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paulaks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
- Obviously beautifully written. Result: Lot of quotes!
- Interesting characters, non of them exeptionally "loveable" but that was not how they should be. Their flaws and different beliefs made this so interesting and without those the book couldn't thrive.
- Additional to the point I just mentioned, it was very manipulative. Looking at the time it was written the characters (men) wanted to be right and brush their beliefs onto everyone else. Even though those beliefs included misogynistic and racist views - the concept of that was really interesting and really important to the character development.
- The pacing was.. weird. Sometimes it was way too descriptive about e.g. a perfume. At other points it felt rushed especially at major plot lines. That was confusing but maybe intended? Edit from future me: After some debates with my dad I realize - the pacing was totally fine and fit the purpose perfectly. As a contemporary reader this is quite odd to read. Being used to a stable outline reading Wilde's work is weird but sheds light on an important tool in literature: pacing.
- The philosophy was on point about society, youth, art and more that you will discover in the book. Especially the person who told his philosophical views was entertaining.
- I loved the athmosphere! Dark, dramatic leaning into gothic.
Overall: 5 stars. I think I will reread this in 2 or 3 years to get a new view on it. But I can recommend to start as early as you can to pick this book up! If you are lucky (like I was) you can get a perspective on this book quite early, maybe even in your "youth". That will hit harder since there are many dialogs about that ;)
Graphic: Misogyny, Medical content, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide and Toxic relationship
_saphyr_'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: Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Abandonment
thevampiremars'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
The Picture of Dorian Gray is good. I wasn’t blown away by it, but the premise is solid and I was pleasantly surprised by how audaciously queer it is. I can see why it’s considered a classic. Definitely worth a read.
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicide, Antisemitism, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation
rusty_moonshadow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Misogyny, and Antisemitism
Minor: Suicide
madinhoa's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
rory_john14's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Confinement, Racism, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting
filipa_maia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book is a little bit different. Oscar Wilde combines the cliches of classic books with the horror and mystical aspect of a fantasy story, and I really enjoyed that. I already knew Dorian Gray's story: the guy that never ages and has a picture that keeps getting older, but I didn't know this much. I enjoyed discovering the madness behind Gray's actions, the things that he does, to himself and others, without taking any responsibility. On one hand I wish I knew what kind of "magic" is behind the painting; on the other hand this gives another coat of mystery to the book.
I have a couple of questions still:
* Why is every character so hateful? I have Dorian, I hate Henry, I hate that entire society.
* Don't people get curious with the fact the Dorian does not age? They know him for year... don't they wonder?
Anyway, overall this is a good book, very mysterious and entertaining.
P.S.: The edition that I read is one without the six "infamous" chapters. Apparently, someone, sometime ago, decided that the original book had six chapters that where "too gay", so some books don't have them. I discovered this because I've read this book in a group read, and some of the girls had more chapters than the others... So, this edition was published for the first time in 2009. Where those chapters still "too gay"?
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Dementia, and Death of parent
ran_sophia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Moderate: Body shaming, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Minor: Fatphobia and Sexual violence
maymaymav'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny
greatu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Murder
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Suicide, Blood, Stalking, and Classism