French translation of Fifty Shades of Grey a hit despite a mauling from critics

It's selling faster than any novel since Harry Potter

Fifty Shades of Grey is proving a hit in France, despite a mauling from critics who branded it 'Barbie doll eroticism'.

Two days after its launch, the French translation called Cinquante Nuances de Grey was approaching the 100,000 sales mark, making it the fastest selling novel in France since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Given the terrible press in France, it was thought it wouldn't be as popular as in the UK, where it has even outsold the Highway Code.

But the sales figures show that readers are ignoring the words of critics in order to read the raunchy novel, which tells the story of an S&M relationship between a 22-year-old graduate and a domineering billionaire.

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Critics had said the book had 'the writing level of a six-year-old' and was a 'spiced up Mills and Boon whose sex scenes were laughable'.

However reader comments on a forum, 20 Minutes, were less insulting.

One woman, who called herself Valérie, said the book was: 'A drug that one cannot do without and which leaves one full of eroticism.'

Have you read Fifty Shades of Grey? What do you think of it? A gripping read or absolute rubbish? Let us know in the comment box below.

Who should play Christian Grey in the 50 Shades of Grey movie? Watch the video below for some ideas!

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