Reviews with content warning for Blood - The Picture of Dorian Gray

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

178 reviews

caribbeangirlreading's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I really expected to love this novel but the first half of the book just dragged. However, this book would have made for amazing book club discussion.

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binches's review against another edition

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challenging dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

rating: very good ⭐⭐⭐⭐
personal enjoyment rating: good ⭐⭐⭐

I think this is a really good book and the way it discusses life and philosophizes on certain concepts was quite interesting and insightful (though intentionally flawed at times). The characters were very unlikeable and messed up and I couldn't wait for every single one of them to die (that's not criticism btw it's the whole point of the book). However, I don't think the writing is necessarily for me. I don't think it's bad by any means, I just didn't really vibe with some of it at certain points.

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steffan_tastic's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Almost none of the characters in this book have an ounce of likeability to them, but I love to hate them. I cried (publicly) after

Basil's confession and subsequent rejection

, and when I finished the book today I sat silently in amazement, for ending (I felt) was so well-executed. It could have used fewer tangents, plus antisemitism and sexism showed the book's age, but otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and think that many of the debates and characters within are still relevant in the modern day. Wilde's portrayal of yearning ("worship") is heartbreaking, and its exploration of the theme of vanity and its manifestation in Dorian's character and decisions is shocking and provocative. I also just really love drama, and this book has a lot of it.

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the_book_cat's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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wormgirl's review against another edition

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dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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pershie13's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow. This. Was. Phenomenal. The writing and pacing were good, the story was gripping, and I was wondering how this book was going to end literally until the last sentence. This is my favorite classic I've read so far and easily deserves five stars!

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