Oh My! Fifty, Fifty, Fifty

So yes, SPOILER ALERT if you know close to nothing about E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy…it’s timely, it had me thinking…so I thought I’d write about it (yes, I’m linking to Barnes& Noble because I have a NookTablet).

I decided to finish this posting because earlier today I was in the midst of a Facebook exchange about who should play Christian in the movie. No decision yet…but at the top of the list is Henry Cavill because he’s both pretty AND has an amazing body AND he has semi-curly hair that you could run your fingers through AND he doesn’t mind appearing partially nude ;) .

These thoughts initially started off as a response to a request out there from a writer for mental health professionals about several of the themes and subjects that are intricately woven into the web that is the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy.

I am not any sort of expert other than a 45 single woman who has read the books…and has thoughts to share.

I just finished the last book a few weekends ago...and spent money on them to get them on my Nook - mainly because it's so much easier to read books on the Nook, and also so I can lend it out when that option is available.

I think the books are so popular because they touch on so many topics and there are elements that are psychological and physiological – how we see ourselves; the danger-boy factor; fantasies; nurture vs. nature; wealth vs. poverty vs. middle class; sexuality; the correlation between pain and love; experiences in certain times of our lives that shape who we are and affect us in different phases of our lives; and many others…

As far as why women are running to read this book...I think it’s because it encompasses all of these things, and since sexuality is so much more a part of our everyday lives and not just hidden behind bedroom doors like before the sexual revolution, they feel more comfortable being open to share that they are or have read these books even though they have been deemed “erotica” and not just good ‘ol “chick-lit”.

And for those of you who haven’t fessed up that you’re reading or have read the books…it’s the naughty, guilty pleasure….just like Judy Blume books seemed to be in the 70’s – go ahead, admit it, we won’t mind.

I personally had a hard time reading the first one…if I am really into a book I will finish it in a few days or over a weekend, and will stay up til all hours of the morning reading, devouring.

By the third book, it seemed like any other Chick-Lit book to me…just with a certain twist that wrapped around the story but basically by then, the BDSM was only a reminder of Christian’s issues with himself & how far he had come. And, it added a little bit of the fantasy aspect of his being a dangerous bad boy except when you stripped (pun intended) everything away – he was a gentle, loving, smart, beautiful, nice guy (like Twilight) that had a past filled with dramatic events that shaped who he is now. And, the sex in the book wasn’t your boring, every chick-lit type book boring old bodice ripping sex…probably why it appeals to so many married friends of mine J, and ya know, we ARE Cougars now!

A few observations & thoughts to ponder…

• Social Media has helped to launch this series into the stratosphere. When it gets down to it, the bare naked storyline is good and would have made a very nice chick-lit book with a few of the elements tweaked and tamed. But the kick of the underlying shock factor seems to be driving word of mouth and with it, sales.
• The lead male character is named Christian – See any likeness to Christ (Christian means “Christ Like”) – suffering, self-doubt, powerful, and he has a resurrection of sorts
• Her last name is Steele...I would guess a homage to the one & only Danielle Steel
• Idea: the company should have been renamed “Steele Grey Publishing”
• My complaints & observations on Anastasia – she did have her strong moments, but for the most part they only seem to be when she was up against other women. She has a lot of great qualities that grow over the three books, but she was what a lot of chick-lit females seem to be sometimes – that whole romance book thing that I hate and one of the reasons why I have been reading less and less of them in the past several years. She’s weak when it comes to this man…most of the time she's just another portrayal of a weak woman swooning over a man with severe issues, and at the end of the day he is redeemed

I read it because of all the hype, but when it comes down to it...it mainly ended up being another Chick-Lit Romance to me with a little kick that did make me uncomfortable at times...which is probably what E.L. James intended…or, she was just looking for an angle that was new and don’t get me wrong…she definitely found it.

I think that’s probably one of the reasons by the end that I did like the encompassing story as a whole. As they moved through the series, the sex scenes in the book ended up becoming a main character of its own – it had a history, a background story that was explained, its storyline was played throughout each of the three books. What E.L. James managed to do with it was help grow and shape the story as a whole & the characters as well. It had meaning…maybe at the end THAT is the reason why women all over the world are getting their panties in a knot and running out to see what all the fuss is about and sharing…and not just because of the gorgeous bad boy, the love story and the bodice-ripping sex. It was a well-rounded story…now we’ll just have to stay tuned for the movie. Now that, I can’t wait for!