Fifty Shades of Gray

by E.L. James

Well, since this book has overtaken the radio, general conversation AND my workplace.... I thought it was time to read it for myself. I am not sure exactly what I expected from this work that started as Twilight fan-fiction, although I had heard many obsessive reviews. And that's what this book seems to be about... obsession. If you have seen my reading list, you know I am a romance reader. I didn't think this book would be anything shocking to me... despite the twisted moments of intimacy. However (and call me crazy), I like a little bit more plot and relationship development in my romances. In this 500 page story, the first 100 pages are set up, and the last 400 are pretty much all physical. By the end, I was honestly just skimming some of the pages looking for dialogue. Somehow though, as the reader, you still manage to become as obsessed by the story as the main character Ana is for bad boy Christian. This did make me feel like a horrible person at times, as their relationship consists of primarily unhealthy interactions; dominated by emotional fear (on both of their parts), and even physical harm to Ana. I have heard positive things regarding the sequels, in terms of character development and story line. So while I am fully aware of the negative aspects of this novel, I am still anxious (for some reason), to pick up the next book and see where James takes our characters.