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Thursday 26 July 2012

Everyone Is Jumping on the 50 Shades Bandwagon...

Everyone as of recent has been going on about this bloody 50 Shades of Grey book. And I mean everyone. Men, women, teenagers, it's not quite got to the stage of children, but you get my drift, it appears to have become a national talking point for the masses.

There seems to be two completely conflicting opinions when it comes to this saucy little book. The first, that it is an absolutely amazing book, that cannot be put down and is just ridiculously sexy and kinky and a great talking point amongst women. The other, simply that it is a terribly written book. End of. Considering it has received such terrible reviews from critics, it makes me question how this book has had such commercial success across the country.

Now I'm not entirely sure which to believe in. So with almost everyone in the world seeming to have read it, and on offer at Tesco for a mere £3.86, I thought I'd give it a go. Now I'm only just heading into chapter 5 so nothing sexy, or slutty, or anything remotely bondage related has occured. I won't say what has just in case you lovely followers haven't read it yet, but put bluntly it's pretty bog standard girl meets mysterious guy so far. 

I know whats coming up. I know EXACTLY what is coming up, so I am expectant that it is going to be raunchy as hell and I'm sure that that will be the point people refer to as the 'I just can't put it down' stage. I'm not quite there yet. 

Saying that however, I'm not disliking it. It's fine. Nothing not to like, just nothing to love as of yet. I'm not a huge book fan anyway if I'm honest. My reading spectrum includes the Harry Potter collection, a couple of the 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' bulk, and the odd literature book at school. Not great. I just get bored much too easy, and I need to find something that really gets my attention and is exhilarating from start to finish. So with that in mind, as soon as the sexiness begins I'm sure I'll be right into it.

So the sex. The main aspect of the book. All the S&M shebang. It has been praised for the fact that it is making people more aware that there is more to sex than just missionary and cowgirl, otherwise known as vanilla sex. Therefore 'apparently' making people more open to experimentation in the bedroom. Now I'm not gonna lie, I don't think for one second that this is true. Yes the book may have opened people's eyes to things that they wouldn't think of doing in their wildest dreams, (involving cable ties, masking tape and rope, if I remember correctly), but I do not believe that it has made people wake up and go 'Oh yeh I'm pretty bored with my sex life right now lets just pop down to B&Q and get some DIY kit to get jiggy with'. No.

What I think has actually occurred is that it has just enabled people, women and men, to talk more freely about this aspect of sex that is otherwise kept under wraps. Quite literally. 

Women love doing things that we know we shouldn't. We will deny that fact, but regardless, it is a fact nonetheless. And the stigma around all this erotica and fantasies is probably why this book has sold more than 1 million copies as an e-book. Us girls are loving having these minxy little reading sessions on the tube to work and everyone else being oblivious. Brilliant.

However, lets not forget about the men. According to various magazines and good old Twitter, men are loving the hype almost as much as us women. Now it's not that great a surprise when you remind yourself it is primarily about sex. And men do love their sex. Although quite a few comments I've read by men of varying ages was focusing more on the love aspect of the book, but I'm not going to lie I think that may be a focus for the minority. That's just me being a little stereotypical there so I'll move on before I cause a ruckus.

So there you have it, the best selling adult novel of all time. A turn back of the clock according to feminists, an escape from reality and introduction to fantasy according to housewives, and 'sexy as hell' according to a lovely man interviewed by Fabulous mag. I shall write a proper review when I have finished, but I felt the need to have a nice little rant about what I have heard so far. And with that thought in mind I best get back to it, and see if a bit of Christian Grey gives me some excitement in bed tonight...


1 comment:

  1. The book IS by no means well written. The plot is forgettable - other than the sex - and it becomes repetitive and a little boring. The things is...you have to take these things as you find them - it's trash, but it's not pretending to be anything else. Women I know who never read novels are reading this, and I think that's awesome. It's all good fun, I read the three of them in 4 days :P

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