Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

153 reviews

merle_bookdragon's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

Absolutely amazed at the wild time I have had while reading this book. I am absolutely obsessed with Lord Henry and also with Dorian (not as obsessed with Basil but he still deserved better!!). I love how the beginning of the book is really just lots of banter and then it goes downhill VERY quickly. 

It's also so interesting because Dorian blames Basil's picture and Henry's book for his downfall but it's really all about HIS own actions. I think it is especially noticeable in contrast to Lord Henry because he also talks a lot about horrible things and philosophizes about every topic but he is not taken seriously and also does not act upon them. Dorian on the other hand takes everything Henry says very seriously and whatever thought he has during his life he simply acts upon, which is what leads him down all these bad roads.

There were of course quite a few moments where it was easily noticeable in what time this book was written and published as quite a few antisemitic and sexist comments are made and not challenged. Additionally, one should be aware that this is in parts a quite heavy book, especially in the passages that contain murder, suicide, death and drug abuse.

All in all, I really want to reread it and also look at the beginning with a different eye but that will have to wait for a later time!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Antisemitism

chloevienna's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

this was so good - it may be my favorite classic i’ve read. very funny and accessible, and really easy to get into. as someone who has always hated audiobooks, i decided to try this on audible read by ben barnes, and let me just say…there’s no other way to read this. his performance is SUPERB. it made me feel like i was there, or at the very least watching TV. my only gripe with the book is that it gets a little slow in the last hour and a half. i normally take around 4 days to read books, but i listened to this before bed and it immediately relaxed me and made me sleepy, so it took me about two weeks to complete it…so maybe don’t do that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Sexism, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Classism

hannahlouise_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

i absolutely adore the way that oscar wilde writes. one of the best novels i’ve read 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism

amyayeme's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional lighthearted tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, and Violence

Moderate: Rape and Sexual content

hannahws's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

I feel very conflicted about this book! On the one hand, it's a fantastic study of Reconstruction Era Britain. Wilde's social commentary is fantastically biting and shrewd, even more so if you read it with his trial in mind. On the other, I expected Dorian's character arc to develop a bit more - I found the characters to be quite flat and stagnant, and the pace dragged

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Antisemitism, and Classism

Moderate: Violence

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

perleerose's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.25

A true masterclass in the plot twist in my opinion with thinly veiled gay undertones for good measure

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Minor: Sexism, Suicide, and Gaslighting

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

crisi_books's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective 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

4/5 ⭐️

Oscar Wilde is wild and blatantly gay for writing this. The homoerotic undertones were severe and despite its vagueness, it’s honestly a wonder how this ever got published in 1890 with how obviously gay it is.

Is it bad to say I almost hated every character in this book, and yet still really enjoyed it? No? Okay.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a fascinating examination of vanity, greed, and all those things that just make you hate people. The prose is mystical and keeps that feel about it that most gothic novels have, which I’ve learned is difficult to read more than a paragraph of when you’re running on four hours of sleep and the sheer force of will.

I could hardly put this book down despite finding it a difficult to read, which says a lot on how gripping and compelling it is. If I put it down for a second it was all I could think about and so I had to pick it back up. Oscar Wilde has wormed his way into my brain and will probably stay there for a solid while.

A lot of the discussions about aestheticism and philosophy do come off as a little preachy (especially bc Henry Wotton can’t help but spew a paragraph about how lovely youth is and other shit every two pages), and there is sexist and misogynistic commentary, but overall it is thought provoking and intriguing.

Oh, Dorian. Poor Dorian. You dumb, dumb boy.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicide, Violence, and Stalking

morpheus_moon's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide