Pretty much everyone has heard of the erotic book phenomenon of Fifty Shades of Grey. And if you haven’t, well…here, check it out.
These books are flying off the shelves and burning up the internet with downloads. But along with all the positive talk, and excited giggles between girlfriends, there is also a lot of talk among writing circles about these books. But here’s the thing, that talk isn’t all positive.
Some of the things I’d heard about the Grey trilogy was that they were amateur, shallow and, well…frankly that they weren’t written very well.
But yet, they were selling. MILLIONS of copies!
I’m a writer, I obviously want my books to sell MILLIONS of copies, too. So…I did what every good writer would do. Some research and I read the Grey trilogy. (Well, I’ll be honest, I’ve only read a book and a half so far)
But even after reading only half the series, this what I know. Fifty Shades of Grey is not high literary fiction. It’s not even particularly medium level literary fiction, but it is entertaining. And no, I don’t think it’s just all the sex that makes it that entertaining (although, let’s be honest, I think that’s the initial appeal). It’s the characters. Yes, they use limited vocabulary, and have questionable motives (or sometimes, very few motives) BUT they’re compelling. In my opinion, the author does a fantastic job characterizing Christian and Ana so that the reader actually cares about them. You really do want to keep turning pages to see how things develop between them, not just to see what sexual exploits they get up to next. At the core of the book is a beautiful, albeit messed up love story.
Let’s address the fact that sex that is clearly at the heart of these books. I do believe that the fact that the Grey books address a sexual lifestyle that is often labeled deviant, and taboo, is one of the major draws. I’m no therapist, and I have no idea why this is, but I will hazard a guess that the reason stems from a deep seeded repression that women (and sure, men too) have about talking about things (particularly sexual things) that aren’t considered ‘main stream’ or ‘normal’. Like I said, that’s just a guess, there are dozens of theories.
But no matter what the reason is, I do agree that the sex is a draw to the books, at least initially. But by the middle of book two, I’m finding it distracting to the story. And after talking to a few of my friends who have read the books as well, they say the same thing. So, I don’t think that the erotic scenes are the only draw here.
Do I think the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy is going to go down in history as the greatest books ever written? Um…no. But, that doesn’t matter because they’re entertaining. And isn’t that the goal of most writers? To write an entertaining book? To write a book that appeals to the masses and sells millions of copies? To write a book that captivates readers and gets them talking?
Do these books appeal to everyone. No, definitely not. Some people will never pick them up because of the sex. Some will never read them because they deem them low level, or ‘beneath them’ (my words, not theirs). But no matter what you think of E.L. James and her Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy, she has done what she set out to do, she has provided entertainment. She has more than achieved her goal. And the millions of copies sold PLUS the movie deal she has, prove it. And no matter what anyone thinks of her writing and her books, you can’t take that away from her.
Leanne Shirtliffe (Ironic Mom)
Elena Aitken
Trish Loye Elliott
This is precisely how I felt about all three of the books. I have a degree in English lit and creative writing, I have studied and deconstructed and digested with the best of them. And I admit, I loved the plot of these books. They were catching, compelling, easy to fall into, and spicy all the while. Of course, they will not be filed as ‘classics’, but they definitely will be in my memory for a long time. This is a spot on review.
Thanks for your comment!
If a book stays in your memory for awhile…I think that’s a good sign.
I am halfway through the second book as well. I admit, the books are page turning, but at the same time if I put the book into real life situation, I would totally want my friend to leave Christian. I don’t think this is a healthy relationship at all! But, that could be where James plays on universal themes. How often do women think they can “fix” a guy? Well, that’s Ana. The reader keeps reading along as Ana makes a little progress here and there. I’m all for people reading it if it sparks up their love life a bit, but I am really worried what this book could inspire in the wrong hands so to speak.
And gee, I wonder what angle the movie will play up? Mhmm…
Jess, you’re right. For sure in a real life situation, I’d be screaming at my friend to walk away. BUT…that’s what’s so great about fiction, right? It’s made up.
I think the movie take should be interesting, they’re going to have to soften it up A LOT if it’s going to make it main stream and not XXX.
I haven’t read the books yet Elena but your review makes me curious. i guess it’s time to go to the library
Louise, I wish you luck finding them at the library. Our local library has a waiting list that may take years. ha ha
well of course it does, Elena. I wasn’t thinking about the wait list. but i’ll put a hold on it anyway.
