El Retrato de Dorian Gray

Escrito por Oscar Wilde

Narrado por Viviana Segura

Basil Hallward es un artista que queda fuertemente impresionado por la belleza estética de un joven llamado Dorian Gray y comienza a admirarlo. Basil pinta un retrato del joven. Charlando en el jardín de Hallward, Dorian conoce a un amigo de Basil y empieza a cautivarse por la visión del mundo de Lord Henry. Exponiendo un nuevo tipo de hedonismo, Lord Henry indica que «lo único que vale la pena en la vida es la belleza, y la satisfacción de los sentidos». Al darse cuenta de que un día su belleza se desvanecerá, Dorian desea tener siempre la edad de cuando Basil le pintó en el cuadro. Mientras él mantiene para siempre la misma apariencia del cuadro, la figura retratada envejece por él. Su búsqueda del placer lo lleva a una serie de actos de lujuria; pero el retrato sirve como un recordatoriode los efectos de su alma, con cada pecado la figura se va desfigurando y envejeciendo.

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: Audiobooks Unleashed
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 28 ago 2020
• ISBN: 9781953250438

Oscar Wilde

Born in Ireland in 1856, Oscar Wilde was a noted essayist, playwright, fairy tale writer and poet, as well as an early leader of the Aesthetic Movement. His plays include: An Ideal Husband, Salome, A Woman of No Importance, and Lady Windermere's Fan. Among his best known stories are The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Canterville Ghost.

Comentarios para El Retrato de Dorian Gray

[joe73-1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Great story about some despicable and jaded people.

[catherinestead · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Are you sitting comfortably? Got a cup of tea? Not going to need to let the cat out any time soon? Then we'll begin.Dorian Gray mourns that he will lose his youth while his portrait remains unchanged and wishes for the portrait to age instead of him, little suspecting that his wish will come true and that the portrait will display the ravages of his depravity and hedonism.This is a story of horrible people doing horrible things and becoming even more horrible. By rights, that ought to make it a horrible story. It isn't. It's magnificent.Normally, I have to sympathise with at least some of the characters to feel that I have got something out of a book - but the characters on parade here were universally irritating or loathsome. I'm not particularly keen on Oscar Wilde's writings generally. I don't like the self-conscious witticisms that are trying to be aphoristic but merely sound pretentious. I didn’t have much patience for the comments on art and I don't much admire Wilde's style. And yet, other than a couple of places where I faltered, I found the book compelling. The way in which the book commented on wrongdoing, hedonism and conscience - and the way in which it prompted me to think about those things - was mind-blowing.Wilde doesn't describe the details of Dorian Gray's lifestyle. He alludes to it - we see hints of relationships ended badly and abuse of opiates - but we never see details. And I think this makes it more powerful. The actual acts don’t matter so much as the fact that they stem from selfishness, and the damage they do the person who commits them. The reader can never feel superior for not having lived as Dorian lived, or argue over whether a particular action or choice is actually wrong at all, but instead is provoked into considering the root causes of Dorian Gray's situation and asking, 'am I - how am I - trying to hide the damage I am doing to my own soul by my own bad choices?'The picture itself is a fascinating plot device. It strikes me as being as much a metaphor for conscience as for sin. The things which Dorian Gray does affect the picture in the same way they affect his soul. He becomes twisted and callous, and the portrait shows that. To begin with, he isn’t indifferent to the effect of his behaviour on others. Not at first. He feels some guilt over Sibyl Vane, although later his concerns over what he does to Basil are entirely selfish. He becomes gradually more and more calloused - less and less attuned to the feelings of others, less and less able to feel the damage he is doing.He understands that the picture represents his soul, his state of sin, and he knows that each selfish action will cause more damage. In that way, the picture is a kind of external conscience, telling him incontrovertibly that he has done wrong. And yet despite that, he does not change. He hides the picture away and refuses to allow the world to see what his soul is like, and broods over it until the obsession leads him to the final act of self-destruction.Our consciences can never be physically seen, by us or by anyone else. Yet we still hide away things that we have done which we know or believe to be wrong. For most of us they are little things, but they are things we don’t want others to know about. Human beings have an astonishing capacity to disregard the damage they are doing to themselves and others - physically, emotionally, spiritually - and instead to seek short-term pleasure. Dorian Gray's hedonism and refusal to consider the consequences of what he does is an extreme example - people generally have the capacity for great love and kindness and well as acts of selfishness - but it seems to me that it's designed to be (and ought to be) a prompt for the reader to consider what a picture reflecting their own soul would look like.Exactly how we as readers unpack this is going to depend to some extent on our worldview: whether we believe people are fundamentally good, evil or good-but-flawed, and the extent to which we believe we make our own destiny or are affected by outside influences. For me, it was impacted very strongly by the Bible verse, 'If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.' (1 John 1:8). None of us is perfect, all of us do things wrong from time to time. Dorian Gray refused to face his own flaws, hiding the evidence of them away. He refused to face the consequences of his actions, or to use those experiences and their consequences to become a better person. He brooded on the picture and the state of his own soul, and was concerned only with them and not with the people he had hurt. He looked at the visible manifestation of his own conscience and refused to accept or act on what it was showing him. When we're faced with the consequences of our own misjudgements, selfish actions, poor lifestyle choices - sins - we can ignore the evidence and mire ourselves deeper as Dorian Gray does, or choose to act on the warning and turn things around.

