50 Shades of Grey?

Oh God, that's funny. I'd buy it just for the hell of it

I own all three books. Still trying to finish the first one. I've tried to be supportive of E.L. James, but I just can't get into the books. At least her erotica is opening the doors for erotica writers who were writing this stuff (and doing a better job of it) long before she did.

Plus not to mention, it could've even inspired people to write themselves. While that may or may not be in that exact genre, but still. I mean this could've given someone an idea for a story or figure out(or change) their own writing, and not necessarily in a bad way.

Well, I broke down and bought it, out of curiosity (and because it was on sale). I tried to read it but ended up skimming through, including the sex bits. The main character's name needs to be changed to Mary Sue, IMO.

Some things about it just bugged me, aside from the boredom. The main character is seriously f'ed up in the head and needs years of intensive therapy before he dares to even pick up a flogger. No no no no no. Not that sickos like this guy don't exist in the BDSM world, but they end up with bad reputations and no subs.

The Doms I know wouldn't play with her either. A big part of the high for a sane top is that the bottom likes it.

For someone without a submissive bone in her body, she sure does a lot of submitting. Is it that obsession and jealousy are being confused with love? It's creepy that so many women are so attracted to it.

LoopyLinde said:

For someone without a submissive bone in her body, she sure does a lot of submitting. Is it that obsession and jealousy are being confused with love? It's creepy that so many women are so attracted to it.

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Sadly enough, there are a lot of people out there who think that is true. And there are enough writers out there who have bought into it, as well, that a whole new generation is being taught that "I must control you and hit you when you defy me, because my love is so overpowering" is what real relationships are like. And guys actually believe it, because it seems all macho to them. Until they meet someone who knocks them on their ass for trying. Then they just feel sore.

I just wanted to add my two cents to this discussion:
when I first picked up 50SoG I thought it was absolutely terrible and couldn't get through more than the 110 first pages. Then, among a bunch of other erotic romances I've read recently, I read Bared to You, which is similar to 50. It is much better written, better character development, and actually has a plot. However, it feels somehow sterile and all the characters in BtY are so perfect-looking it's hard to relate to them. Also, I didn't think the author captured the chemistry between the two main characters as well as EL James did. I realized this when I went back and read the first few chapters of 50 again.

Conclusion: even if 50 is not well written, EL James did manage to capture the chemistry between the two MCs and Ana is also a lot warmer and easier to relate to than the girl in BtY--who was only 24, but, IMHO, behaved like someone who was in her 30s.

Oldbrasscat said:

Sadly enough, there are a lot of people out there who think that is true. And there are enough writers out there who have bought into it, as well, that a whole new generation is being taught that "I must control you and hit you when you defy me, because my love is so overpowering" is what real relationships are like. And guys actually believe it, because it seems all macho to them. Until they meet someone who knocks them on their ass for trying. Then they just feel sore.

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It reminds me so much of some of the old romance books my sister used to bring home way back in high school. The rich powerful asshole and the spirited but virginal girl who tames him, or some such nonsense. I read a few of them when i was desperate for reading material. Bleh.

I thought the romance genre had left that kind of thing behind, maybe 20 years ago.

juliatheswede said:

I just wanted to add my two cents to this discussion:
when I first picked up 50SoG I thought it was absolutely terrible and couldn't get through more than the 110 first pages. Then, among a bunch of other erotic romances I've read recently, I read Bared to You, which is similar to 50. It is much better written, better character development, and actually has a plot. However, it feels somehow sterile and all the characters in BtY are so perfect-looking it's hard to relate to them. Also, I didn't think the author captured the chemistry between the two main characters as well as EL James did. I realized this when I went back and read the first few chapters of 50 again.

Conclusion: even if 50 is not well written, EL James did manage to capture the chemistry between the two MCs and Ana is also a lot warmer and easier to relate to than the girl in BtY--who was only 24, but, IMHO, behaved like someone who was in her 30s.

