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Fifty Shades of Grey

(Fifty Shades #1)

E.L. James (Goodreads Author)

3.66 · Rating details · 2,032,554 ratings · 78,944 reviews

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spiri ...more

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Paperback, 356 pages

Published May 25th 2011 by Vintage

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Start your review of Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1)

Apr 19, 2012 Wigs rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: erotica, book-clubs-and-buddy-reads

You know, I was beginning to wonder if I needed to change some of my two star books to one star. I was thinking that I might not ever personally read a book worthy of one star, and I was messing up my scale by giving some of the more lame books I've read lately two stars instead of one.

Thank you E.L. James, for proving to me there was something worth waiting for. Something that truly exemplifies the meaning of terrible.

Now hold up, all you would-be defenders. I read this whole thing. I did not s ...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Katrina Passick Lumsden rated it did not like it · review of another edition

What in the hell just happened? Did I really read that? Oh, my god, I did. I did read that.

Meet Anastasia Steele:

Ana is just a giant mess of a human being. She's insecure to the point of it being laughable, 'klutzy' (even though she only trips twice in the entire book), and a complete ditz. She's a virgin (of course) who's never taken any sexual interest in anyone before. Right. I'm fairly certain there hasn't been a woman this naive since 'round about 1954. At one point, she thinks put ...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Navessa rated it did not like it

Shelves: poorly-executed-strong-theme, bdsm-gone-way-wrong, glorifies-abusive-relationships, contemporary-romance, morally-questionable, drove-me-to-drink, insufferable-mc, gd-mary-sues, promotes-rape-culture, drama-drama-drama

*Trigger Warning: This review contains strong themes, to include rape.*

Before I begin what will likely become a very long rant/public service announcement, let me first say a few words. I have nothing against E.L. James. Nothing. She’s said that this series is a fantasy she managed to put on paper and that she never expected it to gain such momentum. Good for her for perusing her dream of writing.

If this book also fulfills one of your fantasies, or if you just plain enjoyed it, good for you too ...more

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Oct 18, 2011 Steph Sinclair rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: Absolutely no one

Shelves: adult, indies-are-rockstars, 2012-reads, ahhhhh-my-eyes, all-the-wrong-choices, creepy-lover, can-t-believe-i-finished, no-just-no, youve-got-to-be-kidding-me, didn-t-care-for-it

Introducing an even more abusive and disturbing TWILIGHT! Now with whips and chains!

Fifty Shades of Shit

Haters, please exit stage left.

I'm not sure what possessed me to pick up Fifty Shades of Grey. I thought I might genuinely like it before I started, but all I was left with was one hell of a mindfuck. Whatever it was that brought on this knee jerk purchase seems to have mercifully left me with enough common sense to say I will not be continuing on with this series.

Recently ...more

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Jan 28, 2012 Kruti rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: No one

Shelves: they-really-do-publish-anything, hate-is-not-a-strong-enough-word, adult, reviewed, why-the-hype, trade-for-a-subway-sandwich, rewritten-fanfiction, a-z-challenge-2012, shred-and-make-paper-garlands, didnt-like

In the words of Miss Steele, "You need to sort your shit out, Grey!" Good day, sir!

description

Fifty Shades of Grey, more like Fifty shades of fucked up nonsense *rolls eyes* I should get a medal for just finishing this tripe.

I honestly do NOT feel like revisiting this book and writing a review. I’d rather spend the time searching for ways to remove this utter nonsense from my memory. However, this book is so bad that I feel the need to warn others from this drivel. Luckily, I did not buy this garbage. I do not even know what overcame me to read it and I can only blame a momentary lack of judgment on my part.

What baffles me is the scary fangirlgasm following this book. So what’s causing it a hit? I can only come up with ‘twilight’. Doing some research, this book was originally posted online as a twilight fanfic! Yes, a twilight fanfic. The fact that this book’s source material isn’t a good piece of literature just shows what you should expect from this book. And dubbing it a twilight fanfic and promoting it as such is no doubt raising the bar on the sale figures. What has the world come to? *headdesk* Whatever’s causing its success; I can safely say it can’t be the book itself.

Everything you could possibly imagine is wrong with this book! The execution and the characters. And the writing. And the plot (wait, was there one?!?)

