You’re both mortified and intrigued by the glamour and dysfunction. It’s a fun escape from reality, like so many other popular books.įor me, reading the series is like catching an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians during one of the E! marathons. I doubt that women read the book and want to mimic the bad stuff any more than they wanted to marry a vampire or run off with a wolf post- Twilight. Yes, there are unhealthy parts of the fictional relationship: creepy control issues and problems with trust and communication. Just this week, I’ve sped through two of the three books. I’ve never read much of the genre, so, as I tried to figure out what is driving the phenomenon, I decided that it’s equal parts fantasy and sheer curiosity.Īnd I have to be honest: Despite the clunky prose, James does cause one to turn the page. Still, the allure of Fifty Shades of Grey can’t so simply be reduced to the steamy sex scenes. James is no Erin Morgenstern, whose fantasy-powered novel, The Night Circus, drew flocks of readers last year. No one can see the cover when you’re on an e-reader.īut just what is it that has fueled the word-of-mouth popularity? I think the power to download and read it anonymously has helped propel the book’s online sales. With so much hype about the book, I finally decided to read it - on my iPad. “But the buzz surrounds a book like this that sends the wrong message to young women.” “It’s sad because there are so many wonderful books out there with healthy messages about relationships and real intimacy,” she said.

Vivien Jennings, owner of Rainy Day Books in Kansas City, Mo., said that such stories send bad messages to women. Mom blogs and romantic-novel sites are making it a book-club favorite among women, and it has sold more than 250,000 copies. Sultry and taboo stuff for a best-seller, right?Īlthough erotic books have long been around, the genre rarely sees mainstream success. He is a young billionaire humanitarian who enjoys domination and bondage. She is a graduating college senior, an innocent virgin. It follows the story of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. James, has been described as “mommy porn.” That is the big debate over Fifty Shades of Grey, which has taken over the Internet and suburban reading circles.

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