Reviews

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Only show reviews with written explanations

remuslibrary's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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

5.0

would rate this a million stars if i could. the most brilliant piece of literature i have ever read.

jayvdw's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

2.0

This book was one of the biggest letdowns I have had. The book is rated as one of the best classics and many people speak highly of it. I thought that the book was boring, long-winded, and unnecessarily complicated. There are definitely interesting themes and story elements in the book. It is clear that these inspired, and had a profound impact on many works of fiction. But that said, many of these newer works of fiction did it better, The Picture of Dorian Gray is, in my eyes, a clear example of a spark that lit a great fire.

My biggest grudge against the book is the lengthy monologues and descriptions. These moments in the book are frequent, lackluster, and pretentious. The book could have been one-third of its actual size and have the same narrative impact. Not to mention, that the moments which I did care for the story were brief and didn't have the depth like the other parts. Furthermore, I hated most of the characters in the book, Henry and Dorian were both horrible people. It was clear that Henry was corrupting Dorain, but this did not make it less frustrating to read about his thoughts.

There was one moment in the book that I loved.

Nearing the end of the book, when James Vane is following Dorian. I genuinely got scared when Dorian saw James through the window in the dark. It was the first jumpscare that I read in a book.

Overall I was greatly disappointed by the book. It is definitely a classic that inspired many authors and writers, but for me, it did not live up to its peers.

trhodg's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Through this twisted story, Oscar Wilde shares his beliefs about art, love, vanity, and much more. I found myself disagreeing with a lot of these beliefs, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t fully intrigued by what Wilde has to say. And what a finale!

djenne99's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional funny mysterious tense slow-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

3.0

Hate lord henry. Terrible how women are spoken about and how death is pushed over but I think that’s sort of the point. It’s funny at times but really harsh and sad at others.
The sentences can go on and on.
I don’t know why we needed that part about all of his hobbies.
I think I would appreciate it more if I had studied it.