Reviews

after finishing I just wanted to hop in my bed, cocoon in my blankets and pretend I knew of nothing. pretend I just did not just comically leap of my shoes bcs the book in fact knocked me over. because hello??? did I know how it would end? hell yeah I’ve been spoiled before and I mean the foreshadowings were right there at the hindrance blinking bright red. but boy, I still had the audacity to act shocked, oh how I detest henry and dorian, oh how I wept for basil, what I would do to save sybil that poor girl. wished I could just jump in the book and strangle that witty, thou cruel, amusing, but still awfully wicked lord. and how much I wanted to slap some sense into dorian bcs god damn it why are you so dumb. I love classic books, solely bcs they do bring out the worst in me too. this is a classic for a reason and from an philosophical standpoint I great lesson to just use your own god damn mind and that some people are just that idiotic, that cruel and morality is not a given. we have morals and laws for a reason. and I’m just not in the right state to write a good review. but read it everything you read is a worthy experience whether you liked it or not (I sure did love this one )

evedixon's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

It was very interesting, some parts were a bit unnecessary and were kind of there to emphasise dorian’s character, so they served a purpose but i didn’t enjoy them. I enjoyed dorian as a character, hated henry,

wish dorian had killed him too

mischagal's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I listened to this on Audrey, which I enjoyed. There was a stretch in the middle (of a pretty short book) that was a bit slow for me, but otherwise I found it interesting with lots of quotable nuggets. I was glad to check it off my list and it didn’t disappoint.

emmylobosco's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

this book is definitely worth the read! it can get a little slow and wordy (especially near the end), but overall a great story with a lot of dialogue that leaves u thinking philosophically. the last page is insane lol!

deanna_rigney's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

"What does it profit a man if he gain the world and lose his own soul?" Great book...very clever writing.

shadybanana's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

This, definitely, is either my best read of 2016 or at least one of them! The picture of Dorian Grey, is about quite simply the picture of a young juvenile man, pure from the complications and sins of the world until he is influenced. Now of course there is an interesting definition of influence in the story but thats just a small sneak peek of what the rest of the book bad in store. I wont comment about the story. I cant. I wont be able to do justice or explain the implications and ideas that have been so beautifully discussed while remaining on the track of the plot. The book touches so many points and so many unorthodox thoughts that at times I just couldnt fathom any more. Half of the time, I would try to re-read all such thoughts/ideas/philosophies presented in the novel in a vain attempt to soak up all the radiance emitted by the book (got a bit too metaphorical here, probably an after effect of the book). Part of the reason why the book was so inspiring and epic was the way of writing. I had recently read Umberto Eco and whereas there was class in his writings and the figure of speeches he used were awesome but Oscar Wilde is outta this world. The way many simple things were presented left me awestruck. The choice of words and phrases was so fine and elegant. The flow of words was so smooth that you couldnt read a page of the book without remarking about the finesse of the author. It is a pity that Oscar Wilde wrote only few (or maybe only one) novel. It would be a great crime if I spare the appreciation all the major characters deserve. Basil Hallward! Poor Basil thats all I've got to say. He was the exact alter ego of Lord Henry about whom I have much to say. Lord Henry's character perplexed me immensely. It had a charisma, an intellect and I am assuming okayish looks. He was the main man if you ask me. His thoughts are so radical that for a moment even I feared he might corrupt my morality. On the other hands those very thoughts tend to make a lot of sense and logic proves that they might be rather lucrative for everyone! And Dorian Grey! The transformation in his character was marvellous. I cannot..cannot say anything more, I dont know, I might explode due to excitement or whatever this is! Lastly, one regret or rather a request. In fact two requests! I wish Oscar Wilde had written an epilogue based on

Spoiler

Lord Henry's thoughts on Dorians suicide and should have presented a conclusion by Henry on the life which he experimented on through Dorian

. Quoting J.D Salinger from Catcher in The Rye that after we finish the book we wish that the author was a splendid friend of ours but that is not the case. Anyway, I would literally give anything to be in company of Oscar Wilde and talk to him of all that he has written in this book. Well it is impossible now, isnt it? Unless Wilde had some crazy wish like Dorian which miraculously came true.

EDIT: In 2021 now, and I just reread it. The review pretty much still stands strong. I can comfortably say now that the character of Lord Henry is my favorite. And the opening sentences of the novel are so sensorially descriptive and pleasant that if the rest of the novel had not followed suit in a similar quality of prose, it wouldn’t have had quite the same mark.
Still love it
Also what the fuck? Apparently the last time I read this book was half a decade ago, around the same days of June.

More...