50 Shades - Great, or the Greatest?

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  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    My friend tricked me into reading it way before it became popular saying I would enjoy it (what was she thinking? she knows I hate romance). First page, second page 3rd page.. Okay.. Was she playing a joke on me? I hate romance novels and I doubly hate Twilight. I finished the first chapter and could not read beyond "my heart is pounding" and the old and tired trope of a woman meeting a man for the first time and falling for him after the usual "obnoxiously cocky" vs "trembling blushing bride" charade.

    My hate for romance aside, I did not enjoy the writing nor the themes of whatever I managed to read from this book. It struck me as uninspired and forced with stereotypes rather than personalities, and the worst kinds of stereotypes nonetheless.

    I am not sure how it continues, but from the comments here I'm glad I did not bother to finish it. I would have "accidentally" spilled coffee on it before returning it to my friend.
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
    My friend tricked me into reading it way before it became popular saying I would enjoy it (what was she thinking? she knows I hate romance). First page, second page 3rd page.. Okay.. Was she playing a joke on me? I hate romance novels and I doubly hate Twilight. I finished the first chapter and could not read beyond "my heart is pounding" and the old and tired trope of a woman meeting a man for the first time and falling for him after the usual "obnoxiously cocky" vs "trembling blushing bride" charade.

    My hate for romance aside, I did not enjoy the writing nor the themes of whatever I managed to read from this book. It struck me as uninspired and forced with stereotypes rather than personalities, and the worst kinds of stereotypes nonetheless.

    I am not sure how it continues, but from the comments here I'm glad I did not bother to finish it. I would have "accidentally" spilled coffee on it before returning it to my friend.
    Oh, honey, it continues the same way. There, you definitely don't have to read the rest. It's as painfully "risqué" (huge apologies to the word) throughout and as tear-producingly cringe-worthy with its "my inner goddes" a hundred times and "my sex" yadayada. It's a housewife's wet dream that should have been edited properly into something actually readable. Now, who was that poor editor and why didn't they get the boot?

    I'm glad so many others have mentioned the twisted sicko abusive crap. That part truly bothers me.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,932 Member
    Yes. Glorifying sexual abuse is fantastic. It should be more mainstream.

    The series is an insult to the BDSM community and to those of us who have had to live through abuse.

    Also, you do realize that the series started life as an online Twilight fanfiction, right?

    I agree!

    If you're curious/open minded about BDSM or the 'kink' lifestyle I'd recommend those to watch the movie Secretary first before watching the movie!

    I :heart: this thread . . .
  • Icandoityayme
    Icandoityayme Posts: 312 Member
    50 shades is good for dipping toes into this type of a life but I myself don't find it accurate. It's nice for vanilla people to fantasize with a fictional book but it doesn't depict the reality of it all. The safety issues of living in a life like that are not even brought up, which is important. Then you get females who get all worked up and excited and wanting to try it , then, if they do try it, aren't prepared for it. A good portion of bdsm is communication first and foremost. Anywho, it's good for housewives looking for something outside of regular hum drum lives.
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
    50 shades is good for dipping toes into this type of a life but I myself don't find it accurate. It's nice for vanilla people to fantasize with a fictional book but it doesn't depict the reality of it all. The safety issues of living in a life like that are not even brought up, which is important. Then you get females who get all worked up and excited and wanting to try it , then, if they do try it, aren't prepared for it. A good portion of bdsm is communication first and foremost. Anywho, it's good for housewives looking for something outside of regular hum drum lives.
    I just realise when reading this that I haven't done what I should have a long time ago, much earlier in the thread.

    I'm going to do the responsible thing and suggest something that is safe for beginners to read:
    https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8127475-the-reluctant-dom

    This covers anything and everything you could wish for regarding a safe intro to BDSM. Those who agree with it (50 Shades) being unsafe, please suggest something from your own libraries, too, or this madness will continue. 50 Shades needs to be nuked to oblivion.