Firstly, it has been said a countless number of times how abusive Bella and Edward’s relationship was. And it is arguably the most anti-feminist portrayal of any relationship. FSoG simply continues this unhealthy view and promotes an even more abusive and degrading relationship towards women, targeting older women (and possibly even teenage girls who know no better). Oh dear god, I hope teenage girls do not jump on this disturbing bandwagon.

Surely, it is degrading to ask a woman to sign a contract where ‘she is now the property of the Dominant, to be dealt with as the Dominant pleases’ and ‘submitting [herself] to any sexual activity demanded by the Dominant…without hesitation or argument’ – especially when you take into consideration the fact that she would be signing up to something she has not yet experienced and knows little about as she is still a virgin. This is not something that should be promoted as desirable or idealistic. This book cheapens what feminists have fought for years! Don’t get me wrong I wouldn't deprive women of their right to express themselves sexually, nor to act upon their desires but I shudder at the thought of women aspiring to a relationship where she will take part in various things that she is not comfortable with and at times, even when she’s genuinely in fear of taking part, simply because she finds the guy ‘hot’.

description

The plot - I’m not even sure if there was one. 50% of the book is spent talking about sex/the contract and the other 50% is made up of clumsily written sex scenes. (view spoiler)

The writing is dull and unimaginative. It reads more like a diary – he did this, I did this. The constant repetitions are enough to make someone suicidal! I hope I never have to see the words, ‘my subconscious’ and ‘my inner goddess’ ever again or so help me god! The sex scenes were terrible and frankly a little disturbing to put down on paper – an incident with the tampon springs to mind.

The characters are simply absurd in this book.

~~AnaBella SteeleSwan~~ Anastasia Steele irked me quite a lot and reading this book from her point of view was no picnic in the park. Finding out that she is 21 years old was a shock – she reads like a dim-witted 12 year old, who’s vocabulary doesn’t extend further from ‘jeez’, ‘oh crap’, ‘damn’, ‘oh my’, ‘holy cow’ and even the constant reference to her vagina as ‘down there’. I found nothing remotely interesting about her. She has most of Bella’s traits and then some – she’s boring, clumsy and downright bitter, even towards her best friend, Kate. The only other word I can use to describe her is a ‘scrounger’ – can’t she afford her own clothes?

She’s too gullible and a hypocrite. She’s weak-willed and succumbs so easily for my liking. And I’m pretty sure she suffers from some form of mental disorder – schizophrenia perhaps? She constantly refers to what she calls her ‘inner goddess’ and her ‘subconscious’, who either cheer her on when there’s an opportunity for sex or take opportunities to call her a ‘dirty hoe’!

(view spoiler) Kill me now!

I swear Kate was a much more interesting character and would have made a better female lead, but like the other few characters she was mentioned only for the sake of a story. A real shame.

Christian Grey…where do I begin?
______________________________________________
From: Kruti
Subject: Your issues
Date: April 18 2011 23:15
To: Christian Grey

Dear Mr Grey,

You sir, are a pompous asshole! And frankly, you are in need of much help. Perhaps, I can direct you to the nearest mental hospital? Or better yet, accompany you to the nearest police station? It's the least I can do.

In response to your email, I think you have that the wrong way around, sir. It is I who would like to hurt you til you’re fifty shades of red!

Laters, baby.
Kruti

On Apr 18, 2012 at 23:00 PM, Christian Grey (christiangrey@ihaveissues.com) wrote:

"I want to hurt you. But not beyond anything you couldn't take."

Christian Grey
CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings Inc.

_____________________________________________

There are simply so many things wrong with his character that I don’t even know where to begin. What’s unacceptable is how his upbringing is used as an excuse to cover up his abusive tendencies. NO!! That does not give him the right to exert control over her and abuse her. Ana constantly tells him how uncomfortable and afraid she is with what he wants and all he can say is 'That’s a Dom/sub thing. You’ll get used to it.'. Hell NO! That's not BDSM.

Okay children, let's explore the definition of BDSM:

"form of personal relationship involving the consensual use 
of restraint.."

Consensual being the key word! Don't tell me we have two consenting adults here. No, Ana is just a child trapped in a woman's body. She has no true idea of what this lifestyle entails and is at most times in fear.

