Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Picture of Dorian Gray

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

979 reviews

theeuhhh's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Oscar Wilde doesn't really need praise from me, but I bet he'd like it, anyway.
Dorian Gray is a stunning masterpiece. Every aspect of it is perfection.
There now, Oscar, I've told you how brilliant you are, now go away and be pleased with yourself.

And all the rest of you, read this book.

Content Warnings

st0bbit's review against another edition

4.0

dark reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

i know this is supposed to be a more accessible classic, but some portions were still too chim for me…

Content Warnings

crufts's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional reflective tense medium-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

Dorian Gray is young, rich, and beautiful. What more could a man want? As his friend Lord Henry Wotton tells him, youth is the only thing worth having - and yet it is always doomed to fade. Seeing only decline and decay ahead, what is Dorian to do?

In a moment of desperation, he makes a terrible wish - a wish to remain forever young and beautiful. For that, he declares, he would give his very soul...

It is an absolutely brilliant novel, perhaps even more so for being the only one the author ever wrote. It's gothic horror, but never overly lurid; it's philosophical, but never tedious. The Picture of Dorian Gray is everything I ever wanted from one of Poe's short horror stories, only better, easier to follow, and with a proper ending.

Usually I would object to a writer being long-winded, but not here. The author has this amazing talent for dialogue that goes on at length yet maintains interest, such as when Lord Henry makes the case that youth is the only thing worth having. Instead of getting boring, the writing style is so good that it just gets better and better the more you read - like you're being given time to soak into a rich bath of philosophy.

Another thing I liked about the novel is that it's about horrible people, but it's very aware that they are horrible people, and condemns them for it. For example,

Lord Henry is incredibly offensive and sexist, but this doesn't go unnoticed; people around him are constantly reacting to his revolting comments with shock and disapproval

In fact, the overall plot is about the downfall of horrible people and the self-defeating consequences of evil.

The beats of the novel are thrilling and terrifying by turns. Several scenes involve dramatic reveals; these moments are drawn out in a way that maximizes their tension and dramatic impact. Meanwhile, moments of crisis wind so tight that you'll probably be chewing your fingernails as you turn the pages. I never felt that any scene missed an opportunity to be more emotional, electrifying, or explosive.

Something else I enjoyed about the novel is that it's about as gay as it could possibly be without actually being gay. There are passions, obsessions, and captivations between the male characters that are pretty darn romantic. As it turns out, the earlier versions of the story were more obvious and explicit about these references. However, these overt passages were cut by the editor (who didn't tell Oscar Wilde he was doing so) before its publication in 1890. Luckily for us, the uncensored version was uncovered and republished in 2011.

The only thing I don't entirely love about the book is that Lord Henry's dialogue is so overtly quotable. Every few sentences he makes yet another witty remark that seems to be jumping off the page. At first it was charming, but then it gradually started to bother me. His dialogue was so clever and perfect and larger-than-life that it was uncanny, like a photoshopped picture. However, I think this could just be what the author intended, since other characters have the same reaction to Lord Henry - they initially find him charming, but later become disconcerted.

If you can't stand stories about horrible people (even if they do ultimately face the consequences), then you might not enjoy The Picture of Dorian Gray. Otherwise, I absolutely recommend this classic of English literature.

Content Warnings

lexie_edmunds's review against another edition

3.0

dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

laurenramsden99's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is a really accessible classic novel for anyone who is a little worried about wanting to read ‘the classics’. Such an imaginative look at the pull between to moral ideologies and, yet, also the hypocrisy of them. The book is worth reading alone for Wilde’s writing and moral theorising through the different characters. Lord Henry, especially, although filled with sexism and contradictions has fascinating and, at times, beautiful dialogue.

Content Warnings

caribbeangirlreading's review against another edition

3.0

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

"The soul is a terrible reality. It can be bought, and sold, and bartered say. It can be poisoned, or made perfect. There is a soul in each one of us. I know it." Dorian Gray

2025 re-read: I can't really say that I enjoyed this book because it's filled with vapid and cruel people and when Dorian finally feels guilt and regret, it's just too little, too late. Also, those huge portions of the novel dedicated to just describing things because they were simply beautiful, bored me to tears. However, I think I appreciated and understood this novel much better the second time around, and enjoyed the book club discussion so much more.

Content Warnings