OK, I admit, I had no idea what this book was about until I saw SNL the other day. There were scenes with masturbating women reading the book. (It's not big at all over here in Sweden)
Then I came across this topic, and my vote was that I wasn't planning on reading it.
Then I browsed through this thread and got curious. "Surely it's not
that bad?!" I though. "Found" a copy and, to quote Ana:
Holy crap!
I read the first chapter, 15 pages or so, and it was like reading a teen magazine. Did not appreciate that and speed read the rest of the book. Super speed read rather, turning the pages and just giving each a quick glance. That was enough to pick up on the excessive use of "Holy crap" and also quite a few misplaced "Oh my" caught my eye.
Stopped and read through a couple of the sex scenes, and they didn't do much to me. Once again I was back in a teen magazine with the way they were written, and that felt kind of odd considering the S/M/Bondage theme.
This definitely feels like a YA book, with the emphasis on "Y", except I'm not sure I would have liked my daughter reading such a "glossy" book about a young woman letting this man control her.
About a year ago I read an "almost true" story about a S/M relationship and that was shocking and thought provoking at the same time. It really challenged the reader, and it made me rethink my views on this. "Fifty shades..." just makes me shake my head and wonder how come sex still sells so well.
Oh, and I forgot... I will not read the second and third book unless I become a submissive and my dominatrix orders me to. I've never seen myself as very submissive though, but from the "almost true" story I learned that things aren't as clear cut as that, so you'll never know...
