50 Shades of Grey
So I finally broke down and got the damn book. And it is both better and worse than I expected. My overwhelming feeling about it is... "That's IT?"
Really? THAT is what all the fuss was about? I've read romance novels that were MUCH more poorly written, and it's about on par with most, so I don't get that argument. It's a romance novel with some light BDSM as near as I can tell. It's not that titillating. It's moderately interesting as a romance novel (I'm not done with it), but it's not porn or whatever.
I feel like I'm missing something. WHY is this book such a cultural thing? Is it really the brush with BDSM that made everyone read it?? I don't get it. That's not snarky, I am honestly perplexed at why this book is such a love/hate thing for so many people. It's so... so.... vanilla. OK, maybe French Vanilla.
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Or hell, Anne Rice's Beauty
Or hell, Anne Rice's Beauty series! That's just straight up erotica, not "romance", and from a mainstream author. Why didn't that get more play at the time? I just can't figure out what about THIS series hit the public radar....
Love the Beauty series!! A
Love the Beauty series!! A new book is coming out soon. }:)
Ooooo, interesting! I
Ooooo, interesting! I actually loved her writing up until about the early 90's, but by the time she wrote Taltos (one of the Mayfair Witches books) I thought she'd jumped the shark. Someone got me Prince Lestat for Christmas - I haven't read one of her new books in years - so we'll see if she's gotten better again at those. I'll be curious if the new Beauty book is as good as the original trilogy, or if she's lost the touch with that genre too.
I agree with you Ally. I read
I agree with you Ally. I read the first book a couple of years ago when it all the rage. I didn't understand the excitement. I started the second book but lost interest.
Same here. I thought the
Same here.
I thought the characters were annoying and not very likeable. And honestly the story line didnt seem very likely.
I thought the sex was "okay". French Vanilla.
There were some girls at work reading it over and over. I was like :? WTF. Just go home and have some sex with your husband.
" Just go home and have some
" Just go home and have some sex with your husband."
DAMN STRAIGHT!
It's more interesting AND less emotionally fraught. (I'm finding Ana's unrelenting self-doubt annoying. It's fine to start there, but it's called fucking character growth and I wish the author had known about that.)
Doesn't sound like I am
Doesn't sound like I am missing anything. I'd rather spend adult naked fun time with my DH than read that.
I read all three books. I
I read all three books. I thought maybe there would be more as you went along. Not a lot different than other books.
You ladies crack me up. I
You ladies crack me up. I read all three...they got worse as they went on...and I also wanted to know what the big deal was.
I have never read the books
I have never read the books or seen the movie. that kind of reading/entertainment does not interest me whatsoever.
I had to comment though, because I swear to God, I just had a call from one of our elementary school secretaries who was warning me that they just suspended a third girl for 3 days because she told three boys to pull down their pants so she could see their business and if they didn't she was going to spank them. I said "what the heck, did her mom take her to see 50 Shades?" lol
I didn't get it either. For
I didn't get it either. For me, I didn't want young girls to think that is what constitutes romance. Haven't seen the movie, since the book was just okay.
I skimmed through it and was
I skimmed through it and was annoyed. A lot of women I know who read it and took it seriously were unhappy at home and of course compared their man to Gray, who will make any male look bad as he is well, rich, young, childless, and good looking. You know, the regular dude we all run into from time to time. Ana was the dumb, naive, virgin at 20 girl who gets attention from the wealthy young man and whose good lucks and innocence win her the guy she wants. Typical stuff we can all relate to, I'm sure.
And most of these comments
And most of these comments are EXACTLY what I'm talking about. This is a romance novel for cryin' out loud! WHY do people have such strong opinions about it? I wouldn't want my kid thinking a Danielle Steele book defines romance, but nobody seems to think that. I don't think the people who read Nora Roberts are in unhappy relationships or lack sex, or that reading Judith McNaught will make a school girl more sexually forward. Why does THIS series evoke such sentiments??? I just don't see it. It's a french vanilla romance novel!
(This is not meant to criticize anyone criticizing the books!
They're hardly great novels. But they've somehow come to be the focal point for all romance novels, or come to mean more than the others maybe, and I am utterly baffled as to why!)