Fiction - "Fifty Shades of Grey"

[Prisqua]

I recently read this book; Fifty Shades of Grey and this is what I have to say about it.
I have read books before that I just could not put down. This wasn’t my case with Fifty Shades of Grey in particular. People are saying so though, and when I stopped to watch the TV the women were saying too they could not put it down, that’s why it sparked my curiosity on top of needing something to read. Well, so Fifty Shades Of Grey is not one of them, but I still would recommend it (for open minded people, of course, as the sexual reference might not be for everyone’s taste).

Some readers say the book is “unputdownable”. However, I would not push it that far. {edit}

[Delta40]

It's funny but I had never heard of this book until a friend mentioned it yesterday. They said it was considered to be really bad fiction but women seemed to love it.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

You not finding the book enjoyable only reflects positively on your taste.

[cacian]

No comments in other word strictly no.
I personally prefer quiet books over loud ones.
Making a noise in a bedroom is not the same as making a noise in a book. One is physical or emotional and the other is defeaning.
I neither partake in listening to either I have my own to attend to.
Call it personal but ignorance is bliss and with refard to this ''book'' it does apply perfectly.
The more I hear about it the less I am akeen to it.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Oh no, even Lit Net is not free from this book.

[Charles Darnay]

Oh no, even Lit Net is not free from this book.

I was going to say something along those lines.

I have not, nor ever will, read this Twilight fan-fic (let's call it what it is), but if you want the fully experience of this book check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K1RcKJVbHA

WARNING: video contains excerpts from 50 Shades

[Buh4Bee]

The writing is so trashy. I also wanted to see what it was about and downloaded a sample on my ereader. After a few pages, I was really turned-off. People love trash!

[Emil Miller]

[QUOTE=Buh4Bee;1160315 People love trash![/QUOTE

They do indeed but that's because trash equals money and in liberal societies the utilisation of trash in pursuit of money is self-evident.

[mona amon]

I was going to say something along those lines.

I have not, nor ever will, read this Twilight fan-fic (let's call it what it is), but if you want the fully experience of this book check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K1RcKJVbHA

WARNING: video contains excerpts from 50 Shades

I checked out the link. :lol: It was seriously hilarious!

[stephofthenight]

Having read all three books of this series, I have this to say: If you are looking for literary enrichment pass these by, if you are looking for a little risk and sexual thrill not a bad read. Erotic fiction has been a part of the literature while for quite some time, as has the BDSM community- these books capitalize on this silent fantasy most women have while not portraying the truth of those who actually live the lifestyle. I personally feel these books have given women the ability to explore something "taboo" safely, experiment with their inner self and possibly connect deeper with their significant other, it is the Female porn. Just like video porn one can use it to enrich a relationship, or it can destroy it. As far as the "I can't put it down" argument, this seems to come mostly by people who really need to get laid or have a very vanilla sex life- again just an observation. I found no satisfaction from the book as a piece of literature, the plot is dense- and the story line is sadly undeveloped- The concept could have been portrayed in a more enriching way. It does come to mind that not everyone reads purely for academic literary enrichment, those who read for the sheer bliss of escaping into an alternate world find the world this book opens both sensual and delightfully satisfying.

[Buh4Bee]

Emil-
Yes, trash makes money! And the sellers sell, because trash is lucrative. But my point is about the buyers- we (western culture) love to consume and talk about mindless garbage. This is what the house wives talk about at play groups. The conversations are very engaging.

Steph- I hear what you are saying and I have read some very bad books just for the reasons you mention. However, I was turned off by this particular book. I did however, really like the Sookie Stackhouse Series when I was pregnant and couldn't comprehend anything. These books are mysteries. HBO turned the series into a drama. Anyhow, as far as erotic "literature", I have enjoyed the immortal Anais Nin.

[Lokasenna]

I was going to say something along those lines.

I have not, nor ever will, read this Twilight fan-fic (let's call it what it is), but if you want the fully experience of this book check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K1RcKJVbHA

WARNING: video contains excerpts from 50 Shades

Utterly brilliant! I haven't laughed that hard in months!

...but yeah, 50 shades makes me despair of our species.

