Why I love… 50 Shades of Grey by E.L James

Hi Guys, Today I want to discuss my reasons for loving 50 Shades of Grey by E.L James.

50 Shades of Grey is a book and film which I think is either Love or Hated, I was nervous to discuss this on my blog because I always feel like I should keep it Young Adult – I don’t know why, I think I just don’t like venturing too far off from other blogs and what other people post about but then I realized this is my book blog for me to share my love of a book with you and not everyone is going to like the same books as you and that’s ok. I shouldn’t stop myself from writing about things I like or be nervous for liking something others don’t like.

‘OMG A BOOK ABOUT SEX?!’

50 Shades of Grey follows a plot that is very explicit of course it features sex and dominants and subs and I think sometimes people are blinded by that fact but the story within is actually a brilliant love story and the trilogy offers so much more than the sexual element. For example to immediately name a few things their is;

• Helicopter Crashes
• Childhood Abuse – (Looked back on) and it’s lasting effects
• Blackmail
• Car Chases
• Crazy Ex’s
• Guns 

My favourite thing that I like about the trilogy is the development of Ana and Christian but most notably Ana. At the beginning Ana is very timid but as the trilogy unfolds she becomes more sure of herself and more confident. Her character journey isn’t an easy one of course because she’s thrown into this crazy new lifestyle but E.L James doesn’t show this new life as being ‘black and white‘, by this I mean she doesn’t show a normal relationship with sex and then show the other lifestyle and say they are totally separate, or that there is either one or the other and to partake in such activities means you have to behave or like a certain thing. Rather she really focuses on a blended relationship between the two and she focuses on the why Christian behaves the way he does and his personal history. It’s not that he just likes to whip people and cause them pain there is in fact a real reason behind it and it’s rather heartbreaking to read his childhood journey that lead him to the man  he is today. In relation to Christian’s Journey you experience little tidbits of information in each book and I like that slow progression of receiving information because it gives a sense of reality, he has struggled with it himself and he can’t just bare his soul he really needs to work up to that moment.

In some romance books you get boy meets girl they instantly fall in love, bare their souls and secrets and it’s happily ever after and this trilogy is very up and down. It’s a real relationship theirs trials and tribulations testing them along the way, they both have insecurities and anxieties and the trilogy centers around their need to trust and build on their own personal characters before they can fully be together.

This is a little aseathic I put together…

Another thing I like about this trilogy and the film is that it’s told in Ana’s perspective and its very much about women’s sexuality which when I first read it was something new for me because not a-lot of stories actually explore women’s sexuality and desires. I always feel like women who enjoy sex in books and films are put down in a way and theirs always that sort of stereotype which goes along with men being celebrated almost for sex and women are ‘sluts’ or should be ashamed of their feelings and desires. This is something the book touches upon in Ana’s case as at the beginning she’s a virgin so she’s nervous and she feels ashamed or embarrassed and male attention is something she cannot comprehend but then she blossoms and shes confident and she owns her femininity and sexuality. I like this message that we shouldn’t be afraid of our sexuality and desires or hide them because society deemed it ‘unclassy for a woman’. Bye bye stereotypes please.

The Film

I have seen the film a number of times now, like the book it has had mixed reviews but again it definitely is something you either love or hate. I really enjoyed it, I really like the casting as I think they embody the characters perfectly.

I have watched quite a few interviews following this film with the cast and director Sam Taylor Johnson and there is a real strive to make this film as properly as possible and not seedy in any way. Which I think some people who are not familiar with the books may think a film regarding so much sex will be. To put it bluntly  a film with so much sex must be Porn right? but it’s not. Again it’s a love story and it ends on a cliffhanger which is emotional, essentially you have this couple who come from two different worlds basically and they have to change who they are and develop as people to fit one another into their lives. Whilst the movie had to cut out a bunch of elements from the book it’s all cut together perfectly that you don’t lose out on the real plot within the story.

So there’s some of my reasons as to why I love this book series and the film, I can’t wait for 50 Shades Darker to be released in February 2017 because there’s definitely a-lot of action within that book and the one after that. 

Let me know in the comments your thoughts on the book and film if you have read and seen it. I would love to see what you guys think, of course I realise it’s not for everyone and if that’s the case for you let me know why!