paperback, 186 pages
Published July 13, 2019 by Independently published.
A remarkably handsome youth, Dorian Gray, meets Lord Henry Wotton and is corrupted into a life of terrible evil. Granted eternal youth, Dorian Gray lives a wild, dissipated life while his portrait grows old and haggard. Oscar Wilde's story of a fashionable young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty is one of his most popular works.
Oscar Wilde would not appreciate me trying to place unintended meaning atop this classic work of fiction so I'll just say that it's a beautiful representation of Wilde as an artist - sumptuous prose with cutting wit, disarming passages that wax poetic buttressed against satire, social commentary and (forgive me, Oscar) a little cynicism. A delight.
Originally I was listening to a LibreVox version, but since there are a lot of dialogues, it was difficult for me to keep tabs on who’s speaking if without good dramatisation, and I got confused all the time as to who’s said what, so I joined the audible membership.
Russell’s dramatisation is ingeniously done and is I think by far the best one. Each character a distinct tone, accent and rhythm.
"Each man sees his own sin in Dorian Gray." Oh how painfully true that quote was from Oscar Wilde. This book is a masterpiece. The whole book is full of marvelously written words.
Incredible book. Most people are probably already familiar with what the book is about. What I loved most about the book was how it was written. Every other line was a quote that I wanted to commit to memory. Wilde just has a spectacular way of writing. My favorite part about the book is the dialogue between Lord Henry and other characters. Lord Henry offered a perfect mix of wit and curious philosophy.
The plot is rather bizarre, but the dialogue is fabulous. Lots of great lines in this book.
