One of the best novels of the 20th century (so far)

I don't know why this book occasionally gets negative reviews. To me it's arguably the best book of the 20th century so far, with only the Twilight books, Eat Pray Love, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief coming close. I would also add that James is arguably one of the best authors of all time, right up there with Hemingway, Shakespeare, Faulkner, and Melville. I haven't read the sequels, only Grey, but I'll be sure to read them before the movies come out. James's command of the English language is beautiful, she infuses her characters with amazing depth and emotion, and her prose style is second to none. Being an English major who has taken several classes in creative writing, I also appreciate the non-repetitiveness, realistic dialogue, lack of grammatical errors, and memorable passages that stay with you long after it's over.

Yet many people on Amazon gave it bad reviews. Why? I'm sure the answer is fourfold: 1.) They're jealous of James's success; 2.) They don't consider that erotic novels can be good literature, so they hold that against it; and 3.) They didn't even read it and are just basing their opinions on what others have said.

I loved the movie as well, but (as it often happens) the movie isn't as good as the book. That being said, I don't fault the movie too much; it's impossible to cram hundreds of pages of a book into a single two-hour movie and not leave certain things out.

When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading!