The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
hildayay's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Murder, and Drug use
genz_reads_classics's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-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
4.25
The book itself may not be special but holy CRAP those last 8 chapters had me shook.
First off, the characters are brilliant! (I’m sorry if I’m bad at analyzing character, that’s one of my main weaknesses. This book is very based in human thought and reasoning and i have trouble understanding those sorts of ideas. Which is why Harry is such a riot lmao)
Basil Hallward is probably the best one, he’s just so caring! Lord Harry sure loves talking and holy shit his thoughts on women are problematic..it’s so clear how his charm and cunning spread to Dorian and in turn corrupting everyone else Dorian ever met with. It’s so tragic how Alan and Sibyl ended up because of Dorian. James was also so compelling! His love and determination and the fact he DIED FROM SHOOTING AT A RABBIT OR SOMETHING AND DORIAN WAS HAPPY?!
I swear Dorian is the most eerie character I’ve ever seen. He was perfectly calm talking to Harry, as managed to influence him so horribly. especially the fact he was calm after killing Basil (which is a such a pretty name btw) aswell as his friends/lovers committing suicide and similar.
And the second Basil started giving good advice and care for Dorian he gets mad! Poor Basil gets a dozen stabs to the neck. And then gets referred to as « the thing » for the next several pages. Horrific.
The ending was very good. If the book has me giggling and kicking my feet like a little goblin it’s a good one!
First off, the characters are brilliant! (I’m sorry if I’m bad at analyzing character, that’s one of my main weaknesses. This book is very based in human thought and reasoning and i have trouble understanding those sorts of ideas. Which is why Harry is such a riot lmao)
Basil Hallward is probably the best one, he’s just so caring! Lord Harry sure loves talking and holy shit his thoughts on women are problematic..
I swear Dorian is the most eerie character I’ve ever seen. He was perfectly calm talking to Harry, as managed to influence him so horribly.
And the second Basil started giving good advice and care for Dorian he gets mad!
The ending was very good. If the book has me giggling and kicking my feet like a little goblin it’s a good one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Drug use, Suicide, Racism, and Stalking
inoshiiro's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The Picture of Dorian Gray has always been on my TBR, and has been collecting dust since I purchased the Penguin Classics version sometime around 2020. This year, for an English course concerning literature in the fin de siècle, I was given the excuse to finally read the novel when it appeared in the course readings.
I think my reading was likely a bit coloured by the literary/societal concepts we were learning about alongside the texts. The mentions of degeneration, aesthetes, and cultural biases were jumping out at me when I read the text, highly influencing the way I approached its themes. I feel like if I read this novel earlier in my life, I would likely have had a very different viewpoint on it.
I think the themes of homosociality and queer sexualities are prominent, but I felt more drawn to the way the characters and its story embodied the prevailing ideas about degeneration, social-Darwinism, and the role of the arts.
As a femme reader as well, the attitudes towards women were of course, unappealing. I wasn't put off the story or anything--and I very well know that the attitudes are definitely a product of their time--but that didn't stop me from feeling baffled at Lord Henry's remarks about female intelligence, and sympathetic to the the OTT cruelty towards Sybil Vane .
Despite this, I did enjoy the book. The storyline was something I vaguely already knew about due to the plots prevalence in pop culture, and the fact that the book was recommended to me by an ex-highschool friend. However, the way the novel unfolded, as well as the more intimate details were unknown to me until I was actually sitting there and reading. I finished the thing in two sittings, well before we had to discuss it in class.
My rating of 3.75 stars can be concluded like this: The book was entertaining and I found myself looking forward to the plots progression. That being said, it is still a book about men and their morals, which isn't exactly my cup of tea. And the fact that I had to write a 2500 word comparative essay about it for class probably didn't boost my enjoyment either.
I think my reading was likely a bit coloured by the literary/societal concepts we were learning about alongside the texts. The mentions of degeneration, aesthetes, and cultural biases were jumping out at me when I read the text, highly influencing the way I approached its themes. I feel like if I read this novel earlier in my life, I would likely have had a very different viewpoint on it.
I think the themes of homosociality and queer sexualities are prominent, but I felt more drawn to the way the characters and its story embodied the prevailing ideas about degeneration, social-Darwinism, and the role of the arts.
