Everyone's talking about the 50 Shades of Grey books. So many blogs I've recently read are reviewing the trilogy. I've heard mixed reviews ranging from hating the books and thinking they're smut to liking them simply for the sex and romance to worshiping the ground E.L. James walks on (okay...that was just one blog and that's an overstatement). Here are my thoughts, for anyone that cares to hear/read them:
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Let me just start off by saying that I read all three books, so my opinions are fully informed.
I've heard many people say that the books are terribly written and I disagree. I think it's written simplistically and that's different than written poorly. It's tough to consistently write a book simply. (Not to be confused with "to simply write a book." No, I mean to write a book SIMPLY) As a writer, I often try to write YA stories and mimic authors that use simply writing throughout their entire books. It's hard to do! I find myself wanting to use big, complex words and long, run-on sentences and have to stop myself because that's not simple writing. E.L. James consistently write simply throughout all three books and I commend her for it. That being said...the negatives:
I've heard many people say that the books are terribly written and I disagree. I think it's written simplistically and that's different than written poorly. It's tough to consistently write a book simply. (Not to be confused with "to simply write a book." No, I mean to write a book SIMPLY) As a writer, I often try to write YA stories and mimic authors that use simply writing throughout their entire books. It's hard to do! I find myself wanting to use big, complex words and long, run-on sentences and have to stop myself because that's not simple writing. E.L. James consistently write simply throughout all three books and I commend her for it. That being said...the negatives:
I think the characters lack depth. The character of Christian was interesting enough in that he had a twisted past and overcame a lot of challenges throughout the book. Why he was so enthralled by Ana in the first place, though, I'll never understand. The character of Ana was poorly developed. I felt like she didn't go through enough changes throughout the books to solely be called the protagonist and that's a key element of story writing (I should know, as a Language Arts teacher!)
The story-line was very lacking. There was one main focus of the book and although simple writing is good, simple plots are boring. I wanted more background, more big characters, more challenges than simply "does he really love me?" "am I enough for him in bed?" and "psycho-stalker-ex-lovers-and-ex-bosses are out to get me...again." Come on. It's Twilight all over again but add in some hot sex and take out some vampires. Don't even get me started between the comparisons I found between the two series...it's uncanny. I know it started out as a Twilight fan-fiction but it didn't end up as one, so it shouldn't be that similar to the Twilight books. Okay...but back to the good:
I liked them for the same reason I liked the Twilight books. It's about a girl that I can relate to going through experiences that I would see myself enjoying. Okay, and I'm not just talking about the sex parts here! I'm talking about the love and the intrigue of Christian Grey. Sure, he's intense, creepy and yells at Ana way more than he should. Sure, he's closed off and won't let anyone touch him. But he loves her wholly and immensely and for someone like Ana that's just average, that's more than a young woman could ever ask for. I think that's the appeal to the demographic in which I fit, anyways. It's fluff,it has no substance and provokes no intellect, but it's fun. It's an escape from reality into, well, a fantasy. And if you don't agree with that, that's just fine. I think that just means that you're more satisfied with your life and don't need the sad, pathetic escape like I do. =]
- Lauren
- Lauren