If you're still not convinced about how unhealthy this relationship was, this probably will convince you. To ensure he gets her to do what he wants, he manipulates her with promises of a relationship if she is willing to try his way of lifestyle. And, Ana being the fool she is lets him beat her thinking 'Oh my, holy cow he's hot' and 'It’s what he wants...after all he’s done, I have to man up and take whatever he decides he wants, whatever he thinks he needs'. So in her mind, his need to control her and beat her is a form of therapy? No! That's not BDSM either.

I have absolutely nothing more to add. I'm taking my inner goddess elsewhere and grabbing a good book.

Extras: Honestly this is what I imagined Christian to be like. If you have a facebook account, you should definitely visit this link.

Click here for my review of Fifty Shades Darker (Fifty Shades, #2). ...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Mel rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: hated-with-all-of-my-hate, 1-books, bad-romance, masochistastic, adult

Garbage. Absolutely horrifying, utter trash. A waste of trees, bookshelf space and precious, oh so very fucking precious braincells. Honestly, why is this even published? Every single book store in Sydney is promoting this tripe, claiming it to be some kind of awesome romance novel. Are you absolutely shitting me? There is nothing romantic at all about this 'book'. And I don't mean the BDSM erotica themes, I mean the fifty levels of abuse in this friggin' thing.

In fact, that's what this book sh ...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Emily May rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2012, erotica, romance

I have finally made a decision about Fifty Shades of Grey. I know, I know, my review of this isn't really needed, everybody's talking about this book, everybody's got the general gist of what it's about. But I've spent quite a long time thinking about this novel, the characters, and the relationship portrayed. I've been thinking about all the reasons people hate this so much and love it so much. I need to confess - for those who missed it - that I originally reviewed this first book immediately ...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Kiki rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: choking-noises, lolwut, wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap, books-to-use-as-weapons, waterworks, lost-the-will-to-live, love-stinks, what-has-been-seen-cannot-be-unseen, masochism, mayhem-and-misogyny

Head's up: If any of you fuckers comment at the bottom of this review and say, "You don't understand BDSM" I will hunt you down and make you eat your computer, plus the mouse, plus the keyboard, plus any other internet-connected devices in your home, including but not limited to iPhones, iPods, iPads, Androids, games consoles and ereaders. This book is not an accurate or healthy portrayal of a real BDSM relationship between two consensual and enthusiastic parties. Thus, by defending it as such, ...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Baba rated it did not like it

Shelves: books-everyone-loved-but-baba, erotica-or-erotic-romance, rolls-eyes, one-star-reads, worst-books-ever, bored-out-of-my-mind, risk-of-aneurysm, coup-de-grâce, dumb-twats-bitches-or-annoying-h, hero-annoyed-the-shit-outta-me

0 stars. DNF @55%. Review edited February 12, 2015

photo oie_YtumfT4PnPS2_zpsdacx2wfh.gif

“Sex is more than an act of pleasure, it's the ability to be able to feel so close to a person, so connected, so comfortable that it's almost breathtaking to the point you feel you can’t take it. And at this moment you're a part of them.
 - Author unknown -  

I've had a rather long list of issues when I decided to abandon ship. FSoShit is garbage and if I had read a paperback I would have burned the ~~fucking~~ offending thing. It's a total mystery to ...more

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Oct 23, 2011 Anzu The Great Destroyer rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: people who are into torture, creeps and whiny bitches

Recommended to Anzu by: Aly and Dee

Shelves: the-hate-it-burns, fat-kitty-judges-you, romance-contemporary, big-fucking-nope, facepalm, reviewed-2011, stabby-stabby, well-arent-you-mister-popularity, buddy-or-group-read, dafuq-did-i-just-read

I didn’t want to start this book. Many people are praising it but I’m simply not into erotica, it’s too cheap for me. But here I am in the mind of the innocent waiting to be devoured by the big bad wolf. Sounds pornographic, doesn’t it? That’s because it is…

Christian Grey. A hot dude that melts a woman’s panties off with just one look. The perfect sex toy set out to conquer an innocent girl. Grey (the sick f*ck) is considered one of the hottest characters out there but he doesn’t get to me. His ...more

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Oct 28, 2011 P.A. Lupton rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: all fans of erotic contemporary romance

Shelves: favourites, best-books-i-read-in-2011

Those of you who have had the privilege of reading Fifty Shades of Grey will appreciate the context in which this review was written. For those of you who have not read the book, well, you’ll have to buy a copy to understand the inside joke.

