Jean Marie D. reviewed The Picture of Dorian Gray (Barnes Noble Classics Series) (BN Classics Trade Paper) on
Helpful Score: 5
The first half of this book is tedious. Wilde's uses these long monologues to establish characterization which get a bit tiresome. But stick with it. I read the second half in 1 night because it was such a page turner. All the sin that the painting depicts of Dorian is never revealed but we get a sense of how the picture became so grotesque in the second half. I won't give it away but I assure you, if you can slog through the first half the second is that much more rewarding.
Rebecca B. (madshrubbery) reviewed The Picture of Dorian Gray (Barnes Noble Classics Series) (BN Classics Trade Paper) on + 23 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
I thought I could handle overwhelming decadence and debauchery, but oh, was I wrong! Excellent read, though!
Esther H. P. (estar) reviewed The Picture of Dorian Gray (Barnes Noble Classics Series) (BN Classics Trade Paper) on + 32 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Dorian Grey is a dark and psychological look at a beautiful boy who goes very, very, bad.
Michelle V. reviewed The Picture of Dorian Gray (Barnes Noble Classics Series) (BN Classics Trade Paper) on
Helpful Score: 3
This is one of my favorite books. The storyline is absolutely amazing and rings true in some aspects in today's world.
Kerri H. reviewed The Picture of Dorian Gray (Barnes Noble Classics Series) (BN Classics Trade Paper) on
Helpful Score: 1
I've heard about this book for years and glad to have finally gotten to it. It left me with a variety of emotions: melancholy, a feeling of creepiness, a sense of vindication, much saddness, thoughtfulness,...
The entire story held moral dilemmas that are timeless. "Beauty above all else is nothing". "your actions will have consequences, maybe not immediately but they will occur." "How easily one can be influenced" or "Is one influenced or did someone bring out what is truly inside of you" And many more ideas flow through this book. But as relevant as they are in 1890's, they still stand true today.
It does have it's dull points. Chapter XI was misery and I skimmed it. Hopefully I didn't miss something! As well, the constant footnotes were distracting. (But that could just be that I'm easily distracted)
The final 1/3 of the book was by far my favorite and I would like to hope that the wheels in my head will keep turning, and I will continue to think about the concepts it brought up.
The entire story held moral dilemmas that are timeless. "Beauty above all else is nothing". "your actions will have consequences, maybe not immediately but they will occur." "How easily one can be influenced" or "Is one influenced or did someone bring out what is truly inside of you" And many more ideas flow through this book. But as relevant as they are in 1890's, they still stand true today.
It does have it's dull points. Chapter XI was misery and I skimmed it. Hopefully I didn't miss something! As well, the constant footnotes were distracting. (But that could just be that I'm easily distracted)
The final 1/3 of the book was by far my favorite and I would like to hope that the wheels in my head will keep turning, and I will continue to think about the concepts it brought up.
Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed The Picture of Dorian Gray (Barnes Noble Classics Series) (BN Classics Trade Paper) on + 1193 more book reviews
Although I have seen various movie versions of this including the 1945 classic, I had neglected reading the book until now. I remember also enjoying the Showtime TV series Penny Dreadful which included Dorian Gray as one of the key characters.
So of course the story is quite familiar about a young man, Dorian, who is the subject of a painting by Basil Hallward. The artist and his friend, Lord Henry Wotton, are stricken with Dorian's beauty. Dorian meets Sir Henry who gives Dorian a view on life in that the only things worth pursuing are beauty and pleasure. Dorian realizes that his beauty will fade as he grows older and expresses a desire that the painting age instead of him. Well he gets his wish and his life becomes a series of debaucheries which show up in the changes to the painting while Dorian remains ageless. At one point, Lord Henry gives Dorian a scandalous French novel which inspires Dorian to perform every form of vice he can. (The title of the book is not given but at Wilde's trial he admitted that he had Joris-Karl Huysman's A Rebours or Against the Grain in mind.) Early in the story, Dorian falls in love with an actress but when he later rejects her, she commits suicide. Her brother vows revenge but doesn't know Dorian's real name. As the novel progresses, Dorian gets more vile and his picture gets uglier until the climax of the story that is still quite shocking.
I enjoyed the dark nature of the book and I probably should read more of Wilde. The book was used in Wilde's trial where he was accused of "gross indecency with other men" and there is definitely a thread of homoeroticism running through the narrative but it is pretty mild by today's standards.
So of course the story is quite familiar about a young man, Dorian, who is the subject of a painting by Basil Hallward. The artist and his friend, Lord Henry Wotton, are stricken with Dorian's beauty. Dorian meets Sir Henry who gives Dorian a view on life in that the only things worth pursuing are beauty and pleasure. Dorian realizes that his beauty will fade as he grows older and expresses a desire that the painting age instead of him. Well he gets his wish and his life becomes a series of debaucheries which show up in the changes to the painting while Dorian remains ageless. At one point, Lord Henry gives Dorian a scandalous French novel which inspires Dorian to perform every form of vice he can. (The title of the book is not given but at Wilde's trial he admitted that he had Joris-Karl Huysman's A Rebours or Against the Grain in mind.) Early in the story, Dorian falls in love with an actress but when he later rejects her, she commits suicide. Her brother vows revenge but doesn't know Dorian's real name. As the novel progresses, Dorian gets more vile and his picture gets uglier until the climax of the story that is still quite shocking.
I enjoyed the dark nature of the book and I probably should read more of Wilde. The book was used in Wilde's trial where he was accused of "gross indecency with other men" and there is definitely a thread of homoeroticism running through the narrative but it is pretty mild by today's standards.
Kathy K. (cathiasplace) reviewed The Picture of Dorian Gray (Barnes Noble Classics Series) (BN Classics Trade Paper) on + 9 more book reviews
I just finished reading this book and I have to say it is not as good as I had anticipated. I am glad to have read it, but it is definitely dull in some parts. The main characters are so vain and shallow I could not work up any feeling for them at all. This is a classic, which is why I read it, but it just did not do anything for me.
Karissa E. (ophelia99) reviewed The Picture of Dorian Gray (Barnes Noble Classics Series) (BN Classics Trade Paper) on + 2527 more book reviews
I have heard a lot about this book and, having read a few of Oscar Wilde's plays and enjoyed them, decided to give it a try. Overall is was a good book, if a bit inconsistent in pacing at times.
Dorian Grey is a beautiful young man, who is corrupted by a Lord to worry about how his looks might one day fade. While a portrait of him is being painted he wishes to never grow old. Later he realizes that the portrait is changing to reflect any cruelty in his nature, yet he remains the same.
Oscar Wilde is a genius at writing. The cleverness of the language he uses and the sharpness of the commentary on society is deftly done and makes the story a joy to read, most of the time. The footnotes in this version of the book help to explain some of the more subtle jokes that I would have missed without them.
The book does have some flaws, especially when compared to modern literature. Wilde takes nearly half to book to set up his characters. You can tell Wilde is a playwright at heart because many of the characters wander off into multiple page long dialogues that get to be a bit too much and sometimes a bit boring. Even in the second half of the book there are times where Dorian is reading from the book he is obsessed with and it just goes on and on and on.
The second half of the book is by far the strongest. Wilde stimulates the imagination by talking about Dorian's unspeakable acts but never revealing what the majority of the horrible acts are. I was a little disappointed that there isn't a lot more to the plot than what you read on the back of the book. That being said, the end of the book is remarkable and really made the book a wonder to me.
Overall this is a very interesting book and worth the read. Some of the lengthy dialogues can get a bit trying to read through, but most of the book has a quick wit to it that is amusing. The ending of the book holds some wonderful surprises. I would recommend reading this, especially if you are a fan of Wilde's writing style.
Dorian Grey is a beautiful young man, who is corrupted by a Lord to worry about how his looks might one day fade. While a portrait of him is being painted he wishes to never grow old. Later he realizes that the portrait is changing to reflect any cruelty in his nature, yet he remains the same.
Oscar Wilde is a genius at writing. The cleverness of the language he uses and the sharpness of the commentary on society is deftly done and makes the story a joy to read, most of the time. The footnotes in this version of the book help to explain some of the more subtle jokes that I would have missed without them.
