I'm reading fifty shades of grey and I don't like it

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Atom1966
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02 Mar 2014, 12:14 am

I feel like the only female in the western hemisphere who doesn't like this book.

One of the things that bothers me about this novel is the fact that the main caracters are nothing more than a cliche in the end. The female main character is a 21 year old virgin, something that can be seen as a rarity in this day and age. The male character is a 27 entrepeneur who has not only managed to become a multi millionaire at such a relatively young age but is strikingly handsome as well. Yet another rarity. In my opinion these characters are nothing more than the main personae in the average, cheap romantic ladies novel. The only bizarre difference is the all too evident S&M side of this novel. Not my personal taste at all but so be it.

Countless women are raving about this book. It is supposed to be the best erotic novel for females that has ever been written.
So why oh why do I find it impossible to be that enthusiastic. It makes me feel like a freak and a loner, which is actually an accurate description of myself come to think of it.

Has anyone else here read it and what is your opinion?



Last edited by Atom1966 on 02 Mar 2014, 11:29 am, edited 1 time in total.

coffeebean
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02 Mar 2014, 12:23 am

I don't like it, either. It's not so much that it uses predictable characters and dynamics (isn't that what people turn to love stories for?) or that it's S&M, but it's so cheesy. It cracks me up.



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02 Mar 2014, 12:54 am

I have never read it. It's just not something I would be interested in reading. I read Harry Potter when the whole world was insane about it, but that did have lots of things I was interested in. I envy my mother because she will actually finish a story even if she really doesn't like it. My brother has bought her a number of such books and when I told her she should tell him only to get the kinds of books she does like she told me he said she need to "broaden her horizons". He's been that way for as long as I can remember - if you don't like what he likes that's incredibly wrong, and if you like something he hates he thinks you're horrible. But I digress. I don't know why I have to like or show interest in something just because the entire planet won't stop talking about it. Until the next thing comes along. :roll:



pinkgurl87
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02 Mar 2014, 1:15 am

I haven't read it and have no interest in reading it


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redrobin62
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02 Mar 2014, 1:33 am

S&M repels me so I won't be reading it.



fossil_n
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02 Mar 2014, 1:41 am

I haven't read it, don't plan to read, and have never heard anything good about it from anyone. You're not alone.



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02 Mar 2014, 2:02 am

I have heard it is dire, I will not be reading it.


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02 Mar 2014, 2:35 am

It's a soft porn novel based on a Twilight fanfiction. The only worthwhile reason any sane person would have to read it is just to laugh at it. I haven't read it myself, but after seeing this one news report about how copies from the Antwerp library were found to contain traces of drugs and bodily fluids, I probably won't be borrowing anyone's copy any time soon. :P



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02 Mar 2014, 3:16 am

I haven't read it, but after reading the first 2 sentences of a plot summary I realised I was going to disagree with practically every word on the page. I've got no problem with the kinkier side of sex or people being more open-minded towards sex in general, but the central theme of the story is handled so unrealistically and irresponsibly I'd just want to burn every copy I could find if I actually tried to read it.

*My apologies, didn't realise this topic was in women's discussion until after I'd posted



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02 Mar 2014, 6:15 am

I have no interest in reading that, nor do I have an interest in reading any other romance novel. I found these pretty funny:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K1RcKJVbHA[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-3qNad9Yis[/youtube]



Atom1966
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02 Mar 2014, 11:25 am

Very funny. My inner nutter laughed at loud when I was watching these clips.



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02 Mar 2014, 2:55 pm

I read the whole trilogy - the main point of it is NOT the S&M but other plot devices, the sex is a side part. I was fairly repelled by the sex. I was mainly curious why everyone else liked it, won't read it again.


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02 Mar 2014, 5:13 pm

No interest either, and I usually read just about everything. The excerpts I've seen just made me cringe and laugh.



Atom1966
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03 Mar 2014, 10:16 pm

GivePeaceAChance wrote:
I read the whole trilogy - the main point of it is NOT the S&M but other plot devices, the sex is a side part. I was fairly repelled by the sex. I was mainly curious why everyone else liked it, won't read it again.


I wasn't repelled by all the seks and the bdsm was kind kind of mild in a way. However, I don't really know what you mean by plot in this case. The storyline in itself is actually quite weak and uneventful and that is an understatement.

What really started the annoy me was the fact that the female character constantly kept referring to her so called 'inner goddess'. That struck me as a failed arttempt to add some sort of an odd kind of spirituality to the story.

I am still unable to understand why so many women like this book. The vast majority of them would probably flee in a state of panick when confronted with a fully equipped s&m torture chamber, nippel clamps, anal plugs and what have you.
I certainly would! I don't judge people who are into that sort of thing but it's definitely not for me.



GivePeaceAChance
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03 Mar 2014, 10:41 pm

Atom1966 wrote:
GivePeaceAChance wrote:
I read the whole trilogy - the main point of it is NOT the S&M but other plot devices, the sex is a side part. I was fairly repelled by the sex. I was mainly curious why everyone else liked it, won't read it again.


I wasn't repelled by all the seks and the bdsm was kind kind of mild in a way. However, I don't really know what you mean by plot in this case. The storyline in itself is actually quite weak and uneventful and that is an understatement.

What really started the annoy me was the fact that the female character constantly kept referring to her so called 'inner goddess'. That struck me as a failed arttempt to add some sort of an odd kind of spirituality to the story.

I am still unable to understand why so many women like this book. The vast majority of them would probably flee in a state of panick when confronted with a fully equipped s&m torture chamber, nippel clamps, anal plugs and what have you.
I certainly would! I don't judge people who are into that sort of thing but it's definitely not for me.


yeah, I could never be a sub, only experience I have is just a very little of being a dom - not really my thing at all.


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MissMaria
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08 Mar 2014, 6:53 pm

I bought the trilogy and can't force myself to finish the first book, which is atypical for me. It's too poorly written, the characters and plot are too weak, etc.

While I support people being more open about sex and sexuality, the sex scenes aren't even written that well.

The lemmings like it because it's the Cinderella/Prince archetype *and* the "the love of a good woman reforms an abusive man" theme, with some lurid descriptions of sexual activity thrown in for added [vanilla] flavor.

There's much better erotic literature out there, including within the BDSM genre. Not my thing, BDSM, but then again "my thing" ain't their thing, so it's all good.