[Alexander III]

A defense of Fifty Shades of Grey: It has occurred to me several times this summer, that whilst I was idling on the beech, I would see a young lady reading the aforementioned book. Now, that book is better that five cocktails when it comes to prepping a woman. As soon as you approach they have that feline look of submissive desire and desperation, and a minimal effort is needed to conclude, as the novel has done most of the work for you.

[Buh4Bee]

Maybe it wasn't the book, all that beauty and genius of a young god approaching may have blinded her into submission.

[AuntShecky]

I recently read this book; Fifty Shades of Grey and this is what I have to say about it.
I have read books before that I just could not put down. This wasn’t my case with Fifty Shades of Grey in particular. People are saying so though, and when I stopped to watch the TV the women were saying too they could not put it down, that’s why it sparked my curiosity on top of needing something to read. Well, so Fifty Shades Of Grey is not one of them, but I still would recommend it (for open minded people, of course, as the sexual reference might not be for everyone’s taste).

Some readers say the book is “unputdownable”. However, I would not push it that far. {edit}

In a review by the great Dorothy Parker she said that the problem she had with a certain book was that once she put it down, she couldn't pick it up again.

[billl]

In a review by the great Dorothy Parker she said that the problem she had with a certain book was that once she put it down, she couldn't pick it up again.

This is one of my all time favorite quotes, but I had always heard it attributed to another great writer with a talent for the insult: Mark Twain. It's included in "The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain":

http://books.google.com/books?id=Ee_aQw6WfK8C&lpg=PP1&ots=q50I034_8f&dq=wit%20and%20wisdom%20of%20mark%20twain&pg=PA121#v=onepage&q=wit%20and%20wisdom%20of%20mark%20twain&f=false

but I don't know if it can actually be found in his letters or any other actual documents of his, or what the original source might be...

[Emil Miller]

Maybe it wasn't the book, all that beauty and genius of a young god approaching may have blinded her into submission.

Do I detect a note of sarcasm ? I ask only because the recipient might take it as a compliment.

[JuniperWoolf]

I've never heard of this book except for on litnet and reddit. I never would have guessed that a sadomasochistic book would become mainstream, that's surprising. The way I've heard it described, it sounds like Secretary (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0274812/). I loved that movie.

[billl]

I'm starting to think I should maybe at least skim a few chapters, just to get an idea of what might be expected of me.

[TheFifthElement]

I'm starting to think I should maybe at least skim a few chapters, just to get an idea of what might be expected of me.

I read the first few pages on Amazon. It left me totally bemused as to what all the fuss was about. It reads like the worst part of your teenage years - continuous babbling stream of consciousness of the worst kind of inanity. Made me disappointed to be a woman, that my fellow gender would fall for such utter cr*p in droves. Having read some reviews of the book the worst thing about it seems to be not the sex but the fact that it seeks to romanticise what is in essence nothing more than an abusive relationship in which a supposidly educated women willingly signs away her freedom for the sake of...well I've not really figured that big out. A large **** by all accounts.

If you want to read a good S&M book, read The Story of O, for general erotica, it'd be hard to surpass Anais Nin. For sexy fiction, Nicholson Baker has some interesting takes (I'm just reading The Fermata and it's pretty sexy).

There's much, much better erotica out there.

[billl]

Whoa, slow down, that was a lot to digest in that paragraph, women are signing away their freedom in droves or something?

"The Fermata", though--that's a great read!

[JuniperWoolf]

That's it, I'm reading it.

[prendrelemick]

I wonder if Mrs P would like it for Christmas? It would make a change from Georgette Heyer.

[TurquoiseSunset]

That's it, I'm reading it.

Ooo, you HAVE to do a review on this thread once you're done!

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

Props to you if you can get through it, Juniper. I thought of reading it too, but when I read some excerpts of some of the more elicit parts (because, really, what else is there to be interested in?) I found the prose so astoundingly horrible, I just couldn't do it. Plus, the sex parts I read seem along the lines of any online erotica one can read for free.

[TurquoiseSunset]

Props to you if you can get through it, Juniper. I thought of reading it too, but when I read some excerpts of some of the more elicit parts (because, really, what else is there to be interested in?) I found the prose so astoundingly horrible, I just couldn't do it. Plus, the sex parts I read seem along the lines of any online erotica one can read for free.

I read some of the reviews on Amazon...hilarious to say the least.

