Worst book you have ever read?

[Anna]

Personally, I have read the whole series. The first book, horrible. Second book, better than the first. The third book, better than the first and second. But, if you are looking for a book (50 Shades of Grey) that has basically no story line, and if it does its HORRIBLE, and is very explicit, then read 50 Shades of Grey. The story line basically consists of them having sex, getting mad at each other, having sex, etc. and then her leaving. I didn't think that the story line was good at all; it was basically just sex and more sex (Ewww). Plus, the sex in the book is probably the most explicit sex that I have ever read, and in my opinion it is disgusting. Basically, I think they are a horrible series because the story line is stupid and just whatever happens in the book (sex) is just disgusting. I will admit the second book does get a better story line, and the third book's story line is much better than the first two. But, still the book series is horrible. Worst story line I have ever read and the books are just horrible in the first place with all the sex, etc. So, if you are going to just read the books to say that you have read them (basically what I did) then go ahead and read them, but be warned that the story line is horrible. And if you aren't the kind of person that likes very explicit sex that DO NOT read these books.

[Angie Elle]

Was this the first 'erotica' book you've ever read? I've read books that are far more explicit than this one.

Yes, they had sex a lot, but I didn't think it was explicit.

[Surfgirl82]

I really like the books. Yes, they do have a lot of sex but to say it's disgusting and horrible is way over the top. You have to be open minded to read the books, it's not an action thriller...it's categorized as erotic novel, that's what it is. I think the books give women (and men) a new way of thinking regarding their sexuality. It's inspiring. It's not for everyone and obviously nothing for you.

[Mary]

No, the worst book I have ever read is "Lord Jim" by Joseph Conrad.

[Michael]

Worst book? NOOOOOO. I have read plenty of terrible books and this is not even close.

I only read the first part of the series, I want to read the others.

[Madeline]

Definitely 50 shades of Gray and Act like a lady,Think like a man.

[Siobhan]

Not the worst, but close. Read The Game by Stephen King. Yeah, I called Stephen King lousier (it's no The Shining)

Or most ebooks. Like Wedding Cake to Turin or Her Best Friend's Brother. Both a complete waste of my time/£1.44.

[Nermin]

It was definitely the worst book I've ever read so I didn't bother to finish the next two. I don't understand people who hate this book with a passion take the trouble to read the whole series. Surely it's such a waste of time.

[Nuran]

FSOG is bad but it’s not the worst. Read two books by Claire Seeber and I hated them both with their stereotype Londoners who always say darling all the time which make me want to scream, with stupid lousy ridiculous plot, with the token best friend, and the damp squid ending that makes no sense or point....arrrrghhhhhhh!!! Claire Seeber’s books suck bad.

[Siobhan]

Nuran wrote: "FSOG is bad but it’s not the worst. Read two books by Claire Seeber and I hated them both with their stereotype Londoners who always say darling all the time which make me want to scream, with stup..."

Is she an ebook author? I swear you can put any tripe out there these days. One of the ones I mentioned (Her Best Friend's Brother by T.J.Dell) had it's entire plot in three chapters and still milked it for over twenty. I get the whole 'I want you but can't have you' bit the book was trying to do but there were no real issues, or chemistry, between the couple. And yet I had to finish it.

[Madeline]

Narmin wrote: "It was definitely the worst book I've ever read so I didn't bother to finish the next two. I don't understand people who hate this book with a passion take the trouble to read the whole series. Sur..."

I know...why is up with that? I read 100 pages and that was too much! Time is precious, why waste it on drivel!

[Siobhan]

Narmin wrote: "It was definitely the worst book I've ever read so I didn't bother to finish the next two. I don't understand people who hate this book with a passion take the trouble to read the whole series. Sur..."

Yes, it was painful to read, but I read with hope. Besides, someone has taken the time to get the words on the page. No matter how horrible, there should be at least enough respect on the side of the reader to finish it completely. That way you know exactly how shit it is.

[Emily]

I would rather poke myself in my eyes with scissors than actually finish this book.

Okay.. maybe it wasn't that bad, but I still thought it was awful. It had no great story line and it weren't that 'erotic' either.

