Well I’ve finally gone and done it – I’ve read that book, the one everyone is talking about. Yes, the fastest-selling novel of all time, which has been given the rather unfortunate label of “mummy porn”, is 50 Shades of Grey. And after weeks of hearing about it and seeing women everywhere buried in a copy, I felt I had to find out what the fuss was all about.
And my verdict? Well, it was certainly not what I expected. What struck me first was that the writing is poor. Really poor. A blend of Mills and Boon and Adrian Mole, is how I would describe it. Cliché after cliché, peppered with crass insights and cursing.
As for the ‘erotic’ content….well to be honest, I got bored of it. It all gets a bit samey after a while. But I don’t believe this is where the attraction of the book really lies. We end up rooting for the heroine. We love how she gets spoiled by a billionaire, buying her lavish gifts of fine lingerie, a new laptop – and she gets to ride around in a helicopter. And we want to know if she ends up happy.
Remember how we all went crazy for “Pretty Woman” in the eighties? This is pretty much an S&M version of the same story.
“Mummy porn” is just the most ridiculous notion. I don’t believe most women love this story for the erotic content. No, the reason we are all hooked is because it is, quite simply, a modern day fairytale.
I hate to admit it, but I am rather looking forward to reading part 2…
