50 Shades of Grey

I just spoke with a friend (she's mid 50s) who told me she's buying the other two books in the trilogy this afternoon. She devoured the first book and as she put it is addicted to it. Is it all that great? I've gotten the impression it's more for women, possibly reawakening sexual thoughts. What is it about this book/trilogy that is so great? Are the other two books as good as the first?

Crap I can't edit the title... Oh well I was 60% right

 

Every person I know in real life thats read the first one says they are crap, that the writing is atrocious and the porn is repetitive and boring. Being in the lifestyle myself I was afraid to read them because I get REALLY picky about how BDSM is portrayed. That said I have a friend that is gonna give me her e copies so I can see for myself just how awful they are. If you want some laughs, go read the reviews on amazon, they cracked me up all night last night.
--- merged: May 17, 2012 7:52 PM ---
another note, I am a HUGE fan of the Beauty series by Anne Rice, and I noticed while reading reviews on Fifty, that most were recommending that as a MUCH better alternative. I have to say, if its Good BDSM erotic fiction you're looking to read you can't go wrong with the first book...it did start to get a little old to me by the 3rd book, but since BDSM is my life and not some fantasy for me to read about, my opinion would be different from someone that doesnt really know a whole lot about the lifestyle

 

I bought the Kindle edition because the girls at the gym raved about having read "all three". I enjoy reading "the" book of the year during the Summer. I asked them if there are any vampires in it, and since they said no, I eagerly jumped aboard this alleged train to the land of erotica. Unfortunately, I've been unable to get beyond the usual cliches of fumbling idiot women falling for successful, gorgeous males who control the fucking world.

Painful. Insulting. I wasted $10.99.

Got myself a free Hemingway book instead, to try to undo some of the damage.

 

Funny you should mention that...I read the preview on Amazon, and Twilight is exactly what it reminded me of. Bleah. And since shanifaye mentioned it, I believe I'll read the Beauty series...again.

 

I read on FB that my sister and her friends were reading these books. I really didn't want to know that, and people really ought not to post stuff like that on FB.

shanifaye, that Beauty series fucked with my mind. I was expecting fairly straightforward erotic sex, and was introduced, basically, to BDSM.
I shouldn't have read them so young. Should've waited til I was at least 35.

Now all I can think about when I see this series mentioned is Beauty having so many things shoved up her ass.

 

I got the electronic version of this...and while skimming through I found all I need to know about what crap this is. It might sound extra picky to some, but IMO if you're going to write about this subject you really need to do your "research" as Christian keeps telling Ana. The entire D/s contract is written capitalizing the s on submissive..pfft

 

This sounds as appealing as an action film combining the "best parts" of Star Wars Episode I and any of the recent transformers film. Have to give the 1986 animated some serious props just for having the great Orson Welles as a voice actor.

 

I have read the three books, perhaps I focussed too much on the bondage rather than the storyline as I didn't find any reference to Bella and Edward from Twilight. I hated Twilight. And who calls a vampire Edward FFS (no offence meant to any non vampires named Edward)
I do not know of anyone female close to me or in work who has not read it, or in various stages of reading it. It's being referred to as 'mommy porn'

Not the best I have read but not the worse either.

 

@velvetmoonchild Are you referring to better in mommy porn - or just better overall?

Just last week I ran into a former co-worker who had divorced after 30+ years. She was reading it and said it helped her understand her relationship.... dominant/submissive. I didn't ask.

But boy, I sure wanted to.

 

Overall I suppose, never read anything referred to as 'Mommy porn' before. My eldest son's girlfriend downloaded it to her kindle to read on her holiday to Devon, on the way there she saw the same book in her Grandmothers handbag.

 

I have to agree that the books are not good. I'm in the middle of the second book now. I can write better porn than that and I have; however, aside from the soft "mommy porn," I was very disappointed In the first book and how his character "fell" for her...evey girl's dream come true right - to be able to change a man??? We can barely change one of our own characteristics. How can you expect to change someone else...it's sending the wrong message to young women especially.