[Madeline]

Hahahaha..it WAS that bad!

[Sparrowlicious]

I admit that I never read a book from the erotic genre before. I only ever read things on the internet, fanfiction even. And you know what? There's a lot of really good fanfiction and original fiction on the internet with a good plot, great characters and some sex. SOME. Not every single chapter full of it and then drama over things the characters already knew. Derp. Therefore I see no point in buying books of this genre if I can find stuff like this online for free. (The point being that there are obviously erotic books that are even worse than Fifty Shades or else there wouldn't be people who read this stuff and like Fifty Shades for it's horrible writing style.)

Everyone knows by now that Fifty Shades started out as a fanfiction itself. A Twilight fanfiction even. A fanfiction to a book series that isn't great to begin with. So yeah, this is by far the worst published book I ever read. Regarding the first one.
I also once read a horrible preview chapter from a book about the main character getting caught by beautifully looking orcs and everything was extremely stupid and urgh. D:
Also, did you guys hear about the time travelling viking series? Someone recorded themself reading a scene from the book and put it on the internet. Most horrible writing style ever. D:

[Meredith]

It was TERRIBLE, seriously worst writing I have ever come across. It was popular because of the content, absolutely not for its literary value. I wanted to slap some sense into these silly characters, but then again they probably would have liked that!

Disgusting, yes I agree.
Terrible writing, yes I agree.
Worst book ever, yes I agree.

[Katie]

This was not the first erotic fiction book I've read, and compared to most erotic fiction, it was really pretty tame, and in ways more unbelievable because it's trying harder to seem realistic. The story line and writing style was pretty terrible, which is right on par with most of the erotic fiction I've read. However, if you have no interest in reading about sex, then I would suggest you not even think about reading 50 Shades just because it's popular and you "want to say you've read it."

In spite of the crummy story line and poor writing style, reading the series was a guilty pleasure. It was easy to read and didn't require a lot of higher thinking (which is somewhat difficult to do when you're spending your nights waking up every 2-3 hours with a baby). Would I recommend the book to others? Maybe, but after cautioning them about the crumminess of the book.

[Siobhan]

"Easy reading is not easy writing"

That book was easy writing. It hurt my head to decipher half of it.

[Nuran]

Siobhan wrote: “Is she an ebook author? I swear you can put any tripe out there these days. One of the ones I mentioned (Her Best Friend’s Brother by T.J.Dell) had it’s entire plot in three chapters and still milked it for over twenty. I get the whole ‘I want you but can’t have you’ bit the book was trying to do but there were no real issues, or chemistry, between the couple. And yet I had to finish it. ”


She is a “proper published” author and does have paperback novels, but they seem harder to buy new. Probably didn’t sell so well so wasn’t reprinted, but you can still enjoy her in ebook format woooooot........I’m just glad she didn’t have a series, I think she would actually have broken my compulsion to keep reading.

I found ebook’s authors can be hit or miss, but more miss than hit. I do love the short stories I find that doesn’t cost me much at all. I looked up that book, I'm surprised how many stars it's got on amazon.co.uk, which makes it even harder to sort the crap indie stuff from the good stuff.

[Michael]

I think there is a reason why I disagree with the majority because of this is considered terrible writing, then I must be a champion to get through it. LOL.

In all seriouness, I have read plenty of terrible books due to the writing style. This does not even fall close to terrible writing.

Like they say, different folks, different strokes:)

[Mary]

Michael wrote: "I think there is a reason why I disagree with the majority because of this is considered terrible writing, then I must be a champion to get through it. LOL.

In all seriouness, I have read plenty o..."

I agree Michael. It isn't great, but it certainly does not fall into the worst I have ever read category.

[Ashley]

I just couldnt stand it! It seemed to condone abuse to me and I just couldnt deal with that.

[Madeline]

When I first started that book, I could not believe that people were raving about it! It was even featured on Dr. Oz! I thought it brought us back to the dark ages where woman were raped by their family members, husbands, etc. not only is the story poorly written, it is showing that abuse is okay! E.L. James became filthy rich off of an undeserving book! Go figure! Can you imagine what talented authors think?

[Mary]

Kathy wrote: "When I first started that book, I could not believe that people were raving about it! It was even featured on Dr. Oz! I thought it brought us back to the dark ages where woman were raped by their f..."

I read all three books and just do not see how they state that abuse is OK. Interesting how we can all read the same books and come away with entirely different conclusions.

[Mary]

Kathy wrote: "That is weird! I feel by her always succumbing to his demands and wants and desires...that she is loosing out! She had to eat what he wanted her to eat, stay when he said she had to stay...he had t..."

But she did NOT give in to his wants and desires. She did NOT eat what he told her to. He kept trying to get her to follow his diet for her, but she passively/aggressively fights him on it by NOT giving in. Ana used Gandhi tactics to thwart him. She never signed the contract. The only time she actually agrees to engage in BDSM, she finds she does not like it and leaves him. She does not give up her friends, even though he would have liked her to. The point is that while he had a list of rules, she did not follow it.

[Madeline]

Okay...my bad! .I couldn't get past the contract! I stopped reading! But still, who want want to even be with a guy like that? So self absorbed and controlling....blah.

[Mary]

Kathy wrote: "Okay...my bad! .I couldn't get past the contract! I stopped reading! But still, who want want to even be with a guy like that? So self absorbed and controlling....blah."

But you have to read the rest of the books to find out WHY he is self-absorbed and controlling. He was molested in his teens by an older woman (which he could not define as molestation for a long time because "Hey - teenage boys like sex, right?"). He is not the same person at the end of the books because he finally confronts his demons.

[Madeline]

I figured it must have had a good ending, for it to be so popular. But it still stays on my bad list...her writing in my eyes, is very poor! ; )

[Mary]

Kathy wrote: "I figured it must have had a good ending, for it to be so popular. But it still stays on my bad list...her writing in my eyes, is very poor! ; )"

and that is a fair comment. I still submit that the editing is poor and the writing could have been vastly improved with a good editor. I forced myself to get through the first book and found that the writing improved in the next two books. Writers improve by writing (and receiving critical feedback). No book will be received well by ALL readers. This one has just enough controversy surrounding it to light up the ire of those who disliked it. I am that middle of the road reader in terms of these books. I had a number of issues with the writing, but I have read books that were MUCH worse than these and I also have a problem with depictions that were not represented in the books. If one is going to hate the books, at least hate them honestly.

[Michael]

Mary wrote: "Kathy wrote: "Okay...my bad! .I couldn't get past the contract! I stopped reading! But still, who want want to even be with a guy like that? So self absorbed and controlling....blah."

But you have..."

I want to read the other books but you are giving away too many spoilers lol.

[Mary]

Michael wrote: I want to read the other books but you are giving away too many spoilers lol.
..."

I am SORRY!!! I will try and remember to put spoiler alerts from now on.

[Madeline]

I am so sorry..I got carried away! Very, very sorry...my lips are sealed! :(

[Meghan]

The writing wasn't good. After awhile even the sex started to lose it's meaning. She bites her lip: they have sex, she trips: they have sex, she hurts herself: they have sex. It got to the point where I was like next she stubs her toe: they have sex, she gets gum in her hair: they have sex, she blinks they have sex. It got to the point of mind numbing. So much so that even the "crazy" stuff was like Whoop-dee-do! Big deal.

[Siobhan]

Meghan wrote: "The writing wasn't good. After awhile even the sex started to lose it's meaning. She bites her lip: they have sex, she trips: they have sex, she hurts herself: they have sex. It got to the point wh..."

Sometimes it was even: they have sex, they have sex. Sex was the reward/punishment for sex. Impressive.

[Patricia]

I personally don't think it is that bad of a book, or series, I've read far worse from authors with much prestige. The writing is not at all elaborate, but it still had funny aspects in it and I liked the character of Christian Grey. The character of Anastasia Stelle is a bit too naive and not credible for my taste but I don't think you can criticize the fact that it has a lot of explicit sex scenes after all it is an erothic novel.

[M.]

Angie wrote: "Was this the first 'erotica' book you've ever read? I've read books that are far more explicit than this one.

Yes, they had sex a lot, but I didn't think it was explicit."

It really wasn't. The sex scenes tended to last only a couple of paragraphs and the entire book was much more focused on plot than on sex.

And I mean... if you didn't want to read sex scenes, why would you read an erotic novel?

[Shannon]

I agree with Anjasa
But to me the last book was a bit of a put off, like you had to scratch up her boobs to keep clothes on at a nude beach...I can understand his problems and struggles in the first and second...but along the third it just becomes same ol' same ol' to me

[M.]

I only read the first because I heard the second and third got more a) Romance oriented b) repetitive. I don't know if it's true, but I don't know. I like messed up relationships better than happily ever afters.

[Sarah]

I would second comments made by Angie and Surfgirl82. There are books that are far more explicit than this. Whatever the content E.L. James did something right, look at the money she's made from them! I enjoyed them, have read much better since and in the past but certainly would not term them as "horrible" or "disgusting". With all the media hype surrounding the series it's difficult to NOT know what they are about and the content, my Mum has decided NOT to read them because she is aware, from the press, what the content is - she'd rather stick reading her Peter James detective novels.

[Hilda]

yo solo lei la primra parte pero n muy bueno tiene algunas parts buenas pero la sintaxis de la historia tiene muchos huecos

[Courtney]

to really love these books(as i do)you have to be open minded you have to understand bsdm and what christian is goin through mentally also you have to be able to relate to anna....yes the sex is very explicit but if it wasnt you would never understand what bsdm was about..personally i give the books a 10 and say for anyone who is openminded enough to read past the sex and explicitness its a must read

[Darci]

Courtney wrote: "to really love these books(as i do)you have to be open minded you have to understand bsdm and what christian is goin through mentally also you have to be able to relate to anna....yes the sex is ve..."

For anyone who actually understands BDSM, these books are an abomination. It is a completely inaccurate and insulting depiction of the lifestyle.

[Mary]

Darci wrote: For anyone who actually understands BDSM, these books are an abomination. It is a completely inaccurate and insulting depiction of the lifestyle. ...."

My understanding of the books were they never really engaged in BDSM (except once). They just talked about it.

[Darci]

They talked about it, but mostly in the sense that Christian "needed" it because he had been sexually abused. Ana never signed the contract, but Christian still felt free to violate her without that agreement.

[Mary]

Darci wrote: "They talked about it, but mostly in the sense that Christian "needed" it because he had been sexually abused. Ana never signed the contract, but Christian still felt free to violate her without tha..."

How did he violate her?

[Darci]

How did he not violate her? He spanked her for her "misdeeds" repeatedly even though she had never agreed to it. From the moment he presented the contract, he acted as if she had signed it. She constantly expresses her fear of him, which he deals with by f**king her into submission. At the end of the first book, she makes her only smart decision in the series and runs away from him. Because he hurts her and she doesn't like it.

[Mark]

Worst book ever, well let’s run down the check list shall we?

Plot = huh, what. Oh yah there wasn’t one. Have sex, get mad, rinse, repeat

Characters = flat, weak, no redeeming qualities and really nothing unique

Writing quality = oh dear god bad. I mean 3rd grader using the same five descriptors bad. At least everything was spelled right though.

Anything else = the first sex scene was pretty steamy but all the rest didn’t even stir a feeling down there if you know what I mean.

Bottom line. When you fall asleep reading an ‘erotic’ novel it is safe to conclude it was not well done. That does not make it the worst book ever though, just the worst one to grace the best seller lists in quite a while.

[B.L.]

Nah, not the worst books i've ever read by far. I've read books with more explicit sex, but i would say the sex in 50 shades series is very...boring, it's the same bloody thing all the time, what i mean is it just happened too much i think, eventually it was like reading the same chapter over and over again. x

[Darci]

Mark wrote: "Worst book ever, well let’s run down the check list shall we?

Plot = huh, what. Oh yah there wasn’t one. Have sex, get mad, rinse, repeat
Characters = flat, weak, no redeeming qualities and real..."

Well, it's not always bad to fall asleep reading an erotic novel, if it's because of satiation :) That's not likely to happen with this book.

[Michael]

I think this was a pretty explict book but not nearly the worst.