CONTRACT
Dated this day 28th day of October, 2011

BETWEEN
P.A. LUPTON (reader, and fan, Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James)
And
ALL FANS OF EROTIC, CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

EXPECTATIONS
Readers can expect to find within the pages of this book a flawless rendering of th ...more

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Mar 22, 2012 Colleen Hoover rated it it was amazing

I read this book back before E.L. James even wrote it.
I don't brag about a lot of things, but my review skills are one of the few things I will brag about.
E.L. James read my review on this book and she loved it SO much, she decided to go ahead and write the book. Here is a word-for-word copy of our email exchange from that day.
***
E.L. James: Hello, Colleen Hoover! I saw your book review on Fifty Shades of Grey and I loved it so much, I decided I would write the book. I'm already finished writi ...more

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Oct 19, 2011 Abbi Glines rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-favs

Okay… I realized by people's comments that I never said exactly what I thought about this book. Well, I loved it. I've now read it four times. Christian Grey ranks right up there with Travis Maddox in my book boyfriend world. This series is addicting. When I need a good read this is my "go to" series. I didn't know what to think about this because I wasn't sure how I felt about BDSM… but this is sooooo much more than that. One of the BEST love stories I've read to date. ...more

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Jul 16, 2011 Molly rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Really.. blah, blah. On & on. No purpose, no plot, meandering for meandering's sake. I didn't finish it because, quite frankly, the 'heroine' got on my last fucking nerve. The writing style is atrocious and I can't fathom how or why so many people love this tiny slice of interweb fan fiction garbage. ...more

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May 31, 2012 Richard Derus rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Real Rating: negative sixty septillion stars

It's National Book Lovers Day! A day to bask in the amazing power of books to inform, amuse, educate, and alter our views and viewpoints.

...more

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May 17, 2012 karen rated it liked it

Shelves: bore-rotica

OOOOHHH the movie opens TODAY!! now, i'm not likely to ever see the movie, but i will say it's pretty ballsy to cast the romantic lead - a character who ties up ladies for erotic enjoyment - with the actor that many people only know as the character who ties up ladies for erotic enjoyment ... and then kills them.

************************************

now hear me out, people. i liked it, but i didn't like it-like it. the writing is shitty, it is, but i am a sucker for enthusiasm. and you can tell sh ...more

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Nov 14, 2011 Puma rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I only bought this on Kindle because I was curious to see whether a professional edit made it any better than the original fanfic (which I abandoned once I realized the plot wasn't original enough for me to suffer through the cut-rate writing). Paging through this "published" version makes me more embarrassed for the author than I was when it was in the fanfic domain, and it DEFINITELY made me lose respect for The Writer's Coffee Shop.

Most distracting is the schizophrenic voice of the main chara I only bought this on Kindle because I was curious to see whether a professional edit made it any better than the original fanfic (which I abandoned once I realized the plot wasn't original enough for me to suffer through the cut-rate writing). Paging through this "published" version makes me more embarrassed for the author than I was when it was in the fanfic domain, and it DEFINITELY made me lose respect for The Writer's Coffee Shop.

Most distracting is the schizophrenic voice of the main character, Ana. In one paragraph, Ana's words sound like those of a quasi-literate teenager; in the next paragraph she uses uber-literate words like "gamine". Are we supposed to believe that she's naive or sophisticated? Un-self-aware or articulate?

Add in culture confusion: Ana is supposed to be American, but the author (who is from the U.K.) keeps having Ana use Britishisms! Her roommate isn't "sick" like American people are, she's "ill"; Ana doesn't "grab her bag" before going out the door, she "gathers her satchel". Ana's voice fails to consistently ring true for an American girl.

Yet, the worst literary crime is the outright misuse of language. Says Ana at one point: "The elevator whisks me with terminal velocity to the twentieth floor." Um...terminal velocity occurs when the downward force of gravity equals the upward force of drag, and it can't be reached by a controlled-speed mechanism that draws an object upward (such as an elevator). Even if the author didn't know this, the editor should have caught it.

