Monday, May 28, 2012

Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, by E.L. James

I finished the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy and must admit I loved it. Yes, I was curious to read more about what Ana calls "kinky fuckery," silver balls and all, but what was most compelling was the character of Christian Grey and the many layers of his personality E.L. James so deftly--yes, deftly--crafts.

So what if she uses the same phrases over and over. I suppose I stopped whincing after the millionth time she used the phrase "his mouth pressed into a hard line" because I was enamored with her characters. Language may not be this woman's forte, but character building certainly is. While these characters may have originated from fan fiction inspired by Bella and Edward from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga, they grow into different individuals entirely, individuals I come to care for deeply.

The trilogy begins with a sex slavemaster hoping to subdue an innocent, smart-mouthed college girl into his next submissive and becomes, instead, a story of how the young college girl subdues the beast in him--the beast created by his dark, troubled past with a crack-whore mother and then later a pedophiliac dominatrix Ana calls "Mrs. Robinson." It's empowering to vicariously experience the power Ana ultimately wields over this hot, wealthy, troubled, emotionally bereft man through her compassion and through her ability to stand up for herself and for him when he can't. I admire Ana's courage, delight in her ecstasy, and long to understand what makes Christian Grey tick. E.L. James doesn't disappoint.

I highly recommend this trilogy, and so does my husband, who has benefited immensely from my reading it.