Spoiler alert: Some details about the story is in this post. If you haven’t read the book yet, be warned. But then again, reading 50 Shades is a far better experience than reading this blog!
Book #6 – Fifty Shades of Grey (June 2012) – Gift it or Pass it around
Fifty Shades of Grey elicited mixed reactions from its readers. Why doesn’t that surprise me? At its core, the reader enters (not just glimpse) the world of BDSM (bondage, discipline, and sado-masochism). It’s about whips, spanking, blindfolds, gadgets/toys – you get the drift. Without looking at Wikipedia, think BDSM as hardcore master and slave power games. Most people will run away from that subject like it’s the plague. Me? I decided to be fascinated instead.
Author EL James introduces the reader to the BDSM roles of dominants and submissives. The author wraps this carnal package into a fairy tale-like love story. Anastasia Steele, who just graduated from college and who happens to be a virgin (but of course) meets a super-duper handsome and filthy-rich billionaire who becomes drawn to her. Ana falls madly in love with Christian Grey but has to enter into a contract because Mr. Grey is into BDSM. The book follows the unfailing Barbara Cartland/Mills & Boon formula with a modern twist. It is loaded with explicit love scenes that leave nothing to imagination.
The author weaves a story about Christian’s dark and troubled childhood to explain his penchant for being a dominant. Fifty Shades of Grey is riveting, and very very entertaining. Mind you, book one does not really delve that deeply into the acts of BDSM. This is because dear Christian seems to have fallen under Ana’s spell and is happy to engage in normal activities outside his playroom. So the reader gets to only taste BDSM. Perhaps Books Two (Fifty Shades Darker) and Three (Fifty Shades Freed) will be more graphic, who knows.
Why is this book a bestseller and why is everybody calling it mommy porn? I think it awakened imagination, creativity and exploration of things between the sheets. Sure we have hard limits. But we won’t know them until we know what is possible! I don’t think people will readily engage in hardcore BDSM after reading the Grey trilogy. Wives however could possibly engage in lightweight power games to the delight of their husbands. Hence, the nickname of “mommy porn”.
On the technical side, some people think that the books are not well written at all. It’s full of cliches and pedestrian language. Tell you what, I don’t think the writer was after a Pulitzer Prize. And we’re not reading it for its beautiful prose. We’re in it for the entertainment factor. So I suggest you simply enjoy the titillating ride. Jeez.
I will definitely pass this book around to my adventurous friends! Will I be reading Books Two and Three? You bet I will. But first, please pass me Book Two of Game of Thrones.
Postscript: If you want to know how I am going with my Twelve Book Challenge, check it here. I’ve written about some of the books here. How are you going with your own readings?