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A review by shivani_n
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
first read (2021): holy GOD this book was so good. i love oscar wilde's writing style, the line "the world is changed because you are made of ivory and gold. the curves of your lips rewrite history" is going to LITERALLY HAUNT ME FOREVER. poor basil was so in love with dorian and was just trying to confess his love but then got stabbed to death.. i love the conversations this book has about art and the purpose of art. why we create it, why we consume it, and how valuable our youth and being young really is. this book is a literal masterpiece!! i want to read more classics in 2022 and i'm glad i started with this one.
reread (2024): i adored the picture of dorian gray when i first read it and gave it 5 stars, but after a reread i’m going to rate it 4 stars. i still think it’s an incredible book but i just didn’t enjoy reading it as much as i did three years ago. it’s funny because it’s usually the opposite like usually you like something more after you read it when you’re older lol. anyway it was still enjoyable to read this edition with all the footnotes with extra information and lines that were cut and added etc. it added more meaning to the book and gave really cool insights about wilde’s inner monologue when he was writing; it made me understand it more thoroughly. i think it’s hilarious that in my first review of this book (see above) i wrote about how the book shows “how valuable our youth is”, when the book is quite literally about how the prospect of youth and beauty morally destroys people 💀💀💀 idk what 14 year old me was on about LMAO.
reread (2024): i adored the picture of dorian gray when i first read it and gave it 5 stars, but after a reread i’m going to rate it 4 stars. i still think it’s an incredible book but i just didn’t enjoy reading it as much as i did three years ago. it’s funny because it’s usually the opposite like usually you like something more after you read it when you’re older lol. anyway it was still enjoyable to read this edition with all the footnotes with extra information and lines that were cut and added etc. it added more meaning to the book and gave really cool insights about wilde’s inner monologue when he was writing; it made me understand it more thoroughly. i think it’s hilarious that in my first review of this book (see above) i wrote about how the book shows “how valuable our youth is”, when the book is quite literally about how the prospect of youth and beauty morally destroys people 💀💀💀 idk what 14 year old me was on about LMAO.