Grey (Fifty Shades #4) by E.L. James-a review

GREY (Fifty Shades #4) by E.L. James-a review

Grey

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / The Book Depository

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 18, 2015

Christian Grey exercises control in all things; his world is neat, disciplined, and utterly empty—until the day that Anastasia Steele falls into his office, in a tangle of shapely limbs and tumbling brown hair. He tries to forget her, but instead is swept up in a storm of emotion he cannot comprehend and cannot resist. Unlike any woman he has known before, shy, unworldly Ana seems to see right through him—past the business prodigy and the penthouse lifestyle to Christian’s cold, wounded heart.

Will being with Ana dispel the horrors of his childhood that haunt Christian every night? Or will his dark sexual desires, his compulsion to control, and the self-loathing that fills his soul drive this girl away and destroy the fragile hope she offers him?

This book is intended for mature audiences.

•••••••••

REVIEW: There is quite a bit of hoopla surrounding the release of GREY-Christian Grey’s point of view-from E.L. James’s Fifty Shades of Grey Series and as in my review of the original series, I am not going to focus on the style of writing (which hasn’t changed); or the similarities to Stefanie Meyers’s –never released-Midnight Sun (Edward Cullen’s POV) because the Fifty Shades Series is a work of fan fiction based on the young adult Twilight Series by Meyers. GREY is what it is –Christian’s version of the events, his emotions and thoughts, as it pertains to his growing relationship with, and need for Anastasia Steele.

We all know the backstory behind Christian’s need for Dominance, and I was hoping for a little more insight from the now adult Mr. Grey. We get a front row seat into some of Christian’s nightmares and what occurred in his first few years of life but I found there was something lacking in the retelling of the events- perhaps it is the mind of a four year old that is unable to comprehend the extent of what had happened, and in this, the details are limited and inadequate.

What we do get is a little more information about the history between Leila and Christian but sadly very few details regarding his earlier years with Elena (aka Mrs. Robinson). Grey’s history with Elena would have made the storyline a little more exciting or perhaps a little more revealing as to the how and why. I say this because we are inside Christian’s head for most of the storyline: we are privy to his thoughts, need, ideas and emotions, yet when he reflects upon the past, the details are limited to what the reader is exposed.

The storyline follows the Fifty Shades of Grey outline but ends at the point in Fifty Shades Darker (Book 2) where Christian has offered Ana a ride to Jose’s photography exhibit. Christian has a problem with any man paying attention to Ana, and in this, we see to what extent his jealousy and insecurity control a good portion of his need to dominate, but again, the build up of his current lifestyle barely scratches the surface of the man and his need.

In the end, if you read the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, I don’t know if you really need to read GREY to understand Christian’s mindset. The original trilogy was quite revealing about Christian’s ‘fifty shades of f*ckedupness’ and GREY, in my opinion, adds nothing new or exciting to the original plot.

I enjoyed the Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy-it is a story about addressing the truth, acknowledging responsibility, the loss of power and control, and the fight to gain it all back. This story is also about acceptance, finding love, losing and taking steps towards recovery (as per my original review) BUT there are no new revelations in GREY that would suggest the reader was missing something the first time around. I was hoping for more details into Christian Grey’s earlier life.

Reviewed by Sandy

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Hotel Replaces Bible with Fifty Shades of Grey-USA Today

Hotel Replaces Bible with Fifty Shades of Grey-By Nancy Trejos, USA TODAY

British hotel replaces Bibles with ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’
By Nancy Trejos, USA TODAY

Click LINK to see full article:  USA TODAY

 

A hotel in the United Kingdom has replaced in-room Gideon Bibles with the soft-porn bestseller Fifty Shades of Grey.

The change was made earlier this month in all 40 guest rooms at the Damson Dene Hotel in the Lake District of England.

The hotel’s owner Jonathan Denby explained his decision in a blog post:
“Tonight millions of women will be curling up in bed with a good book and you can bet your life it won’t be the Bible. More likely than not it will be Fifty Shades of Grey. I haven’t read the book yet – I’m not in the target audience – but I’m told it’s a ripping good yarn and everyone who’s in the target audience loves it. This made me wonder about the sense of providing a book, the Gideon Bible which noone reads, and many dislike, in the bedside cabinet of our hotel bedrooms, instead of a book which everyone wants to read, such as Fifty Shades of Grey.”

Denby bought the hotel from a Methodist group 10 years ago, according to NBC News.

He said he had been considering substitutions for a long time.