 

There is at least three different copies floating around my workplace. All I have to say after picking up a copy and flipping through it is that America must really be desperate for some softcore BDSM if they're willing to slog through that much shitty writing to get it. And I happen to like BDSM. Someone with some actual talent and writing ability should probably capitalize on this trend, but sadly, they'll probably be better, and be called "A rip-off of 50 Shades of Grey"

 

I've read 1 & 2 just couldnt even be bothered with 3, anyone saying it helps them understand the D/s relationship is being majorly misled, these books in NO way define this lifestyle (I should know) she admits in interviews that her whole exposure to BDSM was a couple she talked to, a submissive online she chatted with and wikipedia, and she really didnt even a do a good because her submissive contract was written with submissive capitalized through the entire thing. I know it sounds picky, but it literally makes me sick to think people are thinking they are being educated when they are not.

 

I have read the first and I'm 75% done with the second. Honestly, I don't expect a lot out of them - I bought them as a fun, thoughtless read for while I'm on a break from classes. And, for that, I have enjoyed them. They've sparked my imagination to really put some faces on characters and the sex scenes are good enough for me. Reading the first book certainly made my trip to VA a bit interesting, since I was reading erotica with no available outlet for the horniness it evoked. I was happy to get home!

 

I would like to clarify that 50 Shades started as a Twilight Fan-Fiction (according to news releases and Know Your Meme; I would link but it's barring me at the moment). And for the record, I hated, HATED Twilight. I was essentially forced to read the first book by a friend and it was the worst piece of writing I'd ever had the indecency to behold.

That said, I personally feel that 50 Shades is much better. The writing style of E L James is a great improvement over Stephanie Meyer's, for starters, and the characters of 50 Shades actually seem real. Granted, it's harder to relate to them because they're all members of the 1 percent, but they have personalities and backstories that are believable and connectable. For example:

- Christian Grey is a self-made man, and in this age, that's no fantasy when you have people like Zuckerburg with multimillion dollar corporations right out of college. Grey's obsession with control/domination was instilled in him by his mistress when he was an adolescent. Many would call that sexual abuse and we all know that's a sad truth of the real world. Finally, he's impulsive, and puts a lot of stake in first impressions. That more than justifies his quick fixation on Anastasia Steele.

- Anastasia Steele is a graduating college senior. She works to pay for college, drives a hand-me-down of a car, and gets roped into things by others because she's not that confident. However, she likes to keep her independence and control over her own life. She's envious of her roommate Katie who gets everything handed to her on a silver platter (Katie could easily be called a member of the 1%, while Ana is sort of upper middle class). She ends up taking over a journalism interview for her roommate, and it's with Christian Grey. The interview turns personal, and it leaves an effect on her.

- Upon Christian Grey's fixation, he decides to pursue Ana, and she falls victim to his tactics. Part of her secretly wants it because 1) she's a virgin but by no means vanilla, and 2) it's many girls' dream to be swept off their feet by some confident, successful male. Things get complicated because Christian wants her to be his submissive slave.

- THE CONFLICT: Should Ana throw her life away for some guy who can take her to a world of pleasure and excitement unlike any other? Yes, this is very much in a sexual sense but it's also a lifestyle sense because she'd be taken into the world of the 1 percent.

Anyway, I've gotten 3/4 through the first book and I love it for two reasons. The first is its sexual/BDSM aspect. The second is because I can kind of relate to it; there've been opportunities in my own life where I easily could have thrown everything away and become a part of a world like that. I decided not to because I believed, at those times, that my life had a different direction. Doesn't mean I don't think "What if?" now. That said, your mileage may vary in reading the trilogy. Also, it's going to have a spin off that is from Christian's POV (the originals are from Ana's).

 

This is relevant, and absolutely cracks me up.

 

If he did a full audiobook for the trilogy, I would buy it. Nah, I would pirate it.

 

the BDSM stuff in that book is a joke (and just for newcomer MKOLLER I will repeat, I'm in the lifestyle and have been for a very long time) James even admits she got her information from wikipedia, a couple she knows and chatting online with a submissive...real indepth research going on there. Please, please PLEASE do not read this book thinking its any more than "kinky sex".