[papayahed]

Whoa, slow down, that was a lot to digest in that paragraph, women are signing away their freedom in droves or something?


hahaha, No. Women are READING it in droves.

[TheFifthElement]

I read some of the reviews on Amazon...hilarious to say the least.
Yep there are some excellent reviews on Amazon. Also this one (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/340987215) on Goodreads which, I think, tells you everything you need to know :D

[JuniperWoolf]

Ooo, you HAVE to do a review on this thread once you're done!

I will, I'll be like a litnet inside investigator. I'm having a hard time finding it online though, so I'll have to wait until I'm in Van because they have actual libraries (and I'll be damned if I'm paying to read something that is by most accounts terrible).

[TurquoiseSunset]

Yep there are some excellent reviews on Amazon. Also this one (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/340987215) on Goodreads which, I think, tells you everything you need to know :D

Ahahahahaha! Thanks for that! :D


I'll be damned if I'm paying to read something that is by most accounts terrible

Absolutely, my thoughts exactly.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Of course it has not escaped my attention that this internationally best selling, female sex fantasy book, features at its core total alpha male dominance, with the male character possessing good looks money and a large...sex appeal. Strange that the lead character isn't instead, what was it, funny, intelligent and has nice eyes? Really strange seeing as this is what women really like? Supposedly...:skep:

[JuniperWoolf]

*cough*issues*cough* Oh, excuse me.

[TurquoiseSunset]

Of course it has not escaped my attention that this internationally best selling, female sex fantasy book, features at its core total alpha male dominance, with the male character possessing good looks money and a large...sex appeal. Strange that the lead character isn't instead, what was it, funny, intelligent and has nice eyes? Really strange seeing as this is what women really like? Supposedly...:skep:

But that's just it, it's fantasy, not reality. You are comparing a mindless, trashy novel with real life.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

Of course it has not escaped my attention that this internationally best selling, female sex fantasy book, features at its core total alpha male dominance, with the male character possessing good looks money and a large...sex appeal. Strange that the lead character isn't instead, what was it, funny, intelligent and has nice eyes? Really strange seeing as this is what women really like? Supposedly...:skep:

Hey! That is funny, isn't it?

As for the book, a buddy of mine absolutely loves it. He's never read a word of it, but his girlfriend has.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Hey! That is funny, isn't it?

As for the book, a buddy of mine absolutely loves it. He's never read a word of it, but his girlfriend has.

:lol: Perhaps it's not so bad after all?


*cough*issues*cough* Oh, excuse me.

I'm just saying...


But that's just it, it's fantasy, not reality. You are comparing a mindless, trashy novel with real life.

If this is what millions and millions of women fantasise about that's fine.

In all seriousness though, I think that if I was a feminist I would be pretty appalled that this book had made it through into the Dan Brown sphere.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

Humanity should be appalled that it has made its way into the Dan Brown sphere.

[kelby_lake]

Has anybody read the other books in the trilogy?

[TurquoiseSunset]

So I found this book in .pdf form and...the horror... From the reviews and the excerpts I have read I knew it was going to be bad, but I hadn't expected this level of rot. I have written better grocery lists.

Apart from the terrible writing, in this book you get two main characters you care even less about than you did Bella and Edward. They are no longer the most insipid and annoying couple ever created, Anastasia and Christian win hands down.

Read the review Fifth Element posted on this thread. It's all you have to know about the book and it's way more entertaining.

And if you want to read it just because of the erotica element, find another book in the same genre, you can only do better.

[Lokasenna]

So I went home for a few days last weekend to see my parents and catch up with my brother, who was in town. As usually happens, I asked everyone what they were reading at the moment - Mum shamefacedly confessed she was reading some trashy celebrity autobiography, but then said that she had a 'proper' book lined up for her next read that she had bought in the supermarket, and which she produced with a flourish on to the kitchen table.

It was, of course, Fifty Shades.

At first I thought she was joking, then realised she wasn't. When quizzed about it, I discovered that she had in fact heard nothing about the book, or the furore that it is causing - she had only seen the cover, read the blurb on the back, and decided to purchase it. When I expressed my shame, she told it to stop being ridiculous and announced that it couldn't possibly be as bad as I was describing.