“I was thinking originally of putting in a book by Ayn Rand — Atlas Shrugged was my first thought,” Denby told NBC News.

Denby said he did not do it for any philosophical reasons. That hasn’t stopped the local vicar from publicly denouncing the change.

The Rev. Michael Woodcock — parish priest at St. Mary’s Church in Crosthwaite, where the hotel is located — told British media that the hotel’s decision is just a gimmick, according to NBC.

There is also much criticism coming from the United States, where the Gideon Bible is more popular, Denby said.

“People in the States feel much more strongly,” he told NBC. “We’ve had quite a few e-mails quoting the scriptures to us and suggesting that it would be a good thing to put the Bible back.”

Denby said in his blog that he’s not completely giving up on the Bible. “I’ll keep a couple behind the reception desk so that if any guest whose preferred bedtime reading happens to be the Bible finds that they have forgotten to pack their copy, they’ll be pleased to read in the guest handbook that they can borrow a copy from the receptionist.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
1. Did you ever read the bible in the nightstand at the hotel?
2. Do you think you would pick up Fifty Shades of Grey and start reading?

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Fifty Shades of Grey-In My Opinion

Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James

Fifty Shades of Grey-The Trilogy

Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed make up the trilogy written by E L James. At this point, the reviews are numerous, merciless, angry and seductive. I had planned to write a review based on the storyline, but I think I shall divert down a different path. But I must say that without a doubt, the media hype and categorization of the trilogy as ‘mommy porn’ is what brought these books to the forefront of reader curiosity and at the time, I hadn’t thought about reading any or all of the books. But a couple of emails from a marketing director, and an agent (requesting my thoughts) brought me up short. Maybe I should read the books and see what all the fuss is about? So $30 and 3 nights later, I had completed the trilogy and now I offer my opinion-because yes-everything I have read about the series is strictly an opinion based on personal views. Descriptions from erotica, erotic romance,romance, soft to hard core porn and BDSM have been used to categorize the genre, but in my opinion, the truth may very well lie somewhere in between or in a combination of descriptive titles and subjects.

Many reviewers opposed to the storyline content have attacked the quality of the writing comparing it to fan fiction and drivel. I will not address quality, as many other books I have read and reviewed, have been of a much poorer quality than this particular series, and yet the storylines have been interesting. As well, I have read many comments from those who have NOT read the series,and I find it rather amusing and sad, that although everyone is entitled to an opinion, it is those who have not read the book, post some of the most negative comments.  

Erotic Adult Fiction: Erotic adult fiction is now a female driven genre both as a reader and an author. Once the domain of men, women writer’s (usually under author pseudonyms or initials only) are pushing the envelope of erotic fiction. Once considered written porn, the genre of erotic fiction is fast becoming main-stream adult literature.

Why the rise in popularity? Several reasons.

The popularity has increased with the advent of ebooks. The anonymity for the reader, hidden behind the electronic age of virtual books, allows for anyone to purchase a book, without the fear of retribution, side-long glances from the 18 year old store clerk or 60 year old librarian, and instant gratification (so to speak) for availability. Similar to the days of Playboy and Hustler wrapped in brown paper on the upper shelves in the magazine section at the local corner store. Women and men no longer have to fear being judged by a stranger for their choices in reading material.

Society’s Moral Values

Over the years, society has eased up on what they perceive to be a ‘more’. What was once considered ‘deviant’ are quite diverse and can range from murder to rape, too fat to too thin, etiquette faux pas, and fetishes to perversions. Fetishes are usually harmless-an odd attraction -voyeurism e.g.. Many people believe as long as no one is hurt or being forced, and everyone is over 18, who are we to judge. But there is always the fine line.

But if a fetish escalates into perversions or something illegal e.g. whereby voyeurism leads to sexual assault, rape or murder, then society has laws and treatments for people with this kind of deviant behavior. Once thought as deviant behavior, especially for women…..reading erotic literature was considered immoral and in some cases, a sin (for those who follow religious dictates)….they would have hidden an erotic novel, tucked the book away in a sock drawer. But many of society’s mores have become the norm. What was once unacceptable as reading material, is now a main stream best seller.

Many erotic storylines involve explicit sexual descriptive narration. The language is graphic and there is virtually nothing off limits except children and incest (but not always). Many women are now reading novels or series of novels featuring homosexual storylines. And of course, many of today’s erotic fantasy novels involve MMF storylines-with multiple partners at one time. Again…fantasy is the operative word. Some of the Harlequin Romance novels are considered tame with their ‘suggestive or implied’ sex as compared to most of the romantic/erotic adult storylines released today.