[meaqhan · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Big fan, reread this for a project. Wish Wilde’s publisher hadn’t rushed the added chapters to this version, however.Later edit: Boy, I really didn't feel like writing much when I put that one up. Ok, this is a 4.5 star rating. I adore Wilde's prose, no matter how much my peers might criticize his aesthetic style. I know it's hypocritical to the "message" of the story (subject of the paper mentioned earlier) but I don't really care, it's indulgent and lovely and beautiful. I don't have the skills required to describe it as nicely as he could. Ah, what a guy.

[Vivian Ruiz · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

La historia es buena e interesante. Es un libro que tienes que escuchar o leer!

[juva_3 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Dorian Gray is a young man just beginning his twenties. He has money and he has beauty. He is told that these two things are all he will ever need. This book is the story of the life Gray lived before he eventually uncovered this lie.Lord Henry takes the young man as a kind of protege and after only a few moments in this illustrious man's company, Gray wishes aloud to exchange his soul for eternal youth. Although he doesn't realize it at first, his wish is granted. While he goes on to become jaded, debauched, and cynical, his face remains bright and youthful, while a portrait of himself becomes twisted with vice. Shamed by the picture's changes, Dorian locks it away and tries to forget.A sad book about the irretrievable loss of innocence and the eternal mark upon the soul of every casual cruelty.

[August · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Muy buen libro. La narradora podría mejorar la actuación de las voces. También sería bueno que consultara la pronunciación de las palabras extranjeras.

[Nacho · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Deja mirar como en 1890 tenía gran peso la belleza y el estatus. Sin embargo, tiene un mensaje mas profundo. Deberías leerlo.

[Lorena Muralles · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Me gustó mucho este libro, la manera en que está escrito, cada uno de los personajes, me gustó el final, no me lo esperaba.

[Edgar García · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Excelente narración, con una buena velocidad y con todos los énfasis necesarios.

[andjhostet-527429 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

An amazing novel detailing the power of art, corruption and influence, vanity. Some of the most beautiful writing I have ever read. I absolutely loved every bit of dialog in this book, it was just incredible.

Favorite quotes:

"Experience was of no ethical value. It was merely the name men gave to their mistakes."

"her death has all the pathetic uselessness of martyrdom, all its wasted beauty"

"One hardly knew whether one was reading the spiritual ecstasies of some medieval saint or the morbid confessions of a modern sinner"

