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raphael_rocha's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
itazdori's review against another edition
5.0
Oscar Wilde's writing is like dark chocolate — sweet, biting, fragrant, acidic, indulgent, luxurious. I need to grab another copy of this that I won't mind annotating, because half the book is quotes I need to remember forever. Chapter 11 is a YAP FEST though... like yes hedonism is the point but dawg my eyes are falling shut...
Overall, fire writing style (he's so sassy), timeless and thought provoking themes, Lord Henry you messy bitch, piping hot drama, I loved if. Just skim over Chapter 11 once you've gotten the gist lol
Overall, fire writing style (he's so sassy), timeless and thought provoking themes, Lord Henry you messy bitch, piping hot drama, I loved if. Just skim over Chapter 11 once you've gotten the gist lol
johan24's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
dmoatmeat's review against another edition
4.0
There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.
Laughter is not at all a bad beginning for a friendship, and it is by far the best ending for one.
I like persons better than principles, and I like persons with no principles better than anything else in the world.
Always! That is a dreadful word. It makes me shudder when I hear it. Women are so fond of using it. They spoil every romance by trying to make it last forever. It is a meaningless word too. The only difference between a caprice and a life-long passion is that the caprice lasts a little longer.
He then set himself to the serious study of the great aristocratic art of doing absolutely nothing.
If a man is a gentleman he knows quite enough, and if he is not a gentleman, whatever he knows is bad for him.
That is one of the great secrets of life. Nowadays most people die of a sort of creeping common sense, and discover when it is too late that th only things one never regrets are one's mistakes.
Her name was Victoria and she had a perfect mania for going to church.
Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
As for conversation there are only five women in London worth talking to, and two of these can't be admitted into decent society.
The people who only love once in their lives are the really shallow people. What they call their loyalty, and their fidelity, I call either the lethargy of custom or their lack of imagination. Faithfulness is to the emotional life what consistency is to the life of the intellect - simply a confession of failure. The passion for property is in it. There are many things that we would throw away if we were not afraid that others might pick them up.
When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving one's self and one always ends by deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance.
It was the passions about whose origins we deceived ourselves that tyrannized most strongly over us.
The reason we all like to think so well of others is that we are all afraid for ourselves.
To be good is to be in harmony with one's self. Discord is to be forced to be in harmony with others.
The only way a woman can ever reform a man is by boring him so completely that he loses all possible interest in life.
(Good resolutions) give us, now and then, some of those luxurious, sterile emotions that have a certain charm for the weak.
Nothing makes one so vain as being told that one is a sinner.
Civilized society is never very ready to believe anything to the detriment of those who are both rich and fascinating.
There is always something ridiculous about the emotion of people whom one has ceased to love.
One of those middle-aged mediocrities so common in London clubs who have no enemies, but are throughly disliked by their friends.
The husbands of very beautiful women belong to the criminal classes.
When a woman marries again, it is because she detested her first husband. When a man marries again, it is because he adored his first wife. Women try their luck, men risk theirs.
I like to surrond myself with men who have a future and women who have a past.
He atones for being occasionally somewhat overdressed by being always absolutely overeducated.
Passion makes one think in a circle.
One should never do anything that one cannot talk about after dinner.
Things that one feels absolutely certain about are never true.
I would do anything in the world to regain my youth, except take exercise, get up early or be respectable.
No theory of life seemed to him to be of any importance compared with life itself.
Laughter is not at all a bad beginning for a friendship, and it is by far the best ending for one.
I like persons better than principles, and I like persons with no principles better than anything else in the world.
Always! That is a dreadful word. It makes me shudder when I hear it. Women are so fond of using it. They spoil every romance by trying to make it last forever. It is a meaningless word too. The only difference between a caprice and a life-long passion is that the caprice lasts a little longer.
He then set himself to the serious study of the great aristocratic art of doing absolutely nothing.
If a man is a gentleman he knows quite enough, and if he is not a gentleman, whatever he knows is bad for him.
That is one of the great secrets of life. Nowadays most people die of a sort of creeping common sense, and discover when it is too late that th only things one never regrets are one's mistakes.
Her name was Victoria and she had a perfect mania for going to church.
Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
As for conversation there are only five women in London worth talking to, and two of these can't be admitted into decent society.
The people who only love once in their lives are the really shallow people. What they call their loyalty, and their fidelity, I call either the lethargy of custom or their lack of imagination. Faithfulness is to the emotional life what consistency is to the life of the intellect - simply a confession of failure. The passion for property is in it. There are many things that we would throw away if we were not afraid that others might pick them up.
When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving one's self and one always ends by deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance.
It was the passions about whose origins we deceived ourselves that tyrannized most strongly over us.
The reason we all like to think so well of others is that we are all afraid for ourselves.
To be good is to be in harmony with one's self. Discord is to be forced to be in harmony with others.
The only way a woman can ever reform a man is by boring him so completely that he loses all possible interest in life.
(Good resolutions) give us, now and then, some of those luxurious, sterile emotions that have a certain charm for the weak.
Nothing makes one so vain as being told that one is a sinner.
Civilized society is never very ready to believe anything to the detriment of those who are both rich and fascinating.
There is always something ridiculous about the emotion of people whom one has ceased to love.
One of those middle-aged mediocrities so common in London clubs who have no enemies, but are throughly disliked by their friends.
The husbands of very beautiful women belong to the criminal classes.
When a woman marries again, it is because she detested her first husband. When a man marries again, it is because he adored his first wife. Women try their luck, men risk theirs.
I like to surrond myself with men who have a future and women who have a past.
He atones for being occasionally somewhat overdressed by being always absolutely overeducated.
Passion makes one think in a circle.
One should never do anything that one cannot talk about after dinner.
Things that one feels absolutely certain about are never true.
I would do anything in the world to regain my youth, except take exercise, get up early or be respectable.
No theory of life seemed to him to be of any importance compared with life itself.
yvearchives's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.5
alixbecker's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
amelielefever's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
3.0
ninett's review against another edition
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
2.5
As much as I understand it's the product of its time, I simple cannot read so much sexism and not be put off. The story is interesting, but every character is odious and there's not that much comeuppance. I would have loved it if Dorian were slewn by the brother of Sibyl, but I know this would have deprived us of the dramatic self-kill at the end and thus could not be the ending.
melissalac's review against another edition
3.0
Oh these rich people are so insufferable! And Dorian is a complete narcissist. I have to say that (spoiler) I knew the sailor brother would come back, and that it would end in the way it did. And I could do without a lot of the overly-flowery language. But it is an interesting story nonetheless, and I did enjoy it somewhat.