Doreen

by Ilana Manaster, Maria Smulewska (Translator)

Piękno, uroda, sława – przyjemne pragnienia czy cel próżnego życia? A gdybyś obudziła się rano i mogła mieć to wszystko bez najmniejszego wysiłku?
Pamiętaj jednak – marzenia bywają niebezpieczne, szczególnie jeśli się spełniają.
  
Ilana Manaster
Doreen
 
Doreen Grey poznałam na początku roku szkolnego. Miała niemodną fryzurę, pryszczatą cerę i kiepską figurę. Opowiedziała mi, że w poprzedniej szkole ostro się z niej naśmiewano. Było więcej niż pewne, że w tak prestiżowej szkole jak Chandler Academy spotka ją to samo. Razem z jej kuzynką postanowiłyśmy pomóc Doreen. Zrobiłyśmy jej zdjęcie i przerobiłyśmy je w Photoshopie. 
Nie mam pojęcia, jak to się stało, ale następnego dnia Doreen wyglądała dokładnie jak na tej fotce – jak milion dolarów. Skrzętnie ukrywała sekret swojej przemiany, która odmieniła jej życie. Niestety, im piękniej wyglądała, tym mroczniejsze stawało się jej wnętrze.
Muszę jednak przyznać, że ja też na tym skorzystałam. Dzięki Doreen mogłam wreszcie zemścić się na kimś, kto mnie zranił. Nie spodziewałam się jednak, że sprawy zajdą tak daleko…

Genres: Young Adult, Retellings, Boarding School

328 pages, Paperback

First published June 7, 2016

Reviews

[Cora Tea Party Princess]

I think I need this. Right now.

Boarding school?
Retelling?
Makeover?

THIS CATNIP IS MAKING ME WOOZY!

[Liv · Rating 1 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: This is a review written less than 5 minutes after finishing the book so it is not articulate as I would normally like my reviews to be. I may rewrite it later when I can stand to think about this book without vomiting.)


This books is a bad Spanish novella that decided to cram everything into two episodes to save money.

The first half was actually more 2 stars for me. It was frustrating that the characters were so flat and everything was rushed without details. The sex that was present in every conversation irked me, but I understood the author was trying to stay true to the book The Picture of Dorian Gray which Doreen was based on. Oscar Wilde would be appalled to see what has been done.

I try to be kind to books, so I am going to be generous and say this was 1.5 star book for me, which only means I have read worse. After reading another reader's review I thought the second half of the book would be better, but it wasn’t.

The closest I came to relating to a character throughout the entire novel was when Heidi was betrayed. I didn’t care about any of their exaggerated and dramatic back stories. I didn’t care about the caricatures that never progressed.

I went to put the book down so many times, but I kept hoping that a line, a scene, anything would wash the bad taste this book left in my mouth.

Doreen, supposedly the center of this story was unbelievable and I didn’t care what happened to her.

Heidi, repelled me with her lack of morals rather than fascinated me. She was too extreme to be interesting. None of her secrets were ever fully revealed or clarified (and they were honestly the only reason I kept reading) and she was just an idiot.

Biz, I couldn’t even like the “nice girl” because she never did anything. Sure she was an artistic afterthought, but she contributed nothing to the story but the picture.

Which leads me to how forced the parallels between the origin book and this remake feels. This book had no originality. There was nothing added to the story, only taken away. Please, do not read this book.

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

I barely started the book and couldn't stand it so I stopped reading. The way the characters talk sound fake. I'll stick to the original.

[Dorotea · Rating 3 out of 5]

YA retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray, featuring Machiavellian girls at a prep school. Nice, but not exceptional.

[Dorine White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doreen Gray comes to Chandler Academy a pimple faced, frizzed haired, overweight teenager. She is welcomed by her cousin Biz, who just wants to help Doreen fit in and not be bullied, and by Biz's socialite roommate Heidi.

