2025 Reading Challenge discussion
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
ARCHIVE 2018
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The Picture of Dorian Gray: Reviews by 2018 Reading Challengers
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First, I think there's a mistake in the title of this thread. It should read "2018" instead of "2017"...For those who wish to read my review, here it is
This is the first book i read with the group. Some parts were hard to follow or understand as english is my second language, but overall it was a good read. The book felt to me like a perfect experiment to understand human behaviour. Dorian stayed young with the portrait but interesting part for me was it also took his regret and guilt for what he did. It showed good example of what would happen if one doesn’t have these feelings. Although i would like to think we have something more in us that would keep us from behaving like dorian even in his position :)
Like Fatih, this is also my first book with the group, which I enjoyed doing and discussing with everyone else. It's not in my usual genres so I didn't really enjoy it, and also my mind drifts away after a few pages during the extended monologues. Gave it a 3/5 because the ending was very delightful to read and it felt very fitting. My full review of the book is here
I really enjoyed reading parts of this novel. At first, it drags a bit but then it gets better. I enjoyed the philosophical parts about beauty and intelligence and that actions have consequences, which no person can avoid.
First time for me (also) reading an Oscar Wilde Book. 4/5 because some parts are tedious, but in general very recommendable.
Also a first timer; saw this years theme and wanted to join.Classic horror story, later used against Oscar Wilde in his prosecution. I read the annotated version, which added information and visuals to an already strong story, though the annotations also contained spoilers for those who don't know the full plot.
The most interesting of the annotations described the use of "magic-pictures" in late Victorian fiction. Others picture objects described in the text, and illustrations from later editions. An appendix describes the textual differences between versions, including changes made by editors at the time. The text is drawn from the original manuscript, and is thus "uncensored".
The story is a classic. Wilde's main characters are witty, quick with the bon mot, and occasionally quote other works by the author. The ending is abrupt, and yet satisfying. 3.5 stars
I haven't finished the book yet but I found this online and wanted to share it with the class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8iAu...
4 of 5 for me. A classic that I'd definitely recommend to others. A reread for me (though the first time commenting in a group book read!) The novel can be tedious at points, but it's a very thought-provoking piece too. The characters and the ideas will stick with you, and it's worth the reread every so often to see how you've grown too. There's a reason Dorian keeps fascinating us today. And of course, lots of Wilde wordplay, very witty and very quotable.
I've a longer review too.
Read my 3-star review of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wildehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The first time I read this book was for a project in a high school English class. I had a hard time getting into the book in the beginning, I think because it has been awhile since I've read a classic book with more flowery writing. However, once I got into the story, it kept me captivated. Even though this was a reread for me, it was so entertaining to watch Dorian's self-discovery journey.
I finished and gave it 4 stars. I thought the first half of the book was tedious at times, amusing at others. Wilde seemed to get carried away with his witty banter and epigrams. Chapter 11 was my "little train that could" chapter (I think I can...I think I can...) and once I got past it I really enjoyed the rest of the book.Reading Wikipedia, I learned that the book was originally trimmed by about 500 words for content because it was scandalous at the time it was written. But what surprised me was that Wilde choose to LENGTHEN the book by several chapters, adding in some more lighthearted material to balance out some of the darkness. I wonder if I would enjoy the "original" edit of the book more?
It was the first time I read anything from Oscar Wilde and I can say that I enjoyed The Picture of Dorian Gray. I liked the story and the message of the book. It shows you how not having feelings and regrets can damage you and sometimes destroy you.
First timer for both the group reads and Oscar Wilde books. Gave 4 stars. This book is to be read slowly to really ponder over the thought provoking remarks mentioned throughout the book. As the main character Dorian says, "I don't say I like the book, I say it is an engrossing book" This book affects me to some extent, both good and bad, and I am trying to get away from the bad influence of this book.
This is the first time I have ever read Dorian Gray; I was familiar with the idea of the picture changing as his life becomes more evil and that made me skip over the book in favor of something else on more than one occasion because I thought I already knew the story. Last year, I read several of Oscar Wilde's other works, and I fell in love with his use of language. This time when Dorian Gray showed up on a reading list, I decided to give it a chance, and I am so glad that I did. The novel is so much more than I had thought it would be. There is the central theme of evil and the aging portrait, of course, but the lushness of the descriptive passages; the meditations on art, evil, and society; and the sly humor really turned the story into something special for me.
This was a re-read for me. Think I feel about the same about it now as I did then. Which is it has some good parts, but a lot of dragging ones at the same time which just firmly pushes it into the "meh" category for me.I did end up reading all of Wilde's short stories last year and I think he's definitely one of those authors where I vastly prefer their short stories to their longer works.
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