Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

25 reviews

willow1113's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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sestout's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious sad tense 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

4.25

if you think lord henry would hate you, then you're doing something right.
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olive_lol's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective slow-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

3.5

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fe_aye's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious slow-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

2.5

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lizziaha's review against another edition

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reflective

4.0

I do think this book is mostly Oscar Wilde taking the opportunity to poke fun at anything and everything while trying to be absolutely charming. I did not agree with every little quip or moral that the book had to offer but I suspect that I am not supposed to. I do find Wilde’s treatment of women to be a little sus, as always. But the Faustian bargain—the main crux of the story—is intriguing. I think I might appreciate the book more upon rereading it. 
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stvalentine's review against another edition

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dark inspiring mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

 disorienting time skips overpowered by dreamy prose and an insanely charming main character - speaks to everyone who has a strong fear of growing old couldn't be me!!! (say what you want about this book if there was a painting of me that could make me look gorgeously young forever i would take it) fr a must read for the lgbt community!!! mr. wilde an icon of gay literature and scandal and so good at making something that is such a human emotion seem so foreign and wrong and bloody!!
this book is like really strong perfume 
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madisonbell_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced
  • 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

4.0

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binches's review

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challenging dark slow-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

4.0

rating: very good ⭐⭐⭐⭐
personal enjoyment rating: good ⭐⭐⭐

I think this is a really good book and the way it discusses life and philosophizes on certain concepts was quite interesting and insightful (though intentionally flawed at times). The characters were very unlikeable and messed up and I couldn't wait for every single one of them to die (that's not criticism btw it's the whole point of the book). However, I don't think the writing is necessarily for me. I don't think it's bad by any means, I just didn't really vibe with some of it at certain points. 
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steffan_tastic's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense 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

4.5

Almost none of the characters in this book have an ounce of likeability to them, but I love to hate them. I cried (publicly) after
Basil's confession and subsequent rejection
, and when I finished the book today I sat silently in amazement, for ending (I felt) was so well-executed. It could have used fewer tangents, plus antisemitism and sexism showed the book's age, but otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and think that many of the debates and characters within are still relevant in the modern day. Wilde's portrayal of yearning ("worship") is heartbreaking, and its exploration of the theme of vanity and its manifestation in Dorian's character and decisions is shocking and provocative. I also just really love drama, and this book has a lot of it.
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pershie13's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow. This. Was. Phenomenal. The writing and pacing were good, the story was gripping, and I was wondering how this book was going to end literally until the last sentence. This is my favorite classic I've read so far and easily deserves five stars!
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