Is Fifty Shades of Grey Worth Reading? Why or Why Not?

I have seen so many vastly differing opinions in the reviews of this book here on Eden that I thought it worthwhile to ask on the BDSM forums. Is this book worth my time? As someone who is into BDSM, do you think it is fun reading or complete trash? This series has the feeling of a fad about it, a series written to titillate very prudish housewives, and so I have really hesitated to pick a copy up. I tend to wait until very late in a book fad to try things out.

However, I have liked two of the three "book fads" I can think of that I came into late. I loved the Harry Potter series, which I didn't pick up until the release of the third book. I thought the Hunger Games series was decent and thought-provoking, for a YA series. (Came in after all three were written.) I--Hated--Twilight. And. Still. Do. With. A. Passion. A variety of hatred usually reserved for the singing purple dinosaur of doom. XD

Anyways ---do you think I should give Fifty Shades a go? I'll let the forums heavily influence me, if not outright decide it. less

I have seen so many vastly differing opinions in the reviews of this book here on Eden that I thought it worthwhile to ask on the BDSM forums. Is this book worth my time? As someone who is into BDSM, do you think it is fun reading or complete trash? This series has the feeling of a fad about it, a series written to titillate very prudish housewives, and so I have really hesitated to pick a copy up. I tend to wait until very late in a book fad to try things out.

However, I have liked two of the three "book fads" I can think of that I came into late. I loved the Harry Potter series, which I didn't pick up until the release of the third book. I thought the Hunger Games series was decent and thought-provoking, for a YA series. (Came in after all three were written.) I--Hated--Twilight. And. Still. Do. With. A. Passion. A variety of hatred usually reserved for the singing purple dinosaur of doom. XD

Anyways ---do you think I should give Fifty Shades a go? I'll let the forums heavily influence me, if not outright decide it. less

Do whatever you want, but I prefer real literature. Sorry--got my bachelor's in English and I prefer a completely different style from mainstream "fad" books made for consumption of the masses. That being said, I too read Harry Potter, and I enjoyed every page of them. Sometimes those fads are fads for a good reason. I'll never for the life of me understand the pull of sparkly, teenage vampires, but tell that to my 30 year old sister who has Twilight magnets on her fridge. I can think of better vampire stories, but hey, at least the movies are good for Rifftrax to make fun of.

As far as the BDSM in it goes, from what I've been able to gather, it's not really the most honest or accurate portrayal of the lifestyle. Instead, it relies on stereotypes, typical assumptions made by people who don't do their research or dare to imagine that people in the BDSM world are (gasp!) normal and healthy. I don't care to fuel that fire of misinformation, even though I think it's more the fault of readers treating it like a BDSM manual than a work of fiction for entertainment purposes than the author's responsibility to make a book about something that it was never intended to be. Still, it would interest me a hundred times more if it didn't go the cheap, easy route and just become another cliche filled novelty about a lifestyle that few people bother to understand.

Also it started out as a Twilight fan fiction. I wouldn't expect anything too profound, or Shakespearean, or...good.

But who knows, it's just a book. Pick it up, start reading, and see if you like it after a chapter or two and go from there. You don't have to finish it if it's as atrocious as I assume it is, and it may surprise and be something you enjoy. What have you to lose? less

I was going to try to give it a shot despite the negative opinion I'd gathered from excerpts and other reviews, but I couldn't even get past the first few pages. The writing style was very poor and just came off as what it is - poorly written fanfic. Since it was Twilight fanfic, that could also be something to take into consideration if you didn't like the original series. I'd also like to add that not all fanfic is poorly written. It's actually my preferred form of erotica because it's so easily accessible and there is such a wide variety of pairings, kinks, and situations.

Sex Nerd Sandra did a podcast episode about the Fifty Shades series which gives a good, critical view of it that is both negative and positive, you might want to check that out too.

Something that does bother me about all the buzz surrounding it - aside from the pisspoor depiction of BDSM - is that it's being called "mommy porn." While there are a lot of women reading the series, it seems a little demeaning to downplay their interests and possibly erase anyone else who may enjoy the series too. I think people should read and enjoy whatever they like. Not everyone has the same taste, after all. It may also open up more people to the idea of BDSM, though hopefully they do their research. Though not everyone should be expected to automatically enjoy D/s play in the real world just because they like to read it. Sorry, I have a lot of conflicting feelings about this whole thing lol. The old standby of Safe, Sane, and Consensual should apply. Maybe I could print up little bookmarks to stick in copies of the books so readers will know where to go for good BDSM advice

I've noticed quite a few sex stores having more workshops in kink because of this series. So there's that.

*steps down from my soap box*

I do think you ultimately decide whether or not to read it, but maybe don't go in with very high expectations if you do. less