Fifty Shades Darker Review

Fifty Shades Darker  

Author: E L James

Publisher: Vintage

American release date: April 17, 2012

Format/Genre/Length: Novel/Romance/544 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: Mature Audience

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Ana is taking life one day at a time, ever since she walked out on Christian Grey, three days ago, after the horrific episode with the belt, returning everything he ever gave her. She tries to focus on her new job with SIP, but it’s not easy. The apartment seems too empty, what with Kate in the Barbados. And she misses Christian more than she can say. Imagine her surprise when she receives an email at work… from Christian… asking her if she wants a ride to Jose’s exhibition the next day. Holy shit, she forgot all about it!

Synopsis:

The idea of seeing Christian again is both torture and heaven. What else can she do but say yes? The next day at the office drags, and her boss, Jack, seems unusually attentive. When Christian arrives to pick her up, he takes an instant dislike to Jack. He notices immediately, to his displeasure,  that Ana has lost weight, just in the few days they’ve been apart, and presses to know when she last ate. He flies them in Charlie Tango to the exhibition, and Jose is dismayed to see him there. Ana is surprised that so many people know who she is, but the reason becomes apparent when she sees the seven large photographs of herself that Jose has put on display. And which Christian promptly buys.

Leaving the exhibition, Christian takes Ana out to eat. It’s obvious how much they’ve missed one another and how much they want to be together. He has a proposition for her, of a different kind. He wants a relationship with her—a vanilla relationship without any kinky fuckery. As in forget the contract, start all over again. She protests that she likes some of that kinky fuckery, and he smiles.

Slowly but surely, Christian and Ana begin to mend their relationship. This is new territory for both of them. Christian tells her no more playroom—he couldn’t bear to lose her again. Since she’s been gone, the nightmares have come back. Ana thinks not everything in the playroom was bad. The biggest problem is that she didn’t use the safe word. Why? Because she forgot. But that isn’t good enough for Christian, and he won’t risk losing her again.

Ana had almost forgotten a creepy incident at work, involving a strange woman who bore an eerie resemblance to her that asked her what Ana has that she doesn’t until she learns that Christian has a loony ex on the loose by the name of Leila, and apparently that was her! What does Leila want with Ana? She’s not sure she wants to know.

When Ana insists she needs a haircut, Christian takes her to a chic salon called Esclava, and they wait for the hairdresser to be free. Suddenly a very pretty and stylish blonde appears and Christian goes to her and suddenly Ana just knows who she is—Mrs. Robinson herself! What the hell?

Crazy exes, dangerous and horny bosses, publishing wheeling and dealing, and layers of secret are not exactly conducive to Christian and Ana finding their way back to one another. Do they have what it takes? And are they each willing to put forth the effort that’s required to deal with one another?

Will love keep them together? Who’s determined to split them apart?

Commentary:

I liked Fifty Shades Darker every bit as much as Fifty Shades of Grey, perhaps even more so, because we know the characters better now, and have gotten closer to them. I can’t help but root for this young couple, and want them to be together. I think they are the perfect match, and their love is strong enough to conquer anything.

We learn a lot more about Christian and his background in this book, and why he is fifty shades of fucked-up. It’s amazing he’s as functional as he is. Interestingly, he has something in common with Dexter Morgan, but I won’t say what, that would be spoiling. We also learn more about just what he does, besides owning a beauty salon and a publishing company, he is seriously into helping developing nations, both in terms of food and technology, and is working on a mobile phone that does not require either electricity or battery—a solar powered mobile phone!

We get to see Mrs. Robinson too, and it’s not a pretty picture. I think that the term is used incorrectly, to be honest, as Ana sees her as a pedophile, and the original Mrs. Robinson, of The Graduate, was not that—Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) was in college when they began their affair, whereas in Fifty Shades, Christian was only 15. Be that as it may, it gets the point across. Christian tries to excuse what happened by saying that it saved him, but I have to believe you can save a teenager without having sex with him and teaching him the finer points of bdsm. Just my opinion, of course.

There’s a lot going on in this second volume of the trilogy and I loved it, and can’t wait to read more. This is ultimately a romance, not a bdsm book. The bdsm was more a part of the first book, but it wasn’t the focus, simply a means to an end. The bottom line is this is a romance about two people in love and should not be compared to other bdsm books. Haters, back off.