[dste_2 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

In the Victorian era, a beautiful young man named Dorian catches the eye of an artist who insists on painting him. Dorian poses for Basil again and again, in various locations and various costumes, but when Basil decides to paint him exactly as he is, the artist captures a secret of his own soul on the canvas. The astute reader may discern that there is more to Basil's "worship" of Dorian than simple aesthetic appreciation, but he—and the text itself—is unable to make a clear admission. When Basil's friend Henry questions why he is unwilling to showcase a portrait that may be the greatest work he has ever painted, leading him to develop an interest in impressionable young Dorian himself, the artist finds himself unable to stop the man he adores from meeting the friend he says to be a terrible influence on everyone except himself. Within the course of a single meeting, Henry places such thoughts in Dorian's head about the value of youth and beauty that the young man becomes jealous of the painting of himself, which will retain its looks forever while he becomes more ugly. In a moment of passion, he wishes aloud that the situation could be reversed. To his surprise, that wish is granted. But it is not only age that begins to change that painted face. With every cruel and selfish act that he commits, whether through Henry's influence or the snowballing effect of giving in to his own temptations, the portrait shows his sins. At first determined to use the portrait for self-examination, to turn off of the path he's started down and become a better man, Dorian quickly finds himself unable to follow through. But when he hides the painting away and gives up on doing anything except what brings him pleasure, what will become of him and everyone within his sphere of influence?The Picture of Dorian Gray is a classic written in the 1890's, a time during which its author was forced to self-censor and endure the censoring of publishers in order to diminish what was already closer to a hint at homosexuality than a proud depiction of it. During this reread, I personally found more enjoyment in learning about the "uncensored" version of the text and imagining what the novel might have been if Wilde had been given full creative freedom than in actually reading the book itself. Knowing that this book was used as evidence in Wilde's own trial for "gross indecency" is all the more fascinating and sad. If I had more of an interest in history, I could see myself going beyond this surface level understanding to learn more about his life and his relationships and how his society responded to both.But as a reader I want to enjoy the book that's in front of me. And I found myself not only wishing that Wilde could have been more explicit but that he could have made different writing choices altogether. The book is written in third person omniscient, but I found myself wondering on more than one occasion whether that was the best choice or simply the default choice given the time period. I enjoyed being able to leave Dorian and Henry for a chapter in favor of seeing the home life of the young actress Dorian becomes enamored with, but when it comes to Dorian meeting her? Proposing marriage to her? Both are given to the reader not as scenes but told to us through dialogue! The best reason I can come up with is that the author wanted to be able to narrate these experiences through Dorian's own words, basically then, in first person. But, it being dialogue, of course it wouldn't be believable if it had all the length and detail of a scene in a first-person novel. I know first person wasn't nearly as popular in this time period as it is in our current one, but I do wonder if the book might have been stronger if written in the epistolary style, in which all the characters might have exchanged letters. This way, they would have been able to express themselves in their own words, while believably having taken time to consider how the stories they are telling would best be told. And it would still allow for what I think is the largest benefit of the novel using the omniscient perspective: a certain emotional distance from a character who becomes increasingly corrupt. In an epistolary novel, the reader would still be able to look at Dorian from a perspective outside his own and be encouraged to render their own judgment on him. And any graphic details the author might want to spare the audience could also be toned down or removed as Dorian believably wouldn't want to share them with the person he is writing to.Besides that, I found myself thinking that Wilde had fallen too much in love with the clever epigrams he is famous for. The first time I read this novel, I picked it up because I loved the clever lines and laugh-out-loud (for me anyway) humor of his play The Importance of Being Earnest. But in novel form, and stuffed liberally into the dialogue of Lord Henry, this cleverness made me wince much more than laugh. In the first chapter, Henry seems to veer so often off the point of what is being discussed that I would have lost track of what was happening without some very slow and careful reading. The dialogue here is overloaded and meandering, seeming more like an author's attempt to show off than a genuine hook for the reader's interest. I might have forgiven this if it at least was funny. I do think it's intended to be? But I personally wasn't able to laugh given the context of the character. Is it really funny that he says things that are wrongheaded and lead Dorian into moral corruption? And in the modern context, how about all those "clever" things he has to say about women? "Women are a decorative sex. They never have anything to say, but they say it charmingly. Women represent the triumph of matter over mind, just as men represent the triumph of mind over morals." Oh yes, this certainly puts me in a light-hearted mood.Of course it is a book of its time, and I recognize that. But if I'm spending time with characters depicted through the eyes of sexism and antisemitism, groaning at the fact that a talented young actress apparently loses her ability to act because falling in love makes her realize that acting at love on stage is just a hollow sham (reinforcing, I'm sure, standards of the time that would have called it improper for a high-class woman to even want to be an actress), I do want the book to be well-written. It has an interesting premise, certainly. The second half of the book reads very well once the action finally picks up, and the end is quite dramatic. But the setup seems forced, even a bit contrived. Portions of the book read as if the author was trying to pad out the length, even at the expense of the reader's interest. And I found myself tempted to skim again and again, as I believe I did the first time I read it. Certainly that would explain how I'd so easily forgotten so much of it.It's disappointing, given how much I enjoyed the play by the same author. It's interesting that there are sections of the book that are nothing more than long stretches of back-and-forth dialogue between two characters. When these lines were short, the text even started to have the appearance of a script for me, and I'm left with the unfortunate question of whether novels were really a format Wilde was able to master.The best parts of the book, besides those that actually contain tense and emotional scenes, are the parts that depict ordinary life in this time period. I enjoyed seeing Dorian walk down a street as the narrator portrayed all the activity taking place on it. I was interested to see what kind of letters a man of Dorian's standing receives on a daily basis. I liked being able to fill out my understanding of what it would have been like to ride in a horse-drawn cab or visit an opium den or participate in a hunt of the type the upper classes engaged in.For those with a historical interest, I could see this book as being quite worthwhile. Whether you want to see depictions of life in that time written by an author who lived in that time or whether you want to dig into the history of Wilde himself or society's attitudes towards homosexuality in different time periods and in different countries, you'll certainly find something here. If you're reading as a writer, it may be somewhat useful to understand how this book influenced those that were written after, or you may find it interesting to read it as if you were the author and consider whether you would have made the same changes I would. But as a modern reader, simply looking to be entertained, I think you might be better served with a modern adaptation or a different book altogether.