The problems don't end there. From cliches (without a lick of irony or humor, Ana is described as putting the "pedal to the metal" as she drives), to awkward sentences, to nonsensical metaphors, this work is amateurish. There's nothing wrong with being an amateur, but there IS something wrong with charging people money for something that hasn't been professionally edited. If this author wants to be taken seriously, she should take the time to learn about writing craft and align herself with an editing house that will turn her writing into serious work. ...more

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Aug 08, 2011 Juliana Philippa added it

Recommends it for: everyone and their mother ... hmm, that last part could end up being awkward

Shelves: romantica, 2011-reads, 0-reviewed, 0-own, 0-own-multiple-copies-or-formats, 0-own-as-an-ebook, 0-own-as-kindle-ebook, romantica-contemporary, 2011-aug-reads, 2011-reads-my-favorites-of-the-year

Post Script on May 8, 2012
This book has exploded since I first read it and it seems to be one that is either loved or hated. I'm actually very thankful that I read it before any of my GR friends or anyone I knew, because I feel like if I read it now, after hearing all the hype, it would probably disappoint.

People have very strong reactions to Fifty Shades and just to put in my two cents: you read different books for different reasons. In my opinion!!! ...: Was this book a great piece of literatu

...more

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Feb 11, 2015 Sasha Alsberg rated it it was ok

I feel like there is a deeper meaning behind Fifty Shades of Grey then just BDSM and sex but the huge downfall of this book was the writing. I can see both sides of the fifty shades argument. There are points in the book where I can see abuse but there are also points where there is none.
I just hate the fact that if people enjoy this book they are labeled as "pro-rape advocates" or "pro-abuse". STOP IT. Stop trying to belittle others, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. You may not agree ...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Inge rated it did not like it

ONE HUNDRED BILLION NEGATIVE STARS

Well, I think it’s safe to say that I’m buying myself a chastity belt and am joining a nunnery. This book has put me off sex for ever and ever.

I know I said I was never going to touch this with a ten-foot pole, but then this happened:

Basically, my co-blogger dared me to read the books after a joke about the author, or I was never allowed to diss the books again.

… the joke wasn’t worth it.

This piece of shit, this sorry excuse for a book is without a doubt ...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Manny marked it as not-to-read

Shelves: the-goodreads-experience, mentions-twilight, blame-jordan-if-you-like, if-research-were-romance

Bad Book Is Like Other Bad Book Shock

At a standing-room-only press conference earlier today, top researchers from the world famous Goodreads Center for Bodice-Ripping, Bondage and Twilight Studies revealed that a bad book was quite a lot like another bad book.

"When I saw the final results of the data analysis, a cold shiver went down my spine," said the Center's director. "The chain of inference is long, and at first we weren't sure all the steps were watertight, but now we're confident enough t ...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Holly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Holly by: Elena R a.k.a. Lunies R

Shelves: all-time-favorites, bdsm, loved-loved-loved-it, books-i-own

Let me start by saying.... Wow! Just Wow!!

This book is 5+ stars for me!! It is my favorite kind of story. You know what I mean...just so intense that the characters get so far under your skin that you can't stand to be away from them for any length of time? Well, that was me while reading this book, I couldn't concentrate to get anything done :)

There are a lot of reviews on this book, and obviously the majority love it, so I am simply going to explain some of the reasons that this story grabbed Let me start by saying.... Wow! Just Wow!!

This book is 5+ stars for me!! It is my favorite kind of story. You know what I mean...just so intense that the characters get so far under your skin that you can't stand to be away from them for any length of time? Well, that was me while reading this book, I couldn't concentrate to get anything done :)

There are a lot of reviews on this book, and obviously the majority love it, so I am simply going to explain some of the reasons that this story grabbed hold of my heart and wouldn't let go.

First, I am a total sucker for the tortured hero and you would be hard pressed to find a hero more tortured that our own beloved Christian Grey. That said, the fact that he is a gazillionaire at age 27 is nothing to shake a stick at! Christian's intensity and focus is what really captured me in all this, I keep having to remind myself how old he is. The chemistry between Anastasia & Christian is just off the friggin' charts, I swear at times I could feel it coming right off the pages, from the moment she 'fell' into his office!! :)

I really enjoyed the BDSM element, it wasn't necessarily heavy but intense, especially listening to Christian tell Ana that he WANTED to hurt her and why. When he said he had never had to explain it before and knew he wasn't explaining well just melted my heart. There is such a vulnerable, sweet boy underneath that gorgeous domineering man!