The HIgh Window Review

The High Window   

Author: Raymond Chandler

Publisher: Vintage

American release date: July 12, 1988 (rerelease)

Format/Genre/Length: Novel/Crime/272 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: not rated

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Marlowe goes to Pasadena to meet a client about a job. First he has to get past the secretary. Miss Davis is a rather meek soul, who asks for his references, and once they check out, she takes him to see the client—Mrs. Elizabeth Murdock. Mrs. Murdock is a large, hard woman with an unpleasant attitude, one that isn’t above haggling Marlowe about what his expenses consist of. The situation is this—something of value has been stolen from her, and she suspects the culprit to be her daughter-in-law, the item in question being a very rare and valuable coin known as a Brasher Doubloon.

Synopsis:

Mrs. Murdock didn’t know the coin was missing until she received a suspicious phone call from a dealer named Morningstar making inquiries as to whether the coin was for sale. The thing is that any reputable dealer would know the coin isn’t for sale, per the stipulations of the late Mr. Murdock’s will. Then she checked and found out the coin was missing. She figures it was an inside job, as those are the only people who would have access to it. Mrs. Murdock wants the coin back, but she doesn’t know where her son’s wife went—plus she wants a divorce arranged. Marlowe agrees to take the case, and is handed back to the secretary to get his retainer—along with a little information, some voluntary, some not so. He learns that Linda Murdock, formerly Linda Conquest, once roomed with another girl named Lois Magic. And he learns that the secretary, Merle, has quite a thing, in her own quiet way, for Mrs. Murdock’s son, which includes keeping his monogrammed handkerchief in a drawer, as well as a small caliber pistol.

As Marlowe leaves the Murdock residence, he notices a sand-colored coupe that seems to be following him. But he could be wrong about that.

Marlowe returns to his office, and while he’s thinking about the case, he receives a visitor—Mr. Leslie Murdock, the son. He’s trying to find out why Marlowe’s been hired, but the PI is too cagey to divulge that bit of information. Murdock reveals more than he learns—namely, that he still loves his wife, and that he is into a guy named Morny for some big money, maybe twelve grand.  Marlowe sends him on his way, and calls up Morningstar, making an appointment to see him at his office at 3 o’clock.

He can’t find Lois Magic in the phone book, so he uses a connection to learn what he can about Morny. Turns out he married Lois Magic. Small world indeed. He gets an address and heads over there, but the hired help say she isn’t at home. Well, there’s more than one way to do things, so Marlowe does it his way, and finds out from the chauffeur that Mrs. Morny is indeed at home, in the backyard, along with Mr. Vannier.

Marlowe runs into the sand-colored coupe and its driver again, and confronts him. The guy breaks down and admits he’s been following Marlowe. His name is Phillips and he’s also a PI, working a case. Maybe they can work it together, since the cases seem to be related. He makes a time for Marlowe to come over to his place, and just for insurance, he gives him a key, in case he arrives first.

Marlowe shows up, but it’s too late for Phillips.

And he’s only the first stiff.

Fake coins, missing wives, cheating wives, terrified secretaries, and a body count that just won’t quit. All in the job description for Phillip Marlowe.

Commentary:

The High Window is the third book in the Philip Marlowe series. I liked it as much as I did the others. Chandler has a way with words that is truly unique, and he paints a vivid picture of the times and the people, drawing memorable characters. I like that Marlowe has layers, and we see more and more of those layers as time goes on. In this story, he’s a real gentleman. We already knew he was honest. The story has all the ingredients of a good mystery—dead bodies, people with secrets, lies, and mysteries. I look forward to reading the next book.

Farewell, My Lovely Review

Farewell, My Lovely  

Author: Raymond Chandler

Publisher: Vintage

American release date: July 12, 1988 (rerelease)

Format/Genre/Length: Novel/Crime/292 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: not rated

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

While working a job that never pans out, PI Philip Marlowe is drawn against his will into a bar called Florian’s by a very huge man. Moose Malloy has just spent eight years doing time, and he’s looking for his girl Velma. Well, it has been eight years, and the bar’s changed hands since then. The new owners and employees know nothing of any Velma, but Moose gets mad and someone gets dead, and Marlowe finds himself in the middle of something he never bargained for.

Synopsis:

Being a good PI, Marlowe calls the police, and the case goes to a fellow named Nulty, who tries to inveigle Marlowe into helping him solve it. Marlowe says he’ll let him know if he thinks of anything, then decides to follow up on the Velma angle. He goes into a hotel near the bar, asking about the previous owner, and learns where the man’s widow still resides. So Marlowe decides to pay her a visit.