As a femme reader as well, the attitudes towards women were of course, unappealing. I wasn't put off the story or anything--and I very well know that the attitudes are definitely a product of their time--but that didn't stop me from feeling baffled at
Despite this, I did enjoy the book. The storyline was something I vaguely already knew about due to the plots prevalence in pop culture, and the fact that the book was recommended to me by an ex-highschool friend. However, the way the novel unfolded, as well as the more intimate details were unknown to me until I was actually sitting there and reading. I finished the thing in two sittings, well before we had to discuss it in class.
My rating of 3.75 stars can be concluded like this: The book was entertaining and I found myself looking forward to the plots progression. That being said, it is still a book about men and their morals, which isn't exactly my cup of tea. And the fact that I had to write a 2500 word comparative essay about it for class probably didn't boost my enjoyment either.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use and Stalking
queeniecraft's review against another edition
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
Graphic: Murder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use
jm_doggo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use
loen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder and Drug use
bblanka's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
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
Graphic: Murder, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Drug use, and Death
colin_s's review against another edition
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
4.25
Quote:
“Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
Setting:
The Picture of Doian Gray is set in a fictional Victorian English city. I found the city itself to be full of life and a bit of a character on it's own, full of sin wherever the reader went.
Plot:
Our story follows a young Dorian Gray as he get's his portrait painted by Basil Hallward. The name sake of the book comes out amazingly, Basil's best work. Soon enough Dorian wishes the painting would grow old and he would stay young. However one should be careful what they wish for as Dorian is soon to find out.
Writing:
Oscar Wilde's writing is tough to handle at times. I will admit a large part of that is when it was written and the changes in language since then. Previous to this attempt I had tried to read this book 4 different times and the first part was tough to get through, around the half way point I found myself used to this writing style and didn't mind it nearly as much.
Characters:
There isn't a wide array of cast in this novel, and I found myself sort of hating each character in their own way and for their own reason. I feel this actually does this novel well as it has a message and it is best deliveried due to this dislike of each character.
Pros:
A solid story with a message
Excellent character study
Cons:
Writing is tough to start
Ending feels quite rushed
Recommendation:
This novel likely needs no introduction. It is a Gothic classic in every sense and deserves a read. That took me 4 attempts so my biggest recommendation is don't force it. Try reading the book and if you can't break through take a break, put it down. Then after some time try again. I promise it's worth a read and wasn't what I expected exactly even knowing the premise ahead of time.
“Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
Setting:
The Picture of Doian Gray is set in a fictional Victorian English city. I found the city itself to be full of life and a bit of a character on it's own, full of sin wherever the reader went.
Plot:
Our story follows a young Dorian Gray as he get's his portrait painted by Basil Hallward. The name sake of the book comes out amazingly, Basil's best work. Soon enough Dorian wishes the painting would grow old and he would stay young. However one should be careful what they wish for as Dorian is soon to find out.
Writing:
Oscar Wilde's writing is tough to handle at times. I will admit a large part of that is when it was written and the changes in language since then. Previous to this attempt I had tried to read this book 4 different times and the first part was tough to get through, around the half way point I found myself used to this writing style and didn't mind it nearly as much.
Characters:
There isn't a wide array of cast in this novel, and I found myself sort of hating each character in their own way and for their own reason. I feel this actually does this novel well as it has a message and it is best deliveried due to this dislike of each character.
Pros:
A solid story with a message
Excellent character study
Cons:
Writing is tough to start
Ending feels quite rushed
Recommendation:
This novel likely needs no introduction. It is a Gothic classic in every sense and deserves a read. That took me 4 attempts so my biggest recommendation is don't force it. Try reading the book and if you can't break through take a break, put it down. Then after some time try again. I promise it's worth a read and wasn't what I expected exactly even knowing the premise ahead of time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Suicide
Minor: Drug use
starryknightace's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
1.5
Such an interesting concept but didn't age well into the 21st century. With controversial anti-Semitism and misogyny dotted throughout the story it made it easy to dislike the characters and made for an interesting read. I personally struggle with the classic English writing style and found at times struggling to understand what I was reading, Wilde uses a lot of flowery descriptive paragraphs, which were quite honestly, boring. I found myself 70 pages in and gritting my teeth to get through the rest. Admittedly the action did somewhat pick up and I found myself enthralled to see the confliction in Dorian Gray's moral come to blows. A bit of a lackluster climax but definitely can see the appeal and why the novel is still considered a classic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Murder, and Drug use
Minor: Racial slurs, Sexism, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Antisemitism
warlockdorian's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Antisemitism, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Sexism, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship