Fifty Shades of Grey - like a moth to a flame!

My book club chose Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James for its next book.  I was both happy to finally have an excuse to read it and dreading it out of jealousy.  E.L. James has written such a sexy, fun and SUCCESSFUL book that I have been green with jealousy over the whole sensation!

I do applaud the success of the series!  It's awesome to see a book take off like that!  Yes, I am green with jealousy, but I am also excited to see it happen and to own a copy.

Now, the book.  Talk about being in the right place at the right time.  Both the main character in the book and the book itself have this in common.

This book's simplicity is that it is an encyclopediac look at one man's sexual preferences.  We basically take apart Christian Grey's kinks until he's just like the rest of us - a guy who is searching for satisfaction.

He's a dominant who was a submissive for many years.  I'm not done with the book, but he's chosen a virgin who has no experience in the world of sex he  experiences.  His choice is very telling -- he's a dominant who in the end, wishes to meet his equal.

Will Ana be his equal?

Christian Grey says he wants her to be a submissive, but he is most attracted to her when she is assertive.  He bends to her will on many occasions and when she is submissive, the book tends to focus on how he bolsters her back up to being "open" and assertive.

Is our decision to read this book as telling or are we readers just attracted to the sensation?

So, can love between two people happen if neither one of them really is honest about what they want?  How do they "grow up" and be the people they truly are if they bind themselves into a fantasy world where they play out certain parts and then erase and re-do the fantasy so they feel like they can function in real life?  

The best love stories are when two people come together and honestly love each other in the way that makes them a powerful force as a couple.  My gut reaction so far to this book is that it truly is a middle aged woman's fantasy about what her life would have been like if she had met a rich, powerful man who introduced her to mind-blowing sexuality without any of the usual bad mistakes young couples tend to make early on (no money, no security, no power).

The only problem with this is that the girl does get the sex and the money, but where's the fun?

Part of the joy of a relationship in your early years is NOT having it right - not having the money, the power, the security, but having a hell of a good time together.

So, enjoy the fantasy!  Have fun with it!

Read to your heart's desire, but remember that love is all about the metamorphosis of one person into a person who is in love with a second person. That change into something beautiful and extraordinary has to happen to make the love story fun to read.

So, I'll keep reading and waiting for this story to hatch our of its chrysalis!  The world is attracted to this story like a moth to a flame. Hopefully, we'll enjoy the heat and the fun of reading the books.