Author JR Ward addresses some issues of BDSM with her character of Vishous.  Tortured and maimed, V has a ‘playroom’ that he frequents when his life in the ‘brotherhood’ begins to swallow and bury (him).  And yet, this particular storyline has not received the same attention as EL James-Fifty Shades of Grey.

Television and the film industry have long had a rating system for what is perceived as appropriate for different age groups. Now the ‘rating system’ has been applied to many of the different books and novels, due to the ‘graphic nature’ of the content. And saying that….the ebook revolution does not discriminate against the virtual shopper. Identification is not required when ordering a book online from most of the websites…..all that is required is a valid charge card or pay pal account, and an email address (for ebooks).  I wonder how many minors (under 16) are reading erotica, BDSM and sexually explicit storylines-all because of the advent of the e-book?

Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy

Yes, there is some BDSM (BDSM is a term that stands for such patterns in sexual behavior as Bondage and Discipline, Domination and Submission, Sadism and Masochism. –bdsmguide.org). Like everything in life, there are degrees and valuations, and varying shades of grey (pun intended). Like a sliding color wheel, the BDSM content is revealed in shades and degrees. But the author never crosses the imaginary ‘hard-line’ into true hard-core savagery. The ‘heroine’ is never forced or coerced, she is aware at all times and enters into the relationship wholly aware. The storyline Dom/Sub relationship is never carried over into a public social context and the practice is always safe and consensual. Yes, there are times when a soft-line is pushed, but it is addressed throughout the story.

Now to backtrack slightly-this series is NOT about BDSM. This story is about addressing the truth, acknowledging responsibility, the loss of power and control, and the fight to gain it all back. This story is also about acceptance, finding love, losing and taking steps towards recovery. The BDSM content is minimal, but has apparently caught the interest of the public, as does anything that goes against the ‘norm’.

In reality the practice of BDSM is wide ranging and is often misinterpreted by the lay-people not involved in the practice. BDSM has been labeled everything from a fetish to a perversion, but when the people involved are consenting adults, wholly aware of the circumstances and the situation, the behavior or role-playing is acted out according to a specific script of behaviors and actions. There are rules, agreements, safety words, consequences and varying degrees of pleasure (all safe and legal)-to which a question must be addressed-Who are we to judge a lifestyle (between consenting adults) that is different from our own? And herein lies the fine-line-consent.

Informed Consent-Psychological Definition:  

Informed consent is a legal procedure to ensure that a patient or client knows all of the risks and costs involved in a treatment. The elements of informed consents include informing the client of the nature of the treatment, possible alternative treatments, and the potential risks and benefits of the treatment.

In order for informed consent to be considered valid, the client must be competent and the consent should be given voluntarily.(about.com/psychology)

Should we apply the definition of INFORMED CONSENT to all actions between consenting adults?  Within the context of The Fifty Shades trilogy, a NDA (a non-disclosure agreement) or contract is a major premise that is addressed throughout the storyline.


The Fifty Shades series is about a man with demons buried so deep he turns to BDSM for control. But the underlying current of BDSM becomes blurred when the title character of Christian Grey, at 15years old, unknowingly becomes the submissive to a woman several years older. It is something the young teen now craves and requires to control the demons: it becomes his therapy. As a sexual predator, the woman holds power and control of the teenage boy, shaping him into the man who would one day run a billion dollar enterprise. And it is this relationship that directs and controls all of his future endeavors and needs. Even in the world of high finance and business, power and control is the ultimate aim.

The series is written from the ‘heroine’s’ point of view. We are privy to Anastasia Steele’s intimate thoughts and ideas, as well as her fears and worries about the man she has fallen in love (with). And she is NOT without some power of her own. As the story progresses, the lines of control slowly blur, until it is Ana who has the ultimate control – of a man’s heart and his soul. It is her unconditional acceptance (within the boundaries of a relationship) of Christian Grey that will begin the healing process once thought not possible.

I guess like everything in life, we must make decisions based on research, trial and error, and public opinion.  And in the end, sometimes the only opinion that counts, is your own.  If you are asking me “Would I recommend reading the series?”, I would have to say yes.  Not  because it will qualify for a Nobel Prize in Literature, but because it is, in all honesty, a love story with a HEA.  And I for one, ALWAYS want a HEA (Happily Ever After) and Fifty Shades delivers.

Have you read Fifty Shades of Grey?  What do you think?  Do you have an opinion?

In My Opinion-Sandy

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