Thoughts on (the first 150ish pages of) Fifty Shades of Grey
Christian
First I was like ...
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| HE'S HOT |
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| He's HOT AND RICH :O |
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| MARRY ME! |
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| OMG - WHAT IS THIS? |
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| Distraction....WATCH THIS! LOOK AT THAT! |
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| Word. |
Anastasia - First I was like ...
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| Okay... I can deal with this chick. |
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| Dude - WHY ARE YOU WITH HIM? DEATH WISH? |
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| Where's YOUR SELF-ESTEEM? Women's Rights? De fuq? |
Overall I was like -
Honestly, it wasn't "bad". No seriously - THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS BOOK besides how screwed up the whole concept is. The writing is okay, the characters are better than Edward and Bella but this whole BDSM thing is wrong on so many levels! I fear for E's mental health, how in the world do you come up with a plot like this? HOW?
Perhaps it wasn't written for people my age, you know teenagers who like have a life but honestly E's portrayal of BDSM is kind of sick and reading about it ... just wasn't my thing. I'm especially disappointed in Anastasia! I mean what kind of girl actually agrees to BDSM? EVEN IF YOU'RE A VIRIGIN!
Christian, had kind of a traumatising childhood ( at least I think so) and that's what got him into the whole BDSM thing in the first place. I really hope in the end, Anastasia "cures" him from this strange addiction. He's got sex appeal but then the whole kinky thing turns me off..
Christian, had kind of a traumatising childhood ( at least I think so) and that's what got him into the whole BDSM thing in the first place. I really hope in the end, Anastasia "cures" him from this strange addiction. He's got sex appeal but then the whole kinky thing turns me off..
That's my take, no offence was meant. The book wasn't bad - it just wasn't for me :(
*EDIT : Just letting everyone know, I'm not discouraging anyone from reading this series. In fact - I PLAN TO READ THE WHOLE TRILOGY to give a more accurate opinion. No review will come but an opinion.
**EDIT : Guys I don't want you to think I'm judging people who are into BDSM. Hell, WHAT IF I AM ( but I don't know about it yet O_O)? There is no depth to this review so don't read too much into it okay? It's just me and my horrified rambles of reading a controversial book! PEACE.
*EDIT : Just letting everyone know, I'm not discouraging anyone from reading this series. In fact - I PLAN TO READ THE WHOLE TRILOGY to give a more accurate opinion. No review will come but an opinion.
**EDIT : Guys I don't want you to think I'm judging people who are into BDSM. Hell, WHAT IF I AM ( but I don't know about it yet O_O)? There is no depth to this review so don't read too much into it okay? It's just me and my horrified rambles of reading a controversial book! PEACE.
Badass Bookie xx
Bahahaha the GIF's are amazing. I'm not planning on reading this series, not by a LONG shot, but I still love reading everyones reactions to it. It's hilarious. XD
ReplyDeleteHilarious post!!! I loved this trilogy but I can definitely see how it can cause...well all of those GIFs at the top haha!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know it was Twilight fan-fic until the second book...I honestly didn't see the parallels that other people did until they pointed them out to me.
Ana has...issues...and Christian...well I want to FIX him. I did like the end of the last book! :) So sweet and it was nice to see a couple of chapters from his POV. Very different perspective!
Thanks for doing this post, I think a lot of folks want to but aren't sure how to go about it!
-Em
LOVE THIS!!! I havent heard the greatest about this book.. I have it as PDF and i flick through it but am not impressed
ReplyDeleteI read one quote from this book that turned me off it INSTANTLY. Something about how Christian doesn't make love, he fucks HARD. And Ana gets all turned on. DEAR GOD.
ReplyDeleteAnd over at Parajunkee.com she's doing a chapter by chapter review, and I cringe and want to spew at all the quotes and what actually happens. I just....what is WRONG with you Ana!?
From what I hear, this book is not an accurate portrayal of a BDSM relationship. Yes, it's certainly weird that some people get turned on by pain or domination, but these relationships usually aren't abusive. There is usually a lot of trust between the couples, and they set boundaries (such as a safe word). I know a few people who are into BDSM, and they found this book horrifying.
ReplyDeleteHaha! =)) I am so shocked that women all over America blatantly express their love for these books. Even married women devoured this book. I don't know, maybe because I'm from such a conservative country, but I didn't think they'd actually advertise this book...