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9 and 1/2 Weeks did an excellent job, too, IMO. If anyone remembers that one. I don't know the authors name. The movie was ok, but the book had more D/s in it.

Oldbrasscat said:

Sadly enough, there are a lot of people out there who think that is true. And there are enough writers out there who have bought into it, as well, that a whole new generation is being taught that "I must control you and hit you when you defy me, because my love is so overpowering" is what real relationships are like. And guys actually believe it, because it seems all macho to them. Until they meet someone who knocks them on their ass for trying. Then they just feel sore.

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I wonder if part of the reason behind this is that people just desperately want attention from the people they love, and even negative attention becomes alluring when compared with the alternative of nothing at all. Maybe "heroes" like the male MCs in 50SoG and Twilight are attractive to many because they're the exact opposite of the apathy that seems to rule so many real-life relationships. Also, for writers, this character dynamic creates tension without ever compromising the attention and passion between the characters. That tension doesn't exist in a non-abusive doting relationship.

Or maybe I over-analyze things.

Chasing the Horizon said:

I wonder if part of the reason behind this is that people just desperately want attention from the people they love, and even negative attention becomes alluring when compared with the alternative of nothing at all. Maybe "heroes" like the male MCs in 50SoG and Twilight are attractive to many because they're the exact opposite of the apathy that seems to rule so many real-life relationships. Also, for writers, this character dynamic creates tension without ever compromising the attention and passion between the characters. That tension doesn't exist in a non-abusive doting relationship.

Or maybe I over-analyze things.

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I didn't read far enough into 50 to really get to where he was overly abusive, so I can't comment on that. I think the tension/chemistry existed from the very beginning, and that's what people like.

I did read Twilight however, and, call me crazy, but I don't see what makes him so abusive/scary. Obsessed with love for Bella, yes, but that's what romance is all about.

I'm interested in reading, at least the 1st book, of 50 Shades. Does anyone have a Kindle version they would loan me? If so, email me, please.

I have lots of things to share. I just finished "The Sleeping Beauty Trilogy" (on a scale of 1-10 then a 4 or 5). I didn't like the brutality but as the books went on, I began to understand how Anne Rice was using the violence as a tool to tell the story.

I read the first 20 or so pages, couldn't continue further. This is one of the first books I put down without finishing it.
I've read bad books and finished them, I really couldn't get myself to finish this one.
I haven't read enough to call it bad and I know a lot of people enjoy it, it just really didn't interest me.

Chasing the Horizon said:

Maybe "heroes" like the male MCs in 50SoG and Twilight are attractive to many because they're the exact opposite of the apathy that seems to rule so many real-life relationships. Also, for writers, this character dynamic creates tension without ever compromising the attention and passion between the characters. That tension doesn't exist in a non-abusive doting relationship.

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I think those are both pretty awesome observations, especially the first one. You can definitely say a lot of things about Edward and Christian, but they definitely do not lack in the passion department.

I need to pick up my copy of 50SoG again since I haven't read it for awhile. I was at least happy to finally get into the less vanilla stuff, since that's what I was expecting from this book.

In generally though, I find the sex scenes to just be too short so far. But maybe that will come as we move more into the world of BDSM (or at least this book's version of BDSM).

BDSM is not my cup of tea, but I downloaded the sample to my Kindle app in the hopes that I might learn what makes the story compelling to so many people. Maybe I could learn something about character development or how to set a scene or how to introduce two characters without making it seem like you're forcing them together. Alas, I didn't learn any techniques that I feel could improve my own writing.

Last edited by DevinBrees; Today at 05:39 PM. Reason: How do you spell BDSM?

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B...D...um...

*goes to look it up*

I can see the appeal to the book. I'm reading it now, and while it's not great writing and the character's aren't well written, I definitely understand why women could like it.

Honestly, I love the naive, young woman being lead by a powerful, collected man. That's definitely one of my kinks. I don't think it's pulled off particularly well in this book, but I think a lot of other women like that too. I'm actually going to be blogging about this soon

Anjasa said:

I can see the appeal to the book. I'm reading it now, and while it's not great writing and the character's aren't well written, I definitely understand why women could like it.

