It’s a new week and you know what that means, Shook has got something new in store for you. We hope that you loved our 007 James Bond theme last week. This week it’s something that everyone has definitely heard of: 50 Shades of Grey. For those of you that are unfamiliar with this controversial book trilogy, here’s a quick summary. A young girl, Anastasia Steele, and a young business man, Christian Grey, form a…well let’s just call it a very adult relationship.
People from around the globe are reading these books. Even Ellen reads it…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on3JCwnwHbU
So what are your thoughts on 50 Shades of Grey? Are you a lover or a hater? Be sure to check out trend.shook.co to see our recently updated 50 Shades trend. Let us know what you think in our comments below.
Trend.Shook.co 
I had to say. I really did like 50 shades of Grey. Not always some of the scenes in the first book but i thought the love story between Christian and Ana was very interesting and that Christian himself was a very interesting character.I am an English major and I saw a bit of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in Ana and Christian’s story. At the beginning, Christian is well a ‘beast’ has to be in control of everything, can see no love in his life, is cold, calculating, and Ana brings out the love and joy in Christian as the series progresses. She teaches them that he is not a beast and loveable despite his flaws. The sex is just some extra fun along the way 😉
I liked the character development and the imagery.
The last book was kind of cheesy though. Overall, I would say the author did a pretty good job with 50 Shades trilogy being the only published work.
I really like the comment from mandibelle16… there is a deeper meaning behind the story than just the obvious. Sometimes it’s so hard to find people in this world to really connect with on a deeper level like this. And two I think it’s this deeper connection to someone that really brings out this very intense sexual feeling and begin able to fulfill it on a different level that you could ever fulfill it with just anyone else. I relate to this book in more way than one and I absolutely loved reading it… hope the movie is just as good.
I haven’t gotten to read all of it but I loved what i have read
I read all three in a little over a week, and as has been said, I believe I was hooked because of the developing love story between Ana and Christian and how she took him from darkness to light just by loving him. There are plenty of critics who nitpick aspects of the writing and story line and there was definitely parts I didn’t enjoy, but it kept me sucked in and reading so in my opinion, that’s a good read.
There are too many books of value out there that I am not reading for me to justify reading this, especially since one can get the gist so easily from all the hype! Thanks for the like on my blog!
My logic was ’50 Shades’ appeals to the masses. Most people are stupid. Ergo 50 is stupid. A categorical syllogism Socrates would have been proud of 😉
So I didn’t read it.
Then my wife committed sacrilege by buying it. Like me she has an English degree and should have known better. I mocked. She read.
“It’s bloody awful,” she said.
I felt smug, and I hadn’t lost any of my life to it.
In today’s society, filled with the hypnotised and fearful, what is popular is what switches us off. Yet with politicians and the powerful eroding our rights and lives it is essential to stay switched on – be aware. Ergo, encouragement of trending or fashion of any kind is bad – very bad.
Book was a piece of crap from top to bottom. Honestly, I understood the meaning behind it, but it was filled with so much pointless alliteration (biting bottom lip and blushing especially), utterly dumbass sex scenes, not to mention the understanding of the world being limited to, coincidentally, Seattle.
I hated it so much I wrote about it on my blog. Idiotic characters, poorly written and not much in the way of a plot. The sex scenes were cringeworthy and repetitive and I doubt the writer had ever experienced them herself.
I couldn’t stand it. It was filled with horrible writing and horrible characterization. It’s hard for me to believe it wasn’t written by a12-year-old that saw one porno movie. Christian and Ana are both awful characters, so unappealing that you don’t care what happens to either of them. There was constant repetition of lines that grate on the nerves like chalk on a chalkboard. The sex scenes are either overdone and downright goofy or actually frightening (“no one can hear you scream, Ana”). They aren’t remotely erotic. Finally, the supposed love story between Christian and Ana is apparently based on accounts of battered women, because that’s exactly what it reads like (and I am not referring to the supposed S&M but the emotional manipulation and control). To each his own, but I seriously don’t get why anyone would really like this book.
absolutely agree with this comment!
To be honest, I don’t read books anymore. Just blogs. 🙂
I do understand the hype on 50 shades, but for those who loves to read.. I wouldnt recommend it though. As what the previous comments had said, repetitive lines.. ( inner goddess crap), poor storyline, its not actually enticing and the sex scenes could get boring ( its the same old thing ). There are alot of good books out there that could provide readers passionate lovemaking with good storytelling and enigmatic characters that sound smart.
Gray … it’s such a power color. You can do so much with it!
Thanks for “liking” my post “How Many Shades?” (http://wp.me/p2xDJR-t8) with my humorous comments of Fifty Shades … and good luck on your week of Shades here!
I am fan of 50 shades , I was not so sure in the beginning when I started , but gradually even I didnt knew when I actually started liking it & was addicted to it. Its Grey’s charm , his overprotective nature , & his dedication ….. Anna s innocence , her control over grey , & understanding …..
Maybe the novel got the popularity because of the Adult content , but it surely won over fans because of the true love & the dedication between GREY & ANNA …
🙂
my wife liked the first 2 books, but haven’t read the 3rd one yet.
The writing was atrocious, but I still couldn’t put it down. I’m not a big reader of erotica and have only read one other thing that would be classified as such (Bared to you, by Sylvia Day) and I really preferred it. Nothing wrong with sex. It was just poorly written sex.
I’ve read them and honestly only picked them up because so many people either loved or hated the series. As for me, well it’s just not my bag. I don’t need to read about sex. I think there are fairy tales with more romance in them.
I am more of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, type book fan. I want to think, be moved and see something that isn’t what I expected in a novel.
While I understand what the appeal of the books is, it saddens me in a slight way that with all the unread classics, so many would get hooked on these books. Of course, reading should be for enjoyment. Thus, I suppose to each his own.
I read roughly a hundred books a year or so, and have found mixing in what I call “pop culture” reading keeps me at least a little connected to the world. So, it wasn’t completely time wasted.
alison
I was forced to read an excerpt from the book – not suprisingly, one of the sex scenes. I was so scarred by the writing that I couldn’t make it past one paragraph. I agree with some of the people here, the sex scenes are [THAT] poorly written. I was shaking my head when the heroine mentioned “inner goddess”…
It’s the same with Twilight, I will probably never completely understand what all the hype is about…
I usually don’t read books that are over-hyped because they generally don’t live up to the advertising. I developed a distaste for hyped books after multiple disappointments, including the Artemis Fowl series, and anything by V.C.Andrews. I avoided reading Harry Potter for this very reason, and was deliciously surprised when it became one of my favorite series.
However, when something becomes part of our culture, I think that if one doesn’t see/watch/read it, then one begins to lose out on jokes and conversations. I found myself being surrounded by references to the Fifty series, and finally checked all three books out from my local library.
I am grateful that i didn’t spend money buying that drivel. It was the worst thing I have ever read in my life. Penthouse Forum letters are more interesting and arousing, although equally fictitious. Perhaps the biggest turnoff was the blatant plagiarism of the Twilight series. From the not so surreptitious stalking to the “come here, go away,” attitude of Christian, the setting of Seattle (despite the author being British), and the delayed innocence of Anastasia, everything about this series paralleled Edward and Bella, including the murderous attempts on Anastasia’s life.
That is not the only reason the Fifty series was a waste of nine hours of my life. The constant, repetitive self-conversations in Anastasia’s mind might as well have been written using cut and paste, just to save the effort of typing. The sex scenes were overly descriptive and yet equally repetitive. I found such scenes to be so unimaginative, I had to skip them in order to finish the books. I didn’t realize how boring sex could be until reading this series. I will spare you the count of the few belabored phrases that make up Anastasia’s limited vocabulary, as other writers better than I have already written about them in their reviews.
My husband asked why I continued to read the sequels if the first book was so monstrously bad. My answer was that I was hoping that at some point, the characters, the author, the writing, would all be redeemed by some astonishing act. I kept reading and hoping, only to be sorely crushed when it never happened.
In spite of the appalling concatenation of words that E.L. James dares to call novels, one must respect the talent of the media team that turned her books into sensations. Perhaps THAT is the greatest work of fiction ever.
