A Picture of Dorian Gray

Please use this sub-forum to discuss any classic books or any very old fiction books or series.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
User avatar
ben_fitzgerald
Posts: 5
Joined: 09 Oct 2015, 04:10
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 2
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ben-fitzgerald.html
Latest Review: Isn’t it kind of funny that by Jerry schaefer

A Picture of Dorian Gray

Post by ben_fitzgerald »

If you want to read a book about going off the deep end, this is a good one. I like how, towards the end, Dorian's wickedness becomes such a part of who he is that he cannot make better decisions. I think it holds true. The decisions we make when we are a young are sort of a litmus test for the kind of person we'll be when we're older. Thoughts?
Amberly Ayra
Posts: 68
Joined: 21 Feb 2022, 20:46
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 10
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-amberly-ayra.html
Latest Review: Man Mission by Eytan Uliel

Post by Amberly Ayra »

This was one of the first books I read for pleasure. A Picture of Dorian Gray is a good book, but I'm not sure I want to recommend it to very young people, because they might understand that a life without control is worth living. Keep in mind that Dorian can do whatever he wants almost throughout the story. This book must be read carefully to fully understand the message.
Ashna Tibrewal
Posts: 97
Joined: 30 May 2020, 23:09
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 14
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ashna-tibrewal.html
Latest Review: The Magician's Secret by Charles Townsend

Post by Ashna Tibrewal »

The quotes in this classic beat any other book- ' A burnt child loves the fires.'
User avatar
mirunachirpac
Posts: 1
Joined: 14 Dec 2022, 09:41
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by mirunachirpac »

You are so right about being affected by the decisions we make when we are young!
I consider this book the best one I’ve read so far. The author’s ability to describe the decor of the rooms, the view, the characters.. is just amazing! While reading this book I have felt like watching a movie because of the way it was written.
Everything was pure art and the ending.. the best!
Carlos Mata Saenz
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 249
Joined: 09 Dec 2022, 01:29
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 26
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-carlos-mata-saenz.html
Latest Review: Alpha Buddies Land by Donna Marie Rink

Post by Carlos Mata Saenz »

I didn’t manage to finish it and I tried three times, so annoyed with not liking it as I really wanted to read it. I found myself passing pages without reading them, didn’t manage to engage with the style…
User avatar
aanya_1403
Posts: 1
Joined: 08 May 2023, 07:05
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by aanya_1403 »

I tried to read this book multiple times but it wasn't my vibe. it was a bit too dark for me, but I will give it a try in the future
Susann Heidy Castro Garnica
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 54
Joined: 17 Mar 2023, 16:06
Currently Reading: Angel of Death
Bookshelf Size: 27
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-susann-heidy-castro-garnica.html
Latest Review: A King Amongst Us by A.D. Lewis

Post by Susann Heidy Castro Garnica »

I believe that the choices that we make as children shouldn't really define us as we get older; people can and usually changes as they grow older. As children, we don't know better, so if we don't improve ourselves as we grow older, then what's the point of "growing"?
liyifan
Posts: 10
Joined: 19 Jun 2023, 04:17
Currently Reading: Neither Safe Nor Effective (2nd Edition)
Bookshelf Size: 12

Post by liyifan »

I think this book is well written, as it makes us realize that we cannot simply pursue surface beauty, but rather focus on inner beauty, because true beauty is a reflection of the soul.
User avatar
Emma Jane Grey
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 386
Joined: 24 Jun 2023, 02:46
Favorite Book: Pride and Prejudice
Currently Reading: Transforming Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
Bookshelf Size: 774
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-emma-jane-grey.html
Latest Review: Zona II by Fred G. Baker
2024 Reading Goal: 100
2024 Goal Completion: 20%

Post by Emma Jane Grey »

Honestly the thing I love most about this book is the not-so-subtle homoerotic lust and jealousy. I just love that Oscar Wilde is letting his characters express how much beauty they see in other men in such a wonderfully dramatic way and with such flair in the language; very tongue-in-cheek! I listened to the wonderful Audible exclusive performance of it and it really added to my experience of it. It still was “only” a 4 star book for me as it was slow at times, but I can recommend that audiobook regardless.
User avatar
vaaniundersky
Posts: 2
Joined: 17 Aug 2022, 23:04
Bookshelf Size: 0
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by vaaniundersky »

I've been reading this book for a while now. I keep getting annoyed with lord Henry and his observations however. a lot of his hedonist & nihilistic views might perhaps just be a little too sexist and just ...idk wrong :).

but I can appreciate a character which annoys me rather than a character with no affect at all. it means that the character has been well sketched. I do feel like he might just be Oscar Wilde's mouthpiece tho. making me wonder if Wilde would rather make a better essayist than a novelist.
User avatar
Nimra Kiran
Posts: 159
Joined: 17 Jun 2021, 16:16
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 13
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nimra-kiran.html
Latest Review: The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci by Belle Ami

Post by Nimra Kiran »

I read it a few months back and yes it was such a great read! Oscar Wilde's way of conveying controversial concepts and dialogue delivery was truly unique. As a Literature student, it opened my mind to so many opinions and theories and it was just mindblowing! I was planning to re-read it, maybe there are some more hidden truths to be unveiled there. As Oscar Wilde himself says, "If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all."
Arianna Mazzotta 1
Posts: 7
Joined: 27 Jun 2021, 01:54
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 19

Post by Arianna Mazzotta 1 »

This book is probably the dearest to my heart. I'm going to sound so pretentious it disgusts me, but here we go; trough this book I came to terms with my mortality. It sounds intense but here me out. At the ripe age of 16 I was going trough a very specific existential crisis, my philosophy professor said out of the blue ( I wish I could remember the context but I truly can't) "you know we all have to die right?". I think we were talking about a particularly pessimistic philosopher that day, so we might have been joking about how much he was obsessed with death and such idk. Long story short, for some reason a random Thursday I realized that yeah, I did in fact had to die someday.
Cue in the montage of my not sleeping well for a couple weeks after that.
In the midst of all this, I started reading The picture of Dorian Gray because we were studying Oscar Wilde in English class, and the part when Dorian reads the yellow book it really stuck with me.
This book has so many interpretations and interesting points to contemplate, but for some reason for me the takeaway was "if life has just half of the wonderful things that Dorian reads about in the yellow book, maybe it's not going to be so bad to grow old, live enough to find those wonders and than die"

So yeah maybe not the best or most poingnant interpretation of the book, but it worked for me.
User avatar
Okewunmi Pelumi
Posts: 285
Joined: 16 Aug 2023, 13:42
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 24
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-okewunmi-pelumi.html
Latest Review: Surviving the Business of Healthcare by Barbara Galutia Regis PA-C

Post by Okewunmi Pelumi »

Exactly, you're right. The decision we made when we are young truly becomes our image when we grow old. We can't live out of the decision we have made.
User avatar
Okewunmi Pelumi
Posts: 285
Joined: 16 Aug 2023, 13:42
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 24
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-okewunmi-pelumi.html
Latest Review: Surviving the Business of Healthcare by Barbara Galutia Regis PA-C

Post by Okewunmi Pelumi »

Decision decides destiny. if ones decision is not well made, then the outcome can't be great.
Cr15tal Gray
Posts: 3
Joined: 17 Sep 2023, 21:35
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by Cr15tal Gray »

This is one of my favorite books from Oscar Wilde.
Narcissism portrayed beautifully. In its dark fantasy of selling one's soul to remain in a age of beauty evermore. Even without the portrait, in Dorian's actions, he shows the true rotten nature of the soul.
One of my favorite quotes " the only way to get rid of temptation, is to yield to it."
Which in parts hold true, but beware the consequences.
Post Reply

Return to “Classic Books”