Fifty Shades Unplugged!

Just finished reading Fifty Shades Freed, the third and last book of the Fifty Shades Trilogy by British author, E.L. James. I am trying to gauge my feelings after having read the Trilogy ....am I feeling liberated as the author has expected her readers to feel? I am not sure about that but yes I am feeling spent with a vague sense of deja vu (I did manage to read all the 3 books - despite my initial squeamishness at the erotic content).

Millions of people (mostly members of the fairer sex) have by now devoured the Fifty Shades books- till date 31 million copies of the trilogy have been sold worldwide. For the minority who have refused to succumb to the temptation/ curiosity/ hype/ aura of the Fifty Shades Trilogy, I will run down the plot;

The first book, Fifty Shades of Grey begins with the chance meeting of Anastasia Steele, a 21 year old undergrad studying literature and the very dapper, rich and successful  27 year old entrepreneur Christian Grey (''oh my!''). What follows is an unconventional but intense romance between the very inexperienced Anastasia and the control freak, Christian ....a romance which is breathtaking, shocking and which tests the limits for both the characters. Christian introduces Anastasia to his 'kinky' world which is both alluring and revolting in parts. Quite predictably, Christian sweeps Anastasia off her feet with his over-the top wealth ( the  man owns a helicopter, a glider, fancy sports cars, a luxury boat and lives in a penthouse); drop-dead gorgeous looks and his skilled lovemaking. 

During the course of their relationship, Anastasia also realizes that Christian is a disturbed soul, an enigma- a man possessed by the past which is responsible for his strange ways. Both the characters want "more" from each other- Christian wants Ana to be more submissive and accepting of his lifestyle whereas Ana wants more emotional involvement and commitment from Christian. The book ends with Anastasia giving up on the relationship as she cannot envisage them together in the future and we end up wondering whether they are ever going to find each other and that ''more'' they are looking for...

Obviously, the ending ensures that everyone who read Fifty Shades of Grey picks up Fifty Shades Darker, the second book in the series (darker - mmm! doesn't that sound promising?) to see whether Christian and Anastasia get together and how? Fifty Shades Darker continues the story with Anastasia realizing that she is deeply in love with Christian and is heartbroken without him. She begins her career in publishing in Seattle and tries hard to get over Christian. Christian also has been distraught -he is missing Anastasia and it begins to dawn on him that for once he is not in control of his emotions and he might too be interested in more than a 'dominant-submissive' relationship with Anastasia. 

Fate again brings Christian and Anastasia together and this time Christian suggests a more flexible arrangement notches down from his original indecent proposal to win back Anastasia. Anastasia relents and moves in with him. Soon they embark on a bitter-sweet journey dotted first with Christian's shock confession  that he is not just a dominant but a sadist out to seek revenge on women who resembled his mother; Anastasia's acceptance of Christian with all his shades (fifty a many) which in turn prompts Christian to propose marriage to her. Finally,Christian's disappearance and close brush with death brings them even closer and Anastasia agrees to get married to him.  

The author introduces a sub-plot in the second part of the Trilogy with Anastasia's boss getting smitten by her.  Christian in an over protective mode buys the publishing house where Ana is working and throws out the boss who dares to make a pass at her. The book ends with mystery shrouding the person who is plotting against the Grey family but the identity of the man is quite evident. 

I don't think anyone buys Fifty Shades Freed to find out about the mystery man - rather readers will be curious to know what happens when Christian and Anastasia get married. Will love be enough for Christian or will he be tempted to go his old ways again? Will Anastasia be able to live with a control-freak or will she surrender to his ways too? Is it really a happy ending after all or will  fate or even the mystery man be able to challenge their faith in each other and what they share? 

Fifty Shades Freed, exposes the mystery revenge man as Anastasia's ex-boss and shows a connection between Christian and him, dating back to their childhood. It also exposes the chinks in their marital bliss when Anastasia finds herself pregnant and the very shocked, angry and scared Christian finds himself turning to his old friend and ex-Dom Elena (whom Anastasia abhors for obvious reasons). A lot of drama ensues with the revenge man trying to get even by kidnapping Christian's sister Mia and the pregnant Ana risking it all to save her and the Grey family. Fifty Shades Freed, sees Christian coming to terms with his own fears, his past, Anastasia's love for him and even  in his own ability to take on the impending responsibility of being a father. 

Yes, for all who are curious to know this story does have a happy ending....  we leave Christian and Anastasia in their dream house in an idyllic setting happily in love with each other enjoying their two year old and awaiting the birth of their daughter, Phoebe Grey. And for all those wondering if the humdrum of marital life and kids dries out the romance between Anastasia and Christian, the answer is a resounding No....the air still crackles with their sizzling chemistry as they are both game for ''more''.....the question is "Are you?"


For all those who have been bitten by the 'Fifty Shades' bug, read my review of the Trilogy in this blog post and also get an insight into the phenomenal success of the books in this article.