Reviews with content warning for Violence - O Retrato de Dorian Gray

The question remains: was Dorian Gray always bound to go down the road of depravity, or was it purely because of Lord Henry's influence? The artist's desire to keep him pristine and untainted - was that realistic or reasonable, or was it just out of his infatuation?

When

Dorian dies after destroying the portrait out of disgust at his twisted character and he just ends up perishing

, I don't know how I was still legitimately surprised at the turn of events, but the ending really caught me off guard. But it is a very deserved ending for our titular character and his sinister debasement.

Is Lord Henry's hedonism a reasonable way to conduct ourselves? Clearly, the answer is no. Thank you Wilde, for this inspection of sin.

Content Warnings

mirandaleighhhh's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective fast-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

3.0

This was a solid, readable classic. I tend not to like philosophical droning, but there was enough plot to balance it. My only understanding of Oscar Wilde came from quotes on Forever 21 t-shirts circa 2016, and I hadn't realized how interesting he was or how he was persecuted for his identity. I didn't care for the way he wrote about women, it icked me out, but I could get through it since it wasn't the main purpose of the book and, honestly, because it was all very gay.

Content Warnings

macliffe's review against another edition

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dark 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

4.75

I have been wanting to read this book for so long and it did not disappoint! Fully lived up to the hype.
I was hesitant because I’m not a horror reader, but this book did a good job of being gothic without having unnecessary gore or uncomfortable scenes.
The characters were so well done, especially Dorian.
I love how the message of the book is stated subtly at the beginning with Lord Henry saying the world needed a “new hedonism”. Then the plot gives Dorian that new hedonism, but he comes to realize that it doesn’t satisfy and only leaves him miserable.

Content Warnings

eloiseyoung's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective fast-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

3.75

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lydsquids's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-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

I’ve never read a book about characters that I disliked so much and still enjoyed. I found this book fascinating as a character study. There is a part in the middle that lags way more then it should but other then that I can see how the book is still very popular in modern times- the Dorian Grey of today would have a much bigger following.

Content Warnings

queeniecraft's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.0

Content Warnings

eve_kadou's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

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