My Thoughts on Fifty Shades of Grey

I know an incredible amount of people who loved these books, so I will try to be as gentle as possible with my description. Now, if that sentence didn't alert you to my very obvious stance on it, let me make it clear: the books were terrible.

I wouldn't under any circumstances claim that I am a literary expert, but having read a lot of books, I think I have some sort of understanding what it takes to make a good novel. Firstly, it is incredibly important to use the correct language. There were so many repetitive sentences and phrases, that I would get nauseous after a few sentences.  Some opinions indicate that it was written in this way to indicate Anastasia’s youth, but frankly, I am more or less the same age as her, and I find those comments rather insulting. I will never think phrases like “Holy Fuck” and “Oh my”, more than once in a train of thought, no matter how attractive someone is.

Also, it would seem that Fifty Shades of Grey is amassing a fan base to rival Justin Bieber and One Direction. I have never understood these extreme types of fanaticism, but I do get that teenagers love to have idols. But these books were written for an age group much older, and it seems unacceptable that people are freaking out like this. No social network is safe from countless women who gushes about reading “Fifty Shades”. It is really okay to be interested in a book, but to focus your entire existence on it is more than a bit sad.

The books started out as fan tributes to Twilight. While not the most wonderful books, Twilight uses much better English, is appropriate to its age, and found a niche market to conquer (and turned Vampires into a billion dollar empire) Sorry, Fifty, but BDSM is not a niche market.

Lastly, it annoys me that the books create ridiculous expectations with women. I already know people who furiously believe that they will marry sport stars/celebrities, and here comes these books, claiming that a seemingly stupid girl, with no personality or ambition, can catch the world’s most successful bachelor? Get real, ladies. There isn't a man on this planet that is rich, handsome, obsessively jealous and protective, that will drop his roughish ways just to be with you. Rather find someone who is imperfect but has enough stability to make things work, ‘kay?

I hope you noticed that I didn't mention any of the crazy sex happening in these books. It doesn't bother me all that much, only that it is the main theme rather than the side dish. I would much rather have preferred if they had made a strong female character, a normal man and a relationship that wasn't toxic from the start.

But obviously I am in the minority with that opinion, since the trilogy was part of the best sellers of the past year…