Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray.

Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray. by Oscar Wilde

156 reviews

katie0528's review against another edition

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

3.0

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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roonilxwaslib's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense slow-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

2.75

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willow_the_wisp's review against another edition

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dark reflective 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

4.0

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eurus96's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense 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

4.0

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pinetree_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

3.0

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evemlacey's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective sad 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

4.75

NOTE: I am very rare to give a book 5 stars, but I wasn't sure about this one. I think one of the reasons I did not give it five stars was the pacing and some of the misogyny displayed in the book.

The Picture of Dorian Gray was a wonderful read- and luckily, I went into it free of spoilers. I was rather satisfied with the ending. I felt as if it could've been slightly more dramatic but otherwise, I found it a logical yet poetic finish to the book.

If I could describe this book in three words, I would say eerie, meaningful, and poetic. Reading this made me realise once again what an incredible writer Oscar Wilde was. I've seen a few negative reviews from the book, but I genuinely enjoyed it.

I think a lot of people assume that Dorian Gray sells his soul to Lucifer, which is not true. I was a little confused at first but essentially, he just makes a wish to stay youthful and the portrait to instead reflect his age. It is unexplained how that works- but I like when the reader has to analyse and come to a conclusion by themself.

Overall, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book. It's a must-read.

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