Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Picture of Dorian Gray

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

164 reviews

wowsmeows's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad slow-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

3.5

"Beautiful sins, like beautiful things, are the privilege of the rich."

I went into Dorian Gray without knowing anything about it, and I really enjoyed it for the most part.

The main story is intriguing and there was a few unexpected moments that I really enjoyed. The three main characters (Dorian, Henry and Basil) are so incredibly unlikeable and would be tedious to know in real life, yet I still found them to be engaging. I think this book is a great example of how main characters do not have to be likeable for a story to be enjoyed.

The thing I disliked about the novel novels is that it feels like the story gets interrupted by the author going on a personal tangent and lecturing the audience. I really struggled through one specific chapter and I very nearly didn't pick it back up again. It felt very preachy and really interrupted the story.

Overall, I enjoyed The Picture of Dorian Gray and I'm glad I picked it up!

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libra_sun's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I went into this book with zero knowledge of the plot, and I think it was the right choice. I couldn't put it down, I wanted to know what was happening and I love the way the mystery unfolded. It was an amazing reflective piece on society's obsession with beauty, and it is still wholly relevant, especially with the rise of social media. The idea that being beautiful means you are good.
My one critique is that there is a bit of rambling in some passages, but it's kind of par for the course in these types of books.
Anyways, I thoroughly enjoyed and definitely recommend.

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olive_lol's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective 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

3.5

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zauet's review against another edition

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dark reflective medium-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

4.5

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peggy_racham's review against another edition

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4.75

"The sin we had done once, and with loathing, we would do many times, and with joy."

I really liked the censored version without knowing much about it. This was so much better, more complex and more queer.

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megstickz's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This edition includes contemporary reviews of The Picture of Dorian Gray:

“The puzzle is that a young man of decent parts, who enjoyed (when he was at Oxford) the opportunity of associating with gentlemen, should put his name (such as it is) to so stupid and vulgar a piece of work”.

5/5 excellent read.

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riverofhorton's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

So to start, this book was not what modern media had lead me to believe it would be, but that is definitely not a bad thing. In the modern media, the characters are straight or at the straight end of bi/pan, whereas here they're straight, gay, or at the gay end of bi/pan. Had I not gone into this knowing Wilde was gay, I would have been wondering after a couple pages.

One of the male characters is madly in love with Dorian and at throughout his character arc,

I found myself crying tears of both joy and heartbreak at various points.

One of the few things I didn't find enjoyable about this book, was Chapter 11. I understand the intention behind that particular chapter completely, but for me it seemed to drag on too much and added relatively little to the story that couldn't have been contained in a couple of paragraphs.

Here is a bullet pointed review I posted elsewhere online:

Dear God, the gay. I don't even want to count how many gay bits I tabbed.
Basil is an absolute sweetheart and deserved way better.
Dorian could have been an amazing person, if he hadn't been corrupted.
Harry can suck a d*ck. To paraphrase the Frankenstein Vs. monster thing: Knowledge is knowing Harry isn't the villain, wisdom is knowing Harry is the villain.
Alan reminded me of Dr Jekyll in a lot of ways, which I liked but I don't know if this was intentional or just my brain.
Chapter 11 dragged so much, and only really added
"Dorian spent 18 years collecting hobbies, some of which will be briefly mentioned later."
Probably going to skip it next read.
And yes, I will be re-reading it.