Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy by E L James

Release Date: Out Now

Friday Book Club: Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy by E L James

It’s the fastest and bestselling paperback of all time, out-selling ALL of the Harry Potter books in just a few months. Sales at the likes of Ann Summers have hit record highs. Professors have predicted a baby boom in 2013. And ‘Property of Christian Grey’ memorabilia has swept the internet.

Yep, the world has gone absolutely crazy for the erotic Fifty Shades phenomenon – a 3-part epic (Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, and Fifty Shades Freed) that explores the steamy relationship between shy graduate Anastasia Steele, and billionaire entrepreneur Christian Grey. The plot focuses largely on sex of the BDSM nature – hence the curiosity and controversy it’s evoked.

Granted, they’re not the best-written books I’ve ever read. In fact, a lot of the writing is clumsy, clichéd and repetitive. But – and it’s a big ‘but’ – to me, it didn’t matter all that much. The books are exciting and fascinating and weird all at the same time. And, like many women around the globe, I found that it was the actual themes of the books as opposed to the writing that made them completely unputdownable. I must admit, by book 3, I was skimming some of the sexy bits. They dragged on a lot, and E L James used the same descriptions over and over.

But, I must admit, I loved the books. They deal with a subject that has shocked, intrigued and grossed-out a LOT of people and, in turn, become a must-read. She may not be the world’s greatest novelist, but at the time of writing, E L James has sold 31 million copies worldwide. And with a Hollywood movie in the pipeline, you can bet she’ll be having the last laugh.

If you like this, try… Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H Lawrence