Fifty Shades Darker

Book Two of the Fifty Shades Trilogy

By: E. L. James

Narrated by: Becca Battoe

Length: 19 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

MORE THAN 150 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE

Look for E L James’s passionate new love story, The Mister, available now.

Daunted by the singular tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house.

But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades.

While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.

This book is intended for mature audiences.

©2011 E L James (P)2012 Random House

Critic reviews

"In a class by itself." ( Entertainment Weekly)

Fun book...but not exactly literary greatness

Is there anything you would change about this book?

More creativity by the author...less graphic detail....yes, I said less. Although, the 'scenes' are the major draw to this series, there is the a fairly decent plot that improves as the story moves forward. I found that in the first book I was floored, and then "wow'd", by the 'juicy parts', but as I progressed through the series, it really became overkill and I was even desentized to it. I'm not sure if desenitized is the right word, but you get the point. ;) There is also a tremendous amount of repetition of certain phrases and depecitions. As someone put it in another review, it's almost as though the author has a bucket with a bunch of different phrases in it and pulls one out when at a loss for words. I do have to say however, that it does lend a slight bit more credibility to the charaters since we all have our favorite expressions that we use repeatedly. I'm just not convinced that was the intention of the author.

What other book might you compare Fifty Shades Darker to and why?

Many YA books/series. Its an easy read, its fun and it moves quickly. Its lacks the literary prowess of more advanced books. This is the perfect summer read, that will likely do well with the traditional box office follow-up...although, I'm intrigued as to how they will be able to fully depict the 'story' without disappointing the viewers and keep it to an R rating!!! Ha!

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Literally, no. I set the naration speed faster, but I guess that's more a personal preferance. As for the narration itself...this series was my first time listening to an audiobook, so it was very strange at first, especially hearing a woman do a man's voice. By about a third of the way into the first book I was used to it and it was easy to get lost in the book. The narrator does a good job creating a difference 'voice' for each character and uses the same voice throughout the entire series. I imagine that's not an easy task!

Could you see Fifty Shades Darker being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I know it will be made into a movie...BUT I can't wait to see how. There is so much in this book that I imagaine is going to be very difficult to bring to the theaters as an R rating, while staying true to book(s). I'm no director or producer, but as someone who read & enjoyed the books, I am quite skeptical as to how good the movie(s) will be. As for the stars...Channing Tatum is the only one who comes to mind, but that may be a bit too cliche. Christian will just have to be someone hot, mysterious and very "50".

Part two is engaging of Fifty Shades Darker!

If you could sum up Fifty Shades Darker in three words, what would they be?

It's so good I had to register to each section Twice so that I would not miss the action.

Narration completely spoils the mood. Turn-off

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Becca Battoe narrates this book in what sounds like an 80's Valley Girl dialect. "Oh My Gawd, Christian! Could you BE any hotter? Like Totally." Ruins the mood.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Fifty Shades Darker?

I love his dark, troubled character.

How could the performance have been better?

It's just the way she reads. She emphasizes certain syllables in a way that detracts from the mood. Her voice is more petulant adolescent than young woman exploring her sexuality. Very distracting.

Do you think Fifty Shades Darker needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes, because the ending is a cliff-hanger.

Any additional comments?

Need a different narrator. I wasted my money on the audiobook. The reading was a turn-off. She should narrate tween or teen literature, like the Dork Diaries, or Popularity Papers. "Like, I'm SO sure.....Gawd."

Seductive and Fun

Would you consider the audio edition of Fifty Shades Darker to be better than the print version?

no, I did both. I enjoyed the many voices of the reader and she did an outstanding job.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Fifty Shades Darker?

Christian on his knees when he fell into submissive mode.

Have you listened to any of Becca Battoe’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Blush! Blush! Laugh, and cry. Mostly Blush

Great Story....

If you could sum up Fifty Shades Darker in three words, what would they be?

Intense, gripping, and emotional!

What did you like best about this story?

I'm impressed with the storyline of this book, but I think the narrators voice could have been a little more attuned to the storyline. Her voice comes across as a little young, but over all I loved this series!

Great Trilogy and great narrator

What made the experience of listening to Fifty Shades Darker the most enjoyable?

Which character – as performed by Becca Battoe – was your favorite?

Anastasia

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely!!

Any additional comments?

Overlook the negative reviews. This trilogy is fantastic and the narrator did a great job!

Better than the first

Very good study of character and discipline. Much better than the first. It was cleaver the way the author developed the dominant character of the heroine, Anastasia Steel. I enjoyed this enough to purchase the entire series.

Hard to put down.

Would you listen to Fifty Shades Darker again? Why?

I probably would because just like reading you do miss somethings when you listen.
But now you know the ending it doesn't hold the interest as much.

Multiple voices would be nice

Like the story. I am going to download the sequel. My only complaint would be that I would like two readers, one for the men and one for the women.

loved it!!!!! not a book lover but couldn't stop

Not a big fan of reading but I loved listening and couldn't stop once I started