Fifty Shades of Grey: A review of mis-conceptions

Before anyone panics this will be a PG-13 review (however the word sex is mentioned a lot, you’ve been warned. I take no responsibility for you’re further reading of this article as you read beyond this point of your own free will), I’m well aware I have younger viewers on my Tumblr but I’m sure even they have heard the whispers of this series, especially since it’s become synonymous with Twilight. Now I’ll admit I didn’t read these properly, I skim read, skipped a fair bit at the beginning of Grey and flipped through chunks of Freed. Out of all of them I read the most of Darker. This isn’t so much a review for the books but more an examination of the things I’ve heard about these books and how they measure up.

Now the big things I’d heard when these books hit the shelves, and very soon the best seller list, were Twilight, sex, bondage, fanfiction, abusive relationship.

I realise that by writing these book reviews I’m putting my opinion out there, but it’s a critical opinion and you are welcome to disagree with it. What I am about to say is more of a philosophy of mine that if you disagree with, which you are entitled to do, I won’t think better of you.

If you hate or otherwise have an opinion on a book you haven’t read then your opinion is invalid.
I read these books so that I could at least have an informed opinion. However I can’t really compare these books to Twilight because…I haven’t read Twilight. I’ve seen the films, and although that might give me a brief incite into the basic plot for Twilight it by no means conveys the writing style. However I can address the point of:

It’s stupid because it was once Twilight fanfiction

I’ve read and written a lot of fanfiction. Pages and pages of the stuff. I think my big phases were Yu-Gi-Oh and Harry Potter. I’ve read canon stories, I’ve read spin-offs and I’ve even read AUs. Alternate Universes. Some well written and some terribly written. A cursory glance of those and other categories that I’ve have read and written in wouldn’t suggest that any particularly fandom has more better writers than any other. Therefore to refuse to acknowledge Fifty Shades on the basis that the author had some affiliation with the Twilight fandom would be like condemning The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare because you didn’t like Harry Potter (as Clare wrote The Draco Trilogy and re-adapted scenes she’s used for that in TMI). Or to say ‘I won’t read it because it was fanfiction’ is to say ‘I won’t read a book cause it was written’. Everyone starts somewhere right?

It’s full of sex and filthy sinful things like handcuffs ohmagurd

Well yes. It is most definitely full of sex. However in it’s defense it was always safe sex. I am of the opinion if there is going to be sex in a book that promoting safe sex and not overly romanticizing impulsive not-safe-sex is much better for the younger readers that everyone is so terrified for that they need to make a new category, New Adult, in which to stash the sex.

However a lot of people seem to be acting like these books are some sort of revolution. Like they’re a sexathon in paperback form. They’re not the first. They won’t be the last. If you’re me you’ll remember Belle de Jour: The Diary of a London Call Girl which was made into a rather hilarious tv series starring former Dc Who companion Billie Piper. Just in case you’re wondering where you saw her fully clothed.



If a little older still you’ll remember ‘Girl with a One Track Mind’ which my boyfriend at the time lent me. There was a scandal when her true identity was revealed and she lost her job in the film industry for writing a book about her sex life. A book that was actually the publication of her successful blog.

And if we’re going to talk about women who’ve made a blog into a book and even onto the big screen why not look at Julie Powell who cooked her way through Julia Child’s cook book. Wrote a blog about it. And voila. Her publishing dreams came true.



So if we’re going to hold it against El James that she wrote fanfiction or that she writes about sex. Let’s hold writing about cooking against Julie. And writing about sex against Abby Lee (or Zoe something irl) and against Belle de Jour. Just so we can keep our moral stand point right?

Bondage is about abuse of women. This book is about abuse of women. This book encourages women to go along with abusive relationships

As part of the anime fandom you meet a huge range of people. A huge range of sexualities, comfort zones and life styles. Yes, I know people that practice BDSM. Both lightly and heavily. Without going into it I will say this.It is based on trust. Just like all relationships. It is not an exclusively male-dominance practice. And it is not unwilling. The negative view this lifestyle gets comes from, I believe, fear of the unknown. Humanity hates what it doesn’t or can’t understand. This is a sad fact of life.