I’d heard it actually started out as Twilight fan fiction, so that might be why
i haven’t actually read the book, but i’ve heard all the hype! i’ve even seen people reading this while working out at the gym! it must be good!
I’m no prude but I don’t see the point of writing about sex. Here’s a post on my other blog called Sex is Boring,; you’ll see what I mean 🙂
To me, it was the classic ‘girl meets boy, girl wants to change boy, girl leaves boy when he won’t change, boy decides to change for her’ story. The S&M component was so vanilla it was a notch shy of missionary in every scene. The sex was boring, the writing atrocious, it was just desperately lonely housewife acting out her rather dull and uninformed fantasies. And really, who actually says ‘Argh’ during sex? How is that pronounced… Arf? Arggggg? Arrrr? My husband and I tried ‘Argh-ing’ during sex once, and all it did was kill the mood as we both went off into gales of laughter.
Hi, I wanted to thank you for stopping by my blog. Your blog is great and I have enjoyed reading a few of your posts. I look forward to hearing more from you and I hope you have a great week!
I found it to be 50 Shades of Drivel. I’m no prude – quite the opposite, in fact. If you’re looking for porn, you’ll find better out there if you go through the “Letters to Penthouse”.
“50 Shades of Grey” actually started as “Twighlight” fanfic. From Time.com:
“Let’s review, shall we? E.L. James — or, as friends call her, Erika Leonard — is not a prose stylist. Her work did not have the publicity machine of a major publishing house behind it. Her story was originally fan fiction; in other words, she openly lifted the characters and basic premise from another series (Twilight).” – http://fiftyshadesfilm.com/
No surprise – I’m not a “Twilight” fan, either.
Ana is not in a BDSM relationship – she’s in a manipulative, abusive relationship. I’ve known people in that culture, and the submissives know exactly where to draw the line (for example, being given a car and not allowed to drive it). Being a sub does not equate to being a weak and helpless female. This series is a crock.
Getting off my soap box now.
I agree with everything you said! I wasn’t a fan. I read Twilight a few years ago (in high school) and loved it then. I can’t stand it now…. After reading other books in the genre like Total Abandon I was expecting more. I also was disturbed with the punishment part. I suppose I understand that it’s part of the deal. There is no way in hell anyone would beat me with a belt because he enjoyed it. Believe me the bastard would be in jail faster than he could put it back in his belt loops!
Surprisingly I actually loved the “Fifty Shades” series! When I first started I was expecting it to be only about their very adult relationship but after the first book it was mostly about their relationship and personalities and how much they actually do love each other, I absolutely could not put them down! That said, I think the writing could’ve been improved as the descriptive phrases and emotions were VERY repetitive!!
Hello lovely Trend.Shook,
http://headinmyhands.com/ is a new domain. I hope you follow us soon.
ps
How about 50 Shades of Eh, the Canadian version?
Gotta get a used copy and read it soon.
There are so many gray areas in the lives of each of us. It is what we do with them that changes our lives for better or worse. Isn’t is wonderful, the influence women can have over men?
Poorly written, but great story. I can’t wait for the movie to come out!
Life is good.
I hated it! I twas a waste of my time. It was basically a Twilight porn knock off.
I recently read the book and did a review on my blog. http://kimsbookreport.wordpress.com
It is horrendously written, and the story had flaws that are unimaginable. While it is a nice thing that BDSM is put on the chart again and that many people seem to like it at once, I really fear for all those women who fall pray to predators because they think what happens in the book is standard for a D/s.
Like the car mentioned in another post… My Master lets me drive in his car, because he knows I can drive. That I’m his, doesn’t mean I’m stupid, or that I cannot take care of myself. It’s just that we take care of one another in a different way than most people. And honestly, if he’d been like Christian Grey, I would’ve run, submissive as I am. Brrrrrr Christian is just such a creep, honestly!
Thank you!! I’m so glad I’m not the only one posting about how this isn’t a typical BDSM relationship, and how Christian Grey is more of a jealous, abusive type one should run from as fast as possible.
I loved Christian Grey… Writing was ok… But I loved the storyline.