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xina
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
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Location: minneapolis
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 Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 11:44 am Post subject: Fifty Shades #4...Discussion Continues |
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Onward and upward with the discussion!
Fifty Shades Of Grey has officially hit ten million in sales! And only on the shelves for six weeks. Has outsold The Hunger Games. Wowee.
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Lea AAR
Joined: 11 Apr 2007
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Location: Oklahoma
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Linda in sw va
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 12:23 pm Post subject: Re: Fifty Shades #4...Discussion Continues |
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| xina wrote: | Onward and upward with the discussion!
Fifty Shades Of Grey has officially hit ten million in sales! And only on the shelves for six weeks. Has outsold The Hunger Games. Wowee. |
E. L. James must feel like she's living inside a fairy tale! I love that an erotic romance has done so well, sounds like readers were ready for a break from young adult fiction.
Linda
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Sandlynn
Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 1613
Location: Washington, D.C.
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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| I haven't read this. Is this book really so much better than all the other hot romances out there or those that have been published from the past? Why this one in particular? Why now? |
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Linda in sw va
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 1:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Sandlynn wrote: | | I haven't read this. Is this book really so much better than all the other hot romances out there or those that have been published from the past? Why this one in particular? Why now? |
As for why now, I think it may be as I suggested above, readers were ready for a break from young adult fiction. Harry Potter, Twilight and The Hunger Games are excellent books but it was the right time for something different. Possibly also a sign that even though women are stronger than ever perhaps the fantasy of letting go and letting the man take the lead in the bedroom is sounding appealing, especially in the form of Christian Grey, haha.
Like most here I've read more then my share of romances but can't think of many that I enjoyed this much. It has the right blend of a sexy hero, sexy bedroom play but equally important the humor, it was just plain fun. Though not for everyone it's easy for me to see why this caught on as it did. Also many readers not normally romance readers got wind of it and gave it a shot.
It's a combination of many factors and I'd love to find more like it, though not having muh luck so far, darnit.
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"The Bookshop has a thousand books, all colors, hues and tinges, and every cover is a door that turns on magic hinges." ~ Nancy Byrd Turner
Last edited by Linda in sw va on Fri May 25, 2012 1:39 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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xina
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
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Location: minneapolis
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 1:38 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="Sandlynn"]I haven't read this. Is this book really so much better than all the other hot romances out there or those that have been published from the past? Why this one in particular? Why now?[/quote
That's the million dollar question, right? I can't explain why it's taken off. Well, the writing isn't outstanding, but I found the book to be entertaining, amusing, sexy and I was really involved in the main characters. Of course there are readers out there with an entirely different experience, but I found it refreshing because it is different from most romance novels because it doesn't involve a formula. It's a love story with kink. And I think that is the author's description, but I'll say it too. 
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Sandlynn
Joined: 23 Mar 2007
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Location: Washington, D.C.
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 1:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Also many readers not normally romance readers got wind of it and gave it a shot. |
I'm just wondering, is it so different from a typical romance that *that* would explain it's acceptance beyond the romance community? (Or maybe it was just sold as general fiction and didn't acquire the romance "stigma" that makes some people shy away from even giving it a shot.) Could it possibly open the door for readers who haven't tried a romance to actually pick one up? |
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xina
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
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Location: minneapolis
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 2:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Sandlynn wrote: | | Quote: | | Also many readers not normally romance readers got wind of it and gave it a shot. |
I'm just wondering, is it so different from a typical romance that *that* would explain it's acceptance beyond the romance community? (Or maybe it was just sold as general fiction and didn't acquire the romance "stigma" that makes some people shy away from even giving it a shot.) Could it possibly open the door for readers who haven't tried a romance to actually pick one up? |
Yes, it is different from the typical romance novel. I believe it is not formulaic, and I love reading romance novels, but most times, they are very predictable. I know a handful of people who read Fifty..maybe 9 or 10, and only 1 is a romance novel reader. It's hard to say if FSoG will entice them to choose a romance novel in the future. I do have a friend who read Fifty, and she is now reading the Outlander series, and loves that. She also went on to the JR Ward series and enjoyed those as well.
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Lucia
Joined: 27 May 2007
Posts: 91
Location: Michigan
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 3:44 pm Post subject: Late to the party. |
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Borrowed Shades of Grey from a friend. I'd give it a mixed review. Though poorly written and repetitive, the moments of hilarity saved it from the DNF pile. Considering reading the next two installments.
