(Novel by E.L. James # 602 pages)

The whole world is talking about these 3 indecent volumes by the author E.L. James, even though not all of them have been released yet. They have occupied the top 3 spots on the bestseller list for weeks, and all media have reported on this thrilling and heartbreaking love story.

So I also dug deep into my wallet and got myself the first volume (Shades of Grey) Geheimes Verlangen. The first impression is promising; the book cover is structured, with pressed elevations, giving it a very elegant look. The page count of over 600 pages is also acceptable, and although the first edition of the first volume was only released in August 2012, I already have the 10th edition in my hands this October! But that’s where the positive aspects end.

The story strongly reminds me of “Pretty Woman” with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and yes, I admit it, I saw the movie sometime 20 years ago…. But the story in the book is very similarly structured. A young (relatively) poor woman meets a rich man, only that the man in the book isn’t as “old” (or doesn’t look as old) as Richard Gere, but is also “only” 28. And she, Ana Steele, is not a prostitute but a student who happens to meet the aforementioned Christian Grey. The usual love story begins and starts off completely unrealistically! A 21-year-old very attractive student who has never had a boyfriend, has never had sex, and hasn’t even touched herself, where does that happen? At least not in the USA! But even if it did, as soon as she meets this filthy rich man, she immediately becomes a sex-obsessed love goddess. Yes, of course, that’s totally normal in the USA. The super-rich man, with his own helicopter and huge villa with a magnificent view of Seattle, naturally carries her on his hands afterward. Yes, exactly what women want to hear, but there are thousands of such books, so something “forbidden” is added.

Christian Grey has a special playroom in his villa, equipped with all sorts of BDSM (Bondage & Discipline, Dominance & Submission, Sadism & Masochism) entertainment tools, such as whips, a St. Andrew's cross, ropes, stimulation devices, etc., for corresponding games or punishments.

And although there is hardly any use of these “work tools,” a corresponding tension builds up between the experienced Dom and the inexperienced Sub. Especially since Ana, as is often the case with women in reality, wants to question and analyze everything instead of gaining experiences and having fun in her young years.

However, one does not get more than a small insight into the BDSM world, and so this reading is nothing more than another romance novel. Anyone who wants to delve deeper into the realm of Sado-Maso cannot avoid the classics “Justine” by Marquis de Sade, “Die Geschichte der O.” by Dominique Aury, and “Venus im Pelz” by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch.