Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Obraz Doriana Graye by Oscar Wilde

55 reviews

paulaks'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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

There are many thoughts I have about this book so let's brain dump them:
- Obviously beautifully written. Result: Lot of quotes!
- Interesting characters, non of them exeptionally "loveable" but that was not how they should be. Their flaws and different beliefs made this so interesting and without those the book couldn't thrive.
- Additional to the point I just mentioned, it was very manipulative. Looking at the time it was written the characters (men) wanted to be right and brush their beliefs onto everyone else. Even though those beliefs included misogynistic and racist views - the concept of that was really interesting and really important to the character development.
- The pacing was.. weird. Sometimes it was way too descriptive about e.g. a perfume. At other points it felt rushed especially at major plot lines. That was confusing but maybe intended? Edit from future me: After some debates with my dad I realize - the pacing was totally fine and fit the purpose perfectly. As a contemporary reader this is quite odd to read. Being used to a stable outline reading Wilde's work is weird but sheds light on an important tool in literature: pacing. 
- The philosophy was on point about society, youth, art and more that you will discover in the book. Especially the person who told his philosophical views was entertaining.
- I loved the athmosphere! Dark, dramatic leaning into gothic.
Overall: 5 stars. I think I will reread this in 2 or 3 years to get a new view on it. But I can recommend to start as early as you can to pick this book up! If you are lucky (like I was) you can get a perspective on this book quite early, maybe even in your "youth". That will hit harder since there are many dialogs about that ;)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Medical content, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide and Toxic relationship

_saphyr_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction

Minor: Abandonment

thevampiremars's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I knew of Oscar Wilde, of course, but this was my first time actually reading his work. I found it difficult not to use the book as a means of analysing its writer. He was known for his wit but was he genuinely clever or just good at appearing clever? Maybe there’s no distinction. Maybe it’s foolish of me to try to judge the character of a man by the work he creates. Wilde himself rebuked the idea that art should be taken as autobiography, that works of fiction reveal something about the writer. Then again, he also wrote in a letter “[The Picture of Dorian Gray] contains much of me in it — Basil Hallward is what I think I am; Lord Henry, what the world thinks of me; Dorian is what I would like to be — in other ages, perhaps.” It’s hard not to read the story as a reflection of its author to some extent.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is so much gayer than I expected. Like, it’s difficult to even describe it as subtext. It’s right there, unmistakable despite careful censorship, from chapter one onwards. I have to admit, this kind of pining, withholding, and hinting at queerness appeals to me far more than the uncomplicated “representation” we tend to see nowadays. I acknowledge literature like this comes from a society in which homosexuality was criminalised and deeply stigmatised – the ambiguity I adore wasn’t just a stylistic choice, it was a necessity – but it resonates with me in a way modern queer media just doesn’t.

The story is dominated by the theme of influence (and its inverse, impressionability). It’s handled well for the most part but I don’t really understand the significance of

the book Lord Henry recommends to Dorian. I know that some scholars identify it as an ode to either The Yellow Book or Huysmans’s Against Nature, and that the idea of a “poisonous book” was accentuated in later editions in response to the controversy surrounding this very novel upon its publication. In other words, I know that Wilde was playing with the idea of an immoral piece of literature corrupting (read: queering) young minds. That said, Dorian is already affected by the picture painted by Basil Hallward and the mirror given to him by Lord Henry, not to mention Lord Henry’s words; the addition of the corrupting book seemed to overcomplicate what was otherwise quite an elegant concept.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is good. I wasn’t blown away by it, but the premise is solid and I was pleasantly surprised by how audaciously queer it is. I can see why it’s considered a classic. Definitely worth a read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicide, Antisemitism, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation

rusty_moonshadow's review against another edition

dark funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Misogyny, and Antisemitism

Minor: Suicide

madinhoa's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

rory_john14's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Alcohol

Minor: Alcoholism, Confinement, Racism, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

filipa_maia's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I have a really hard time reading classics. The people who are represented in them are so wildly different from today's reality (from my reality, at least) that I have a really hard time trying to not be annoyed throughout the book. Everyone is so overly dramatic: the women keep fainting, people are always in each other's houses (I would hate living back then)... every little thing that happens is a story for days... So, in reality, to my eyes (and not wanting to get classic lovers angry) every single "classic book" look, and sounds, the same to me.

This book is a little bit different. Oscar Wilde combines the cliches of classic books with the horror and mystical aspect of a fantasy story, and I really enjoyed that. I already knew Dorian Gray's story: the guy that never ages and has a picture that keeps getting older, but I didn't know this much. I enjoyed discovering the madness behind Gray's actions, the things that he does, to himself and others, without taking any responsibility. On one hand I wish I knew what kind of "magic" is behind the painting; on the other hand this gives another coat of mystery to the book.

I have a couple of questions still:
* Why is every character so hateful? I have Dorian, I hate Henry, I hate that entire society.
* Don't people get curious with the fact the Dorian does not age? They know him for year... don't they wonder?

Anyway, overall this is a good book, very mysterious and entertaining.

P.S.: The edition that I read is one without the six "infamous" chapters. Apparently, someone, sometime ago, decided that the original book had six chapters that where "too gay", so some books don't have them. I discovered this because I've read this book in a group read, and some of the girls had more chapters than the others... So, this edition was published for the first time in 2009. Where those chapters still "too gay"?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Dementia, and Death of parent

ran_sophia's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

The author has a pretty good writing style, but I still didn't like the book very much. Descriptions of all the equipment in the house seemed completely useless to me. The only thing I liked was the theme of the book, that every action and decision has its consequences.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Body shaming, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Minor: Fatphobia and Sexual violence

maymaymav's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, and Murder

Moderate: Misogyny

greatu's review against another edition

dark inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Murder

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Suicide, Blood, Stalking, and Classism