But this book doesn’t promote an abusive relationship. Anastasia Steele is fully aware of every choice she makes. She is presented with a contract and a check list so she, and Christian Grey, can define their limits. Which is actually a lot more than regular couples do. When was the last time you talked about any kind of limits with your partner? Sexual or otherwise.

Nothing heavily BDSM appears in any of the books. In fact there’s remarkably little in Darker, more worried about dealing with a psycho ex with a gun. Most of it happens in Grey and there’s brief mentions in Freed. In fact, Anastasia walks out on Christian Grey when he goes too far. She. leaves. him.

If this isn’t a sign of an independent of sound mind and body woman acting in her own best interests despite the sexual and emotional attachment to the man, I don’t know what is. Just because the woman decides to get with the guy you don’t like in a book is not a reason to condemn her. She doesn’t go along with it. In fact she spends most of Darker, where Christian has said he’ll change, he’ll give it all up just to have a shot with her, worrying that she’s not enough for him because she’s just not into it the way he is.

Last I checked partners who abused their significant other did not go around saying they were in BDSM relationships. And those who were in BDSM relationships didn’t go around saying they were abused. They consented to have their limited tested and entrusted their welfare to their partner. (Isn’t that scarily close to marriage? In sickness and in health, through trial and tribulation, for better or for worse I’m yours and all that?)

This isn’t me lecturing, this is me passing on what understanding I have from knowing real life people who practice this kind of thing. I’m not saying you have to like it, I’m not saying you have to understand, I’m certainly not saying ‘go look for answers whip in hand’. But what I’m trying to say is, please keep an open mind and don’t judge what you haven’t experienced and therefore cannot claim any understanding of.

This book is mommy porn for desperate housewives

Pornography: Printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity.

Yes. These books fulfill that description. What I disagree with is the generalization of those that enjoy Fifty Shades. Fundamentally what those statements are doing are putting fans of these books in a box. It is discouraging others from reading it because they do not want to be labelled. Why do we apply labels? So that we can feel better about ourselves. It’s disgusting.

This also brings to mind the point of labeling a fandom because you didn’t like the book. I did not enjoy the Twilight films. I felt underwhelmed. But I have friends who loved the series and even loved the films. I do not go up to them and tell them they are stupid or childish, just because they like those books. And neither would you, surely. If you’re friend liked something you didn’t you wouldn’t call them an idiot and never be friends with them again for it surely? So why would you do it to people you don’t know? By labelled people for liking something it discourages people from saying what they like. And if we do not communicate what we like then where does that leave us?

Sorry if you feel this is getting too deep but these are real and true issues that don’t just affect people that read Fifty Shades of Grey but those that read YA fantasy. Just in slightly different ways.

In conclusion

If you’re looking to read a book that explores BDSM relationships…this is not for you. It may throw names and equipment at you that may be new but the psychological aspect of truly being in a BDSM relationship is not explored.

If you’re looking for a book with lots of sex. There’s lots of sex. In different positions, in different places. Money is no object to Christian Grey so all sorts of opportunities arise. Go mad. Enjoy.

If you’re looking for a story about an innocent girl who falls in love with a man she’s only just met without even realising it. A man with scars and problems. And a road that isn’t easy, that bends and bumps. Well then you might as well read this and every other romance novel.

I would say that these books aren’t what they’ve been hyped up to be. The negative hype that is. As for whether or not they deserve success. Well, there are authors I’d wish success on. There are those that I don’t see why they’re successful. But I wouldn’t go so far as to say

this person does not deserve to be successful because I don’t like their books

because this is the opinion of the ignorant.

Did you enjoy Fifty Shades of Grey?

Well if there were sub-plots I didn’t see them. And I recognized familiar back up plots and situations from my fan-fiction days, but they do occur in published fiction too though perhaps not quote so bluntly.
Anastasia’s POV didn’t entirely agree with me, I found some of the descriptions and wording cringe worthy and the inner-goddess had me thinking of inner-Sakura the whole time.



I’d say it was alright but I’d also say I’ve read better love stories and better action.. I wouldn’t read it again.