I tried reading the first book at the behest of a friend of mine who's obsessed with the trilogy, but found that could only get through the first few chapters before just saying "forget this" and went online to get a summary. I apologize to the fans, but I found the main characters Ana and Christian to be insufferable and the writing/plot just all-around dull. I don't get what people see in this series or why it's reached the heights it has but to each their own.