Honestly, I love the naive, young woman being lead by a powerful, collected man. That's definitely one of my kinks. I don't think it's pulled off particularly well in this book, but I think a lot of other women like that too. I'm actually going to be blogging about this soon

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I agree with this, too, that is also one of my (many) kinks.

I did not know this book was called 50SoG! I saw it on a book rating website, didn't quiet care for the summary, had a bad feeling about it, and decided not to read it in the end. I forgot the name of it, but remembered the blue tie on the cover, I kept hearing a lot of slack from this "horrid" 50SoG, and out of curiosity, I looked it up, and low and behold, it was the book I had a bad feeling about.

I don't want to put down the author, but I feel this is one of the many books that discourage people from making Dom!men Innocent!women stories, and that depresses me because it's my favorite. I like the whole bad-ass guy with virgin good girl, but her writing was way too unrealistic and staged, it felt too perfect and too fanservice-y (or should I say selfservice?). It was too much kink, where it felt like a dream land, and since everybody's dream land is different, I found myself rolling my eyes at the saccharine she added in.

I believe she put too much of her own personal fetish dreams in the book, making it to where everyone else can't relate and enjoy it. I'm definitely going to use this as a learning experience, I personally don't like strong willed, cocky, submissive heroines, but I can understand how meekness can get exasperating as well; I would like to find a balance between such type, yet still make a character that doesn't blend into the background.

Cassandra Heartfelt said:

I believe she put too much of her own personal fetish dreams in the book, making it to where everyone else can't relate and enjoy it.

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...it's the biggest-selling book in UK publishing history?

Torgo said:

...it's the biggest-selling book in UK publishing history?

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I was referring to the massive anti fans that I keep hearing (I'm over in the US). It was in the top ten, on that website I mentioned, too, as the "best erotica story ever", but the main reviews users were putting in where saying how annoying/stupid/cliché/"Mary-Sue" the story was. I never read the book, so I can't properly judge, but from that video someone posted on the last page, with the text they were pointing out (and me actually reading an excerpt of the book), I can say that I did not find the book all that appealing, and is confused on why it's so popular.

Cassandra Heartfelt said:

I never read the book, so I can't properly judge, but from that video someone posted on the last page, with the text they were pointing out (and me actually reading an excerpt of the book), I can say that I did not find the book all that appealing, and is confused on why it's so popular.

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Well, it seems to have struck some kind of chord. It doesn't sound like your cup of tea, but different strokes for different folks...

I've seen a lot of fairly odd criticism of the book - "It doesn't accurately portray the BDSM lifestyle" is one which seems nonsensical to me as it never claims to. Another would be "Mary Sue", as that's surely a misuse of the term (a Mary Sue is an author insertion fantasy in a work of fanfic who distorts the established shape of the story and the relations between preexisting characters. Though this is, to an extent, fanfic, Anna is based on Bella, and doesn't warp everything around her.)

It's a publishing phenomenon, so as well as a tremendous amount of people who like it, you'll also see a tremendous amount of people who would like to explain exactly what they don't like about it. I find these kinds of cultural stories fascinating (and I'm speaking as someone who hasn't read the book either, and has been guilty in the past of taking the piss out of Dan Brown on here.)

Yeah, it's just my personal opinion on the matter, I'm not going to judge and say it's a bad book (from what I read, it was written nicely/easy to read, I just don't like the contents), I'd avoid books like that, but the aspect I don't like in 50SoG is also in a lot of other books, so when people give negative reviews about those type of book, it's always in a "Virgin heroine are automatically bad characters and should be avoided at all cost, especially with an experienced/Dom hero, if one wants to make a good book." sense, and I think that's an unfair judgment just because of one person's take on that type of romance.

