Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1) in Crazy Challenge Connection

Apr 18, 2012 Melissa Wehunt rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, erotica, adult, steamy, relationships, interpersonal-relations, parental-issues, parent-child-relationships, romance-erotic, trust-issues

Well, hmmm. I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I thought it was blown out of proportion and kind of lame...especially for a so-called "bdsm" erotic romance...and on the other hand, I thought it was pretty decent considering it is fan fiction. So this is what I though further explained:

"So-called BDSM": I've read several bdsm erotic romances and this one is very, very vanilla. Just like 50's and what's her name's sex. ;) jk. Actually, that's not what bothered me though. I will not Well, hmmm. I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I thought it was blown out of proportion and kind of lame...especially for a so-called "bdsm" erotic romance...and on the other hand, I thought it was pretty decent considering it is fan fiction. So this is what I though further explained:

"So-called BDSM": I've read several bdsm erotic romances and this one is very, very vanilla. Just like 50's and what's her name's sex. ;) jk. Actually, that's not what bothered me though. I will not claim to be a bdsm expert, as I am not "in" the scene, nor have I done extensive research. However, I have read Shayla Black before...and for those of you that have as well, you know that she gives you a pretty darn good insight into the world of bdsm and what it's all about. What ticked me off about James' portrayal of Ana was her sole focus on pain and negativity. I realize that the character, as with people, is able to feel however she darn well pleases...it just seem like if you are going to write bdsm erotica you would like to get your reader on your side. James' does a half hearted attempt at verbalizing 50 Shades' attempts at teaching Ana that the lifestyle is about trust...but mostly just harps on Ana's need to figure out what is wrong with him....was he abused? Neglected? bla, bla, bla. I was almost offended. Like, do you have to abused to be in the life? I guess according to the storyline, yes, but it just seemed off to me. And I felt like the book should be an anti-bdsm novel rather than an erotic romance. I don't know about other people, but I don't like to read about abuse of a child on one page, and a hot sex scene on the next. It's too disconnected for me. An erotic romance should entice the reader to want to explore their sexuality like the character...at least in their fantasies...and this book left me just wanting to put it away rather than beg for more. It just did.

"My Thoughts on it being Fan Fic": I don't really get it. It's fan-fic for Twilight? How can that be? It's not paranormal? To me, that just seems like it would be a requirement. It does make me laugh that in order to write fan fic for Twilight that all you have to have is an abnormally hot guy, and a mousy, self depricating, whiny assed girl. Oh, and it must be in Washington. lol. But i digress...So, most people are complaing about the writing and how it sucks. Usually, this is not on my top things to complain about and it still isn't. Not really, anyways. When you compare 50 Shades with all the other self published erotic romances out there, it's a pretty darn good book. (Seriously, have you even read some of the drivel out there?? Pretty scary.) And I can see how it got all its hype. Unfortunately, when compared to authors who can actually write...its much less impressive.

So, I had more to say, but I'm seriously out of steam to dedicate to this book. With all my complaints, I still rated it pretty high... and that is because, ultimately, it did entertain me. And some of the sex scenes were pretty hot...even if they were surrounded by a creepy and annoying plot line. Also, I'm already resigned to reading the second one in order to find out what happens... I'm a sucker, I know. :( ...more

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Sep 14, 2013 Madge rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-wish-i-never-read

Meh... It wasn't quite as bad as I thought, but it definitely wasn't good. I wanted to kill Ana throughout the entire book (and her little inner goddess, too! Aahhahahaha!) She pissed me off, a lot. The characters weren't well developed, they were all pretty boring and mostly unbelievable, the dialogue sucked and wasn't believable, the sex was mediocre, the "BDSM" was "meh," etc. I just didn't like it.

I did, however, laugh a LOT. Not because the book was actually all that humorous, but because ...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Toni rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, adult-fiction, romance, favorites, 18, erotica, bdsm

I have just finished Fifty Shades of Grey and, while it is by no means a literary masterpiece, I had a tough time putting it down. The story was fascinating, mostly unpredictable, the characters were intriguing - I found myself rooting for them (all of them) - and it provoked emotion in me. Any of these elements, individually, would stir me to give a positive overall rating to the book. Essentially, it doesn't take a lot for a novel to make me happy - I must simply find something about the piece I have just finished Fifty Shades of Grey and, while it is by no means a literary masterpiece, I had a tough time putting it down. The story was fascinating, mostly unpredictable, the characters were intriguing - I found myself rooting for them (all of them) - and it provoked emotion in me. Any of these elements, individually, would stir me to give a positive overall rating to the book. Essentially, it doesn't take a lot for a novel to make me happy - I must simply find something about the piece to enjoy or identify with. However, because all of these elements were in place for me in Fifty Shades of Grey, I must give it a 5-star rating.

In Fifty Shades of Grey, our young heroine is soon-to-be-college-grad Anastasia Steele: intelligent, ambitious, quick-witted, and - sexually - very innocent. Enter 27-year-old-business-mogul Christian Grey: equally intelligent, extraordinarily wealthy, brooding, nothing short of the most well-mannered gentleman (publicly), but harboring a few secrets - from his past and his present. When Ana Steele literally stumbles into his office, the two begin a dance of feint and retreat. Before long, the two find themselves on an actual date together - a date to which they travel via Christian's personal helicopter, which he flies himself. During this date, Christian's sexual preferences are revealed and Ana is unsure she can play the BDSM games he desires. However, finding herself utterly captivated by Christian, she's determined to have him in any way she can and soon consents to what she considers morally questionable, hedonistic, carnal acts. While fighting a battle between her heart, her brain, her subconscious, and her "inner goddess," Ana soon finds herself falling for Christian but she can't pull enough information from him to discern the depth of his feelings for her - aside from the sexual - if he has any at all, that is. Secrets from Christian's deep-buried past frequently claw at Ana, but will she be able to ferret out what they mean? Will be sorry once she knows? How will this affect their "relationship" - or would "arrangement" be the more appropriate term? With Ana's determination to uncover all of Christian's secrets and Christian's dedication to keeping his past buried where it belongs, will love be enough to break through all the barriers and save them both?

