Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as told by Christian by E. L. James

Publisher & Release Date: Vintage, June 18, 2015

Time and setting: Present Day, Seattle, Washington

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Erotic Romance

Length: 576 pages

Heat Level: 4 Scorching Hot Flames

Rating: 5 Gold Crowns

Book Description:

See the world of Fifty Shades of Grey anew through the eyes of Christian Grey.

In Christian's own words, and through his thoughts, reflections, and dreams, E L James offers a fresh perspective on the love story that has enthralled millions of readers around the world.


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.

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Vikki’s Musings

I only found out that E.L. James had written Fifty Shades of Grey in Christian’s point of view the night before it was released. Since I had enjoyed the trilogy, I wanted to read Grey, so I hit the one-click and it showed up on my Kindle at midnight. I downloaded the audible version the next day. I could not wait to read it, and I started listening to it on the 19th and finished it on the 21st. As with the original version, I became enthralled from the first page and remained so until the last.

This story is riveting whether it is in Ana’s POV or Christian’s, and thanks to Ms. James for giving me the chance to find out more about Christian and what makes him tick. It pulled on my heartstrings when I had glimpses into his harrowing formative years.

Since this plotline is so well-known one would have to live in the darkest regions of this world to have no idea what it is about, I will not give an overview. I’ll just say, this is an opportunity for anyone who has read the first book, to have a chance to see it from a different perspective.

I found Christian’s thought processes fascinating. Yes, he is emotionally immature. Yes, he is clueless when it comes to understanding why Ana reacts the way she does, but oh, what a rollercoaster ride it is along the way. With what he experienced as a young child, of course he has issues. Even with years of therapy, issues are rarely avoided. If Ms. James had given him a completely suave and confident persona, it would have taken away from the true Christian in my opinion.

I loved getting to see more of his relationship with his siblings, especially Elliott. Those relationships help to make his character come to life for me. His dreams and nightmares helped gain my empathy for this troubled, yet amazingly resilient character, and again gave me more insight into the workings of Christian’s mind.

Since I listened more than I read, I want to mention the narrative. Zachary Webber has given an outstanding performance in Grey, bringing the characters to living, breathing life. He is able to give each one of them their own distinct voice. I particularly admired his ability to give the co-pilot at the airfield in Savannah a great British accent. I will certainly be looking for other books with his narrative.

Whether you have read the Fifty Shades trilogy several times or never at all, Grey is a must read for anyone who enjoys a tale with an extremely complex character, and a love story that should not have worked, but does. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. Happy reading!




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