fifty shades of grey

I was not a fan. I did read all three, and while the writing was quite poor, that's not my biggest problem. As someone who writes erotica and has participated in the BSDM lifestyle, I didn't think it was very accurate. The bedroom scenes were similar (or maybe that was actually the writing) and the relationship was unrealistic. It actually seemed more like an abusive relationship than that of a true Dom/sub.

As someone who has participated in that lifestyle, it annoys me that everyone who has read the book is now an expert kinkster. :noway:

Many of my friends do not know about that side of me. But having to listen to them go on and on about the book and how they love kink now just pissed me off, especially because they are all vanilla as they come.

So people who enjoy dabbling in it but don't want to wear a collar full-time aren't allowed to express their enjoyment of a little kink?

You sound like my ex. . Everyone who isn't fully committed to the "lifestyle" is scoffed at and just 'vanilla'. .

all or nothing I suppose.

I was not a fan. I did read all three, and while the writing was quite poor, that's not my biggest problem. As someone who writes erotica and has participated in the BSDM lifestyle, I didn't think it was very accurate. The bedroom scenes were similar (or maybe that was actually the writing) and the relationship was unrealistic. It actually seemed more like an abusive relationship than that of a true Dom/sub.

As someone who has participated in that lifestyle, it annoys me that everyone who has read the book is now an expert kinkster. :noway:

Many of my friends do not know about that side of me. But having to listen to them go on and on about the book and how they love kink now just pissed me off, especially because they are all vanilla as they come.

You do realize that vanilla is one of the most surprising and complex flavors there is in the world, don't you?

So to call someone vanilla is to call them amazingly and fascinatingly complex. What a compliment! Now, carry on with your expert kinksterism.

I was not a fan. I did read all three, and while the writing was quite poor, that's not my biggest problem. As someone who writes erotica and has participated in the BSDM lifestyle, I didn't think it was very accurate. The bedroom scenes were similar (or maybe that was actually the writing) and the relationship was unrealistic. It actually seemed more like an abusive relationship than that of a true Dom/sub.

As someone who has participated in that lifestyle, it annoys me that everyone who has read the book is now an expert kinkster. :noway:

Many of my friends do not know about that side of me. But having to listen to them go on and on about the book and how they love kink now just pissed me off, especially because they are all vanilla as they come.

So people who enjoy dabbling in it but don't want to wear a collar full-time aren't allowed to express their enjoyment of a little kink?

You sound like my ex. . Everyone who isn't fully committed to the "lifestyle" is scoffed at and just 'vanilla'. .

all or nothing I suppose.

Not at all. I'm not even fully committed to the lifestyle. I just don't like it when total vanilla people make comments like "omg why do you have freaking weird toys, that wrong" and then read 50 Shade and all of a sudden forget about your freaky toys, "omg I love s&m it's hot."

You would prefer that they continue to think your interest in S&M is wrong then?

So let me get this right, everyone who read this series hated it? The author sure made a lot of money off of people who hate her work.

I read the books. They were a quick, easy, entertaining read. So they don't depict a healthy BDSM relationship. So she didn't research the topic enough. Author made a but-load of money. I was entertained for a few hours along with thousands of other people. win/win

If you hated it so much why did you keep reading? That's like someone who sends a meal back at a restaurant after they've eaten 90% of it, lol.

I'm just over here wonderin what is wrong with vanilla? It happens to be my favorite flavor of Ice cream and cake.

Delish!!

^^ this

As a disclaimer, I've only read the first of the trilogy.

Like a few others here, I can honestly say that I write better. I've done so, even in the same genre.

Fifty shades starts with a borderline believable premise, but then does nothing to make it more believable as the book goes along. Good writing sucks the reader in, and Fifty Shades didn't do that for me. At any point, I could have laid it aside, and my impression of the story at the last was exactly as it was on page three... not quite believable.

The sex scenes were disappointing only because the ground work was there to have them be very good... phenomenal even. Instead it was fairly boring, the sex consistently rendered from a ten thousand foot view.

Basically... lots of unrealised erotic potential in her writing. Basic research would have helped in many spots, and the criticisms given by others here are generally accurate. It's just not all that good. It's not horrible (bad erotica is much worse) but not good, and not worth anything more than checking out from a library. If you paid good money for it, I'm sorry. There's much better reads for free on literotica.com, for example.

I agree with the above gentleman. The writing is poor. No matter how much you love these books, her writing is not good. It's ok - you can have guilty pleasures. I don't buy for a millisecond this hardcore sadomasochist having any interest in a mild virgin. The sex scenes are just not good enough to make up for any of it either.

I actually just finished reading it. I opened the book fully understanding that it was supposedly poorly written and not expecting much but some good smut. I knew I was in for trouble when in the first chapter of the book, there was a full two-page description of an interaction of a secretary fetching the main character an ice cold glass of water. Yes. TWO PAGES. On WATER.
What i really got was an undeniably HORRIFICALLY written teaser with a halfheartedly developed "plotline" (read: hot guy reveling in his masculinity and sexual prowess and an insipid, pseudo-intelligent protagonist who needs to get better at making up her mind), BORING characters, story line inconsistencies, and a feeling similar to what I imagine blue balls feeling like for men. The really good smut never came! All they ever do is allude to the crazy hardcore stuff they're going to do but the whole book is essentially this naive chick losing her virginity to a lifelong Dominant looking for a Submissive who will also be his love doll too. He's so worried about scaring Anastasia away (and can we just talk about why he insists on using her full name? It's quite the mouthful- pun intended- and just annoying) that there's never any really good sexy time. And the good sex is the same every time. She describes it the same EVERY TIME. I'm sure it felt nice but can we change a few things about the scenario to keep it interesting?? And for christ's sake, i finished the book mainly to see if it would FINALLY explain the issues Mr. Grey (I write that so sarcastically) has stemming from early childhood but nooooooo. I couldn't even get that.

I'm only slightly pissed at this book.

OH! And did anyone notice that every time they had sex it was done twice in a row in quick succession? Listen, if a man can have multiple orgasms MORE POWER TO YOU but realistically, it's quite difficult. Seriously.

Another thing! She was a virgin when this all started so of course he's a sex god in her eyes! He's all she knows! WTF!

Yeah, *kitten* this book.

I am not the type of person who can start a book and not finish it. I am on the third, and have been there for a while. I will finish it eventually, but I am so bored with it. I was late reading it. I only read it becuase all of my friends were drooling over it. I was let down by it. I was disappointed in Ana and Christian seemed manipulative. As for the BDSM stuff, I honeslty know nothing about it. I just know that it was the same scene written over and over again.

The sex scenes were disappointing only because the ground work was there to have them be very good... phenomenal even. Instead it was fairly boring, the sex consistently rendered from a ten thousand foot view.

Basically... lots of unrealised erotic potential in her writing. Basic research would have helped in many spots, and the criticisms given by others here are generally accurate. It's just not all that good. It's not horrible (bad erotica is much worse) but not good, and not worth anything more than checking out from a library. If you paid good money for it, I'm sorry. There's much better reads for free on literotica.com, for example.

YES. She walks into his playroom and you're all like, "oh shiz, this is gonna get HOT," and then the whole time he does the same thing because she's too afraid for anything else. The premise was there but instead of fleshing out some scenes more she concentrated on making sure we FULLY understood the implications of the sexiness of Christian Grey's hips in those jeans he always wears and that we, too, agonize over whether he likes Ana or not! What if he doesn't text me back right away?!

Dude, he has GPS tracking on your phone. I'm pretty sure he saw your text.

All good stories need a direction. This was a drunken drag race all the way to the end.