For those of you who have never heard of Fifty Shades of Grey it is the book of
2012. The hype created around this book is such that it reminds me of the hype
that surrounded the likes of The Da Vinci
Code or one of the Harry Potter
books. I ordered a copy of the book after reading an article about it in the
Daily Mail online. I had heard that it was written by a British author and was
a US best seller and was quickly becoming a success here in the UK as well. I had
heard that it was controversial in the fact that it was an erotic book and due
to its explicit sexual content it had been banned in libraries in some US
states. This intrigued me and although the book wasn’t really aimed at my age
group but however was labelled as ‘mummy porn’ it was aimed at older women, I
wanted to see what all the fuss was about. So I went onto Amazon where it was already a bestseller and ordered a copy of the
book. I was excited, eager to read it and because it was still quite a secret
guilty pleasure that wasn’t as well-known as it is now, I wanted to be part of
this secret club that women who read this book were part of. Women were reading
it and discussing it at work, with their family and friends. A couple of months
later it seemed as if every woman was reading it or knew someone who was
reading it and the hype was such that you couldn’t get away from it. I would
see it in every bookstore, posters outside W
H Smith, women reading it on public transport. Even my boyfriend started
reading it. We’d read it and discuss certain things that we liked and disliked.
It was nice. It was something that we were both reading that we could share
together. Even though he was hundreds of miles away we were both reading the
same things and as he was ahead of me I would read the pages knowing that he
had read them too. It was great. It was our thing between me and him.
The book follows the story of Anastasia Steele a young woman
in her early twenties who has just graduated from university and Christian Grey
a multi billionaire business tycoon. The two although from different worlds and
walks of life embark on a passionate sexual affair that pushes each to their
limits sexually and emotionally. Anastasia is a girl of very little sexual or
relationship experience while Christian has had experience beyond those of any
normal man. The two explore an unconventional sexual relationship that becomes
entangled with strong fiery emotions of lust, hurt and love.
With the exception of reading a few erotic texts in the
past, this novel was the first erotic novel that I had ever read and so I didn’t
really know what to expect. Although badly written and devoid of much intimacy
and passion the story fails to capture the depth of the characters to their
full extents. Both characters show promise and depth but the author fails to
fully develop them, instead focussing on the sexual elements and details. The
plot is intriguing enough and the ending left me wanting to read the next in
the trilogy to find out what happens next. Erotic literature is very different
to pornography in that how the reader feels is purely due to the success of the
author in portraying the sexual emotion, passion and feeling through words. And
in this case the author in my opinion has come up short. The much anticipated
chapter 10 didn’t disappoint but it didn’t shock either. There was nothing that
completely shocked me but it left me eager and excited to discover more about
my sexual feelings. Throughout the beginning the author was successful in building
up sexual tension but could’ve written and played out the sexual scenes with
more passion and foreplay. Having said that, it was a great read and a guilty
pleasure and the book has captured my interest in this rather hush-hush genre. If
you are looking for literary genius, this isn’t it but if you’re looking for something
light, slightly naughty and fun, this is great.
The book has done exceptionally well in terms of commercial sales.
It has quickly gained popularity around the world and has sold 31 million
copies to date. I guess this book has given women something to get excited
about. With the release of the male stripper movie ‘Magic Mike’ this summer who
knows what sexual guilty pleasures are to come.
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