I was so excited to get this post in my email this morning. I read and reviewed all three books. I loved them. There seems to be so much negative associated with the books right now that I don’t understand. I loved the characters. I loved the plots. I loved it all. I was greatly educated with the books – laughing at myself right now. I learned things I never knew – but then I lead a sheltered life I guess – laughing again. I personally thought the book were well written. As you said, you fall in love with the characters and you cheer their love on. That is what stood out for me. I am so excited that someone has finally written something positive about the books. The author did something right. They are flying out the window.
Amen, sista! Love them or hate them…the author did something right.
Thanks for your great comment.
You loved the characters because another author already did a lot of the work in creating them–Stephenie Meyer. Some of us are objecting because the 50 Shades books started out as Twilight fan-fiction and the author essentially “cashed in” on work another author had already done with more original characters.
The ethics of the author were a huge turnoff for me and I will not read further than I have
I have heard this as well, that the books started out as fan fiction. I honestly can’t speak to whether that is true or not. BUT… fan fiction or not, the author’s job is to grab the reader’s attention and pull them into the story. She did that.
And whether you’d read Twilight or not, when you pick up a new book (like Grey) you’re not going to be expecting to already ‘know’ the characters, which is where the author’s job begins. In essence, (even if it was fan fic) the author still had to create each character anew for the reader.
Yes, there are A LOT of similarities between the two books. And like I already said, I don’t know if it started as fan fic or not but as another theory, maybe the author saw what worked for Meyer’s and decided to replicate the formula. Is that ethical? Well, I think (pardon the pun) the line gets kind of grey there. And you see this happening a lot in other genres. Perhaps that’s a subject for another day?
I appreciate your comment.
No perhaps about it–it’s well-documented that she published the books as fan fiction first (Google “Master of the Universe” ). We’ll never know whether or not these characters would have caught so much attention if they hadn’t been first named Bella and Edward. The buzz on the book started specifically because it was Twilight fan fiction. I think it’s a little unfair to Stephenie Meyer for EL James to have piggybacked so much off her work. Meyer (and her fans) did the heavy lifting. If this sort of thing becomes common we’ll see a lot more authors coming down harder on fans who create fics and artwork for fun, because of a few who seek to turn someone else’s creation into profit without the license. It just…leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I have been dithering about reading these books but now I’m sold. “At the core of the book is a beautiful, albeit messed up love story.” Thanks for convincing me!
Enjoy. Because really what beautiful messed up love story ISN’T entertaining?! ha ha
I haven’t read them yet but only because I am reading another quite lengthy series right now. I absolutely plan to pick them up and check out what all the talk is about. It sounds…interesting if nothing else. And I love characters that are so compelling that they hook you into a story.
Natalie, let me know what you think when you’re done.
I definitely will!
))
Elena, thank you for this thoughtful critique.
I picked up a hardcopy in Target Friday and randomly opened to a page. Sex scene that hit me as bordering on abuse, which I guess is the whole BDSM point. Then read the blurbs for the series on Amazon and some 1 and 5 star reviews. Then read the sample and had to will myself to sleep and not order them all right then.
The Grey char is the hook. Already I see tons of similarities to Twilight from the sample. Bella goes to college and protective Edward pushes his rules and control over the edge. That said, I hate the cost for the repetitive parts, but will get these to read. As a writer, there is something to learn with the characterization tricks.
A couple of people in my writing group were talking about this series recently and the main complaint is that they weren’t well-written (amateurish, lots of adverbs, etc). I have not read them and frankly, they weren’t on my list. However, I’m interested in your comment about how the characters sucked you in. The thing is, if I want to read erotica, there’s a lot of well-written erotica available. But the story isn’t the draw there really (like porn, you’re not watching for the plot). So it does seem to be some kind of exceptional achievement to create a series so wildly popular given the subject matter; she’s certainly doing something right. Don’t know if that’s going to compel me to read them or not. I have others ahead on my list (like your latest, for instance).
I didn’t know this series started out as Twilight fan fiction which makes me feel pretty intuitive because I was complaining to everyone that it was a sexual version of Twilight. The characters were the exact same, minus the fangs. After the first book I told my sister don’t bother giving me the second because I honestly don’t care what happens to the characters. As for the sex, I didn’t find it all that hot or out there (please do not read into this that I am some kind of sexual deviant). But I was motivated by this book because if it got published surely my book will.