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_saphyr_'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
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Classism, Gaslighting, Gore, and Gun violence
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Abandonment
jeremie'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
4.5
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Addiction
gentleprocrastination'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: Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Classism, Death, Murder, Body horror, and Homophobia
Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Antisemitism, and Suicide
Minor: Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Stalking
sinaprst's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
I would literally sell my soul to be able to read this for the first time again.
Though at times it was a bit difficult to get through, it was overall just an incredible read and I now want to read everything else Oscar Wilde has ever written.
Lastly all I have to say is:
- Basil deserved better
- Harry is a piece of shit
- and I wish it could've been gayer
Graphic: Murder and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Classism, Death, Suicide, Misogyny, Addiction, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Drug use, Gaslighting, Racism, and Sexism
berufsgrantler's review against another edition
- 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
Oh, this book... Another entry in the category "Very good, but don't read it!". Shocking how someone so young and naive can be led to throw his whole code of ethics over board, while having no hope of pulling his neck out of the hangmans noose; allthe more when one is in fear of endling like that and being forced to betray ones own principles, by eliminating all choice to do better. For all the people suffering from mid- or quarterlife crisis, this should be an especially hard read.
And alas Lord Henry, he's just such a charming bastard, one could say he's the quintessence of the cur ;)
DEUTSCH:
Hach, dieses Buch... Wiedermal ein Fall für die Kategorie "Sehr gut, aber lies es nicht!". Schockierend wie jemand so junges und naives so moralisch verfallen kann und sich nicht aus der Schlinge zu winden mag, die sich langsam zuzieht; umso mehr wenn man selbst Angst hat schließlich so zu Enden und man doch irgendwann seine moralischen Prinzipien verraten muss, weil einem die Wahl genommen wurde. Besonders harte Lektüre für die Mid- und Quarterlife-Crisis.
Ach und Lord Henry, dieser schmierig, gewitzte Bastard, man könnte fast meinen er sei des Pudels Kern ;)
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Blood
Minor: Addiction and Sexism
brnineworms's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Classism, Death, Murder, Blood, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Antisemitism, Bullying, Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Sexism, Alcohol, and Suicide
Minor: Colonisation, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Violence, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Cultural appropriation, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Xenophobia
feelinwitchy's review
- 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
Moderate: Antisemitism, Classism, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Death, Misogyny, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Suicide, Stalking, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Addiction
liv_green85's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Toxic friendship, and Blood
Moderate: Addiction
avacronin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a classic that I think everybody should have the chance to read at least once in their life. It's a powerful story with a magical element to it, and certainly deserves the role as a classic piece of literature. However, it most definitely is not a perfect story, and revolves around the faults of the main characters. Throughout the description of faults is beautifully descriptive paragraphs, which may bore some.
I do agree that some characters in this book (cough cough Dorian and Lord Henry) can be incredibly annoying, however the fact that these characters infuriated me and so many others show that we have morals, unlike those characters. The faults of these characters, and the way in which they are overlooked in the presence of money and power is one of the messages and themes in this novel, and a powerful one it is.
While this book may not be to everybody's taste, I did enjoy the experience I had reading it. I do however suggest reading the trigger warnings before reading, as many things are described in great details.
The Pros
- I know it may not seem like a pro to some readers, but I really did like the brutally honest way in which the lower class areas were described, and how different the descriptions were compared to those of the upper class, taking Lord Henry's house for example. It serves as a way to show how Victorian Era London actually was, the bad parts (like the opium dens) included. However, I did also appreciate the way in which Wilde described most things in this book.
The Cons
- I did feel that the ending was a bit rushed and slightly underwhelming. Although I got part of what I wanted, it just was not as satisfying as I wished it would have been. The only good part about it was that I didn't expect it at all.
I would recommend this book for people to at least try and read once in their life. It carries a deeper message, and if you take anything from it, take the message to never live a life like Dorian
Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Blood, Classism, Death, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction and Drug use
maliap's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Addiction, Misogyny, Sexism, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Drug use, Racism, and Suicide