river69rat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
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
3.0
Heard so many good things about this one but it just didn't hit for me unfortunately. None of the characters were particularly interesting and Henry was especially annoying with his contrarian sexist rants. Dorian Gray himself was just fine, but it felt as if he was just a corruption of Henry and the parts in Henry's PoV were just better. Shame as I wanted to love this book :/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Sexism
Moderate: Suicide
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.
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
Spoiler
Lord Henry's remarks about female intelligence, and sympathetic to the the OTT cruelty towards Sybil VaneDespite 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
thirza's review against another edition
dark
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Murder
nneka's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I had to read this book for class. I've been putting it off for a while, but now I wish I had read it sooner. Oscar Wilde has a true way with words and A Picture of Dorian Gray was a masterpiece. I love the theme of appearance versus reality and it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Antisemitism
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A classic in so many ways with poignant reflections on youth, beauty and what makes a good person. There are also so many layers of queerness in each of the characters and their relationships.
It is certainly a product of its time, with several sexist comments and some antisemitic portrayals. Readers should be aware of this before beginning to read
It is certainly a product of its time, with several sexist comments and some antisemitic portrayals. Readers should be aware of this before beginning to read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Death, Murder, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, and Blood
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Suicide, and Antisemitism
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
passionatereader78's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
I love the movie Legend of Extraordinary Gentleman which has a great Dorian Gray character. I have always wanted to read the book that was the bases for that character. This was interesting. I enjoyed the overall plot. Dorian Gray is Basil's muse. He is introduced to Lord Henry by Basil who is an artist. Dorian and Lord Henry become friends. Lord Henry influences Dorian's decisions. Lord Henry remains me of chaos. He's there to cause problems and watch the fall out. Basil paints a perfect picture of Dorian. Dorian believes he is in love with an actress named Cybil. As the years pass Dorian doesn't age, however,his portrait does. The portrait reflects the decisions Dorian has made throughout his life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Suicide
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