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NoirFemme
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 1402
Location: America
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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| xina wrote: | | That's the million dollar question, right? I can't explain why it's taken off. Well, the writing isn't outstanding, but I found the book to be entertaining, amusing, sexy and I was really involved in the main characters. Of course there are readers out there with an entirely different experience, but I found it refreshing because it is different from most romance novels because it doesn't involve a formula. It's a love story with kink. And I think that is the author's description, but I'll say it too. |
That's exactly why I enjoyed FSoG. In fact, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, since so many influential voices in Romancelandia have expressed their active disdain for the book and its sequels. I can't say that it's entirely original, or that it's better than the erotic romance on the market, but it didn't feel hampered by romance genre constraints or even the shared language employed by the genre (granted, this is because James was more inspired by Stephenie Meyer than, say, Robin Schone or Jaid Black). Sometimes, the romance genre can feel claustrophobic in how it layers and recycles itself over and over again--even though we have very talented authors like Sherry Thomas or Julie James--, and FSoG told a pretty straightforward erotic romance story without any of that "baggage". Now I'm curious to read Sylvia Day's Bared to You, since I'd like to see how a romance writer interprets this type of plot. |
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Linda in sw va
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 4:00 pm Post subject: |
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| NoirFemme wrote: | | [That's exactly why I enjoyed FSoG. In fact, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, since so many influential voices in Romancelandia have expressed their active disdain for the book and its sequels. I can't say that it's entirely original, or that it's better than the erotic romance on the market, but it didn't feel hampered by romance genre constraints or even the shared language employed by the genre (granted, this is because James was more inspired by Stephenie Meyer than, say, Robin Schone or Jaid Black). Sometimes, the romance genre can feel claustrophobic in how it layers and recycles itself over and over again--even though we have very talented authors like Sherry Thomas or Julie James--, and FSoG told a pretty straightforward erotic romance story without any of that "baggage". Now I'm curious to read Sylvia Day's Bared to You, since I'd like to see how a romance writer interprets this type of plot. |
I think you have something here because while the writing may not have been polished to perfection it had a freshness that's lacking in the romance genre, at least if you've read a lot of it. After reading FSoG I found myself searching out more amateur writers, I long for a different 'feel' if that makes sense. Sylvia Day's book Bared to You was so generic to me, I've already read her story a dozen times before, these were just cardboard characters. FSoG did not feel that way to me at all, there was a realness to it that was compelling, despite some over the top aspects the characters came alive. I wonder also how much it helped that it was told in the first person, normally not done in the romance genre.
Linda
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janet w
Joined: 11 May 2007
Posts: 363
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| Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 10:28 pm Post subject: My review of Fifty Shades Freed |
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http://www.romanceatrandom.com/fifty-shades-freed-review-by-janet-webb-round-robin-giveaway/#more-8858 -- N.B. I have a little mistake, Ana did sunbathe topless ... but I got a kick out of writing this review for Romance at Random because every time I get deeper into thinking about Fifty Shades, I realize how many rules James broke.
I've been reading compliments for James like fresh, raw, unpredictable -- oh yeah, after Fifty, I don't think readers will ever be quite as understanding about tired tropes. I cld be wrong but I hope not.
Edited to correct a point of grammar. |
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NoirFemme
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 1402
Location: America
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| Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 12:17 am Post subject: Re: My review of Fifty Shades Freed |
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| janet w wrote: | http://www.romanceatrandom.com/fifty-shades-freed-review-by-janet-webb-round-robin-giveaway/#more-8858 -- N.B. I have a little mistake, Ana did sunbathe topless ... but I got a kick out of writing this review for Romance at Random because every time I get deeper into thinking about Fifty Shades, I realize how many rules James broke.
I've been reading compliments for James like fresh, raw, unpredictable -- oh yeah, after Fifty, I don't think readers will ever be quite as understanding about tired tropes. I cld be wrong but I hope not.
Edited to correct a point of grammar. |
I'll have to read your post after I finish the trilogy (on book 2!), but you're right--it is raw, fresh, and unpredictable. Perhaps the "staleness", so to speak, in romance, is why so many romance readers have turned to YA or paranormal fiction (or even inspirational historicals for those seeking historical romances heavy on history, plot and characterization, not on the sexual elements). |
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erika
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 297
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| Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 12:18 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | erika wrote:
[Hey Linda I'm hoping James does trigger an alpha hero trend too! I'm tired of seeing the fake bad boy rake heroes. I discovered Kristin Ashley soon after reading FS and hope some publisher picks her up!
Erika, what title by this author do you recommend? There are quite a few listed on Amazon.
ETA: FORGOT TO MENTION! Was watching GMA the earlier this week and they said that Fifty Shades of Grey is now one of the fastest selling series of all time, has beat both Twilight and The Hunger Games! They were joking about..look out Harry Potter you're next, haha
Linda |
Linda, I've read Mystery Man, Knight, Three Wishes and The Golden Dynasty. Weekend reading is At Peace.
I've decided to pass on reading the Rock Chick series due to the heroines, spoilers some are too promisicuious for me. |
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Linda in sw va
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
Posts: 4708
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| Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 5:25 am Post subject: |
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| erika wrote: | [inda, I've read Mystery Man, Knight, Three Wishes and The Golden Dynasty. Weekend reading is At Peace.
I've decided to pass on reading the Rock Chick series due to the heroines, spoilers some are too promisicuious for me. |
Ah, I think that might bother met oo so I will pass on that one as well. I did purchase Knight last night but wasn't sure where else to begin.
Linda
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