Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey

Starred review from September 17, 2012
In this fascinating examination of E.L. James’s Fifty Shades trilogy, edited by literary agent Perkins, 50 writers—including erotica and erotic romance authors, a matrimonial lawyer, an English professor, and BDSM practitioners—analyze the novel’s game-changing effect on the publishing world. Divided into seven sections—writing, romance, erotic fiction, sex, BDSM, fan fiction, and pop culture, along with a hilarious parody of the story in an “intermission” and an appendix with a suggested reading list—the book thoughtfully dissects the various aspects of the bestseller. Essayists credit a perfect storm of factors for James’s success: among them, the rise of e-readers and e-book publishers such as Ellora’s Cave, which allow women to buy and read erotica without embarrassment, and the viral nature of the Internet and fan fiction. The novel “forced the traditional publishing industry to accept that women have always enjoyed erotic romance,” notes literary agent Louise Fury. The subject certainly inspires passion in its contributors: several praise the book for giving women permission to be sexual beings, while others castigate James for promulgating abuse and stalker behavior, and others examine hero Christian Grey in the context of Byronic heroes. Love Fifty Shades or hate it, this engaging and eclectic read has a little bit of something for everyone. Agent: Louise Fury, L. Perkins Agency.

October 15, 2012
A collection of essays from a variety of perspectives on the best-selling erotic romance series. The Fifty Shades trilogy, just like the Twilight series that inspired it, has created demand for books with similar themes. This book, edited by veteran erotica editor Perkins, is clearly an attempt to capitalize on this new, robust market. Several of the contributors make this shift in the publishing industry a theme of their essays: Louise Fury writes that E.L. James has "helped pave the way" for existing writers of erotica and erotic romance and that "new voices [will] emerge and follow in her formidable, trailblazing footsteps." Though there is general agreement that these books have created a space for new audiences and authors, there is disagreement on the representation of BDSM in the books. Jennifer Armintrout persuasively argues that the violent sex, though problematic, is less disturbing than Christian Grey's controlling and stalking behavior. Yet Susan Wright points out that critics of BDSM forget that "everyone in America is free to sky dive, rock climb and play football, which cause far more harm than BDSM." Perhaps the most novel perspectives come from Cecilia Tan's, Mala Bhattacharjee's and Anne Jamison's essays on the Twilight fan-fiction origins of Fifty Shades and Tish Beaty's account of discovering and editing the manuscript. Some of the essays appear to be hastily written personal reflections with a sentence or two about Fifty Shades thrown in; the "Fifty Writers" gimmick may have prompted the inclusion of some filler. However, the more thoughtful essays will provide food for thought for readers eager to learn more about the series and the lifestyle it depicts. Other contributors include M.J. Rose, Judith Regan and Rakesh Satyal. Gimmicks aside, the essays are mostly informative and intelligent.

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2012

Edited by literary agent Perkins (The Insider's Guide to Getting an Agent), this anthology provides insight into E.L. James's best-selling trilogy. The contributors include authors M.J. Rose, Heather Graham, and Andrew Shaffer; literary agents; academics; psychologists; and practitioners of BDSM. They provide observations on the series as a cultural phenomenon and offer literary criticism while identifying the story's origin as Twilight fan fiction. Most of the writers are enthusiasts of the trilogy. However, some point out the sociological and psychological issues surrounding protagonists Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele's relationship, while others criticize James's depiction of BDSM. VERDICT For fans of the trilogy and readers who enjoy erotica and erotic romance novels, and for those interested in pop culture. Unfortunately, the lack of indexing and sourced essays prevent this volume from being useful to serious readers.--Donna Marie Smith, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., FL

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.