You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Sexism, Suicide, Murder, Toxic friendship
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Quote:
“Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
Setting:
The Picture of Doian Gray is set in a fictional Victorian English city. I found the city itself to be full of life and a bit of a character on it's own, full of sin wherever the reader went.
Plot:
Our story follows a young Dorian Gray as he get's his portrait painted by Basil Hallward. The name sake of the book comes out amazingly, Basil's best work. Soon enough Dorian wishes the painting would grow old and he would stay young. However one should be careful what they wish for as Dorian is soon to find out.
Writing:
Oscar Wilde's writing is tough to handle at times. I will admit a large part of that is when it was written and the changes in language since then. Previous to this attempt I had tried to read this book 4 different times and the first part was tough to get through, around the half way point I found myself used to this writing style and didn't mind it nearly as much.
Characters:
There isn't a wide array of cast in this novel, and I found myself sort of hating each character in their own way and for their own reason. I feel this actually does this novel well as it has a message and it is best deliveried due to this dislike of each character.
Pros:
A solid story with a message
Excellent character study
Cons:
Writing is tough to start
Ending feels quite rushed
Recommendation:
This novel likely needs no introduction. It is a Gothic classic in every sense and deserves a read. That took me 4 attempts so my biggest recommendation is don't force it. Try reading the book and if you can't break through take a break, put it down. Then after some time try again. I promise it's worth a read and wasn't what I expected exactly even knowing the premise ahead of time.
“Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
Setting:
The Picture of Doian Gray is set in a fictional Victorian English city. I found the city itself to be full of life and a bit of a character on it's own, full of sin wherever the reader went.
Plot:
Our story follows a young Dorian Gray as he get's his portrait painted by Basil Hallward. The name sake of the book comes out amazingly, Basil's best work. Soon enough Dorian wishes the painting would grow old and he would stay young. However one should be careful what they wish for as Dorian is soon to find out.
Writing:
Oscar Wilde's writing is tough to handle at times. I will admit a large part of that is when it was written and the changes in language since then. Previous to this attempt I had tried to read this book 4 different times and the first part was tough to get through, around the half way point I found myself used to this writing style and didn't mind it nearly as much.
Characters:
There isn't a wide array of cast in this novel, and I found myself sort of hating each character in their own way and for their own reason. I feel this actually does this novel well as it has a message and it is best deliveried due to this dislike of each character.
Pros:
A solid story with a message
Excellent character study
Cons:
Writing is tough to start
Ending feels quite rushed
Recommendation:
This novel likely needs no introduction. It is a Gothic classic in every sense and deserves a read. That took me 4 attempts so my biggest recommendation is don't force it. Try reading the book and if you can't break through take a break, put it down. Then after some time try again. I promise it's worth a read and wasn't what I expected exactly even knowing the premise ahead of time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Murder
Minor: Drug use
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Such an interesting concept but didn't age well into the 21st century. With controversial anti-Semitism and misogyny dotted throughout the story it made it easy to dislike the characters and made for an interesting read. I personally struggle with the classic English writing style and found at times struggling to understand what I was reading, Wilde uses a lot of flowery descriptive paragraphs, which were quite honestly, boring. I found myself 70 pages in and gritting my teeth to get through the rest. Admittedly the action did somewhat pick up and I found myself enthralled to see the confliction in Dorian Gray's moral come to blows. A bit of a lackluster climax but definitely can see the appeal and why the novel is still considered a classic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Suicide, Murder
Minor: Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Antisemitism
challenging
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Classism
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was, is, amazing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Murder, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Drug use, Sexism, Suicide
Minor: Antisemitism
The instance of antisemitism happened only early in the novel, but it is really, really viscerally pungent. So prepare yourself, it happens when Dorian is talking to Henry about the theatre owner, and continues until the first major event of the book.
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Classism
Minor: Infidelity, Antisemitism
dark
medium-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
Alright, I didn't like it. The constant misogyny is insufferable and the philosophical aspect gets quickly annoying. And the story isn't that much interesting to me. I like the gothic elements though.
On the other hand, I loved the prose (I read a 1958 French translation).
On the other hand, I loved the prose (I read a 1958 French translation).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Blood, Antisemitism, Murder, Classism
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Drug use
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Suicide, Blood, Classism
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's a slow start, but once it picks up it hooks ya! The prose, while gorgeous, did make for a bit of a slog at times. Overall, I'm glad I read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Misogyny, Classism
Moderate: Racism, Suicide, Antisemitism, Toxic friendship
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I will definitely return to this book. Great writing, great characters, and an amazing ending. I did find that all of the rich people problems get annoying towards the end, but still a fantastic book about beauty, morality, and heathenism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Classism
Minor: Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, Classism
The classism is less of a thing that happens and more of a general presence throughout the book.