title: Fifty Shades of Grey by: James, E. L. published: 2015 read: 2024-06 preview

Did I? Really?

Well, yes. Being in the mood for a good porn story I decided to try my luck with this one. And yes, the book satisfies in that manner, a bit. It is certainly not pornographic, but does have explicit bits, and erotic bits, like this:

“Pull your knees up,” he orders softly, and I’m quick to obey. “I’m going to fuck you now, Miss Steele,” he murmurs as he positions the head of his erection at the entrance of my sex. “Hard,” he whispers, and he slams into me. “Aargh!” I cry as I feel a weird pinching sensation deep inside me as he rips through my virginity. He stills, gazing down at me, his eyes bright with ecstatic triumph.

or:

“Eat, Anastasia.” My appetite has become uncertain again … more … more sex … yes, please. “This is delicious, incidentally.” He grins at me. I try a forkful of omelet but can barely taste it. Basic training! I want to fuck your mouth. Does that form part of basic training? “Stop biting your lip. It’s very distracting, and I happen to know you’re not wearing anything under my shirt, which makes it even more distracting.”

Well, that’s the level of eroticism, pornography, that one gets.

But back to the book. It describes a young, virgin girl who stands in for her friend in interviewing a billionaire for the school (university) newspaper. He’s young (28, if I remember correctly?), powerful, wealthy, and sexy.

Anastasia, the narrator of the book, just finishes her studies, and gets a one-in-a-lifetime chance to team up with Christian Grey, who cannot commit except for BDSM sex games. Being a virgin, she’s new to that, and quickly learns to enjoy it, until he goes too far with spanking…

So. I get the book got famous, as it makes rather explicit sex scenes discussable. That’s sort of a first? And it taps into the unexperienced-girl–powerful-man game. And still she’s powerful enough to take her own decisions, sometimes. (But likes helicopter rides.) So, mainstream, cheap thrills, and with that it does get a bit tedious rather quickly. Phrases like “my inner goddess” and the constant biting of lips become monotonous. The dialogue often feels unnatural and stilted, which can make it difficult for relate to Anastasia and Christian, and their fucking. Also, the way BDSM is described is hard to relate to. Spanking until blood is drawn? Emotional manipulation? Not really things typical in BDSM.

Sex sells, though. There you go. And still I will not watch the series. Nor get the other 2, 3, 4 books by the same author. I hope you get back to Christian, Anastasia. Or perhaps I don’t.