I keep walking past Fifty Shades of Gray in my local supermarket and thinking 'Don't jump on the bandwagon!' But I'm interested in the fact a lot of the critics say it's not well-written. It's not the sort of book I would usually read, so I have been avoiding it, but I saw the author interviewed on Newsnight last week and she was asked about whether it was properly edited. She started a sentence and paused. The interviewer asked her another question so she was saved from answering properly, but it looked as if she was trying to say it was appraised rather than copy-edited, or that it was edited by a friend rather than a professional.
So I just keep thinking 'How badly written?' Is it as bad as its generic front cover? (I might well have succumbed earlier if the cover wasn't so bad.) Hmm, think I might have to give in and buy it tomorrow. Have you bought it?
OK I have bought this book (kind of wish I hadnt though) and I stopped reading a quarter of the way through...for now (you may find yourself needing breaks as the narrative is tense). Obviously I have my own opinions but most people seem to be in two categories on this. They either REALLLLLYYYY LOVE it or the REAAALLLLLYYYY DESPISE it.
At the moment I am on the fence somewhere in between until I battle my way through it. The writing is so very repetitve and frustrating. The story itself, though lacking a little plot, is intriguing and interesting and opens the whole BDSM doors very wide open. I can tell you right this moment that is written worse than the Twilight saga books (which I must admit I am a fan of) the words 'oh my' 'holy cow' 'holy s£$"' 'holy crow' 'holy ANYTHING' and 'inner goddess' can be found on almost every page.
There is also a lengthy contract the female character must sign in order to have a relationship with the male in the book, as the whole thing is about BDSM roleplay, submission and dominance and control. Sex scenes are rather graphic, (which I dont mind due to what I write myself)
But all this is only my opinion and I have many friends who have enjoyed the book (if editing can be glossed over slightly as we are not all perfect) and you may enjoy it too. It can be bought on Kindle for about £3.00 ish so I dont feel I lost much when I realised I wasnt enjoying the book as much as I hoped. I really wanted to like the female of the book, but she doesnt seem to have a personality or life of her own...though I have heard in the second and third book she becomes alot stronger.
again these are only my opinions lol (not often I write an answer this long)
Adrian, if you only ever award winners/runners up you won't broaden your reading horizons as often the winners are very samey.
Harry Potter is actually quite good, excellently written, unlike the Twilight series.
Rowlings characters are also believable and like Stephen King she seems to have a knack for protraying the various relationships between people.
And the best is a subjective thing, personally J K Rowling is up with Stephen King, Lee Child, Tolkein and Bronte in my eyes, though you'd probably have a different top five.
Victoria, If it's written anywhere near as badly as twilight then it's not worth struggling through, but just because it's not proffessionally edited doesn't always mean it's badly written, I'd trust my Mam's opinion [not just because she's my mam, but because she really has an eye for what works and what doesn't] over an editors if I'm honest, but shhh!
More and more often, mistakes are overlooked, you might find that you enjoy the book, for it's ideas and themes. Critics don't read they analyse XD
I suspect you would have to get on quite a waiting list for this book with the library and I'm not sure I would like to see the state of it when it arrived! That is if Cardiff Library deemed it suitable. I believe some libraries have banned it. And would the fee be worth it? The book is only 3 pounds.
We went without a TV for 8 months when we lived in Tenerife - bliss! Sadly, my husband decided to treat the kids. There isn't much I watch, although I consider The Apprentice essential viewing for anyone who takes their people watching seriously. Seeing how the minds of the young and ambitious work is fascinating.
You are seriously missing out if you've never read a Harry Potter book, Adrian. The films were good, but lacked the wonderful detail of the books. JK Rowling said she formed a file on each character so she thoroughly understood them and all that work really shines through. It's a bit of a masterclass in dealing with a massive plot and huge number of characters, if nothing else.
I think you can go too far in avoiding hype. Just because something is popular, doesn't mean it is rubbish. In the case of Harry, quite the opposite. Setting yourself a high standard is important and reading quality work is essential, but you can narrow the field too far and become estranged from what readers want. The book inside you must appeal. It doesn't matter if you've written the best novel of your generation if it's too far removed from the aspirations of your potential readers for a publisher to even consider it.
Oh, and I forgot to buy the book in question today, so maybe it wasn't to be.