The Picture of Dorian Grey

Update: 07/31/2015

If you'd like to read this review on my blog.

Rating: 5/5 stars.

The Picture of Dorian Grey is the story of the man's own soul, portrayed by his portrait, and that soul's own destruction. It's a story about passions, about madness, about knowledge and, most noticeably, a classic worth reading.

When I was around eleven, our English teacher (literal English class, as in a language), made us read this book for reading. Of course, it was a shorter version and with a much simpler talk at times, but the essence of the novel was there. We read and, at the same time, heard a narrator, who is clearly the best narrator in history. He would do every single voice in this book and voice it completely different each time, and the makers even had some background music running at the best and most intense scenes. And as a kid, I completely loved it.

Now, older me finds herself in front of the book once again, the real version this time, and was not disappointed.

The book moves through this wonderful conversations about morality and life, and different unimportant but jet very when looked upon issues life, with a complete different voice as to what one is used to, and temps you to drive with it. More than once I questioned if the characters were really right about their opinions.

All the same, the story itself was very unique and dark, very rogue and wonderful to read. The characters were all complex people, and an unreliable MC is always a catch when done right. Specially for such a darling as Dorian was.

We were made to read this book for our Language & Literature class, teaching the life and work of Mr. Oscar Wilde himself, along side it. Learning about the life of Wilde and everything he went through while writing and delivering this book made me like the intention of the book even better. Every blunt opinion and harsh remark about a strong topic made complete sense once you know that it had a purpose. I personally think that it most definitely improved my experience while reading, but fear not, the book is just as great on itself.

The only things I did not like was chapter eleven. It was full of historically incorrect and completely jambled up information, and of the most random things. I know I was to understand how Dorian grew in knowledge and tried so many different things. But really, it was extremely long, and incorrect and just felt like he had dumped everything he knew at once. The book would have been ok without. (and just so you know, I only read half that chapter until I realized that it wasn't going to be important and just skimmed the rest.)

Excellent book, great story, dark thoughts, what else is there to be? Go read this wonderful classic if you haven't, it's completely worth it.

(And if you want to know, the version I read was the McMillan one, with a pretty blue-eyed pal on the cover and red for the title.)