Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

260 reviews

readahrita's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad 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

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Utterly terrifying, fabulous ending. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Classism

archiveofrasa's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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it's a classic what else can I say

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Murder

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Antisemitism

Minor: Drug use, Racism

decrown's review against another edition

4.25

dark mysterious 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

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everyone is terrible, chapter 11 almost killed me

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Antisemitism, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Classism

teabrewer's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Everything in this book is golden, red and olive green. If you know what each of these colors meant for the victorians, you already have a great synopsis for it. This is a story about an unrequited love, the corruption of a soul, the obsession for aesthetical beauty and all lives ruined in the way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism

jackiepreston's review against another edition

3.0

dark 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder

katie0528's review against another edition

3.0

dark reflective 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

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This is such a famous classic I wanted to read it. For me, I think it being so iconic was it's downfall. The premise is exactly what everyone already knows. That is actually very little of the plot, with the rest of the book containing of Dorian Gray's friend and initial corruptor philosophizing about his personal cynical brand of hedonism that causes and conrinaully exacerbates Dorian's fall. However, it gets quite exhausting, especially since everyone is quite horrible.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Murder, Toxic friendship, Classism

Minor: Drug use

shaleen64's review against another edition

3.25

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

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If you’re looking to get into classics this book is a good place to start as it is relativity easy to read. 

However, I found a few chapters added nothing to the development of the characters or the plot and I found myself scanning through them. 

Having said that the final third of the book was engaging, with some really good symbolism and unexpected twists that did in the end tie the book together.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Murder, Classism

Minor: Drug use, Death of parent

willow1113's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Antisemitism, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Classism

Minor: Suicide, Toxic relationship

emnime's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional funny mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Murder

Moderate: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Toxic friendship, Classism

thelibraryskeeper's review against another edition

5.0

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I can't believe I took the majority of my adulthood to read this. It's easily made its way to the top of my favorite books. It's so well written and I mean it when I say Wilde seriously has the most sick burns (a sentence I never thought I'd be writing).

Wilde examines the condition of the human soul, the effect of vanity on the ego, and the results of living a life with no consequences. Wilde has truly treated us to a masterpiece with this book. I was literally yelling for about the last minute or so of the audiobook. If you haven't taken the time yet, let this be your invitation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Murder

Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Misogyny, Antisemitism