Mrs. Florian is a house-bound soul with a fondness for alcohol. It isn’t hard to pry information out of her, armed with a bottle and a willingness to suffer being her drinking companion in order to get her to talk. The widow plays coy, but when she learns Moose is on the loose, she grows pale. Velma is dead, she says, so no use looking for her. Marlowe informs Nulty and goes back to his office.

There he receives a phone call about a job, although the caller is being very vague and mysterious about what he’s to be doing for his money. Money is money, so Marlowe gets the address and agrees to meet the client that night.  His name is Lindsay Marriott and he lives in the better part of time. He wants Marlowe to go with him while he does something, but he isn’t to be seen or do anything. Marlowe doesn’t like that and makes no bones about it, and then he lays down his rules. It seems that Marriott is paying to retrieve some stolen jewelry—very valuable jade, to be exact. It was taken from a lady, and the thieves are holding it for ransom.

Marlowe agrees to the job, for a hundred dollars, and instructions are received, along with directions. However, nothing is simple, and Marlowe gets sapped. By the time he wakes up, there’s a strange girl there by the name of Anne Riordan, and Lindsay Marriott is deceased. Marlowe checks the man’s pockets and finds something interesting—marihuana cigarettes in a cheap case. However, by the time the police arrive, those are no longer there.

Turns out Anne’s father was once police chief of Bay City, so she can’t help but be nosy about what she’s stumbled across. Marlowe finds her attractive in a more than pretty face kind of way. She returns the cigarettes she stole to him, and he makes an interesting discovery—hidden inside are the business cards of a local psychic, Jules Amthor. So Marlowe sets off to investigate.

A dead man, an escaped convict, a missing girl, graft in high polices, a crooked doctor, gambling—all these things and more lie in wait for Philip Marlowe. The question is, has he bitten off more than he can chew, and are there people who are determined that he not find out the truth, no matter how they have to silence him?

Commentary:

Farewell, My Lovely is the sequel to The Big Sleep. It’s another great read from Raymond Chandler. I’m really enjoying Marlowe’s adventures. He’s not a super hero, he’s just an ordinary guy, doing his job, and as such he’s not beyond getting hurt—and he does, because he keeps sticking his nose where it isn’t wanted.

One thing to keep in mind when you read this is that it’s a product of its times, much as Huckleberry Finn. Some of the terms used would be considered racist now, but they weren’t then, so you have to realize that and either not be offended, or not read the book. Those don’t detract from the enjoyment of the story.

Chandler has a definite way with words that I enjoy. For example, in talking about Marlowe’s first sight of Moose Malloy: “He was looking up at the dusty windows with a sort of ecstatic fixity of expression, like a hunky immigrant catching his first sight of the Statue of Liberty.”   His description of scenery is also unique, pure Marlowe:  “I got down to Montemar Vista as the light began to fade, but there was still a fine sparkle on the water and the surf was breaking far out in long smooth curves.”

This story has a lot of twists and turns, and I didn’t see the ending coming until it was on top of me. Raymond Chandler set the bar for detective stories, and he set it pretty damn high. I recommend this to anyone who loves mysteries and detectives, and to those who haven’t put your toe in the water, try it, you’ll like it.

Fifty Shades of Grey review

 Fifty Shades of Grey  

Author: E L James

Publisher: Vintage

American release date: April 3, 2012

Format/Genre/Length: Novel/Romance/528 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: Mature Audience

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Frustrated that her best friend/college roommate has come down with the flu on the day of an important interview, Anastasia Steele—Ana, to friends and family—agrees to help her out, although that entails driving some 165 miles in order to do so. But what are friends for, right? So she drives to downtown Seattle to keep the bedridden Kate’s appointment with the CEO of Grey Enterprises Holdings , Inc., one Christian Grey, who is scheduled to be the commencement speaker at their graduation. What begins as simply an annoying favor for a sick friend becomes the catalyst to the biggest change imaginable in the innocent college student’s life.

Synopsis:

Technically, Ana is only the conduit for the interview. The questions are written out, all she needs to do is ask them, and record all the answers. Good thing, because when she meets Christian, she is so flustered by his amazing good looks, and his youth that she is a bit tongue-tied (and mentally curses Kate for not having prepared her for him).Of course, part of the fault is Ana’s for not having read the questions through, and blurting out, “Are you gay?”, before she wishes a hole would open up and swallow her. She barely makes it through the interview, and his slightest touch produces reactions she’s never experienced before.  All in all, Ana is greatly unnerved by Christian Grey.