I agree, BDSM comes in all flavor, and I don't think the book's intention was to define the word BDSM. I don't know too much about the main character, but Mary-Sues have many different definitions, it's just a character that is so unrealistic, it's impossible to ever experience the same situation Miss Mary Sue have (because all humans have flaws, and life never work out to a "T"). Mary-Sues are people who could never exist in the real world, unless that person was being completely and utterly fake, and staging everything. <--that's my loose definition.

Torgo said:

It's a publishing phenomenon, so as well as a tremendous amount of people who like it, you'll also see a tremendous amount of people who would like to explain exactly what they don't like about it. I find these kinds of cultural stories fascinating (and I'm speaking as someone who hasn't read the book either, and has been guilty in the past of taking the piss out of Dan Brown on here.)

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I completely understand that, in fact, I think that goes for a lot of books (almost all books, actually); any book, that's properly made and actually thought out, will have people who love it and about an equal amount of people who hate it. I can't count how many "poor selling" books that I found was amazing, and find myself Jealous for them in why so many "Best Sellers" have become Best Sellers, it's just how the world works, I guess.

Spoilers Ahoy!

I've seen a couple of different complaints about the BDSM content.

The first is really specific: Christian has a kink particularly of dominating women who remind him of his mother. The objection here is BDSM isn't a malady caused by childhood trauma and having a kink based on childhood trauma isn't how kinks work. I have terrible news for them, that is exactly how kinks work for whole big bucketloads of people, including myself, and I would be surprised if it wasn't the case not just a majority, but a vast majority.

Another really specific issue is a claim that BDSM is considered a malady from which Christian is cured by true love. Christian engages in a lot of control freak and other inappropriate behavior that isn't part of BDSM and this is the major transformation in the plot of the book, but this behavior is not portrayed as being appropriate BDSM play. What would be far more accurate is that Christian is a messed up puppy and freely mixes his emotional issues into his sex play, but that this is a particular problem Christian has. Ana does help him to get over these issues, but what she's helping him get over is the emotional problems, not being interested in BDSM. There's every indication that after working through issues, that BDSM play remains a part of their lives.

In both these cases, I think there's a lot of people who want to promote acceptance for BDSM who are cnocerned that somehow the book will make them look bad and they've overreacted.

I've also seen a few people who think the establishment BDSM community should have been more of a focus. Well, that's a different book.

There's a lot of other stuff people complain about that just isn't in the book. Like the physical abuse thing. I've heard this again and again and it's just not in the book unless you're an anti-sex second waver who thinks that all BDSM is abuse.

Katie Elle said:

The first is really specific: Christian has a kink particularly of dominating women who remind him of his mother. The objection here is BDSM isn't a malady caused by childhood trauma and having a kink based on childhood trauma isn't how kinks work. I have terrible news for them, that is exactly how kinks work for whole big bucketloads of people, including myself, and I would be surprised if it wasn't the case not just a majority, but a vast majority.

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Again, I haven't read the book, but I have heard this criticism, and I thought it was rather strange. Sure, some people have fetishes for almost no reason at all. They've just always liked a certain thing. But for many people, it is linked with childhood experience, and sometimes a traumatic one.

Raising a dormant story...

Finally starting reading 50 sog and all I can say "wow is this ever BORING"! Someone posted earlier in this thread that this book is the best selling book in UK history. If that is true, I am amazed. Even the sex scenes are boring, IMO.

I had to really push to get past the first 100 pages. I am now at about page 350. You know how when you are watching a bad/slow movie you keep watching it as you think there has to be some kind of payoff? It is the train wreck/rubbernecking at accident scenes phenomena.

This is the first book I have read that was categorized as erotica and had zero arousal for me. Calling this Erotica is like calling the twilight books/movies Horror.

Would experienced folks here rate the frequency of sexual activity (never mind the type) as "normal" for Erotic Romance? To me this is just a romance novel with some sex scenes.

Shane D

I finally finished it, and by the end, I just was not enjoying it. I think I was reading a lot of my own fetishes into it at the beginning, but by the end I just lost interest.

I think Christian could have been such an interesting character but just fell so short. And Ana was based on Bella so really, that was par for the course.