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bhavya_is_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“To define is to limit.”
~ Rating- 5 stars ~
Content/ Trigger Warnings- Ableism, Misogyny, Suicide, Murder
Note- I have tried to include all the content warnings that I noticed, but there is no guarantee that I haven’t missed something.
-No Mention of these in the review-
“The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.”
Dorian Grey is a youthful and attractive man, who trades his soul for the eternal youth of his portrait. Dorian, who has no regard for his soul and is full of vanity, ego and pride, lives just to satisfy his desires, and completely disregards his immoral behaviour toward others in the process. The Picture of Dorian Grey is a story about a young man who becomes a victim of devilish influence and has his soul corrupted. It is Dorian's struggle to accept the consequences of his own wicked actions, and Wilde's social commentary on how the mind can be swayed so easily to do cruel things. It explores the age-old question that everyone must ask themselves; Do I aspire to be good? And, more importantly, can I refrain from being bad?
“I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.”
The Picture of Dorian Grey, in my opinion, is a truly admirable piece of literature. Before reading the book I wasn't sure what it was about. The only thing I knew regarding the book was that it was one of Oscar Wilde's best work, and that it was a 'must read classic', which is why I picked it up. I definitely wasn't prepared for the dark, atmospheric tone of the book, accompanied by Wilde's mesmerizing flowery writing. I wasn't prepared to have my mind blown away.
“Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing.”
There is no denying the superiority of Wilde's work. The Picture of Dorian Grey was my first Oscar Wilde read, and if this book is any testament to Wilde's excruciating talent, then I am really looking forward to reading more of their work. This book is a great reflection of how we do things we don't mean to, and the kind of impact it has. It lets us see the twisted parts of our minds that we ignore, and makes us question our beliefs. Its also a good representation of how other people often influence all our deeds and decisions, and they way they affect our self-perception and world-view.
“Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul.”
Audiobook Comments-
The audiobook was narrated by Ben Barnes, and the narration was wonderful! I would highly recommend, especially for beginners. (Audiobook rating- 4.5/5 stars)
“The world is changed because you are made of ivory and gold. The curves of your lips rewrite history.”
Overall, The Picture of Dorian Grey was an impactful read and I really enjoyed it. It made me reconsider a lot of things and offered a new perspective on life. I'm waiting to re-read it in the future.
“Words! Mere words! How terrible they were! How clear, and vivid, and cruel! One could not escape from them. And yet what a subtle magic there was in them! They seemed to be able to give a plastic form to formless things, and to have a music of their own as sweet as that of viol or of lute. Mere words! Was there anything so real as words?”
Review written & uploaded on 2nd February 2022.
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DISCLAIMER-All opinions on books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.
How I Rate-
1 star- Hardly liked anything/ was disappointed
2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/ was disappointed
3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/ was average / Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
5 stars- Loved it/ new favourite
...................................
My mind has been blown away. RTC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Murder
fomko's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
Beautifully written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Classism
uss_mary_shelley's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
It's always interesting reading something when you have a cultural understanding of it and a dissertation written on the time period. Steeped in its history and contemporary moods.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Antisemitism
jackyjoojoo'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
4.0
could be boring at times but otherwise amaizing :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Toxic friendship
abby_reads_books's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Antisemitism
taniethrifter'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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, and Alcohol
wolfthorn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.0
I haven't read The Picture of Dorian Gray, but I have seen a television adaptation of it so I am aware of the plot. Before actually getting to the novel, there's a General Introduction and then a Textual Introduction. I found the General Introduction to be quite long-winded and hard going, but at the same time it was very interesting to learn about the background of the novel and why there is an uncensored version in the first place! It was also quite helpful in explaining aestheticism and how the moral is regarding the life of an aesthete which I probably wouldn't have understood the same.
The novel itself was much easier to read than I feared after struggling through the General Introduction. I did find Chapter 9 quite heavy going, and not just for the ridiculously lengthy sentences! I felt like I was missing a lot of references, and did have to look up various names, although that was more down to my lack of knowledge than a fault of the book. It was interesting to read about the lifestyle and how men of prestige spent their time. I was a little disappointed however, to be unable to find any of the scandalous homoerotic content that so shocked the 19th century readers. I think there is some hidden meaning in various phrases that I am missing which is a shame.
The novel itself was much easier to read than I feared after struggling through the General Introduction. I did find Chapter 9 quite heavy going, and not just for the ridiculously lengthy sentences! I felt like I was missing a lot of references, and did have to look up various names, although that was more down to my lack of knowledge than a fault of the book. It was interesting to read about the lifestyle and how men of prestige spent their time. I was a little disappointed however, to be unable to find any of the scandalous homoerotic content that so shocked the 19th century readers. I think there is some hidden meaning in various phrases that I am missing which is a shame.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Minor: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, and Antisemitism
lucithefer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, and Grief
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
crying_again's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism
Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Blood
Minor: Misogyny and Murder
adhdru's review against another edition
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
2.5
I felt the book dragged longer than necessary I think it successfully made its point about probably midway through.
Some of Henry’s comments were darkly amusing and entertaining at first, but it got old pretty quickly. And Dorian’s only (mildly) remarkable feature was his long-lasting beauty for he remained as shallow and flat from beginning to end.
On top of that there’s some really misogynistic and racists bits that were really hard to read. I understand that we can’t possibly hold the books to the same standards of today, but I have read other books from the time (and even before) that fare way better.
In summary, the only positive thing about it was all the queer subtext (which gets this review that extra .5)
Some of Henry’s comments were darkly amusing and entertaining at first, but it got old pretty quickly. And Dorian’s only (mildly) remarkable feature was his long-lasting beauty for he remained as shallow and flat from beginning to end.
On top of that there’s some really misogynistic and racists bits that were really hard to read. I understand that we can’t possibly hold the books to the same standards of today, but I have read other books from the time (and even before) that fare way better.
In summary, the only positive thing about it was all the queer subtext (which gets this review that extra .5)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Racism