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zombie4brainz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Murder, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Suicide and Grief
sophtanda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Gun violence, Misogyny, Stalking, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Violence
avocadotoastbee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The plot sounds promising:
Young Dorian Gray wishes that his portrait would age and bear the marks of his sins instead of him. When he realizes that his wish is coming true, he commits all kinds of sins, while keeping his young, perfectly pure appearance.
The execution was disappointing though:
The book starts slowly and then, in the second half of the book, events suddenly overturn. Also, none of the events really follow through. I was disappointed that after each eventful chapter there was another big time jump. I had expected more. Also, it became very predictable as time went on.
The absolute worst thing, however, was the character of Lord Henry Wotton. With Lord Henry, Wilde has created the most misogynistic character ever. But that's not all, The Portrait of Dorian Gray contains many problematic characters and statements. The racism, anti-semitism, and misogyny that were ever-present completely spoiled the reading experience.
But not all of it was bad:
I enjoyed the little bits of wisdom and queerness Wilde sprinkled in.
The underlying exploration of aging, indulging in "pleasures", pain, living with dark secrets and death was well done and endlessly quotable.
“What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose […] his own soul?”
Overall, I know Oscar Wilde is a Gay Icon and can do so much more, but The Picture of Dorian Gray just wasn't for me.
Graphic: Antisemitism, Stalking, Racism, Addiction, Misogyny, Drug abuse, Death, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Sexism, Racial slurs, Murder, and Drug use
Moderate: Classism and Blood
Minor: Colonisation
sarahdoggen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Classism, Murder, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Addiction, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Infidelity
marigoldgem's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Murder, Child death, Suicide, Death, Toxic friendship, Blood, Classism, and Toxic relationship
antoniav's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Suicide and Toxic friendship
frankieclc's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Suicide
rjkadlick's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
1. the premise is super interesting and is carried out in an exciting way. i wish wilde had focused on the plot more, but i know i have a personal preference for plot-based books.
2. idk if i haven't read any classics in a while or if it's just this one, but it felt very Platonic (in the Plato way) with a lot of talk (especially by
3. as with many classics, there's some... offensive portrayals of certain characters... in this case antisemitism and misogyny so i would recommend looking at content tags before reading!
overall though i thought it was super interesting and one of the easier classics to read and understand
Graphic: Toxic friendship and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny and Antisemitism
wormgirl's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Classism, Suicide, Antisemitism, Sexism, Drug abuse, Murder, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Toxic friendship and Blood
pershie13's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Murder
Moderate: Grief, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Minor: Animal death