Obviously you can tell I am completely smitten with Christian, but let me tell you a little bit about why I completely love Ana too. Even though she is an innocent, oh and I mean really innocent, I can't help but love her fire! Yes, just like the rest of the female population she has fallen completely under Christian's spell but she is not willing to just submit to his every whim - She's feisty but conflicted, I love the emotion!!

Now, I could wax poetic about this book all day long but I will instead say if you haven't read this and you enjoy a read that will stay with you for days after you finish it then I cannot recommend this enough!! GO GET IT - RIGHT NOW!!! That's right, shouty capitals!! LOL - I myself finished this one and jumped right into Fifty Shades Darker because like I said, I can't get enough!! Soooo..... Laters baby!! ...more

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May 02, 2012 Haleema added it

Shelves: stupid, half-wit-characters, stephen-king-was-right, shitfest, hate

Huh. Let's see how bad this book really is.

*reads some quotes from others' statuses*

description

This book is trash and I don't even want to finish the damn thing. The excerpts are enough. I will not be under the influence of this devilry! Not even for the snark! Not even to make fun of it! Not even!

And after seeing this:
description

And that has got to be the LEAST disgusting/creepy/nonsensical thing that slime bag has said. THE LEAST!

No effing way. I'm only seventeen-going-on-eighteen. I have a future to look forward ...more

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Apr 21, 2012 ♡Karlyn P♡ rated it did not like it

Shelves: genre-contemporary, bdsm, abusive-relationship, series-to-be-continued, hero-tortured, damaged-hero, heroine-doormat, hyped-to-hell, poorly-written, genre-erotica

Uh, wow. So this is IT?!! The book that the whole world is in utter fascination with?!! I think someone is laughing their way to the bank.

First, here is a mini review of this book in two GIFs:
About the plot:

About the writing:

Got that??

OK, now more of my sordid thoughts on this MASTERPIECE (**cough, cough**):

So I shamelessly caved and read this book after repeatedly swearing I never would, but the publicity and hype finally won me over. (I also got a free copy of the book, no way was I going to p ...more

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Aug 17, 2011 Nikki rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Readers that enjoy angst, shades of BDSM and don't mind immature heroines.

Recommended to Nikki by: Juliana Philippa

Shelves: own-ebook, delicious-hero, hot-hot-hot, 2-and-a-half-stars, contemporary

2.5 stars.

I don't think I've ever read a book that's left me quite as bemused as this one has. The writing left a lot to be desired, the heroine didn't impress me at all and yet I find myself wanting to read the next in the series.

After having a day to let this sink in I have to try and put my feelings succinctly into a review. How do I say this exactly......... Anastasia damn near killed me. There were just too many things about her that turned me off bigtime. I can understand how her vulnerab 2.5 stars.

I don't think I've ever read a book that's left me quite as bemused as this one has. The writing left a lot to be desired, the heroine didn't impress me at all and yet I find myself wanting to read the next in the series.

After having a day to let this sink in I have to try and put my feelings succinctly into a review. How do I say this exactly......... Anastasia damn near killed me. There were just too many things about her that turned me off bigtime. I can understand how her vulnerability could make you warm to her, but it just made me frustrated more than anything.

The attraction between Christian and Ana was intoxicating and I was invested in it for sure, but the way that Ana was written really let her down in my opinion. She was an innocent young woman with no sexual experience but her immaturity and childish demeanor really astounded me. At 21 surely she would have had a bit more understanding of the way the world works. The whole "inner goddess vs subconscious" thing was so ridiculous and referred to so many times that I literally wanted to beat my head open with my e-reader. And also - pigtails. PIGTAILS on a 21 year old are so not okay. I'm sorry but what??

Her completely contradictory behaviour - wide eyed innocence and being totally petrified by Christian's sexual tastes but thinking it's hot at the same time. I validate her reasoning behind being nervous about it but honestly why go through with it? If that's the only way you're going to be able to have Christian - by signing up for something like that - then do it. But don't carry on about it for the entire book. You're either invested in him and the relationship or not at all. I'm sorry but I'm a realist.

