Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

43 reviews

sagelikesscats's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

I will definitely return to this book. Great writing, great characters, and an amazing ending. I did find that all of the rich people problems get annoying towards the end, but still a fantastic book about beauty, morality, and heathenism.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, and Classism

The classism is less of a thing that happens and more of a general presence throughout the book.

kananineko's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• 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

I loved this! Great classic. Probably one of the most digestible bc of its relatively short length. My only complaint would be that some sections dragged in the middle to me (all the super long descriptions of what Dorian was learning)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Stalking, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation

estefizaga's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and Classism

jessthanthree's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Murder

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicide, Blood, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, and Alcohol

literatebird's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Infidelity and Racism

hauntedboi's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Antisemitism, and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Cultural appropriation, and Classism

dalaia's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Drug use, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, and Alcohol

ellelockley's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective tense medium-paced

• 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

Oscar Wilde's only novel is the dreamlike story of a young man who sells his sould for eternal youth and beauty. This book makes you reflect on literally everything that has happened in your life. At the start, you're a blank slate, and at the end you've completely changed your outlook on life. It was so very interesting to read, and for a classic it wasn't absurdly long. The only reason it's a four is because I think it was way too focused on very minor things some of the time. I did really enjoy it and would recommend it to everyone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Alcohol, and Classism

jill_m17's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicide, Antisemitism, Murder, and Classism

trintrin's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.

This quote perfectly sums up the exquisitely tragic story that is Dorian Gray's. 

The first classic that I have ever voluntarily fully read and oh boy did I love it. The descriptions just seemed so poetic and the writing is so fluid. It almost felt magical and whimsical reading some of those passages despite this book not having any magic at all. My only complaint is no normal person is gonna be spewing formal poetry for two whole pages in a normal conversation lol. I thought this writing style would be hard to read but it flowed really well for the most part. The only section I was actually bored by was in chapter 11 when we get pages long descriptions of Dorian's various new hobbies and interests. I found it too much like an info dump-y Wikipedia copy paste or something. That alone made me put the book down for nearly a week before continuing whoops.

The characters are amazing imo. Dorian started out pretty boring but I started loving him more and more as his character progressed. Lord Henry is... interesting, to say the least. I admire him for the confidence he has in his views and I'm also also scared of finding someone like him irl. Poor Basil got caught up in this mess I feel bad for him. Sybil Vane and her family were more or less there only to further the plot but I didn't particularly mind that. But my biggest question is, how do these people socialise so much? I feel exhausted reading about all the operas and dinners and clubs they go to like everyday. My introverted self could never. 

I didn't know what I was thinking the ending would be but it wasn't what I expected. I knew this was going to be tragic but the abruptness of it all it still sort of took me by surprise. 

Overall, an amazing book definitely worth the read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Blood, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Antisemitism, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Alcohol

Don't listen to anything the literal embodiment of misogyny and sexism aka Lord Henry says please and thank you. Nothing good comes out of that man's mouth