Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Fifty Shades of Grey (Oh, My!)


If you are wondering what I thought  about Fifty Shades of Grey, I am just going to come out and say it.  The writing was terrible, but the story was entertaining.  If I was in high school, I probably would  have devoured every word in the book.  I am a little older, with a little more life experience, so I will just say it was juicy.  It was fun to listen to, but sometimes it drove me crazy.

via 

If you are unfamiliar with the premise of the story, it started out as Twilight fan faction.  However, I find this to be a bit misleading, because it doesn't have anything to do with vampires or werewolves.  It is actually about a  woman named Anastasia Steele who meets a man named Christian Grey.  Christian is into BDSM.  Anastasia is a virgin.  Naturally, they have an instant attraction and engage in an intense sexual relationship, with each trying to fulfill the others wants and needs.  This leads to some serious trouble in paradise.  

As far as the writing goes, I would give this book 1 out of 5 stars. The author uses phrases such as, "Oh my,"  and refers to Anastasia's "medeulla oblongata" ad nauseum.  She also makes references to her "inner goddess" enough to make you cringe.  It seems as if someone was "bemused" at least once a page.  The use of a thesaurus would have been welcomed and made the whole book better.  However, the entertainment factor here was a solid 4.5.  I enjoyed the story, and when it was over, I wanted needed more.

Next up, Fifty Shades Darker.  Yes, I know I said the writing was terrible, but I need to know what happens next.  Anyone else reading?  What do you think?  I would love to hear your take.

36 comments:

Sassi said...

I want that book, too! I have to read it!
X

Sam said...

Hiya, thanks for your honesty in this review and I think I would probably have the exact same sentiments. It does sound a bit hectic for Twilight Fan fiction, what age group is it intended for?

Ginny said...

hmmm, if there are NO vampires or werewolves i might read it, too! :-)

Kristina said...

I am in the process of reading the 3rd book. Writing isn't great but juicy! I LOVED Darker. It was by far the best. Sadly 3 stinks! Its so boring!

Emmylou said...

I agree with the comment above! Darker is my fave too. I kinda wonder how people were able to stop after book one with that ending, no?
As regards to the fan fiction aspect, that is usually the case. The author takes fave characters from a book and change them into totally different ones, while maintaining the basic characteristics (i.e. Bella's clumsiness, Edward's obsessive love). There's one fan fiction where Edward becomes a cage fighter....pretty cool:)
Anyhoo, I've said it before, and I'll say it again....love the trilogy:) I have no shame!

Jamie said...

It was terrible but the second and third have a much stronger story line.

TheTinyHeart said...

I'm on the last book (almost done with it) and I agree that the writing is pretty terrible but I love the story. The inner goddess thing drives me crazy, as does the amount of times it says "his mouth pressed into a hard line"!

-Sharon
The Tiny Heart
Enter to win a statement necklace!

rooth said...

Hrrm so what is the overall score Erin? Sometimes, I feel like faulty writing can ruin a perfectly good story, which is incredibly unfortunate

Camille said...

a friend of mine just told me about that book yesterday! she didnt know it was erotic! haha

Jessica said...

not sure how i feel about this one yet...

-Jessica
http://www.jumpintopuddles.com

Unknown said...

1 out of 5 stars for the writing?! I thin I will give them a miss - thanks for saving me the time! xo

Katie said...

I actually started reading it a few months ago without knowing what it was about...and while on my lunch break at the children's hospital cafeteria (appropriate, right?!), I realized the premise, got so embarassed, and never picked it up again! Just not my style, especially with the poor writing!!

Stephanie said...

Ok, I didn't realize the woman's name was Anastasia Steele. It's like a cross between a stripper and a Bond girl.

Lindsay said...

I thought the writing was terrible, but I just couldn't help get caught up in the story of Anastasia and Christian! Definitely a guilty pleasure!

Silvia Negretti said...

Some of my friend had just read that book, and they said it's very interesting! I should read it too...
xxx

S
http://s-fashion-avenue.blogspot.it

Mal said...

I have not read these, but a few friends are obsessed!

Mal @ The Chic Geek

Allison said...

OMG the writing was terrible!! Thanks for saying that- I agree with you!! I can't believe how popular this book has become. haha!
:)
Allison
A's Fashion Files

Suz said...

Thanks for the review. I was wondering what the fuss was all about.

Sam said...

Thanks for your comment and yes please do come along!

June said...

Hey Erin! How have you been? I read the first two books a few months ago and completely agree with what you've written. My interpretation is that it is just like Twilight just replace all the vampires and werewolves with sex! Book 2 gets worse by the way but nonetheless is interesting as you get to know how the story progresses. Sadly, I've been struggling with book three and have barely read a third of it as its become a little uninteresting. Cant wait to see how they make the movie though!
xx
www.junewantsitall.com

June said...

Hey Erin! How have you been? I read the first two books a few months ago and completely agree with what you've written. My interpretation is that it is just like Twilight just replace all the vampires and werewolves with sex! Book 2 gets worse by the way but nonetheless is interesting as you get to know how the story progresses. Sadly, I've been struggling with book three and have barely read a third of it as its become a little uninteresting. Cant wait to see how they make the movie though!
xx
www.junewantsitall.com

Portuguese Prepster said...

she repeats so many phrases it drove me Nuts!!! It was an entertaining read but certainly not as scandalous as I thought it would be.

Style Journey said...

I have read all three books too. I agree, the writing was awful, but highly entertaining. Heather

Jess said...

I only read the first one, but I totally agree with how poorly written it was. I didn't like it enough to go out and read the next two. Someday I will. I'm interested to see what you think of "...Darker" and "...Free"

Erica said...

I've heard so much debate about that book! I'll have to sit out of the debate for now since I haven't read the book, but I'm putting it on my must read list because I'm curious now. Anything with that much debate is probably worth reading whether it was good or bad...

honey my heart said...

so much has been said about this book. i'm interested in seeing what all the buzz is about.

A Very Sweet Blog said...

i've heard a lot of bad reviews about this book! from other bloggers! i was going to go with the hype, but i think i'll save my money and buy something else. hahaha it does sound horrible. people try to profit off of anything. thanks for your comment girl! i loved the colors too. have a nice night.
http://www.averysweetblog.com/

Shoe Belle said...

Totally agree with you! You'd love to hate it but you'd hate that you love it. That's how I feel anyways:p

Joanna said...

I don't want to give in to the hype but I keep hearing it's so good. I also hear that the writing is horrible, like you said. I picked it up and read a page and whoa...crazy dirty! haha Maybe I'll get the sample on my kindle.

La Maman Heureuse said...

I've heard so much about these books, but on this side of the pond the craze hasn't been az big yet. I confess, I read the Twilight books and while I've read better and more engaging stories, they kept me entertained for a while.

Somehow this story just doesn't appeal to me and I don't plan to spend any money or time on them. I'll keep on the lookout for some better books.

Mimi said...

i have yet to read it. i put a hold on the book at our local library, and guess what... i am number 285 on the waitlist, haha! but yeah, i will definitely read it, hopefully before the movie comes out. ;)

<3, Mimi
http://whatmimiwrites.blogspot.com/
Twisted Orchid Giveaway -- Win any bag of your choice! :)

margaret cruzemark said...

I haven't read it yet and it is so nice to have a great book to read in the beach on your holidays!!!
Thanks so so much for your lovely comment on my blog.
Best Regards
Miss Margaret Cruzemark
http://margaretcruzemark.blogspot.com/

Tiffany said...

I'm totally with you. There were some steamy scenes where I was like, "Wowsa, that's hot." lol But I just couldn't get past the writing. UGH!! You nailed it when you said if you were a 15-yr old girl, you'd be all over it!

Anonymous said...

I'm still working my way through the first one. I think I'm half way through.

The writing is bad, but I'll take your word on the story being good and keep reading!

Vision By Mila said...

I've heard about it so much lately that I might end up reading it too..

Teresa said...

hahaha been there, done that! I already read 1st & 2nd books.. my favorite was the first one: "Fifty Shades of Grey" it is really addictive!!! but the writing.. yuck! Next: "Fifty Shades Freed" we'll see and we'll keep in touch, ok? haha

Ps. Who would you want to do the movie? I think Ian Somerhalder is a good option.. hmmm

xx
Teresa
www.trend-ish.com

I'm Erin

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Hi, I'm Erin. I am living back on the east coast after 15 years out west. Currently readjusting to humidity and mosquitos. I love to take pictures and read fashion magazines.... and to talk about nothing in particular (ok, and my dogs).

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