*****************SPOILER WARNING*****************

While reading this novel, I was enraptured by the story. The sex scenes were super steamy and the tender moments were very sweet. Some might disagree with the last part of that statement; some may say that Christian wasn't "romantic" enough for their tastes. However, it's important to examine the characters in their own worlds - in that context - because, frankly, they don't belong in our world. Even with all his issues, the tender kisses, the unending praise for Ana, the way he consents to her every request - it all comes very naturally to Christian, making the tender moments that much sweeter, knowing that this is new to him and he is suddenly finding so easy something that has previously been impossible.

I found myself rooting for Ana - rooting for her to give into some of her darker, more forbidden temptations, rooting for her to enjoy things she never thought she could, and, of course, rooting for her to stand her ground when it came to her own wants and needs in regard to being loved. I also found myself rooting for Christian - rooting for him to find balance with this woman who captivated him like no other, rooting for him to open up to her and let her into his world a little, rooting for him to be able to unearth a little of his past and, in turn, let go of the anger and resentment it still made him possess. When hoping for these things, one generally always hopes for a happy ending - one in which Christian and Ana can find a middle ground, one in which she can let go of her preconceived notions and inhibitions centering around sex, one in which he can open up and learn to love in a healthier way.

With these ideas in mind, and seeing them begin to come to fruition, I was expecting a happy ending. I expected it was as predictable as Ana being intoxicated by Christian's scent. And then it wasn't. The ending wasn't expected and it wasn't happy. And this made me love the novel even more. Because, the truth is, life doesn't always have happy endings. While it's important to examine the characters in their worlds and not force them into our own, it's also natural to compare their worlds and their circumstances to our own in order to find a way to relate to the story. Much like what Ana experiences at the end of Fifty Shades, I, too, have experienced heartbreak. While not the same KIND of heartbreak (I did not lose my virginity to - and fall in love with - a billionaire heavily involved with BDSM only to discover it wouldn't work), it was still a very real, very visceral, very destructive heartbreak. My story, when I was not much older than Ana, ended with the death of the one man I've ever really loved. I know what the numbness is like, trying to pretend the pain isn't there while letting go, and I know what the pain is like when the floodgates finally open and the emotions come reeling - and erupting out of - the surface. I cried as she cried, knowing how it feels to be shattered, to feel as if nothing is real and no place is home. I know how it feels to wish you could talk to someone - ANYONE - about it, and being unable to (mine was a forbidden love). Because of this, because my ending was unhappy, I was all the more thrilled with the way Fifty Shades ended, because it made it more real for me.

While some readers very much desire a happy ending because they feel real life is hard enough and they need an escape into fantasy - a place in which stories end nicely, loose ends all get tied up neatly, characters live happily ever after - I am not one of those readers. I more closely identify with the literary heroine whose world is shattered at the end of a novel. And, though my ending was unhappy and can never be changed because the hero of my story is gone forever, I am not so bitter as to wish for Ana's heart to remain broken. I still have hope for her - and for Christian - that they will find a way to be together in the sequel, and that they will, in the end, have a happy ending. In short, though I found the unhappy ending very much to my liking because it in some ways resembled my own ending, I still have hope - hope for the characters in Fifty Shades, and hope for my own story though it may have to be morphed or rewritten to include a new hero. ...more

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May 19, 2012 Allison Ann added it

Shelves: loaner, reviewed, absolute-garbage, rainbow

Zero stars!

What a steaming pile of garbage. I didn't expect much and I actually read the book just to check it out for the local librarian (hooray for speedreading), but it was worse than I expected. Poorly written, ridiculously repetitive, laughably "erotic". I honestly don't think there was a page of the entire (I use the word loosely) novel that didn't have some variation of the phrase "holy cow" (holy crap, holy crow, holy shit, holy fuck, etc.) And the emails, dear lord, it was like reading ...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Arow rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star, erotica, 2017, 2015, 2013, 2012

I know this book has received a lot of flack but I actually really enjoyed it. It kept me entertained, amused and wondering what direction she was going to take it.

I am giving it 5 stars for those reasons; I could not put this book down I wanted to read it every free moment I had and I enjoyed reading it. It sparked conversations at work and home and to me that is the sign of good book.

I can't wait to complete the series; thank goodness I had the second one on hand so I could start as soon as I ...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Marie rated it liked it

Difficult time getting involved in the story

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Jun 20, 2012 Nancy Brady rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book, library-book

Okay 3½ stars...Anastasia is a virgin who comes to the attention of a dominant, Christian Grey, and he wants her to be his submissive. She's tied up in knots (pun intended), swinging between yes and no in trying to decide if she is willing. A hot romance with plenty of "pushing the limits"...not erotica, but hot. (Reading from an Adobe e-book copy that contains the whole trilogy) ...more

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