Ana goes back to her life—her studies, her part-time job at the hardware store, her friends, including Jose, a photographer whom she suspects of liking her a bit too much in the wrong way—but she can’t stop thinking about Christian. When he turns up unexpectedly where she works, she is flustered as she helps him gather the things that he requests—cable ties, masking tape, rope—although she can’t begin to fathom why he should need these things, and he isn’t exactly forthcoming with details. When Ana mentions in passing that Kate wishes they had better pictures of the young CEO to go along with the interview, Christian offers to do a photo shoot, to her amazement. An ecstatic Kate strong-arms a reluctant Jose into taking the pictures, and the next day all three show up at Christian’s expensive hotel. After the photo shoot, he invites Ana for coffee, and she accepts—even though she doesn’t even like it.

Ana cannot stop thinking about him. Especially after he makes an overly generous gift to her of some very expensive first editions. She goes out with Kate and Jose to celebrate their graduation, and consuming too many drinks makes her bold; while waiting in line for the ladies room, she places a drunken call to Christian. She won’t tell him where she is and hangs up on him, but the man has resources, and luckily so, saving her from an unfortunate situation, also introducing Kate to his brother Elliot. While they hit it off, Christian takes Ana with him to his hotel, where she passes out.

It’s obvious that this attraction between them is very mutual; although Christian continually tries to warn Ana away from him, telling her he’s no good for her, she cannot resist him. When innocent Ana says to him, “You’re quite the disciplinarian,” he responds with, “Oh Anastasia, you have no idea.” And when it reaches the point where it’s obvious that something’s got to give, then he reveals to her some of his nature, what he’s looking for in a relationship, and he gives her a contract to sign, outlining everything in black and white. You see, Christian is a Dominant in search of a Submissive—this is the type of relationship he has with women, albeit one at a time, for he is monogamous. Although there is something he hasn’t realized about Ana, which could be a deal breaker.

Loving Christian Grey will not be easy, but Ana cannot help herself. When she’s around him, she wants him so badly she can taste it. He does something to her, something very elemental, and being away from him is painful to her. But can she live with his very exacting rules? Does she even get a voice in this matter? And is there any wiggle room? Enquiring minds want to know.

Commentary:

There is no denying that Fifty Shades of Grey has become a phenomenon in the short time since its release. I became aware of the hoopla and wondered about it, especially after hearing that the story was originally a fanfiction penned by author EL James, based in the Twilight fandom. So I decided to see what the fuss was all about, and I was more than half prepared to find it unmitigated tripe, and highly questionable erotica. I’ve never read anything in the bdsm genre before, so I was also apprehensive that I would not like this aspect of the book either. All in all, I prepared to dislike this book.

But a strange thing happened. From the beginning, I found the author’s voice engaging, easy to read, and well developed. It flows very smoothly, and her narrator, Ana Steele, is easy to like, and I enjoyed watching her story unfold. As for Christian, well, that man is just hotter than hot, and incredibly sexy. Yet no cookie-cutter romance hero is he; he is multi-layered and multi-faceted, and very riveting as we peel away the layers, trying to find out what makes Christian tick.

While this book is definitely for mature audiences because of its dark themes and open sexuality, it is not what I consider to be erotica. To me, erotica is sex with a bit of plot thrown in, just a step above pure smut that makes no pretense at plot. In the world of fanfiction, this is often referred to as pwp—plot, what plot? But Fifty Shades is first and foremost a romance between Ana and Christian, a very sensual romance, and the sex enhances that romance but it isn’t everything, it’s a part of everything.

As for the fanfiction aspect, if I hadn’t been told that was the origin, I would never have guessed it. Even knowing it, I don’t really see it (and I have read the Twilight books, so I am familiar with the characters). You might make a case for Christian being the controlling Edward Cullen, while I can see a little bit, perhaps, of Bella in Ana Steele, mostly in her clumsiness and naivete, but honestly, these characters are their own, and very well developed. She basically took Twilight and reshaped it into her own story, in the same way that Leonard Bernstein took Romeo & Juliet and made it into West Side Story. Fifty Shades of Grey is its own story.

