Take a photo of a barcode or cover
"...That a burnt child loves the fire"
"I am not even singed. My wings are untouched."
"You use them for everything except flight."
- Personal Review
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'Dorian Gray is a mediocre story, I really don't get the hype. Yeah, I was surprised Basil was killed by Dorian, but the rest was just 'OK'. I definitely see the LGBTQ overtones but that's what makes it uncomfortable. Wilde doesn't really glorify either of them yet it's still awkward especially considering Henry was grooming Dorian and was shocked when Dorian became deranged; like what did you expect? Also the antisemitism ? I thought at first it was in Dorian's POV, but it was continuous and expansive. I couldn't find concrete evidence Wilde was anti-Semitic but considering its popularity of the time it adds another uncomfortable layer to the mix.'
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Graphic: Body horror, Suicide, Blood, Antisemitism, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism
Minor: Addiction, Suicidal thoughts
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Murder
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Classism
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicide, Antisemitism, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Classism
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
This book is a little bit different. Oscar Wilde combines the cliches of classic books with the horror and mystical aspect of a fantasy story, and I really enjoyed that. I already knew Dorian Gray's story: the guy that never ages and has a picture that keeps getting older, but I didn't know this much. I enjoyed discovering the madness behind Gray's actions, the things that he does, to himself and others, without taking any responsibility. On one hand I wish I knew what kind of "magic" is behind the painting; on the other hand this gives another coat of mystery to the book.
I have a couple of questions still:
* Why is every character so hateful? I have Dorian, I hate Henry, I hate that entire society.
* Don't people get curious with the fact the Dorian does not age? They know him for year... don't they wonder?
Anyway, overall this is a good book, very mysterious and entertaining.
P.S.: The edition that I read is one without the six "infamous" chapters. Apparently, someone, sometime ago, decided that the original book had six chapters that where "too gay", so some books don't have them. I discovered this because I've read this book in a group read, and some of the girls had more chapters than the others... So, this edition was published for the first time in 2009. Where those chapters still "too gay"?
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Murder, Toxic friendship
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Dementia, Death of parent
And this book is not queer at all! Whoever tagged it as such lied!
Graphic: Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Classism
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Antisemitism, Murder, Gaslighting
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide
Graphic: Gore, Toxic relationship, Murder, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
I'm sure that most of what I can say about this book in regards to its philosophy and history has already been said by someone more knowledgeable that me, so I won't go into my thoughts on those matters. As a horror story I think it still holds up well in the modern day. Dorian's descent into soullessness grows more chilling by the chapter, as his sins culminate and lead to his ultimate end. Wilde's wit and descriptive language made the scenery and characters come alive, and as the book went on I felt it less challenging to make sense of his dense paragraphs and philosophies. I would recommend this book to other readers. It remains a classic not only for Wilde's adept writing, but the controversy it caused at the time of publication.
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Misogyny, Suicide, Murder, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief