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

Bizarre

Not sure what all the buzz was around this book. Sort of sick that so many raved about it.

I would rather give no stars

I finally broke down and wanted to know what the fuss was but the "heroine" in the story is a class A idiot. From her "inner goddess" to repeated "oh my" I almost lost it. just a moron, wow. The WORST book I've read in years.

This is torture and not the erotic kind.

Would you try another book from E L James and/or Becca Battoe?

Nope. Couldn't finish this one....and I was using it as a sleep aid.

What could E L James have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Maybe take a writing class?

How could the performance have been better?

Different reader....different material.

What character would you cut from Fifty Shades of Grey?

Hmmmm....maybe the main characters "subconscious" and "inner goddess."

Any additional comments?

Have you ever wondered what goes on inside the head of an idiot? Then you may find this book interesting.

Garbage!

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Idiots! Who would even find this interesting!

What could E. L. James have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Never write another book again!

Would you be willing to try another one of Becca Battoe’s performances?

Never! She is awful!

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointed that I wasted a credit on this garbage.

Any additional comments?

Please do not make the same mistake I made and waste a credit on this book.

Very inmature

Would you try another book from E L James and/or Becca Battoe?

I'm not sure. That would depend on if the writing improved.

Has Fifty Shades of Grey turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

Would you be willing to try another one of Becca Battoe’s performances?

I didn't care for the performance all that much. There's always hope for improvement though.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Was a little disappointed especially since there was so much hype about what a great book it is.

Any additional comments?

Not really.

Creepy, even with the remaster

I'm not sure if the original description of the book was misleading or if I selected it based on the positive national reviews, but I was not prepared for the book. I didn't finish it and perhaps I should have slogged to the end before commenting, but there didn't seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

The narration was better with the remaster, but the original one just emphasized the true nature of the plot and characters. Does using a more mature tone change the real story? That is, a twisted young man preying on an even younger woman. As long as women the same age as Ana are lured into things like legal prostitution and are dominated by men physically and financially, this should be uncomfortable to hear, regardless of who reads it. Any woman who actually thinks this is "romance" needs counseling. And any man who reads this and convinces himself that the average healthy woman awaits their Christian Gray is mistaken.

I Read It...BUT.....

....I found it disjointed and predictable and I disliked the protagonist Anastasia Steele no one is that naïve about life, sex yes.. Christian Grey was a tidbit underdeveloped, one-dimensional, brooding, quasi-sadist... However I'm sure that was the intent, there are questions and we need answers we need a second book.. There were times when the writing was good, descriptive, exciting, VERY GRAPHIC and, nuanced and times juvenile... Also, this could just be me, BUT, no one gets mad when you mention a favorite book and someone buys you a first edition, no one gets mad when you're a struggling college student and you don't have a computer and someone buys your computer, no one gets mad when your car is on it's last leg and your are 21 years old just graduated from college and no job prospects and someone buys you a new Audi..
LAST but not LEAST...the excessive use; "his long fingers", "err", "he is so beautiful", "oh my", "rub his hands through his unruly hair", "biting my lip" and "baby" a bit sophomoric and very dated... This bothered me..

in this case, the movie was better : (

Struggled to get into it. The performance is underwhelming. Actually did not finish the book. The narration got on my nerves eventually.

Should have read the reviews for the narrator

I purchased this audio book last October, but am just now getting around to listening to it. It is horrible. I've read the book, multiple times, and I've seen the movie, many times, but wanted to have it in a different format. I will not be getting the rest of the books in audio, and I wish I could get a refund. I am not going to be able to finish listening to this, so I completely wasted a credit. Becca Battoe makes every character sound like they are snobs. Her voice for Christian? Lord...it is so bad. I found a review by Tanya Gold (The Telegraph) that sums it up nicely - if you haven't purchased this yet - please look it up.

Loved the book- but the way the narrator reads it is awful!

I really enjoyed the novel, but the narrator for the audio book is not good. She reads it so weirdly, and I am definitely not a fan. A definite waste of money.