ReplyDeleteYou are wonderful. Thank you for this. This book is okay, but not anywhere near as amazing as people make it out to be. And the fact that it's called "mommy porn" makes me gag. How about we hand out a copies of The Book Thief or The Hunger Games? Something with substance.
ReplyDeleteOkay, the beginning of this post was LOL but I do have to mention that BDSM isn't usually screwy and strange. I did read the original Twilight fanfic of this but that was a while ago so I can't remember the exact details. I do think that it wasn't very accurate though.
ReplyDeleteSo for the sake of it, I do just have to say that there isn't anything wrong with BDSM and that it's not "sick" and all about "kinky sex". It's about something else entirely and CAN be wonderful. I don't think this book does it very well, like others, so that's a shame since lots of people are reading this and passing judgement on the lifestyle. It may be giving BDSM a bad name haha.
And I do know that this is probably a first for you so it does seem very O____O but anyway. Just had to throw that in there so you don't think that BDSM's all creepy and weird, coming from someone who's read the proper and good stuff LOL. Bye now. *runs off*
LOL Lisa, is there something I need to know about your lifestyle? O_O
DeleteApparently 50 Shades isn't an accurate portrayal of a BDSM relationship ( thank-you Yael!) and I have to admit this isn't my kind of book. I mean I normally stick to the YA genre aside from the occasional PNR or UF.
I know I can't judge BDSM on just this novel but from what I have read, I'm not going to try this kind of sex life anytime soon!
:)
LOL nope. I'm totally vanilla :P
DeleteSorry that this book was cruddy, since it's rare that you read adult books anyway! What are the chances... I love adult books but GRRR this probably put you off THOSE books forever haha!
Trust me, if you had read another book about this topic you may think differently :P
You win! Best review EVAR.
ReplyDeleteAwww..that was very funny. I must say I have read all 3 and loved them. I am not kinky or whatever in anyway. I told my girlfriend who is very much a lady and told her to trust me. Now she had the same reaction as you...but!! As I said to her...KEEP READING....I would be getting all these texts like WT??? as you can imagine...I kept saying KEEP READING... she is on to book 3 and loves them. I do honestly think you have to get around book 2, half way to totally start to understand Christian. Now I know everybody gets hung up on the sex side of these books as well, yes, it is a little OMG in parts and like you I was feeling a tad pervy in many parts LOL!! But these books aren't just the sex....they are...but it's much bigger than that if you keep reading. It's the story of a guy who was abused at the age of 4 and then again at the age of 15 onwards = where he is with his life in book 1 and book 2. Book 3 Ana is getting him to realise that the abuse he got was exactly that, he did not have to give others pain etc. These books are very emotional but you have to give them a chance and read them all the way. Sure there are loads of books out there to read, but, if you start Fifty you really need to finish the trilogy to totally get the light bulb moment when it's not actually about the sex, ya think it is from book one . Even I was going...where is EL going with this? I loved them, I am just your regular , non kinky mum..hehe!! Ana is very good for Christian as she herself is trying to work Christian out. She is the only person who said NO to him and he was like WT?? I love Christian the mixed up cookie he is that the reader only sees as MR Xillion Kinky when infact he is a whole lot more:D
ReplyDeleteMIch
I've heard that too! Thats why I'm planning on finishing the series so I can have a more accurate opinion on the novel, these are my initial thoughts and yes, I'm quite horrified at the "in your face" parts but I'm sure there is a deeper meaning to this trilogy because there must be some kind of plot to it right? ;)
DeleteLisa, I love how honest and bold EL's writing is in this trilogy. My girlfriend told me that she really 'feels' so much emotion from this trilogy. I personally think it is one of the best adult books series I have read this year as they really do get under your skin. I think the people who haven't read them get this rather bizarre picture in their mind of what they are about. Like everybody goes straight for the BDSM, whether it is an accurate portrayal or not, I really would not have a clue..hehe! The BDSM part of this book I think is really really well written. Let's face it, if I googled that lifestyle it would be up to the individuals participating what that entailed. Like it must be a massive scope of things you could get up to. Again, nobody is murdering anybody, it is a behind closed doors , consensual thing that BDSM is. Again, I have no clue, but my point is who cares. The tongues waggle all over the joint about that particular part of the trilogy. I think it is what makes this trilogy stand out and what gives Christian a voice that is very strong and different to all the other books. It drove this book , gave it it's direction because it was Christian's coping mechanism. It was the only thing that made sense to him. He controlled it, therefore nobody could hurt him. What had happened