    ETA
    There's a ménage à trois, so it might be too much for someone to stomach, but the spanking scenes are described extremely well.
  • Icandoityayme
    Icandoityayme Posts: 312 Member
    I loved watching The Secretary. It's one of my favorite movies. It's a little closer to what it should be.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,932 Member
    50 shades is good for dipping toes into this type of a life but I myself don't find it accurate. It's nice for vanilla people to fantasize with a fictional book but it doesn't depict the reality of it all. The safety issues of living in a life like that are not even brought up, which is important. Then you get females who get all worked up and excited and wanting to try it , then, if they do try it, aren't prepared for it. A good portion of bdsm is communication first and foremost. Anywho, it's good for housewives looking for something outside of regular hum drum lives.
    I just realise when reading this that I haven't done what I should have a long time ago, much earlier in the thread.

    I'm going to do the responsible thing and suggest something that is safe for beginners to read:
    https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8127475-the-reluctant-dom

    This covers anything and everything you could wish for regarding a safe intro to BDSM. Those who agree with it (50 Shades) being unsafe, please suggest something from your own libraries, too, or this madness will continue. 50 Shades needs to be nuked to oblivion.

    It's fantasy nothing more. I haven't read it, won't read it, primarily because my wife laughed her way through it, but that doesn't mean I need to go around trying to censor it. There are far more sadistic, degrading, and humiliating works of lousy fiction out there. I also get the feeling that many people in here are trying to prove their BDSM "creds" by mocking it. And, on the other end of the spectrum, there are the calls of "abuse." It's somewhat reminiscent of the 80s criticism of violent music lyrics. Where's Tipper Gore?
  • glenmchale
    glenmchale Posts: 1,307 Member
    horribly written trash that has become popular because of shocks to those who have no idea what it is to be in this type of relationship.... its unbelievable how it has made so much money that the film was inevitable... someone somewhere is laughing at all that read all three (i got through some of the first before deleting it and the others) that are now going to pay £10 or more to sit through a more vanilla version of it (obviously cut down from what it is so that they can reduce the rating and make more money)

    my problem with the series is the writing, not the content as has been stated there are worse things out there for people to read, but the popularity of these promotes poorly written novels as something to aspire to.... thats worse than the fact that it promotes abuse... which to be honest its not really doing anymore than say a Snoop Dogg track does
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,932 Member
    I loved watching The Secretary. It's one of my favorite movies. It's a little closer to what it should be.

    Yes. Everyone "should" experience sex in the same way.
  • crispsandwich
    crispsandwich Posts: 177 Member
    Ah, yes. S&M for people who don't know anything about S&M.

    The fact that it is a competent and comprehensive introductory guide to alternative lifestyles is only one small part of the value of the set.

    If Fifty Shades of Grey is your idea of competent, I sincerely weep for you. And my inner goddess is laughing.



    ha ha love that reply !!!!
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    I lol'd at the first page of this thread
  • Dancing_Laeti
    Dancing_Laeti Posts: 752 Member
    The three books were given to me as a Christmas present by a friend. So I read them all. What a waste of time.
    Between the over-mentioning of her somersaulting inner goddess and her half-moon bespectacled conscience all I could think of is what college graduate of 22 talks this way?!!?!?!?!? I found it insulting to my intelligence and I'm not a college or university graduate. I'm 'just' a secretary/PA. And after watching that movie I promised myself NEVER to work in an office where there is only my boss and me!!! :wink: :laugh:
  • DisneyGirl522
    DisneyGirl522 Posts: 4 Member
    I started reading the books to see what all the hype was about. I found them poorly written with a lot of repetition and, frankly, a little boring because of the repetition. The plot that develops OUTSIDE the bedroom is actually pretty good, but I wouldn't call these books, or the train wreck of a film about to happen anywhere in the neighborhood of great.
  • George_Baileys_Ghost
    George_Baileys_Ghost Posts: 1,524 Member
    Clearly on the level of Jane Austen or the Bronte Sisters. Another great day for women's lit.!
  • CupcakeCrusoe
    CupcakeCrusoe Posts: 1,355 Member
    Are you being for real right now?

    It's an awful representation of bad BDSM. Not safe, sane, or consentual all the time.
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
    50 Shades of Grey is a huge pile of smelly, steaming, horribly-written poo. It recasts an abusive relationship as S&M and pretends abuse is sexy.

    No thanks.
  • Icandoityayme
    Icandoityayme Posts: 312 Member
    Are you being for real right now?

    It's an awful representation of bad BDSM. Not safe, sane, or consentual all the time.
    Wholeheartedly agree!

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