Christian Grey of the Fifty Shades of Grey sensation, has officially made the big time. With all of the latest media attention, it looks like he’s found a whole new slew of readers, and “Fifty Fanatics”. As popular as this series already was, and as die-hard as we are, we knew it was only a matter of time before Christian would soon become everyone’s obsession. Being on the NY Times best sellers list, book clubs discovering and devouring this series, and spreading the word… we knew he’d be HUGE. It’s inevitable. Christian can only be destined for greatness. A Master of the Universe, indeed.
But, of course… we feel like he’s “ours” don’t we? It feels like we found him first.
Jamie: I am so happy for Grey, but is it weird that i feel jealous sharing him with the world??? lol i thought he was my little secret!! lol
Penny: Lol, Christians gone mainstream…
Valerie: Hate sharing MY Fifty. 😉 But, alas…mustn’t be greedy.
Makes me giggle, because the “Master of The Universe” (MOTU) readers, before the series was retitled “Fifty Shades” probably think the same about us.
Krista: I used to read MOTU when it was being put up one chapter at a time and I’ve read the Fifty books. There were a few small changes but from what I remember it’s mostly the same, except for the names. 100% of the overall plot is the same.
And with that possessiveness comes elation and excitement with all of the latest attention he’s getting. But what about his detractors? I was disheartened when I realized that the majority of his critics hadn’t even bothered to read the book, and were proud to boast such a thing.
The media articles and videos were stirring up some serious reactions in our Facebook group…
Chris: not sure what to think about THAT review…ugh :(. Dr. Drew was saying negative things about the book but did not read and any of them PLUS he is a guy! duh!! I dont care what anyone thinks….I thought her books are steamy and fantastic. Hopefully, the review will peak curiosity and more people with buy the books. No such thing as bad publicity ;).
Jamie: Ok, I am not sure I like the way that story was told. I mean, WTH…they act like the story is that Christian abducted Ana and robbed her of her virginity while beating the crap out of her. I feel bad for EL James b/c they made her out to be some sort of sick story teller instead of the genius she is! How dare they bag on our Fifty!!! LOL!!!
Maryse’s Book Blog: *sigh* I need to blog about this… ASAP.
Brandie: I think you do Maryse. It feels like our little world has been infiltrated;)
Brandy: OHH NOO that is one of my all time favorite books. I LOVED it. But you have to be open minded to understand it and the whole BDSM lifestyle if you are close minded you just won’t get it. But like with everything you will have people that love it and hate it.
Ashley: Dr. Drew admitted that he hadn’t even read the books, so was he even allowed to give an opinion????
Jackie: Just watched it. I’m actually annoyed. Not one of them mentioned how Fifty develops through the books. They made it all seem like he beat her senseless and she gets off on it. There was no recognition of how disturbed he was and how he fought so hard for ‘more’…
How can one possibly understand what a book is about, and grasp it’s meaning, if they haven’t even bothered to read it? Under normal circumstances, opposing sides to an issue have at least some knowledge and comprehension of said issue and can properly and thoroughly debate it. How can one expect to give an unbiased professional opinion without knowing the actual subject matter at hand. A quick briefing/cliff notes version of the series was enough to come up with an opposing argument?
*hrmph* I think not. Because, in this case, the opposition’s “briefing” seems to have been related to a few key-words that swayed them to an obvious and biased decision. This book wasn’t about that. It was about so much more.
But, I may be digging too deep. I can’t help but wonder if I’m playing right into a reaction as intended upon, by said media hype. In fact, this was likely just a simple case of “Okay so everyone loves the book?… Who can we get to say it’s bad?”, inciting arguments and forcing defenders to come out and do their thing. A surefire way to keep the segment interesting and the buzz going. Either way, I think the opposition copped out with an easy, quick and possibly overused “social issues” argument that seems to fit the book genre, without having to have done the actual homework.
So, fine, I cant help myself. I’ll play. I’ll defend it:
I would like to point out that just because the sexual content and BDSM nature is prominent in the series, that is not what these books are about. The “sex-spin” the media ran with made these books out to be hardcore, trashy, bedroom fodder.
You guys missed the point.
This series is about so much more than that. In fact, while I recall there being plenty of sex, and sure, some uncomfortable intimacy issues explored, the actual heart of the story easily outshines the “sex-factor”. Easily. Sure it’s steamy, it’s exciting, and it’s daring. But why we loved this book so much, and why we connected to it so deeply, is that we saw someone broken struggling to become whole again. We experienced and struggled with each moment, each tentative boundary broken and repaired. We cried in pain, and we rejoiced in the self-discovery and healing of the main characters. This author didn’t simply give us formulaic “shiny on the outside” book, that we could read, enjoy and easily forget. She gave us an amazing story that is deep, intense, and at times shocking. She invited us all the way in, making this series unforgettable.
And THAT, my fellow readers, is what this series is about.
Interested in the series? Of COURSE you are!! With all of this buzz, ya gotta be dying to try it 😉 —> E.L. James – Fifty Shades Trilogy Reading Order
Here are my book reviews, however for those new to the series, I recommend only reading the first review, so as not to spoil the following books:
- Book Review – Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James (book#1)
- Book Review – Fifty Shades Darker by E. L. James (book#2)
- Book Review – Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James (book#3)