in the past to him , he could not control. Book 1 was eye popping to me, book 2 I got understanding and still eye popping but my heart just broke for Christian. Again, Ana is the one who did a bang on job of sticking with Christian and helping him. I think people forget how much Ana plays an incredible role in helping her Fifty . I loved the emails, I loved Christian's control being questioned. All the subs in Christian's life were enablers. No matter how many doctors he seeked out, his life style enabled his continual ability not to get out of his deep emotional hole, he just didn't know it yet. Ana, got him out of it, but she also compromises with what she is comfortable with. I loved these two together plus the sub characters. I loved Taylor!! Elliot is gorgeous, Kate is a protective BFF. There is so much more to this trilogy than the * queue the elevator music whilst we look at the ceiling* moments...hehe!! But the brilliance in EL's writing is some of us are curious and we find that it was ok to read those parts and like them, some of us go bright red and go OMG!! and some of us don't give a toss and just enjoy the writing from book 1 to book 3 . I was doing tuckshop other day and one of the mums said I am reading this book....we had a great conversation about the trilogy. The thing is we both never spoke about the BDSM part, we spoke about Christian and how our heart broke for him blaa..blaa...blaaa.... then another mum piped up and admitted she loved the trilogy. It is surprising how many people read this series and maybe too embarrassed to admit they loved it:D
DeleteMichelle
You've convinced to REALLY give this series a proper shot ;)
DeleteLOL.
ReplyDeletethis is one of the most hilarious reviews EVER
i am impressed you managed halfway.
I'll admit, I am curious, but i have heard what has been read, cannot be unread, haha. so, i'm happy to stay away for now
LOVE this review <3
Very funny review! I love the use of video to tell the story, much more entertaining then the other dribble out there!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this review, until the end.
ReplyDelete"I mean what kind of girl actually agrees to BDSM?"
Lots do. Lots of healthy, normal women do. And it makes me sad when I read reviews who trash an entire group of people just because they make different lifestyle choices. :(
Hiya Mandi! :) :) :)
DeleteI've come to understand from everyone's comments on this post that 50 Shades is not an accurate portrayal of a BDSM relationship. I *don't* read many adult books and this portrayal of a BDSM relationship has kind of left me horrified and yeah, I'm wondering what kind of girl actually agrees to this kind of relationship! I'm not judging them, I'm just curious about what type of women are actually into BDSM! Is it common? Is it a metal state?
Honestly, this is an opinion on a book Mandi, it doesn't reflect on anything to do with women outside of fiction and i'm definitely not trying to insult women, BDSM or whatever else people think I'm trying to trash. I just thought the concept of the book was wrong! :)
Lots of Love,
Lisa xx
OK, so I KNOW you didn't mean this in an offensive way, but you asked a question, and I couldn't help but respond :D
Delete"Is it common? Is it a metal state?"
Humour aside, there's nothing wrong with people who are into BDSM--it's think it's mental state, or a reflection of anyone's mental health at all. Honestly, different people are turned on by different things. The same as some people like Jacob, and others like Edward. Whatever floats your boat ;D
As for 'is it common', I think you'd find that... ermm... less 'extreme' forms of BDSM, dom/sub relationships, or those who get off on that are a lot more common than you think, though just not to the extreme it's shown here ;)
Honestly, people's experience, upbringing, etc, all effect the way the feel about and enjoy intimacy, but trauma does NOT equal a penchant for BDSM. Different people just... like different things ;D
To kind of back-up the 'is it common', well, there is a large sub-genre of BDSM erotica that sell like HOTCAKES. Check out Amazon reviews, or go check out some of the reviews on www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com.
ANYWAY. *hugs*
I thought your post was hilarious ♥
Hah funny post :P
ReplyDeleteI recently read the book and was pretty disgusted. I have absolutely no problem with consensual BDSM relationships. But this relationship wasn't that. One person wanted a BDSM relationship and the other person *reluctantly* agreed, in hopes that it would some day turn into a 'normal' relationship.
I think the book got a lot worse in the second half. At one point Christian actually beats her *horribly* with a belt and she's in complete tears. It's disgusting. I have no problem with it if the girl actually wants it and enjoys it, but Ana didn't. She NEVER wanted to be hurt/spanked/beaten/etc. She didn't want that at all, but she agreed to it because she thought one day Christian would give her something more. No girl should ever put herself in that position. You shouldn't give into violence because you hope some day you'll get more. I think that's a horrible message to send to women.
Hi Badass,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your writing in this topic.
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