Laters, Baby

It seems only fitting to return to the blogisphere after a one year hiatus to briefly discuss my current obsession, Christian Grey, a.k.a. "Fifty".  It's very rare that a girl finds that special person who makes their heart putter and fill with butterflies.  A person you can just blush at the thought of .  Thankfully, I've found that person; unfortunately, he doesn't exist in real life.  

Christian Grey is the main character of E.L. James' sultry trilogy which includes, Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, and Fifty Shades Freed, whose popularity is currently the hushed topic of conversation among females all along the East Coast.  

After having been recommended the books by a few people, I finally caved in and entered into a seven day reading binge as I became completely entranced by the relationship of the young Anastasia and her brooding, yet extremely alluring, "Fifty".  What seems like the quintessential love story takes a turn when Ana learns of Christian's secret life of BDSM and his painful history that brought him to that point.  It explores the world of S&M and the relationship between dominance and submissiveness. James does an impeccable job of taking the reader on a roller coaster of emotions over the complexity of Christian, from lusting over his sexiness, to anger and frustration at his inability to overcome is dark past, to compassion over the same.  

While I absolutely love the character of Christian, the books themselves weren't particularly well written.  By the third book, I found myself annoyed by the submissiveness (pun intended) of Ana's character and struggling to get through it.  Nevertheless, in the end I was extremely sad when I turned the last page (or rather swooped the last screen on my iPad).  I'm also glad I trucked along as the final book offers a glimpse at the story from Christian's perspective, which was a welcome deviation from Ana's one-dimensional point of view. 

Last week the Today Show featured a segment on the series showcasing it as a representation of violence against woman.  They are obviously taking it way too seriously.  Much like any other fictional book, Fifty Shades is meant to be a fun and exciting escape from our every day lives.  If you want my advice, and the NY Times Best Sellers List's, its an easy read and well worth the short get away.  Now grab your grey tie, curl up in your red room of pain (or living room couch if you prefer) and get you some Christian Grey!

Laters, babyyy