I thought the author, E.L. James was similar to the author of the Twilight novels, with some kind of fantasy, portrayed through unrealistic novels, even of their genre. She's a middle aged woman and this is her first published novel (followed by Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed). It's funny that I commented on the books being similar to Twilight novels, because as I delved into the internet for reliable information on the author, I found a few sources claiming that she wrote the novel originally as a fan-fiction for Twilight! The similarities are, as I mentioned, apparent. Her writing skills are certainly not up to par with what you would expect from a New York Times Best Seller. Fifty Shades is an incredibly popular novel that has gotten incredible media attention, is flying off the shelves in all kinds of bookstores, including Hustler(!), and even had a skit (making fun of it) on Saturday Night Live.

Although possibly an eye opener for readers of "normal" romance novels who haven't delved into the world of BDSM or more kinky reads, Fifty Shades of Grey shows that there is more out there besides Harlequin Romances. However, this book was completely inaccurate in its portrayal of the BDSM lifestyle. I think the book set itself up to appear to have a BDSM-friendly audience, but really it's made for vanilla folks with light-BDSM (at best) fantasies, much like the author seems to have.

I laughed when I saw the novel first pop up in Hustler, flipping through it and scoffing at some of the cheesy lines and sex scenes. Because of this and and the controversy and hype that has surrounded the book since it first came out and became popular, I did avoid picking it up and having a read for quite a while. I did not want to jump on the bandwagon, especially with what little I had seen. But I had hopes maybe I would be proved wrong, so I decided to read it.

The book was not all bad and there will obviously be many readers (and are) who will love the story. The premise of the story is a young college student, Anastasia, who begins interviewing Christian Grey, an entrepreneur. She is an innocent virgin and he a “dominant” desiring a submissive. Of course, as a virgin, Ana knows nothing of the supposed BDSM scene. This book is a detailed story of the sexual experiences that occur between them.

The author describes Ana as an average looking woman who is clumsy, clueless and innocent, and quite comparable to Bella from Twilight. Likewise, Christian is described as a beautiful billionaire, a ladies’ man, who only desires little ol’ Ana, much like Edward from Twilight. She has very poor self-esteem and reflects upon this by the way she describes her roommate as attractive and how guys desire her roommate, making her perfect prey for a guy like Christian.

I wasn’t surprised to learn that the book had been likened to “Mommy porn” by many sources, which definitely seems fitting. (Google SNL “Fifty Shades of Grey” and you will find that the internet is not the only source for this though). Although in the book Christian is teaching Ana all about BDSM, the sex scenes are lacking and even somewhat humorous. The scenes are disappointing for anyone who opened the book hoping for some realistic BDSM play. Likewise, it displays quite an inaccurate portrayal of the lifestyle, as there are many individuals who live lives of BDSM and most would likely tell you it is nothing like this work of fiction. Remarks by Ana about Christian’s desires in the BDSM lifestyle and Christian’s own reasons for delving into it are both irritating to say the least. The story portrays Christian and Ana’s relationship as an obvious abusive one with many “red flags” that should make most anyone run like the wind, but instead the book acts as though those are natural parts of a BDSM relationship. Examples of this are the way he tracks her phone, surprises her in another state by flying there to visit, and even selling her car and buying her a brand new one! (An expensive Audi at that). He tells her how to wear her clothes and her hair, how much she should eat, and they have a generally unbalanced dynamic, even for a BDSM relationship. Control does exist in most BDSM relationships, but certainly not stalking or abuse: these types of relationships are about trust.

The actual sex scenes and writing in general are incredibly poorly written. This is, in my opinion, a nice way to put it. Besides the details of the sex scenes, I wouldn’t have been surprised if it had been a journal or fantasy book that the author had kept in high school, much like the way I felt about the Twilight novels. She repeats herself often, both in sex scenes and out. Speaking of the sex scenes, they’re pretty disappointing. Whether or not you open the book looking for BDSM scenes, the scenes are quite lacking. After a couple of times, it seems like the same thing over and over again. It also lacks what you could call “extreme BDSM” with only light elements of the lifestyle. Those involved in vanilla relationships or those who know nothing of BDSM may have been totally wowed, but probably for the wrong reasons.

One good aspect, as I briefly mentioned earlier, was the way that the author used the phrase “inner goddess” to imply correctly that women do have desires and may have fantasies or kinks and different ways to express themselves sexually than the way society may imply is appropriate. And it’s certainly okay for women to express that they have these desires and want them to be fulfilled!

Luckily the book is quite discreet, with a cover and title that don't give much away; it makes for easy reading pretty much anywhere, save for the fact that most people are now aware of the book's title and contents. The book itself is sturdy, a regular ol' paperback, not falling apart at the seams!

I wouldn’t suggest buying it or spending your time reading it, as there are many, many other erotic novels worth the money and the time, including other BDSM novels. However, if you’re looking for a normal romance, you might not be disappointed by it. If it weren’t for the hype, I personally think many people wouldn’t have been as disappointed as they were, especially those involved in the BDSM community or at least those who enjoy a good BDSM story.

Sure, there were a couple lines or scenes that got me a little turned-on, but nothing near other stories I’ve read in books or even online by unpublished authors. I am curious if the other books will be of the same nature. I personally found the abusive relationship condescending and offensive. I would not have been happy if I were Ana, but offended and would have stood up for myself. It seemed unnatural to me that it just so “happened” to be some rich, gorgeous guy who was so into becoming her dominant and “treating her like a princess” (though really, he abused her). It was certainly NOT inspiring in any way.