Reviews

The Picture of Dorian Gray: An Annotated, Uncensored Edition by Oscar Wilde

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luca_18's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.0

thehazeofsleepingsky's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

andreaskuschwitz's review against another edition

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I had such high hopes for this book. And it started off good, it really did. But at some point, Oscar Wilde just started shitting on women every single chance he got. Also, the notes of antisemitism really didn’t work in his favor.
Okay, I get it, being a gay man in the 1890s, knowing you will eventually be forced into marrying a woman and getting kids with her would make just hating all women a very natural coping mechanism. But, I cannot read pages on pages of someone droning on and on about how stupid and shallow women are, I can’t.

Dorian Gray‘s and Sibyl Vane‘s relationship made me so goddamn angry as well. Sibyl was described as a „delicate flower“ one gazillion times too many and their breakup was the thing that made me dnf this book.

It was one of the many many instances of characters being way too overdramatic. And if there‘s one thing I hate in a book, it’s unrealistic characters.
I just for the life of me can’t get into classics. This one might just have been the last straw.

aislingnuttall7's review against another edition

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5.0

Despite ALWAYS getting the title wrong, this is one of my favourite books. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and did not envisage the ending in the slightest. Thrilling. It does not feel Victorian, it is more timeless than that.

The protagonist Dorian taught me that selling your soul for beauty and youth is not worth it. Dangerous aristocrat Lord Henry taught me of the philosophy of hedonism and indulgence, and how that is no way to live or behave, at least not regularly; anything becomes a pleasure if one does it too often.

Beautifully personal, beautifully descriptive. I cannot fault it, apart from the fact that Basil Hallward does not feature enough and Lord Henry features way too much.

Wilde himself said “Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be - in other ages, perhaps." The characters are riddled with complications that come with being totally and utterly human.

melmasian's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

monochromachine's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I can't count the number of lines I read over and over because they were simply perfect. It's not easy for a book to make me so emotional that my face shows it, but Wilde made my jaw drop and my heart ache. I will absolutely be re-reading this book in the future to better appreciate it.