Some readers may fantasize about Christian’s long fingers pulling an American Express card out of his wallet others prefer the thought of them wrapped around a riding crop. We can assume a good number of them, upon reading sentences like, “His cool fingers trail languidly across my belly,” had to pause and breathe deeply into a paper bag.Ĭhristian’s “long, skilled” fingers evoke his virtuosity in many arenas: He is nimble at the piano deft at maneuvering helicopters and gliders and sailboats meticulous when braiding Anastasia’s hair or rubbing her bottom with baby oil after a rough spanking.
This shouldn’t come as a shock-the trilogy has sold more than 125 million copies in 52 languages, after all-yet one can’t help but wonder who these readers are, these Jamesian fanatics clamoring for more of her pitiful prose.