[judygibson-1 · Calificación: 1 de 5 estrellas]

Repellant characters and their actions worse. I can't read this. [One star from me means this is a book I didn't finish.]

[cpg_7 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Dorian Gray was the LibraryThing book club read in January 2014. Here I compile (and lightly redact) my comments from that activity:1) About 5 chapters in, it's hard to imagine how this book will be very haunting, what with Lord Henry cracking wise every few seconds. It's like a Gothic novel written by Groucho Marx.2) "Ho, ho," I thought, "Criticizing authors for being wordy is like criticizing Mozart for using too many notes." I mean, the more words we can get from masters of the language, the better, right? Then I got to Chapter 11 of Dorian Gray. It's the most blatant example of padding I've ever encountered in a classic novel. It's the literary equivalent of reading the phone book into the record during a filibuster.3) The edition I'm reading has sparse footnotes in chapters 1 through 10, and then about 200 footnotes in chapter 11. As I recall, some of those footnotes pinpoint the exhibit catalogs and merchant catalogs that Wilde seemed to be using when writing chapter 11. It reminds me of Capote's quip: "That's not writing: that's typing." IMO, chapter 11 is bankrupt of literary worth. (Sorry.)4) Geez, take it easy on the furniture! "And Lord Henry flung himself down on the divan and opened his cigarette-case." (Chapter 2) "Lord Henry flung himself into a large wicker arm-chair and watched him." (Chapter 2) "The hot tears welled into his eyes; he tore his hand away and, flinging himself on the divan, he buried his face in the cushions, as though he was praying." (Chapter 2) "As the door closed behind them, the painter flung himself down on a sofa, and a look of pain came into his face." (Chapter 2) "Then he lit a cigarette and flung himself down on the sofa." (Chapter 4) "He flung himself down on the sofa and turned away his face." (Chapter 7) "He threw himself into a chair and began to think." (Chapter 7) "Then he rose from the table, lit a cigarette, and flung himself down on a luxuriously cushioned couch that stood facing the screen." (Chapter 8) "He went towards the little, pearl-coloured octagonal stand that had always looked to him like the work of some strange Egyptian bees that wrought in silver, and taking up the volume, flung himself into an arm-chair and began to turn over the leaves." (Chapter 10) "'What is it all about?' cried Dorian in his petulant way, flinging himself down on the sofa." (Chapter 12) "Then he flung himself into the rickety chair that was standing by the table and buried his face in his hands." (Chapter 13) "He sent him to bed, and threw himself down on the sofa in the library, and began to think over some of the things that Lord Henry had said to him." (Chapter 20)5) When I mentioned the sources that Wilde seemed to be using while writing chapter 11, I was apparently being too generous. That he copied verbatim from various books on embroideries, tapestries, gemstones, etc., is apparently well-documented, in particular in the OUP edition of his complete works.6) "A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies." Note that this is a truism, with one word replaced by its antonym. This is also the formula Wilde (allegedly) used in: "One must have a heart of stone to read the death of little Nell without laughing." In general, Wilde's one-liners seem formulaic to me. Just as (according to Monty Python) an argument is not the automatic gainsaying of any statement the other person makes, wit requires more than the inversion of bromides.7) By the way, on the topic of Oscar Wilde, formulaic witticisms, and Monty Python, there's a Python sketch that starts out: "The Prince of Wales: Ah, my congratulations, Wilde. Your play is a great success. The whole of London's talking about you. Oscar Wilde: Your highness, there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about. (There follows fifteen seconds of restrained and sycophantic laughter) The Prince of Wales: Oh, very witty, Wilde . . . very, very witty. James McNeill Whistler: There is only one thing in the world worse than being witty, and that is not being witty. (Fifteeen more seconds of the same) Oscar Wilde: I wish I had said that, Whistler. James McNeill Whistler: Ah, you will, Oscar, you will. (more laughter) Oscar Wilde: Your Highness, do you know James McNeill Whistler? The Prince of Wales: Yes, we've played squash together. Oscar Wilde: There is only one thing worse than playing squash together, and that is playing it by yourself. (silence) Oscar Wilde: I wish I hadn't said that. James McNeill Whistler: But you did, Oscar, you did."