Another example of Ana's immaturity and contradictory behaviour is how she got so angry at Kate for trying to rile Christian up and stoke his jealousy but then Ana did the exact same thing herself on the next page when she got the massage in first class and told him all about it. The game playing did not warm me to her whatsoever.

In my status updates and other comments I stated how I felt the writing was awful. I really did, at least in the first half. The first person POV didn't help matters either; the narrative was so stilted and had no flow. It read like, "I did this and then this happened and I walked here and I made my bed". The lack of structure was amateurish and painful and made me wonder if the book had been edited at all.

So now that I've got that off my chest let's talk about what I did like. A gorgeous multi-millionaire that becomes almost obsessed with you and wants to keep you for his very own? Any girl's ultimate fantasy right? That aspect of this story is what got me hooked. The fact that Christian had a particular method and structure with his relationships also really drew me in. A dominant hero who finds himself in lust (and maybe even in love) with an innocent is quite fascinating to me and kept me reading. (view spoiler)

And then miracle of miracles, Ana actually grew on me towards the latter part of the book. I found myself very emotionally involved especially in the last 30 or so pages and it was interesting the way the chips fell. That is why I intend to read the next book in the series where no doubt I will be huffing and puffing about Ana all over again.

As an update..... I can't believe my review is getting so many likes 9 months after reading this book. I thought I should let y'all know that I haven't touched this trilogy since stumbling my way through this way back then. ...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Christy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2018-audio

photo f76dc972-3336-4f0e-971c-32c252e6f30d_zps7a6ebfd1.jpg

I love the Fifty Shades trilogy! I've read this book so many times and each time I enjoy it as much as the last. It's one of those books that doesn't really need a review. Christian Grey will always hold a special place in my heart and on my list of book boyfriends <3

photo d93b34f9-7283-4c13-a086-151c37f22f53_zpsf5915e36.jpg

...more

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Mar 17, 2012 Ceilidh rated it did not like it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. (This is clearly a joke, no offence intended to anyone mentioned. My thanks to Tumblr for all the gifs. If you know nothing about British politics, this may make this a bit difficult.)

ORDER! ORDER! 50 Shades of Grey review by the leader of the opposition. Mr Ed Miliband!

"Ed Miliband Reviews 50 Shades of Grey (whilst Ceilidh hopes this doesn't result in her party membership being revoked!)"

Mr Speaker, thank you for allowing us to have this emergency meeting in the House of Commons to discuss thi ...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Meredith Holley rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Whazzit?

Shelves: monsters, morally-superior, needs-a-sassy-gay-friend-real-bad, reviewed, disturbing, shiving-tour

Ryan Gosling saying, ‘Hello, Miss Girl. Hopefully our readers don’t have a gag reflex either’

This was like reading a jackhammer.

This was like if Hannah Montana tried to write an erotica novel.

The popularity of this book makes me need to move to a different planet. I am making the assumption that it comes from people not actually liking to read, but liking to have their self-destructive cultural values reinforced. Girls don’t like to eat. If you do whatever he says, he’ll turn into a handsome prince. It’s not his fault he’s abusing you, it’s only because mommy was mean. To have good sex, ...more

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Jan 24, 2017 Sana rated it did not like it

Shelves: sick-of-this-bitch, boring-af, i-dont-get-the-hype, cringe-romance, sexsexsex, d-n-f, literal-garbage, dark, adult

DNF @page 199

Nope I cannot take more of this bullshit. I'd rather eat a flaming dick than read this mother fucking shit.

I don't want to write a review. I don't want to look at this fucking book. Everything about this book is fucking annoying and disgusting and I hate it. Brb bleaching my m eyes. What a fucking piece of shit book. ...more

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Jan 29, 2015 Nataliya rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2015-reads

I was basically dared to read this, with the impeccable logic of 'How can you know it's that bad if you haven't had a chance to form your own opinion?'

What I *should have* pointed out in response to the dare would be that I know perfectly well that syphilis is a nasty disease without having the need to go and experience it myself.

Sometimes perfect retorts come too late, after several hours have been hopelessly wasted on reading this poorly written painfully plotted schmutz.

Blergh. ...more

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About E.L. James

E.L. James

52,706 followers

All you need to know should be on here:
http://www.eljamesauthor.com/

Please come talk to me on twitter: @E_L_James

If you are interested in the play list from either of these books - please visit my youtube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/eljamesau... ...more