Fifty Shades of Grey: an example of moral decline or just a good read?

If you are my mother, stop reading this now.
Okay, let's talk about EL James' popular erotic novel, Fifty Shades of Grey. Partly due to the unprecedented popularity of this book, ebooks have outdone "real" book sales for the first time. And, FSOG is the most downloaded book ever. Not bad for a former TV exec who dreamed of "writing stories people would fall in love with".
The story goes like this. Literature student and would-be publisher Anastasia Steele falls in love with gazillionaire Christian Grey who, because of his troubled past, likes kinky sex. She is such a down to earth, smart, and good person, he also falls in love with her. He introduces her to his world of bondage and sex toys which Anastasia, for the most part, likes. But can she deal with his dark, secret past and thus can she heal him?

Let's face it, literary fiction it is not. And it doesn't pretend to be. It is purely erotic fiction, so if that's not for you, then don't bother buying/reading it.

As a book lover, and writer, living in 2012, I felt I needed to download FSOG to see what all the fuss was about. And really, it's not that bad. There have been a lot of hate reviews about this book -- perhaps because of its popularity and the moral ramifications that come with it. Perhaps deep down some of us would have liked to have thought of it first because it really is quite a simple book. (Who hasn't looked at the Wiggles and thought, why didn't I think of that?) That's not to say, it isn't well-written.

Okay, it's a bit repetitive. Okay, it's very repetitive, but it's a definite page-turner and the characters are quite well-drawn.

FSOG has been dubbed "Mummy porn". I suppose that's an apt buzz phrase for erotic fiction. It's derivative of Twilight, but with more sex. (Come to think of it, what IS it about those Washington State folks?) It is NOT degrading to women. It does contain a lot of sex, some of which is a bit kinky and some readers may feel uncomfortable with bondage. But at least the sexual gratification is reciprocal. And in this day and age, when you hear stories of teenage boys collecting lipstick rings at parties, this can only be a good thing, right girls?
Good on you, EL James. There's a very good reason why it's the most down-loaded book in history: no-one needs to know what you're reading on the bus! Except the smile on your face might just give it away. I think EL James has, um, nailed it, with the right book and the right time. And I expect there'll be a flurry of similar books, so get ready people.
My only criticism would be that readers, and I suspect the publishers, couldn't wait for the second book Fifty Shades Darker and I thought the third, Fifty Shades Freed was rushed. Future editions would benefit from a good copy edit.