MELISSA PARSONS
In her first novel, Fifty Shades of Grey, EL James offers up a deliciously tempting and erotic literary experience. The first of the Fifty Shades trilogy embodies a whole new approach to the romantic novel genre. The novel started out as fan fiction based on the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer and has gone on to sell an estimated 40 million copies.
The first instalment introduces Anastasia Steele as the epitome of innocence, until her encounter with Christian Grey – an attractive man with a mysterious demeanour. Anastasia becomes enthralled with Grey as he plunges her into a world she never knew existed. She soon finds that his secrets are much darker than she expected.
Fifty Shades of Grey gives a convincing portrayal of a young woman determinedly trying to gain insight into a world she does not understand. Anastasia is a relatable character who will have readers rooting for her throughout her sexual awakening.
James does however become repetitive in her pursuit to portray the intricacies of the physical relationship between the protagonists of the novel. Luckily, each scene is just exciting enough to keep you reading. James creates a visual feast with her simple yet descriptive writing style. This is the best feature of the novel; it will captivate even the least motivated of readers to power through until the very last page.
This novel is romantic, however unorthodox the form of romance, but it is still far from the “happily-ever-after” cliché that most romance novels end with. As Fifty Shades of Grey is the first in a trilogy, it comes as no surprise that it ends with a bang that will leave readers frantic to get their hands on the second book, Fifty Shades Darker.
Fifty Shades of Grey is simply written but enticing. The novel will introduce readers to a different kind of erotic content that is seldom tackled in mainstream literature. Let’s just say that if you were looking for the novel in a library, it’d be in a dimly lit room, possibly behind a locked door.
Look out for the movie, whose release date is yet to be announced.
Watch an interview with author EL James as well as Ellen Degeneres’ audio book recording at below or on your phone at Perdeby7415b.
RATING: 7/10
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