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saintmare's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Misogyny and Antisemitism
katharinaamaliae's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
4.75
I was really close to giving this book five stars, but in the end I didn't mostly because of just a few pages. I absolutely loved Oscar Wilde's writing, it was so beautiful and really easy to read, however a few parts were just kind of boring to me, for example when he talked about different jewels for like three pages. But that is really the only thing I didn't like.
The topics this book deals with are just so timeless and I think that's why it's still important today. I totally understand why it's a classic, and its definitely worth reading. It is also great if you're not used to reading classics and want to start reading them.
The topics this book deals with are just so timeless and I think that's why it's still important today. I totally understand why it's a classic, and its definitely worth reading. It is also great if you're not used to reading classics and want to start reading them.
And beauty is a form of genius - is higher, indeed, than genius, as it needs no explanation. It is of the great facts of the world, like sunlight or springtime, or the reflection in the dark waters of that silver shell we call the moon. It cannot be questioned. It has its divine right of sovereignty. It makes princes of those who have it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Suicide and Gun violence
fooliette's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
3.0
I get why the book is popular but for me it was a very heavy read. It was a lot of description and made it hard to get through for me. The book was written beautifully, but it was pretty forgetful to me. When Dorian kills Basil, it left me shocked but that’s the only thing from the book that made me remember it and leave a lasting imprint on me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death, Misogyny, and Murder
charlotte_kuckuck's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Suicide
kattypillar13's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a difficult read if you like to root for characters in novels. That said, the characters are not designed to be likeable. The story reflects the problems of a culture obsessed with youth, aesthetics, and appearances, and it does so in a complex manner. It is a well-written novel which unsettles the reader and encourages them to reflect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Suicide, Classism, Death, Racism, and Sexism
riverofhorton's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
So to start, this book was not what modern media had lead me to believe it would be, but that is definitely not a bad thing. In the modern media, the characters are straight or at the straight end of bi/pan, whereas here they're straight, gay, or at the gay end of bi/pan. Had I not gone into this knowing Wilde was gay, I would have been wondering after a couple pages. One of the male characters is madly in love with Dorian and at throughout his character arc, I found myself crying tears of both joy and heartbreak at various points.
One of the few things I didn't find enjoyable about this book, was Chapter 11. I understand the intention behind that particular chapter completely, but for me it seemed to drag on too much and added relatively little to the story that couldn't have been contained in a couple of paragraphs.
Here is a bullet pointed review I posted elsewhere online:
One of the few things I didn't find enjoyable about this book, was Chapter 11. I understand the intention behind that particular chapter completely, but for me it seemed to drag on too much and added relatively little to the story that couldn't have been contained in a couple of paragraphs.
Here is a bullet pointed review I posted elsewhere online:
- Dear God, the gay. I don't even want to count how many gay bits I tabbed.
Basil is an absolute sweetheart and deserved way better. Dorian could have been an amazing person, if he hadn't been corrupted. Harry can suck a d*ck. To paraphrase the Frankenstein Vs. monster thing: Knowledge is knowing Harry isn't the villain, wisdom is knowing Harry is the villain. Alan reminded me of Dr Jekyll in a lot of ways, which I liked but I don't know if this was intentional or just my brain. - Chapter 11 dragged so much, and only really added
"Dorian spent 18 years collecting hobbies, some of which will be briefly mentioned later." Probably going to skip it next read. - And yes, I will be re-reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Classism, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Suicide, Infidelity, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
_clicklike_'s review against another edition
Just wasn’t interested anymore. Middle pages got interesting and first pages were good, interest dwindled. Might come back to later.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Misogyny, Murder, and Death
thestrangebeingyouare's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Addiction, Mental illness, Murder, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Classism, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, Body horror, Drug use, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Antisemitism
the story is strange and beautiful, but the main characters are all extremely flawed. there are also some aspects of misogyny and antisemitism that are unrelated to the plot, so i do warn you to be aware of the authors prejudices so you can critically read the story.blau_elmo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The question remains: was Dorian Gray always bound to go down the road of depravity, or was it purely because of Lord Henry's influence? The artist's desire to keep him pristine and untainted - was that realistic or reasonable, or was it just out of his infatuation?
WhenDorian dies after destroying the portrait out of disgust at his twisted character and he just ends up perishing , I don't know how I was still legitimately surprised at the turn of events, but the ending really caught me off guard. But it is a very deserved ending for our titular character and his sinister debasement.
Is Lord Henry's hedonism a reasonable way to conduct ourselves? Clearly, the answer is no. Thank you Wilde, for this inspection of sin.
When
Is Lord Henry's hedonism a reasonable way to conduct ourselves? Clearly, the answer is no. Thank you Wilde, for this inspection of sin.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Violence, and Death
pomegranatepanacea's review against another edition
dark
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Misogyny and Antisemitism