The question still remains as to why this book, the first in a trilogy, has gone so very viral, and for that I have no real answer. It’s a good book, and I like it, but there are others out there, I know. This isn’t the first bdsm romance, far from it. There are m/f and m/m books out there with the same theme. My only explanation is exposure. Those other books never gained the same sort of exposure. I can only speculate that some great promotional efforts took place before its release, and if so, more power to everyone involved. It worked. Perhaps it doesn’t hurt that EL James is a former TV executive, and probably has friends in high places. I should be so lucky.

While Fifty Shades is not erotica, in my opinion, it is erotic, sensual, and romantic. I understand there is a nickname for it—Mommy porn. Intrigued, I asked a friend what that was all about, and learned that it’s because the largest part of the audience that makes up the readership are women over thirty. Okay, I guess I fill that bill and then some. I think that anyone who enjoys romance will love this book, whether you’re into bdsm or not. I can’t say I’d read another one, outside of the trilogy. That wasn’t the part of the story I found the most satisfying. For me it was all about the romance, the love.

I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the trilogy.

The Big Sleep Review

The Big Sleep  

Author: Raymond Chandler

Publisher: Vintage

American release date: July 12, 1988

Format/Genre/Length: Novel/Crime/139 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: not rated

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

A referral from an associate in the DA’s office garners private investigator Philip Marlowe a job with the very wealthy General Sternwood. The General is elderly and infirm, living in a huge house with a discreet butler and two daughters—both born late in his life, and both rather wild girls. Where Carmen is ditzy and prone to flirtatiousness, Vivian is more self-assured and wears an air of self-possession, despite the fact that her husband, Rusty Regan, has disappeared without a word. However, that is not why the General has summoned Marlowe. There seems to be a small matter of blackmail…

Synopsis:

General Sternwood has received some promissory notes purporting to have been signed by Carmen; a card with the name Arthur Geiger, purveyor of rare books, is enclosed. Marlowe suspects it’s an attempt to claim blackmail money, especially after he learns that the general was hit up for hush money a few months previously by a guy named Joe Brody, who wanted it in order to stop seeing Carmen. Since the General won’t ask Carmen directly, Marlowe agrees to check things out. Before he can even get out of the house, Vivian Regan requests his presence in her room, and attempts to grill him over what he’s doing for her father. But Marlowe is keeping a tight lip; he’s not one to spill the beans about his clients, even if she is the client’s daughter.

Affecting a cover as a man knowledgeable about rare books, Marlowe goes to Geiger’s book store but apparently the worthy gentleman is not on the premises, and the gal he’s hired to take care of things doesn’t know as much about rare books as perhaps she should. When she hands a wrapped parcel to a mysterious visitor in exchange for an unspecified amount of cash, Marlowe suspects there is more here than meets the eye. So he takes his leave and follows the man, giving him a distinct case of the heebie-jeebies. The nervous Nate ditches the package, and Marlowe retrieves it.

Having gotten a description of Geiger from a girl in a bookstore across the street, Marlowe cases Geiger’s place until he appears, and tails him to his house on Laverne Terrace. Night slips in as Marlowe bides his time. A sudden flash from Geiger’s home, followed by a scream and three shots, draws him in, where he discovers a naked Carmen Sternwood, and a dead Arthur Geiger. Being a discreet kind of guy, he returns the stoned heiress—properly dressed—to the bosom of her loving family, and returns to the scene of the crime, only to discover that the body is gone!

A dead chauffeur, a lending library of pornography, gambling debts, scandal and more strew Marlowe’s path as he seeks the answers to questions which only lead to more questions. Why does everyone think he’s searching for Rusty Regan? Marlowe will stop at nothing to get at the truth, including putting his own life in peril.

Commentary:

This is my first Raymond Chandler novel, his first Philip Marlowe, and it’s a great introduction to the PI, as well as a wonderful addition to the genre. Although written a long time ago, it definitely withstands the test of time, and is just as fascinating for modern readers as any contemporary novel. Chandler has a definite way with descriptions that give you instant pictures of what he’s talking about. For example, this description of the Sternwood home:

Over the entrance doors, which would have let in a troop of Indian elephants, there was a broad stained-glass panel showing a knight in dark armor rescuing a lady who was tied to a tree and didn’t have any clothes on but some very long and convenient hair.

Marlowe is a cynical observer of the human condition, and he isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. Or to take a chance, even if it means putting his life on the line or getting physical. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am looking forward to reading the next one, Farewell My Lovely. I recently watched the film, The Big Sleep, which I shall review separately, and compare the book to the movie.