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emmalew1997's review against another edition
1.0
The contents of this book were interesting but the writing was so horrendous that it was difficult to enjoy.
rc2's review
2.0
I thought it would wrap up soon, but then I saw I was only 25% of the way in. How tf was the author going to stretch it out? Then i realized I'd been introduced to Fred Adkins like fifteen times, so I gave up.
livreads7's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book, though at some points, I was wondering what was going on because the narration was going off into a tangent. This book gives light to the secrecy of the "love that dare not speak its name", as well as going more in depth to Oscar Wilde's life, as well as the lives of his lovers. I found this book highly interesting, and recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Oscar, or wants to know more about his life and the time period he was in.
hottoddie's review
4.0
This is the best biography of Wilde I have read. Less subjective than Harris',yet much more fascinating than others McKenna weaves Oscar's poems and other works through the book showing how his sexuality, passions and character went into his work. McKenna has had access to some very personal letters and documents and at no time do you doubt that is a factual account of his life and feelings with so much evidence to support it. A very enjoyable read and in fact, a page turner
elizabeth_holmes's review
challenging
dark
slow-paced
2.0
The bibliography and notes are not very convenient to use. Moreover the book is riddled with typing mistakes. For instance, in one paragraph Pierre Louys is named and the following paragraph he becomes Pierre Louts. That book could have been interesting but ends up being confusing.
Moreover, while I understand that my opinion might be too 21st century, the complacency and casualness in recounting what was paedocriminality is nerve grating to the least
Moreover, while I understand that my opinion might be too 21st century, the complacency and casualness in recounting what was paedocriminality is nerve grating to the least
elainetodd's review
4.0
This is the best biography of Wilde I have read. Less subjective than Harris',yet much more fascinating than others McKenna weaves Oscar's poems and other works through the book showing how his sexuality, passions and character went into his work. McKenna has had access to some very personal letters and documents and at no time do you doubt that is a factual account of his life and feelings with so much evidence to support it. A very enjoyable read and in fact, a page turner
foxwrapped's review
5.0
So. This is exactly the biography of Oscar Wilde I would write if I were to uh, write one. It focuses on the important questions like, "Whom did he have sex with, maybe?" and "Whom did his friends have sex with, maybe?" No matter if in answering these questions he uses the most questionable sources, for example Trelawny Backhouse, who in addition to claiming all sorts of salacious things about Oscar Wilde and Bosie also claimed to have had sex with the Empress of China. Frankly, if there was anything, anything that had to do with Oscar Wilde and homosexuality and I was writing a book on Oscar Wilde and homosexuality, I would go ALL OUT, too and just put everything I could find in there. If I found out that some guy had sent letters to Oscar and later Oscar had dinner with him then I am writing that, yeah, maybe they had sex, okay? All in the effort to answer the biggest, most important question: "Just how much of a flaming queen was Oscar Wilde?" because the answer is girl, the man was OSCAR WILDE, you could make up all sorts of shit and it wouldn't come close.
irma_sincera's review
3.0
Dar viena knyga apie dar vieną garsią asmenybę, pavadinimas skamba ironiškai, nes perskaičius ją, jo gyvenimas tikrai neatrodo slaptas. Kitą kartą preiš pradedant skaityti tokio storio knygą apie kažkokią asmenybę stipriai pagalvosiu ar aš noriu apie ją žinoti TIEK .
Apie ką ši knyga apart Oscaro vardo pavadinime nelabai žinojau, bet tai buvo ne visai tai ko tikėjausi. Aš joje ieškojau daugiau jo visapusiškesnės biografijos, o gavau 700psl informacijos apie jo asmeninį gyvenimą, homoseksualumą, visus meilužius, vienos nakties nuotykius ir tikrąją gyenimo meilę.
Kol skaičiau buvo sunku prisiversti judėti toliau, bet dabar ją pabaigus žiūrint atgal džiaugiuosi, kad įveikiau ir dabar prie jo vardo galėsiu geriau įsivaizduoti ir pačią asmenybę, nes jo gyvenimas ir likimas tikrai buvo spalvingas.
Apie ką ši knyga apart Oscaro vardo pavadinime nelabai žinojau, bet tai buvo ne visai tai ko tikėjausi. Aš joje ieškojau daugiau jo visapusiškesnės biografijos, o gavau 700psl informacijos apie jo asmeninį gyvenimą, homoseksualumą, visus meilužius, vienos nakties nuotykius ir tikrąją gyenimo meilę.
Kol skaičiau buvo sunku prisiversti judėti toliau, bet dabar ją pabaigus žiūrint atgal džiaugiuosi, kad įveikiau ir dabar prie jo vardo galėsiu geriau įsivaizduoti ir pačią asmenybę, nes jo gyvenimas ir likimas tikrai buvo spalvingas.
moodswinger's review
2.0
It is quite difficult for me to make out which parts of this biography are facts, and which are one-line historical records enlarged to full-blown scenes by McKenna's prurient pen.
I like that this biography seeks to do away with the vision that Wilde was a bisexual family man who only occasionally was attracted to men. That portrayal appears to exist only so that Wilde can keep appealing to the straight and narrow. Wilde was a man who was exclusively attracted to men, and in seeking to prove his sexuality was legitimate and provided him with what the relationship with his wife lacked, overshot it by a mile, so that every single female character in his oeuvre became an awful harpy. Men in Wilde works are, if not virtuous, fed up with the females in their lives, and forced to seek refuge in male friendships. It is a way to make homosexual relationships understandable to the general public at a time where gay pride parades were unthinkable.
McKenna's biography paints Wilde as fairly unlikable, but he, after all, tried to adjust his violently heterodox life to the confines of his time. It is not always possible to conquer such a feat in a way that makes one likable to subsequent generations.
I like that this biography seeks to do away with the vision that Wilde was a bisexual family man who only occasionally was attracted to men. That portrayal appears to exist only so that Wilde can keep appealing to the straight and narrow. Wilde was a man who was exclusively attracted to men, and in seeking to prove his sexuality was legitimate and provided him with what the relationship with his wife lacked, overshot it by a mile, so that every single female character in his oeuvre became an awful harpy. Men in Wilde works are, if not virtuous, fed up with the females in their lives, and forced to seek refuge in male friendships. It is a way to make homosexual relationships understandable to the general public at a time where gay pride parades were unthinkable.
McKenna's biography paints Wilde as fairly unlikable, but he, after all, tried to adjust his violently heterodox life to the confines of his time. It is not always possible to conquer such a feat in a way that makes one likable to subsequent generations.