I have been a bit obsessed about the Fifty Shades Trilogy lately (who isn’t these days?) and so here comes my third article/ post on the books after Fifty Shades Unplugged and What is Driving the Success of the Fifty Shades Trilogy?
Here, I am listing out, what in my opinion, are the Best and the Worst Shades of the Fifty Shades:
- Shades of Grey– Fifty Shades has shades of white wrapped in innocence and pure love; shades of red embodied by bold passion and pain; shades of black in the form of dark secrets and evil intentions but most of all fifty shades has several shades of grey from the boldest steel to the shimmering silver to the darkest deep – this is the threshold where love and lust mingle, where erotica meets mush, where control fades into compromise and where innocence steps into self-assured maturity.
- The Names of the Characters– The names given by the author to the leading protagonists – Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele sound just so perfect for their character in the books. While Christian sounds all rich, successful, handsome and charming, the Grey brings on dark and control. The name Anastasia has a silken touch to it, exuding mystery, beauty, elegance and passion while the Steele adds a quiet resolve and strength to the name. After reading the books, it is difficult to imagine any other names for the two characters.
- The Book Covers-The nondescript book covers in hues of grey – featuring a silk tie (we all know what that tie can do) for Fifty Shades of Grey, a masquerade face mask for Fifty Shades Darker and a key chain for Fifty Shades Freed, up the surprise ante and pique reader interest. While bolder book covers (more in line with theme) could have put off many female readers, the almost mundane book covers of the 3 fifty shades books (not in the least revealing the kind of content in the books) also makes it easier to read the erotica in public as they lend a certain anonymity to the reader.
- The Chemistry– The chemistry between the characters, Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele definitely takes the cake. The unconventional romance between the two characters is all-consuming, passionate and evocatively narrated. Even though the story line with the girl falling for the handsome, rich and successful guy is very formulaic; their chemistry is absolutely riveting and keeps one rooting for more.
- The Mix of Erotica and Mush – Author E L James has prepared a heady cocktail of erotica and harlequin / twilight style romance lending the novels a unique flavour. You never know what is coming next, is it flowers and hearts or is it chains and ropes? Also, while an all-out erotica could have put off many readers, a twilight like romance would have appealed to only the teenage girls. But the mix of both elements has helped the books cut across age barriers giving it an almost cult status.
- Exchange of Emails– A lot has been written about the BDSM (bondage, dominant, sado-machosistic) element and the sexcapades in the book but most reviews have skipped the emails tossed to and fro Anastasia and Christian. But the easy email banter between Christian and Anastasia really worked for me. The emails provided a breather from the heavy stuff, filled the gaps in the timeline, played up the romance and often served to clear the air between the characters.
- The Transformation of the Characters– All those who thought Anastasia was a weak and gullible girl caught in the trap of a despot, author E.L James had a big surprise in store. Anastasia’s character transforms itself from a novice to a mature woman who can go to any lengths to protect her man, but at the same time she will not compromise her self-respect. She yields the ultimate power in the book forcing Christian to redefine their relationship and in Fifty Shades Freed even refuses to take the obedience oath in marriage. As Christian comments,” There is not a single submissive bone in your body Miss Steele.” Equally interesting is Christian’s transformation, from a man who does not believe in doing the ”girlfriend thing” to a man so smitten that he proposes marriage. The way love humbles Christian is almost poignant.
- First Person Narrative- All the three novels have been written in first person as if the story is being narrated by Anastasia, so it is easy to identify with Anastasia’s emotions. The story becomes almost like a personal journey as the reader travels through time with Anastasia…feeling the awe, the admiration she has for Christian, almost willing her to give the relationship a chance when she decides to split from Christian and then sharing her love and devotion for the man.
- A Recap– Even if one reads all the 3 books of the Trilogy one after the other, it is difficult to recall the incidents of the first book (which in my opinion is the best in the trilogy) in detail. At the end of the third book, Fifty Shades Freed, the author has recapped the initial 3 chapters of Fifty Shades of Grey including the fateful meeting of Christian and Anastasia …but this time it has been written from Christian’s side, giving an insight into how Christian was feeling at the time Anastasia was bowled over by him. I think it was a clever move by the author and might even prompt some to give Fifty Shades of Grey a second read.
- Interesting Catchphrases– Then there are some catch phrases which have become taglines for the books ” We aim to please” being one (you can almost imagine Christian Grey cocking his head to one side when he says that), “Stow that twitchy palm” being another and “Laters Baby” (which has become the ultimate sign-off).
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According to me the worst shades of the book for which the book has received a lot of criticism from all quarters include;
- An overdose of expletives, exclamations and phrases– After a while you cannot help but ‘roll your eyes’ at another “Oh my,” “Holy cow,” Holy f___”, “Whoa” and the likes (twitchy palm or not!) used by the character Anastasia especially when she is confronted by the enigmatic Christian Grey. Even some phrases such as ‘takes no prisoners’ were repeated several times in the books.
- Over emphasis on gadgets- There seems to be a deliberate and repeated mention of the gadgets used by the two characters namely, the Blueberry phone, the iPad, the iMac and the iPod, as if the books are advertising the products.
- The writing style – Most critics have opined that E.L James writing was shoddy, at least in parts.
- Was a Trilogy Necessary? In my personal opinion the three books could have been wrapped up in one -albeit thicker book – the first book, Fifty Shades of Grey. For me, what also did not work were the deliberate suspenseful end to each of the books which seemed like a commercial ploy to make the reader buy the next book. The end to the second book, Fifty Shades Darker was especially immature. But of course in this case, the strategy worked as most readers bought all the 3 books of the Trilogy, many out of sheer curiosity, resulting in all 3 books topping the best selling charts.
- Too Much Ado about Nothing- In the second book, Fifty Shades Darker, a sub-plot was introduced in the form of Anastasia’s boss who wanted to seduce her and then sought revenge on the illustrious Grey Family. This continued in the third book, Fifty Shades Freed with more over-the top drama with the pregnant Anastasia saving Christian’s kidnapped sister while risking her own life. It just seemed very dramatic and superfluous, much like a Hollywood or Bollywood flick, in which all elements are thrown in to make it commercially viable. I really don’t think it was necessary to introduce this angle to the story diverting from the main plot of the Christian- Anastasia romance.
- Troubled Past, an excuse for BDSM? Finally, what started in Fifty Shades Of Grey as a roar became a whimper in Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed as Christian’s troubled past was shown as an excuse for his lifestyle choice, his kinky sexual preferences and his BDSM indulgence. It is open to debate, whether the author intends to generalise that BDSM is for those who have a troubled past, and also that marriage and fathering kids is the only way to free such men from their past and their inner demons?
This is my take on the best and the worst shades of the Fifty Shades books. Please share your best and worst shades from the Trilogy.
Signing off for now. More Laters!