The book does have some flaws, especially when compared to modern literature. Wilde takes nearly half to book to set up his characters. You can tell Wilde is a playwright at heart because many of the characters wander off into multiple page long dialogues that get to be a bit too much and sometimes a bit boring. Even in the second half of the book there are times where Dorian is reading from the book he is obsessed with and it just goes on and on and on.
The second half of the book is by far the strongest. Wilde stimulates the imagination by talking about Dorian's unspeakable acts but never revealing what the majority of the horrible acts are. I was a little disappointed that there isn't a lot more to the plot than what you read on the back of the book. That being said, the end of the book is remarkable and really made the book a wonder to me.
Overall this is a very interesting book and worth the read. Some of the lengthy dialogues can get a bit trying to read through, but most of the book has a quick wit to it that is amusing. The ending of the book holds some wonderful surprises. I would recommend reading this, especially if you are a fan of Wilde's writing style.
Dana M. reviewed The Picture of Dorian Gray (Barnes Noble Classics Series) (BN Classics Trade Paper) on + 3 more book reviews
I love the story, though I take some issue with the way Wilde presents it. There are almost entire chapters that could be stricken from the book without affecting the story at all. The bits where Wilde starts pontificating, or writing out "witty dialogue," are sleepers. However, as a previous reviewer mentioned, the second half of the book is very good. Skim the first half if you have to; the last bit is worth it.
Shannon M. (confuzzledbooks) reviewed The Picture of Dorian Gray (Barnes Noble Classics Series) (BN Classics Trade Paper) on + 482 more book reviews
he Picture Of Dorian Gray starts out with the artist who is painting the title character, Dorian Gray. The artist is enthralled with Dorian's beauty and a sense of innocence. The artist, Basil, introduces Dorian to a friend, Lord Henry, as he sits for the portrait. Some could say that Lord Henry introduces Dorian to a life of no morals and selfishness. As the lord is the first to mention that the painting will always be a picture of Dorian forever young and the real Dorian will grow old. In a way, this stimulates Dorian to announce his wish to give his soul for the reverse.
This was my second time trying to read TPODG. The first time I just could not get into it. This time, I can not figure out what made me not want to read it. The story is beautiful. Oscar Wilde's words paint a portrait of its own. It is written in this mesh of Victorian and Contemporary. So for me that makes it easier to relate to. The words are not like reading Shakespeare.
I am not good at critiquing books and getting into every metaphor, or meaning behind it all. When I try that with a book I can't enjoy it. So I just read, and from the beginning, I could tell this was going to be a new favorite author. This coming from a reader who is not a fan of many classics...but I keep trying and here I found one I loved.
I bought the book of the complete works of Oscar Wilde and will be next reading The Canterville Ghost. I can not gush enough how much I loved this book. I am curious now to watch one of the movie version of Dorian Gray because I never have.
This was my second time trying to read TPODG. The first time I just could not get into it. This time, I can not figure out what made me not want to read it. The story is beautiful. Oscar Wilde's words paint a portrait of its own. It is written in this mesh of Victorian and Contemporary. So for me that makes it easier to relate to. The words are not like reading Shakespeare.
I am not good at critiquing books and getting into every metaphor, or meaning behind it all. When I try that with a book I can't enjoy it. So I just read, and from the beginning, I could tell this was going to be a new favorite author. This coming from a reader who is not a fan of many classics...but I keep trying and here I found one I loved.
I bought the book of the complete works of Oscar Wilde and will be next reading The Canterville Ghost. I can not gush enough how much I loved this book. I am curious now to watch one of the movie version of Dorian Gray because I never have.
Eadie B. (eadieburke) -
Dorian Gray sold his soul for eternal youth and beauty while his painting of him ages and grows increasingly hideous with the years. This was a fascinating read. A timeless masterpiece, the book shows the struggle and torment of good and evil. I loved the character of Lord Henry Wotton. I would have to say that Oscar Wilde was a genius! I will definitely have to read this one again!
Miranda I. reviewed The Picture of Dorian Gray (Barnes Noble Classics Series) (BN Classics Trade Paper) on + 6 more book reviews
Love this book!!!
