Scan barcode
crisi_books's review against another edition
- 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
Oscar Wilde is wild and blatantly gay for writing this. The homoerotic undertones were severe and despite its vagueness, it’s honestly a wonder how this ever got published in 1890 with how obviously gay it is.
Is it bad to say I almost hated every character in this book, and yet still really enjoyed it? No? Okay.
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a fascinating examination of vanity, greed, and all those things that just make you hate people. The prose is mystical and keeps that feel about it that most gothic novels have, which I’ve learned is difficult to read more than a paragraph of when you’re running on four hours of sleep and the sheer force of will.
I could hardly put this book down despite finding it a difficult to read, which says a lot on how gripping and compelling it is. If I put it down for a second it was all I could think about and so I had to pick it back up. Oscar Wilde has wormed his way into my brain and will probably stay there for a solid while.
A lot of the discussions about aestheticism and philosophy do come off as a little preachy (especially bc Henry Wotton can’t help but spew a paragraph about how lovely youth is and other shit every two pages), and there is sexist and misogynistic commentary, but overall it is thought provoking and intriguing.
Oh, Dorian. Poor Dorian. You dumb, dumb boy.
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicide, Violence, and Stalking
evieolive's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Antisemitism and Murder
Moderate: Drug use and Suicide
Minor: Infidelity, Racism, Sexism, Violence, and Blood
shadereads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Murder and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, and Antisemitism
Minor: Drug use and Infidelity
ambdocksey22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Dysphoria
fujo_cat's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
O final não me surpreendeu mas não deixou de ser satisfatório! 👀
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Gore, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Infidelity, Blood, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
halliesanto's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Antisemitism, and Stalking
Minor: Drug use and Infidelity
seawarrior's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
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, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Antisemitism, and Grief
blymanor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicide, and Murder
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, and Alcohol
maddy_s's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Body shaming, Homophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Suicide, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Fire/Fire injury, and Outing
hafable's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Murder
Moderate: Blood and Antisemitism