and Mrs Robinson and Jose and...
The reason I am not giving this book 1 star is simply because I finished it, therefore it is, to some degree, "readable". I will not be reviewing this book properly because I will not really be able to analyse it objectively... so here's just a jumbled mess of my thoughts towards this book.
I WILL concede that the book IS better than the film adaptation. The relationship that is formed between Anastasia and Christian feels more real, and overall I didn't absolutely hate how it progresses. I feel like it can be a very real portrayal of an abusive relationship... not so sure about a BDSM relationship (I really don't have the experience or knowledge to delve into this topic; another reason why I cannot review this book properly).
I remember reading a lot of criticism from fellow reviewers over Anastasia Steele and her being "weak" and "boring", etc. I feel that I have become slightly more flexible; the decision to mould and shape their characters is up to the author. I don't find her as weak as I had first envisioned. She resists and fights back on a few separate occasions, which came as a welcome surprise. Perhaps their statements over her being "weak" relate to how she continues this relationship with him even though she knows "hearts and flowers" is something he cannot give to her. And I agree that her pull to him, especially once she first discovers about his Red Room of Pain/Pleasure (depending on one's perspective), was pretty unrealistic and flimsy. I'm sure any normal girl, who has ZERO experience, would run for the hills and live the rest of her days in hiding (nevermind that Christian would find her, insane psycho-stalker that he is). You can rattle on about how she is brave and strong because she stayed and survived so long, but to me her reaction is utter bullcrap.
Ana's best friend reminds me of my own in some ways. The bond shared between them was quite nice. I absolutely love reading books that include good and supportive friendships in them... though, who doesn't? Her budding romance with Christian's brother serves as a stark and obvious contrast to that of Ana & Christian. I really don't have much of an opinion for the brother to discuss this topic further.
The writing... wasn't very good. As a predominantly YA reader I am familiar with what others would consider "juvenile" writing, but I know for a fact that a good chunk of the YA I have read has at least matched, if not surpassed, the reading level of that of Fifty Shades. E.L. James is so heinously obvious in her attempt to sound intelligent (*ahem* I smell thesaurus-whoreing), but fails to follow through. Anastasia is so inconsistent. As an English lit major you would expect at least an air of semi-maturity in her thought processes. Some of the things she says is so very childish and makes her appear incapable of expressing herself clearly. [I would include examples if I wasn't so lazy.]
Jose. He is basically a sack of potatoes. Cast aside constantly by Ana, and like a puppy dog (she even describes him as like a puppy many times) he always comes right back. Gah! And some of the things he says, things he does, is tremendously cringeworthy. He is a walking cliche, the quintessential "friend zone: level 1000". I felt pity for him, but then again, his whole character is so flat that I didn't really care. At least in book 1, his character has zero development.
I actually liked the ending. What's not to like? XD Anyway, no I will most probably NOT be continuing on with the series. Once I had turned the last page my first thought was, "OMG IT'S OVER!", not "OMG I CAN'T WAIT TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!" I will say, however, this was a mildly-moderately entertaining book and I don't regret spending time to read it. Plus, this book and I spent a lot of time together between the times of 12am-6am (night shift at the hospital)... and you know how minds tend to wander and go loopy in the dead of night. So I thank you, Fifty Shades, for the entertainment, the ideas and for establishing in me that I do not ever want to enter into a BDSM relationship... at least not to that extreme where I must sign a blasted contract (and perhaps like Anastasia, still go through with it even though SHE NEVER SIGNS THE BLOODY THING!).
Okay. I'm done.
Quotes
There is a mass plethora of good quotes out there on the net, if you wish to expose yourself to such things. I'm not going to subject my Kindle to more abuse (believe me, I bookmarked a LOT of passages, which led to many laughs shared amongst friends).
