A review by litlyon
The Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Writings by Oscar Wilde

3.0

Reading this book was like going from a lovely buzz to a drunken stupor to a crushing hangover. The sparkling prose allured me, the setting and exposition were like bubbling champagne; intoxicating. But the buzz quickly faded into an unenjoyable experience because I couldn't tolerate the undercurrent of misogyny throughout the book. Reading the way women are described in this book is like hearing nails on a chalkboard. It's borderline unbearable, prompting me to swear off finishing it. But I persisted because I liked the plot. I know that the point is for the characters to be utterly vapid, but it's still so cringy. The only redeemable character is Basil, but of course... well, you'll have to read to find out. In the end, the theme and resounding message resurrected the distaste frof the characters, and I'm glad to have read it, but will likely never do so again.