What do/did you think of 50 Shades of Grey?

[Empress Celestia]

I've just finished reading my girlfriends copy and to my surprise I actually quite enjoyed it! Needless to say I won't go into the plot details here but I just wanted to find out if you enjoyed reading it!

[Rainfeather]

Hated it. The main character annoys me A LOT. She comes off as a major airhead and she keeps whining.

[Aienhime]

Nope, didn't like it. I really hoped I would like it as I think female sexuality deserves to be explored and I'm all for new genres, but it was so badly written and the characters were so unlikeable and bland that I quit somewhere halfway the second book.

[UnicornCandy]

After finishing it, I thought I enjoyed it alot.
I thought the story was gripping, and the 'bits' were very.. detailed.
Though, in reality, I eventually realized what alode of rubbish it actually was!

It put high expectations into real relationships - no man will ever be that 'Mr Grey'.
Sorry, but when people go around start wanting helicopters, you know! Its a little silly!

Also, it taght alot of people about the new relationships that they could 'get into'.
Yes, it could be a pro, rather than a con.. in certian people's relationships, spicing up their lives and whatnot else...
BUT from experiance, alot of people then went out looking for that type of relationship. The 'Mr. Grey-Treat me like a princess-and other things' relationship. Not acutally knowing what the REALITY of everything is. Ended up getting and doing things they hated, then going complaining and whining that this happend, that happened and how awful it was.
Everyone just ended up thinking it was all fun and games, a romantic love-story relationship etc. When in reality- theres alot more to it.
50 Shades exploited the lifestyle I think and made it sound to be nothing like it acutally is.

So a good book, story/plot wise, or if you need ideas to spice up your life.
Bad book, because of its idiot exploitation of the lifestyle and false sense of 'men are only attractive if they are rich billionairs that own their own private jet'.

 

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Overwhelmingly exploitational, as UnicornCandy says.  It is only going to add to relationship problems in the real world because people will come to expect those behaviors and get upset when others don't reciprocate. 

Besides... normalizing a "deviant/alternative/fetish" lifestyle by putting it front and centre in the media really then takes away its "thrill", doesn't it?   

I mean... in 1882 it was a BIG deal if you saw a woman's bare KNEE - her KNEE!  Now we casually chat that she's "stubborn" if you can't get her to perform a sex act within a month of knowing her. 

Now these "deep, meaningful expressions of intimacy" that people crave by participating in BDSM relationships are going to lose their value, in a very similar way.  And then what's next?  Past BDSM you start to wander into some very unusual things that most people don't even begin to think about...  What, those are going to be normal in 30 years? 

We can't even get the general masses to cherish the simple relationships of parenting and marriage, why is this considered entertainment?   

Oh and the writing was terrible - I know the author is writing to a general audience, but oh pleeeeeease tell me that "trade paperback readers" are at a reading comprehension higher than Grade 7?   

[kaoskat]

Not interested.

[doxiechic16]

I really liked them and have read other adult erotica since then.  Keep in mind, I predominately read the series for the smutty bits and because I tend to enjoy books and movies that have a "watching a train wreck" quality about them. (I think I must have a morbid fascination with people's poor decisions like in the show Nip/Tuck and various soap operas, for example.) 

[Honeycomb]

I loved it!

[mlp4me]

Won't read it. Will be the first in line to go see the movie on opening day though. (Gee, I wonder why??  LOL)

[vanvanvan]

I'm curious to read it. I mostly read on public transport and I think I would be a little embarrassed to read it on there...need to get a Kindle, ha

[Shaiyeh]

I'm curious to read it. I mostly read on public transport and I think I would be a little embarrassed to read it on there...need to get a Kindle, ha

No worries, everyone does it.

I'm not interested in the slightest. I'm not much for smut, I'm not into fetishes and I'm pretty sure the characters are based on Twilight characters? Like, it was originally a Twilight "fapfic" posted online. My book-nerd friend told me after she'd read it, so I believe her word.
Which makes it even more uninteresting to me, as I have absolutely zero interest in that series as well. and that would also explain the bland and whiney girl...

But yes, I agree with Squirmy. (and besides, that thing about being stubborn if it takes over a month... that is one thing that grinds my gears! That and the nice guy thing... but that's beside the point, sorry. Just had a discussion about that on FB with some others so it's still fresh in my mind and I made that connectio. sorry!).

[little.fox]

I tried reading it, and I hated it. To my mind, it's a story about an insecure girl that falls for a man based on his success & wealth, doesn't think herself attractive enough for him, lives to fulfill his sexual desires, lets him treat her like crap and supposedly loves every minute of it. It's really just glorifying an abusive relationship, imo.

Smut is fine, if it's done right, but what is erotic about this poor girl that can't say no and just gets used up by a man who thinks he owns the world?

[shimmlight]

I started reading it, got bored, skipped to "those bits", laughed, and took it back to the library xD

[melodys_angel]

I don't enjoy reading these specific kinds of things.  Its not my type of genre, to say the least...and it sounds like it contradicts with morals, too.

[cricket]

While I agree that it is exploitative and smutty and not the most well written I still found enjoyment in it.  I actually liked seeing how their relationship developed through the books such as him opening up to her about his childhood and the main character learning about herself.  Of course it has plot flaws and I do agree the main character is week and Gray takes advantage of her but if you can read it for the entertainment it is intended to be you might just like it.