“The concept of this book is fantastic! A beautiful yet naive young Dorian Gray poses for a portrait and silently laments that the picture captures his outer beauty but will forever be a juxtaposition to his inevitable aging. Oh, if only the picture could age and leave his appearance in tact and all of the luxuries being young, rich, and attractive afford! Be careful what you wish for...especially when the picture doesn't just age, but reflects your moraless decisions and innermost desires.
In theory, the book is a great. I loved the moral implications. I enjoyed that the hidden picture almost gave Dorian a license to commit sins. The ending was brilliant. Given that this was written in 1895, it was easy to read but did contain lots of flowery self- and societal- reflections which I often got bogged down in. Overall though, I would probably have rated this a 3.5 or 4 stars.
So, what was my problem? you may ask. My problem was this: I didn't want to read it. I had trouble finding something I really wanted to read for the Ireland tag, Dorian Gray has been on my shelf for years, so it was the least of several evils. However, every time I picked this book up I was simply angry that I wasn't reading something I enjoyed more. Also, I have been extremely busy with work/dissertation writing - both of which happen to be very intense and cerebral activities - which is never the time to pick up anything that isn't light and quick.
And this, my friends, is why I do not plan my reads in advance. I HATE reading things I am not in the mood for and then my rating is unnecessarily harsh. I have a whole stack of contemporary fiction piled up by my bed and I am going to happily dive into one of those now.”
Nicole R wrote this review Friday, April 6, 2012.
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