Fifty Shades of Grey - or rather - Fifty Shades of Unbelievable?

Reading good literature is one of my many passions. Once I open a book that really interests me, I can't put it away and stop reading. Oh my! How many all - nighters I have pulled reading a great book (most of them were Harry Potter related!). This past year I have negolected this side of me a little bit, due to a stressful period in my life. But once I started reading again this summer, I realized how much I'd missed it! So, while speaking of books, my dear friend Lindsey has mentioned this best selling book to me this summer. I forgot about it until I saw it in a bookstore in Bordeaux a few days ago. I had absolutely no clue what it is about. I just knew that she told me it was good. With no other books to read over here, I picked it up and told myself I would give it a try. I had no idea what I was getting into...

Fifty Shades of Grey was written as a fanfiction to the Twilight series. Even though the plot and the characters are so very, very different, I can see some resemblence there. 

1) The plot takes the same place as the Twilight series

2) Ana - the main female character - is not interested in men whatsoever, is a virgin and has a low self - esteem, just like Bella

3) Ana is also very clumsy and drives an old car, Bella - like

4) Christian Grey - the main male character - has a dangerous and evil side to him that no one knows about, in comparison to Edward

5) The language of the book is very simple, many phrases are frequently repeated (but more on that later), I find this book very easy to read and understand, which is also a reason why so many people like it and read it so quickly, as well as Twilight

This is what the back cover says:

Romantic, liberating and totally addictive, this is a novel that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

Well, for once, I have to say that I did not find this book romantic at all.  

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana's quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too - but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey's singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success - his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family - Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey's secrets and explores her own dark desires.

The book is intended to mature audiences.

I definitely can understand why there is a lot of hype about this book. Like one youtuber said - this book makes women read porn in public. That's exactly how I felt. When I first opened the book and started reading it, I thought to myself that it's going to be just another lovestory with all of the sugar and it's sweetness. But boy was I wrong! As soon as I hit page 150, I realized it was not going in that direction at all. The sex scenes started and as I was reading further and further, it became obvious that it would never end. And it didn't. Eventually, I got sick to my stomach reading the details of a sex life that the author could have spared. I put the book aside and started reading something else - Paulo Coelho. Now that is a writer! But back on track. I wanted to know how the story ended, so I once again started reading this unbelievably unprobable story. After a while, you just get used to the sexing. What I did not get used to were the sentences and phrases that were repeated on every single page. Here are some that drove me crazy:

1) First of all, Ana acts like a 15 year old, even though she just graduated college. All she says is "Jeez" (Jeez, get a room! Jeez, he wants me!) and "Holy fuck"

2) Second of all, the book is structured around Ana's lip. She likes to bite her lip, she does that all the time and for some unknown reason, Christian finds it very sexy. And he reminds her of that on almost every page...

3) The third, most nerving thing about this book is Ana's "inner goddess". She is also present on every page, accompanied by her "self - esteem". (My inner goddess sways in a victourious samba, My inner goddess is hidden under the blanket behind the couch, My inner goddess sits in a lotus position.) Okay, we get it - she has an inner goddes! Enough already! 

On the other note, I find the humor in this book quite good. Especially between the two lead characters. Some parts of this book are truly witty - in a good way. 

To end this review I must say that I liked the book - but as a rough draft. If I were the author, I would rewrite the story, delete some of that "inner goddess", and improve the language. For heaven's sake, Ana is supposed to be a young journalist!!!

Here is a youtube review, made by a youtuber called "smoothiefreak". I think she has a point there, I agree with her in everything.