By way of proof, I flicked it open to a random page and asked her to read aloud. After three sentences (which by happy chance were particularly mucky) she stopped, paused, and then announced she was going to take it back to the supermarket and get a refund.

Good old Mum.

[LitNetIsGreat]

So I went home for a few days last weekend to see my parents and catch up with my brother, who was in town. As usually happens, I asked everyone what they were reading at the moment - Mum shamefacedly confessed she was reading some trashy celebrity autobiography, but then said that she had a 'proper' book lined up for her next read that she had bought in the supermarket, and which she produced with a flourish on to the kitchen table.

It was, of course, Fifty Shades.

At first I thought she was joking, then realised she wasn't. When quizzed about it, I discovered that she had in fact heard nothing about the book, or the furore that it is causing - she had only seen the cover, read the blurb on the back, and decided to purchase it. When I expressed my shame, she told it to stop being ridiculous and announced that it couldn't possibly be as bad as I was describing.

By way of proof, I flicked it open to a random page and asked her to read aloud. After three sentences (which by happy chance were particularly mucky) she stopped, paused, and then announced she was going to take it back to the supermarket and get a refund.

Good old Mum.

:lol: Brilliant and poor mum.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

Awesome story. Lok.

[TurquoiseSunset]

So I went home for a few days last weekend to see my parents and catch up with my brother, who was in town. As usually happens, I asked everyone what they were reading at the moment - Mum shamefacedly confessed she was reading some trashy celebrity autobiography, but then said that she had a 'proper' book lined up for her next read that she had bought in the supermarket, and which she produced with a flourish on to the kitchen table.

It was, of course, Fifty Shades.

At first I thought she was joking, then realised she wasn't. When quizzed about it, I discovered that she had in fact heard nothing about the book, or the furore that it is causing - she had only seen the cover, read the blurb on the back, and decided to purchase it. When I expressed my shame, she told it to stop being ridiculous and announced that it couldn't possibly be as bad as I was describing.

By way of proof, I flicked it open to a random page and asked her to read aloud. After three sentences (which by happy chance were particularly mucky) she stopped, paused, and then announced she was going to take it back to the supermarket and get a refund.

Good old Mum.

So funny!

[JoySmith]

Still getting over fifty shades of grey, but lately I've been hooked on Kenyon's Dark Hunter series and Emma Rose's His Every Desire series. Something about those billionaires... :)

[Jack of Hearts]

Jack of Hearts has never really considered the option of exploring sexuality through books- he'd rather do that by disappointing many a young lady- but lately he's been wondering a lot about the success of this book... and it's led to some interesting lines of interrogation.

Just looking at the first pages, this reader knew he'd never make it through, having historically put down many a greater book for lighter reasons (translation: Jack of Hearts is a reading snob). But as badly written as it is, there's something about the sexy parts that... erm, are effective. Here's a truth you already know: you can think something is both stupid and hot at the same time.

Now, this book is not literature. It's one of the ones we burn. But has sexuality been successfully explored in literature, in a meaningful way? If a crappy book can elicit a response like that, why can't genuine literature do the same and then explore the underlying concepts with care and nuance?

For example, here are two pieces of literature that feature sexuality as a main theme: the novel Histoire d'O and E. Annie Proulx's short story 'Brokeback Mountain.' In Histoire d'O, sexuality is explored through themes of power and submission, with an overarching theme of willful objectification. It doesn't seem to command the same (maybe pornographic) response as 50 Shades of Grey. Granted it's a much deeper book, and it's more emotionally resonant, but Histoire d'O doesn't quite get the blood running in the same way, and nor was it designed to (for one, it has actual messages).

'Brokeback Mountain' was just not sexy at all to Jack of Hearts on any visceral level. You could account that to his sexual preference (hetero) or oversocialization (in an intimate scene with Ennis' wife, the narrator describes the 'tangles of her armpit hair'). But the short story (novella?) has something poignant and beautiful to say about sexuality, and the sexuality in it makes sense as a reflection of the characters.

So maybe the question is why can't the visceral aspect that the masses seem to like coexist with literary values? The closest this reader think he's gotten to that is reading Bukowski (and not everyone agrees on the literary merit of his works).

And the second question is, why does this market of erotic novel even exist? The writing's crap. Aren't there more efficient ways to appease your sexuality?






J