[caanderson-1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

A man is obsessed with his youth dies after destroying the one thing keeping him young.

[thomas.cannon · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

This is one of the many classics I missed in school. I enjoyed the book, but am glad I read the foreword so that I knew why Oscar Wilde wrote it (He wanted praise art that was for the sake of art alone). It was also helpful to know ahead of time not to expect much of a plot.

Mr. Wilde (along with footnotes) shines a light on the life and times of his age (Late 1800s). That made it interesting enough for me to read. He does not delve into the feelings of a character that does not age or bear the marks of a immoral life. However, the interplay of the characters does explain why he may not have guilt. The entire novel explains why guilt and concern for immorality is a trap to be avoided.

Of course, the murder Dorian Gray gets away with is not the thing Wilder cared about. He wanted to talk art.

[thedivineoomba · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Its not often I read a book that I find chilling. Not scary, but a character that makes you shiver.Dorian Gray is a young handsome man who has the world falling at this feet. He makes an off-hand remark to some friends about never growing old and his portrait showing his age, etc. And it comes true. How, it doesn't matter. Under the influence of friend who lives his life without regard to anyone else, Dorian Gray becomes truly to evil. Oscar Wilde wrote a remarkable book. Where it shines is how Mr. Wilde managed to write a book that at the top is light and shiny, but underneath it all is a dark goo. Also, the theme of right vs wrong is well written - the idea that if you don't do anything wrong, legally, but your words and actions causes pain, scandal, or death in others, ethically it drags you down. This is book also has social commentary on the life style of the English upper class who have too much money, too much time, and not enough responsibilities to others.

[tobinelliott · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

This one caught me by surprise. Like everyone else, I've always known the basic story of Dorian Gray, but, it was yet another classic that I'd somehow never gotten around to before now. And that's too bad, because this book just crackles with spirit.

Yes, the book is a product of its time, but its two main characters, the titular Dorian Gray and his friend Lord Henry absolutely light up the world when they're on page together. Dorian Gray is what Brett Easton Ellis only wished his American Psycho, Patrick Bateman, could be (minus the ubiquitous and excessive violence). Gray is the 19th century Narcissus, staring at his own increasingly repugnant painting while contrasting it with a reflected image of his youth.

But the painting does so much more than just grow old for him. It also takes his baser emotions. Gone are grief, and empathy, and love. What's left behind is only a shallow, sociopathic need for things, for experiences, but none satisfy. He's like a junkie forever chasing the memory of that first high. So, he's a wonderfully written and eminently fascinating character to dissect.

And Lord Henry! My god, damn near every phrase that Wilde has come out of his mouth is singularly quotable. He has a similarly contradictory outlook to life as most of the military leaders in Catch-22, without the satirical tongue in cheek. I flat out loved him. The novel is worth a second read just for his dialogue alone.

What a lovely surprise this book was.

[lukegoldstein · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Reeally interesting beginning. It's my first Oscar Wilde book so I was really taken back by how contemporary it felt. The set up for the scenario was really nice and kept the pace going, but then once the curtain fell on the main plot twist, it got very bogged down in description and pages and pages went by without anyone doing anything. I might have rated this lower, but it pulled it back together for the race to the end of the story and got my vote back. There is a good reason this story is known as a classic.

[mikepen-881889 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

A good solid 4 stars from me. Though I suspect this will be one of those books that sits at the back of my head, with more of a lingering effect than I am thinking right now, having just finished it. Dare say I will read it again sometime and indeed the rating may perhaps instead be a 5 star.

