Fifty Shades of Grey

Book One of the Fifty Shades Trilogy

By: E. L. James

Narrated by: Becca Battoe

Length: 19 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

More than 150 million copies sold worldwide.

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too - but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success - his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family - Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

This audiobook is intended for mature audiences.

Look for E L James’ passionate new love story, The Mister, coming April 16, 2019.

©2011 E L James (P)2012 Random House

Critic reviews

• Finalist, GoodReads Choice Awards, Best Romance

Not what I expected- I liked it.

I guess all the hype and silly buzz around this book when it first became popular made me think it was a raunchy sex story. It was not at all even distasteful.
I’m not too critical of romantic fiction. It should be enjoyed as the escape it was intended to be.

If you’re looking for BDSM, this is not really where you’ll find it. This is romantic with a sprinkling of a hint of it. I did learn some associated terminology.
The narrator has a sweet voice but it took me a while to get used to her cadence which reminded me of a 5 th grade teacher reading to students. Either she became more comfortable with the role as the story progressed or I became numb to my previous annoyance, but she was more convincing at about half way through.

Awesome!!!

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

It made me want to be Ana and get into the story so that I can experience the pleasure that she was getting.

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

When Grey found out that Ana was a virgin, he went crazy also especially at what happened after.

What about Becca Battoe’s performance did you like?

She pulled me into the story with her performance, i especially like how she portrayed how Ana felt.

Any additional comments?

James knew exactly what he was doing....this story captivates you and will hold you to the last word.

STOP WITH THE SHOUTY CAPITALS! This book is magic!

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

A-MAZ-ING

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

It does have a similar tone to twilight, the Edward and Bella side, but for adults...controlling man, naive girl, somehow you just WANT it to work!

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

Ana....She is youthful, just out of college, naive, yet wise beyond her years. I could feel Ana screeching in surprise as I read the books and the audio version depicted every nuance exactly as I'd envisioned it, even the funny ones!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Ana stops doubting herself....and she allows herself to BE the person Christian needs her to be.

Any additional comments?

Some people are always going to have problems with the narration, the editing, the whatever….if you are use to nitpicking a book to death for its faults then this is not the book for you! If you want to sit back and be transported to an alternate reality where you can allow your mind to wander free and picture these people and places and live their ups and downs with them, then BUY THIS BOOK!

Get the book instead in order to enjoy the story!

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Great story! Buy the book in order to enjoy. You won't be disappointed. Narrator just ruins the book and she narrates all three books of the series. Such a shame! Becca Battoe is more suited to read a dictionary not a thrilling romance novel.

What didn’t you like about Becca Battoe’s performance?

The narrator's voice had no emotion or expression. This is such a fantastic book with exciting story lines and the narrator just ruins it all the good parts with her rambling voice.

Do yourself the favor and just buy the book!

Did Fifty Shades of Grey inspire you to do anything?

Purchase the books in the series not the audio.

Will READ the last two

This narrator was terrible, and not just because she sounds 12 years old. I don't think she's had much experience at acting, or reading, or whatever makes for a really good narrator. Aside from that the author also writes in an amaturish fashion. People, this is not literaty by any means! So what kept me listening? Not the kinky sex scenes, that's for sure. They were written and read so badly that they were not even slightly erotic, in my opinion. What kept me going and made me buy the other two in the series on Kindle was the romance story line, which I really enjoyed, and which makes the second book better than the first, but READ them. The MOST irritating part of listening to this book is that there are many email exchanges between the two main characters. The narrator reads every part of each email, including the sender's name, the recipient's name, the time it was sent, the subject line, signature, company title of sender, and so on. It was beyond irritating.

I LOVED THIS!!

Where does Fifty Shades of Grey rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was such a good book to listen to! I would listen to it over and over again!! A truely moving story that has touched my heart!

Valley-Girl Voice

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I have not finished listening to this book yet.

What did you like best about this story?

I have not finished listening to this book yet.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I am struggling to complete this book because of the narrator's voice. Her intonation and voice sound "so "Valley-Girl." Like "gag me with a spoon." I would like to finish this book but I find the narrator's voice very distracting and do not like listening to the book for longer than 15 minutes because of this.

Was Fifty Shades of Grey worth the listening time?

I have not finished this book yet.

I wasn't always in the mood for this book

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

This is really a wonderful always exciting, never a boring moment love story. I wasn't always in the mood for this book though because I wasn't always in the mood for a steamy graphic sex scene when working out or waiting for my turn in a crowded DMV, which this first book is FULL of. Thank gawd the second book has more of a story than sex scene to sex scene. The reader is WONDERFUL. She reads all the characters perfectly and translates what might have read stiff by the eyes, quite helpful to the ears. The main character, who is first person, really lets you feel as though you can relate completely. The thing that did bother me though is how easily and often she orgasms. Seems a bit unrealistic. But then, it all is. I guess that is why we all love this book.

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

It would be far too exhausting to listen to this entire book in one sitting. Break it up, you will need to.

Fifty! Fifty! Fifty! Love that Christian

What did you love best about Fifty Shades of Grey?

Great book!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Christian Grey - He's so HOT!!!

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Becca Battoe?

Not sure - but Becca Battoe definitely did a disservice to this book/series.

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

If it weren't for the narrator, yes.

Any additional comments?

This is a good romance with a lot of good sex. Problem is, the narrator does nothing for the read. After reading all 3 books, I wanted the audio to listen to in the car. Books were fantastic, but the audio is terrible. Becca Battoe makes the characters dull and dim witted. Ana is not a "Valley Girl", but that is how she is protrayed. The voice she uses for Christian is absolutely terrible. He's young, hot and sexy - she makes him sound like some older man who wouldn't cause a woman to turn for a second look. Random House needs to redo this book with another narrator who can bring the characters to life, not put the listener to sleep!!!

ANYONE HAVE THE OLD VERSION??

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

heard the sample of the audiobook and the new version of the audiobook is HORRIBLE! there are weird accents, her voice does not fit with the character and CHRISTIAN sounds weird!! if I had to choose, I'd rather have the OLD audiobook version than this one. Anyone know of a way to get the old one instead?

How did the narrator detract from the book?

her voice did not match that of Ana's or of any girl that I've ever heard of in an audiobook..

Any additional comments?

Please re-release the OLD version of the audiobook!! This new narration kills the story completely!