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rinnyssance's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed Lord Henry's quips about life more than I liked the story itself. The book didn't really start until chapter eight. Eighty percent of the book is Lord Henry's philosophies and witty commentary. Any moment of suspense I had faded away after a few pages. I don't believe this is one of Oscar Wilde's best, but I still enjoyed reading it.
If you are looking for the story, it can be explained in two run-on sentences. Dorian Gray was a vain young man who inadvertently wished himself into being youthful, and his picture into baring the burden of his age and sin. After years of what was obviously procrastination, he finally destroyed the picture he'd hidden from the world for fifteen to twenty years which broke the "curse" (for lack of better word) and killed him.
The book is a good read but not a good story.
If you are looking for the story, it can be explained in two run-on sentences. Dorian Gray was a vain young man who inadvertently wished himself into being youthful, and his picture into baring the burden of his age and sin. After years of what was obviously procrastination, he finally destroyed the picture he'd hidden from the world for fifteen to twenty years which broke the "curse" (for lack of better word) and killed him.
The book is a good read but not a good story.
marimoose's review against another edition
4.0
It's interesting when you read a book again with fresh eyes. It must have been years and years that I'd read The Picture of Dorian Gray (probably when I was a first or second year in high school), and when I opened the book again, half of a set of notes fell out. So I took those random page numbers and comments in mind, and I read the story again.
Of course I already knew the story and the plot (from the recent movie with a fantabulous Colin Firth as Lord Henry Wotton and from mild recollections of passages). But when I read it the first time, my notes implied the anger and overall incredulity of the text. The younger me was absolutely indignant over the drawn-out sayings that Lord Henry Wotton would spout to his friends. The older me is amused; in fact, so amused that I actually am enamored with his character. It's amazing how Dorian was easily twisted by a string of cynical words, even more so when the cynic himself is merely that: a cynic, and nothing more.
The writing style made me blush from time to time, not gonna lie. While the movie expressed all the debauchery that Oscar Wilde merely implied in the book, his description of beauty has that "oh la la", fan-yourself effect. It almost made me feel like I was reading a dime-romance on the train. Not good!
Other than that, I really liked this book!
Of course I already knew the story and the plot (from the recent movie with a fantabulous Colin Firth as Lord Henry Wotton and from mild recollections of passages). But when I read it the first time, my notes implied the anger and overall incredulity of the text. The younger me was absolutely indignant over the drawn-out sayings that Lord Henry Wotton would spout to his friends. The older me is amused; in fact, so amused that I actually am enamored with his character. It's amazing how Dorian was easily twisted by a string of cynical words, even more so when the cynic himself is merely that: a cynic, and nothing more.
The writing style made me blush from time to time, not gonna lie. While the movie expressed all the debauchery that Oscar Wilde merely implied in the book, his description of beauty has that "oh la la", fan-yourself effect. It almost made me feel like I was reading a dime-romance on the train. Not good!
Other than that, I really liked this book!
erndixon's review against another edition
4.0
I was never a Wilde fan until I actually attended an entire course devoted to him. He was an alright guy. Every time I read his work I appreciate his wit and humor.
swaksha_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
3.75
aliceelizabethb's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
drinkingpondscum's review
4.25
Now this is some good shit! Aesthetics, youth, the impossibility of maintaining beauty, living a life without consequences. It’s also about how reading books by French people will turn you into an irredeemable monster—possibly the most salient moral in all of literature.