[wishanem · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

Not to my taste.

A clearer portrait of the author than his comedic plays, but not a pleasant one. Hedonism, cynicism, and melodramatic self-destructiveness were as much a part of Oscar as they are this work. I think the great reputation and broad dissemination of this book hurt it for me- I wasn't surprised by anything in it and I was expecting to be.

[musicformovies · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

While easily labeled as a classic gothic horror story; the Picture of Dorian Gray is far more than a scary bedtime tale. Does the soul exist? What is the meaning of life, and what brings happiness? Are we fated or do we have free will? Perhaps most importantly, can we improve for the better; does the life that we lead lead others to be their best selves, or their worse selves? A relatively short read that leaves you with much to ponder after the last page has been turned.

[john_warner-1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Dorian Gray, a young Narcissus, has everything he desires; he has wealth, power, and friends who want to be in his company. After a friend paints his portrait, he bemoans the fact that his painting will always display a youthful visage while he will age."I'm am jealous of everything whose beauty does not die. I am jealous of the portrait you have painted of me. Why should it keep what I must lose?"Unaware of what he is doing, Dorian makes a Faustian pact:"If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that--for that--I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!"When he falls for a young ingenue actress and she for him, but later spurns her affections and breaks off an unpending marriage, he notice a slight change in his portrait. Is he imagining the alteration?For those who are familiar with the story, you know a change in the painting has occurred and with each subsequent sin, it continues to transmorgrify.Although works of literature considered classics don't always hold the test of time in my humble opinion, this short literary classic was easily readable. Oscar Wilde's prose captured and entranced me as I turned pages to read about the continued degredation of the narrator.

[dzejncrvena · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

This is my entry for the 2021 popSugar Reading Prompt #47: "A book from your TBR that you associate with a favourite person, place or thing"
So, my favorite person is named Dorijan and he also read this in high school.

Was it 2 years ago when I shelved it as DNF? Blame the preface. I appreciate art as well as its artist; I was not of sound mind to digest all those words that time. Glad I skipped it this time.
I couldn't put it down since chapter one. Even if I find Henry/Harry annoying, I highlighted most quotes from him. He makes sense, sometimes. We probably think alike.....or maybe not.
As for dear Dorian, I feel ya kid. *insert Forever Young chorus*

[wagner5sarah35 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

The concept is fascinating, but there's something about this book that just didn't work for me. Perhaps the long editorials about art or the sense of pretension throughout made me a bit sour, but I just couldn't quite love this book. It is, however, a very reasonable length for a classic, for that reason, I'd consider this one worth the read.

[kristelh_15 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Horror story by Oscar Wilde about a young man who sells his soul for eternal beauty. Read this for f2f book club.

[drfuriosa · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Well, that was...dark. An intriguing concept about the soul mirrored in a tangible object, but the writing veers from hilarious and quippy to overdramatic and decadent.

[lorifox · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

The interesting concept and character and plot development kept me interested even when the soliloquies of Lord Henry bored me into bouts of sleepiness. Overall, I enjoyed the book, which is well-written, and I didn’t quite see the ending coming, but I felt it was appropriate.

[paulagalvan-323293 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I knew the story and I've seen several movies about Dorian Gray, but I'd never read the book. I'm glad I finally decided to to do. I love the language and wit that Oscar Wilde uses to tell the story of his doomed friend, Dorian Gray , who gives over his soul to have everlasting youth and beauty. I say friend because it is thought that Mr. Wilde considered himself to be the character of Lord Henry Wootton in real life. And, if Dorian is the vain innocent that chooses a life of debauchery over virtue, then Lord Henry is surely the devil that tempted him along that path. The story is classic and the lesson it teaches is worth reflecting on. Does anything worth having come without a price? Probably not.

[fromthecomfychair · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

So much food for thought. Look forward to our bookclub discussion.

[ffortsa · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Of course, I had read it before, but so long ago, it was the most general of memories. As it turns out, it was fascinating, and menacing. Our downtown F2F reading group was a bit sparse for this meeting, but the conversation was excellent. In fact, a young man from Kenya had included us in a search for a really good book group that actually discussed the book, and afterwards declared he had found us just want he wanted! Great praise. I might post a review/discussion later when I'm a little more energetic.