Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Hedwig Lachmann, Gustav Landauer

18 reviews

imjumokay's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense 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

fuck lord henry all my homies hate lord henry. good on victoria for leaving that miserable POS. rich people should have their excesses seized. get a job. my copy of this book was old and withered and musty like dorian gray and his crusty ass. basil <3 bby you didnt deserve what you got <3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation

Minor: Infidelity and Slavery

shaleen64's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

3.25

If you’re looking to get into classics this book is a good place to start as it is relativity easy to read. 

However, I found a few chapters added nothing to the development of the characters or the plot and I found myself scanning through them. 

Having said that the final third of the book was engaging, with some really good symbolism and unexpected twists that did in the end tie the book together.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Murder, and Classism

Minor: Drug use and Death of parent

lottebluebird's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

5.0

Das erste Buch, bei dem mir die wunderschöne Sprache aufgefallen ist. Ein Kunstwerk!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction and Suicide

Minor: Child death and Death of parent

kirjakimalainen's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• 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, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Antisemitism, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Blood and Death of parent

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

seapotatohowisitalrtaken's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence

Minor: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Death of parent

1_800_fuck_off's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.0

i read the dover thrift edition of this book.

i picked up this book on a whim because it had been sitting on my shelf for some time. even though the first two chapters piqued my interest, it wasn't enough to convince me that i had to read the remainder of the book. i did, however, manage to complete all of it on the same day.  

the first half was fairly entertaining. i fw lord henry wotton. he was an amusing character, despite the fact that i didn't share many of his theories of life. despite the fact that he only made sporadic appearances by this point, he helped me finish the book's second half without becoming too bored. as amusing as he was, i do think lord henry most likely had a significant impact on dorian's development as the story progressed, though.

basil hallward was a bleeding heart. i liked him because there wasn't much to dislike about him—unless you don't like sympathetic characters, which he frequently presents as throughout the novel. he definitely loved dorian, and not just as a friend. my boy was in love. fortunately, even though i occasionally find these characters to be a bit boring, that wasn’t entirely the case with him. i had more pity for him than anything else, particularly after what became of him. 

then, of course, we have dorian gray, who began as a kind, shy, gullible, and curious boy on the precipice of adulthood. ironically, i don't really have much to say about him. dorian gray grew obsessed with beauty and staying young forever. he learned the consequences that came with that obsession. i don't really feel very much about him as a character, other than the possibility that when i get older, i might be able to relate to him more. even now, in terms of appearance, i wouldn’t mind staying young forever, but i don’t quite envy the events that followed after dorian made such a wish.

the book's primary topic is youth. it describes its marvels and the fascination that the rest of the world feels for it. all of its highs and lows. the beauty and the wildness of it. the arrogance one might experience in what could be the prime of their lives and the unfathomable sense of invincibility that goes along with it. 

now that i think about it, this book discusses society as a whole quite a bit. everyone has at some point envied youth and wished they could maintain that state of being and beauty forever. the people who are currently experiencing those years, which are frequently a source of envy for the rest of the world, have probably been through what dorian went through. most likely not in a specific way, but rather by being oblivious of the beauty of their youth until it has passed them by. some people have the good—or bad—fortune of having a lord henry wotton in their lives, whose character could also serve as a metaphor for society in general, who encourages them to take advantage of their youth and to focus only on their own needs. basically, to be selfish and chase pleasure in those fleeting years. youths are frequently subjected to the moans of those who long for that era once again or who regret not making the most of that brief period of time.

this book might make you seriously contemplate your present, your past, or your future. it's an intriguing classic, albeit a bit monotonous. especially the second half. even though it was somewhat expected, the ending was a bit of a "oh wow" moment in a positive sense. well, not entirely positive, but iykyk.

anyways. yeah. thought-inducing classic of a book. nice. on to the next book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Sexism, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Death of parent

first classic physically read. 🦦expected more homo moments. ✋🏽😔it’s probably just the edition i read though. 🥸 will definitely read the uncensored one. 😼

elihrus's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

**Read for school compulsory reading**
Well. It's complicated.
I won't talk about the blantant antisemitism and horrible mysoginy, but damn that made it hard to read. I understood that Henry *is* a bad influence, but it was unhinged. 
The first half of the book was pretty slow, nothing really happend. But the middle and second part? That was something, and it made the overall experience much much better. 
I loved the psychology in this book, it reminded me little bit of The Cremator - how much you can influence one. 
I also loved the flower symbolisms throughout the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicide, Antisemitism, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Classism

adrionmacaron's review against another edition

mysterious reflective 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Murder

Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent