Please settle this discussion.... (Romance)

[AETango]

Hi, my name is Lexy and I'm *brand* new here. I came on here hoping to have some insight from like-minded individuals who love to read, and maybe a few of you would be able to settle a discussion I was having...

I'm talking to one of my closest friends, who is an avid book lover like myself, and we were discussing what makes a Romance (and I'm really talking about romance borderline erotica) novel "good" and what makes one "bad." We both recently jumped on the bandwagon and finished reading "50 Shades of Grey." And obviously the general consensus opinion regarding that book is that it is generally bad. While I thought the the story was intriguing, I can't pinpoint exactly how I felt the writing was subpar. It just... was. Barring some obvious distracting typos (which can really happen in any book and is simply a matter of oversight), a lot of it had me rolling my eyes. My friend seems to think *all* romance novels are like that, however. And I'm kind of inclined to believe her, but then again I figured there has to be such thing as a "good" romance novel.

But then again... aren't all romance novel cheesy, explicit, and ultimately predictable? Or am I just inexperienced in that genre? I'm sure typos can't be the only deciding factor in whether or not a romance novel gets positive reviews. And they mostly all have sex and ridiculously good-looking central characters. Can someone shed some insight on what makes a romance novel a good romance novel? And what makes a bad one?

Thanks so much in advance.

 

[regdog]

50 Shades of Grey is poorly written with bad dialogue an abusive MC and is unflattering of the BDSM world it is supposedly set in. The portrayal of Christian Grey as a Dom is the epitome of everything a true Dom is not, in his care and treatment of his Sub. It isn't the genre that's the problem but the writing itself.

It is not romance but erotica, and bad erotica.

For any story in any genre to be good the plot has to be good, the story rich and believable including the dialogue.

How many times in 5o is the phrase "oh my." said? That is the primary phrase of an intelligent college educated woman? Not believable. Chrisitian Grey is an unlikable narcissistic, abusive ass.

There are some fantastic romance novels out there. If you're looking for deep involved stories with subplots Diana Gabladon's Outlander series is one.
Marsha Canham's Pride of Lions is another. Both series are well written and set against historical events in which the fictional stories are seamlessly interwoven into actual events.

If you want lighter less involved historical romance, or modern romance set in crime thrillers, Julie Garwood has many excellent books.

 

[AETango]

I have to agree with you on some major points. Well first, I have never been into BDSM so I know *absolutely nothing* about what that lifestyle entails. So, I can't speak to realism when it comes to that aspect of the book. However, that being said, at no point was "Anastasia Steele" considered his sub, she didn't sign the contract, and he didn't view her as such. So, that in mind, I wouldn't expect him to treat her as a Dom would treat his sub. BUT....

I have to agree with the overused phrases. I couldn't stop rolling my eyes almost the entire book. "Oh my" was one of the most criminally overused phrases of this book. As was her iteration and reiteration and re-re-reiteration that his eyes were "steel grey" and his sweatpants hung off his hips in "that way." Enough. We get it. He's hot and he's yours and his eyes are grey. The imagery was repetitive and lacked variety. What I found unrealistic was the portrayal of sex in the book. How her first time, she had orgasm after orgasm. And every single time since, orgasm after orgasm. I couldn't get past that. Not one off night? Not one night when your head just wasn't in it? The suspension of belief was just not there for me.

I do have to say this: I do not understand all the fuss about how this book glorifies abusive relationships. I didn't find him to be terribly abusive, at all actually. As the MC was somebody who had massive control and mommy issues, the book was centered around him breaking his back shattering his own comfort zone as a Dominant in an effort to respect her boundaries out of fear of losing her. He was controlling, jealous, overprotective, possessive, and quick tempered, yes. I need a little bit more than that, however, to label somebody as abusive. I didn't find him manipulative, I just found him socially inept and the way the book portrayed him, each of his emotions seemed to be very genuine and not out of some Machiavellian plot to get his own way. I definitely didn't find him psychologically abusive, as most of her emotional ups and downs were related to his own pain and his lack of ability to function properly in normal relationships, a fact which disturbed him throughout the book, too. And I *definitely* didn't find him physically abusive, as this book was centered around consent and when she consented to being whipped and ran off traumatized, he didn't want to lay a finger on her ever again, and she had to coax him back into that playroom. The book, I feel, did a very satisfactory job in portraying him as having her safety and well-being as his #1 priority. I feel it was amateurishly portrayed, but portrayed nonetheless. I got the point: he would rather live his life outside of his comfort zone than risk hurting or losing her.

I did, however, find that this book does glorify dysfunctional relationships. And I do find that there's a difference. I did thoroughly enjoy the story though. And I do think the storyline was good.

Thank you for the suggestions. I'm not big on erotica, and this was only the second erotica book I've ever read (the first one was an accident, as I bought it thinking it was just another Chick Lit novel to read on the plane). But I might give the genre a try, as I would like to know if there is such a thing as a realistic erotica novel with an enthralling plot.

 

[Conscious Bob]

Taste is subjective so Fifty Shades of Grey is a good romance going by how many people have read it which are quite a few.

I get the feeling though the readership have a laugh with it.