Heidi gets right to work trying to help Doreen fit in, including creating a profile for her on the school website. Biz, who has an interest in photography, takes and air brushes the pictures, creating a beautiful, and classy Doreen.

The next morning, Doreen finds out that she has switched appearances with the picture, and now she is beautiful and sexy, while the picture remains her true self. Life opens itself up to Doreen. She becomes popular with other students and boys seem to throw themselves at her. As her pride grows, her soul darkens, and the image in the photograph turns devilish.

Now accustomed to privilege and power, Doreen ruins the lives of those around her, even her kind cousin Biz. Who can stop the beautiful monster?

My Thoughts-
Wow, this book is a work of art. I have not read Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, which this book retells, so I can not tell you how close this modern adaptation is or the originality of plot points. So, I'm just going to tell you my thoughts as a first time reader.

I found this story to be a mash-up between Jane Austin, Clueless and the Twilight Zone. Jane Austen because the language used is very proper and high society. So much so, that I often had trouble relating to the main characters that are in high school, as they tended to talk like mini-adult socialites who have their noses stuck up in the air. As I continued to read though, these rich, little socialites and their language evolved into something more, almost as if language could be a character all on its own. I find it hard to put into words this strange occurrence. It definitely fits with the plot.

Now, let me tell you about the Clueless and Twilight Zone mix. Clueless is obvious. We have the "different" girl being made into a popular girl by a manipulative, controlling peer. Twilight Zone because of the odd powers of the photograph and the demon powers it seems to endow. The transformation of Doreen is so heart wrenching and gut churning that I couldn't stand it. She truly becomes a soulless monster.

Heidi is one of those characters you love to hate. She is controlling and cold, and yet the author gives her a tattered past with scandalous secrets that make you root for her. After finishing the book, I'm inclined to believe that she is the true main character, for she makes an amazing journey and finally makes a choice that leads her into her future. (So does Doreen, but her future is not certain.)

There are a lot of point of view switches and sometimes I had to backtrack to see what character's head I was in. They were often random and sometimes you jump into the head of a minor character. Overall, I found this book morbidly fascinating. I couldn't stand the way the characters treated each other, but kept reading because I hoped at some point justice would be served, and Doreen's secret revealed. I'm giving this one 4.5 stars, and I can't even tell you fully why, just that the book was engrossing.

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is Ilana Manaster's debut novel and it did not disappoint, I was drawn in from start to finish. I found the storyline incredibly fascinating. While I've never read Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray upon completion of Doreen I immediately added it to my TBR.

I'm a sucker for high society/boarding school/private school books so upon reading the blurb I was immediately hooked. Enter a "supernatural" component and I just about gave it five stars in the first few chapters alone.

Heidi, orignally painted as your typical controlling, mean girl, immediately became my favorite character after looks into her past and struggles are shown in flashbacks passing thoughts throughout the book. I was rooting for her from beginning to end. Doreen, however, not so much.

I'm giving this book a 4.9 for enticing and engrossing me completely.

Full Review : http://wp.me/p7a9Js-45

[Karen Barber · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Oscar Wilde story on which this draws heavily is one of my favourites. This was good fun, though not all the details quite seemed to add up.
It's always going to be difficult to provide a satisfactory explanation for what happens with the picture...but to just ask us to accept it, no questions asked, felt like a bit of a cop-out.
That issue aside the novel is an obvious homage. It reflects the concerns of the modern reader well and was an assured debut.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the plot gripping and the worldbuilding was good, too. I would say that it is a mix of a motif from "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and the world from the songs by Lana del Rey. Hamptons, east coast, boarding school, posh accents. Money and power, boys and toys. Pretty glamorous and shiny a read.

[Hijinx Abound · Rating 2 out of 5]

A re imagining of Dorian Grey. It's not s story I'm terribly familiar with. This reimagining was a decent story about the terrors of teenage girls, getting what you wish for, and manipulation.
It was a very familiar story to me that is why I only gave it 2 stars.

[Crimelpoint · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nie czytałam "Portretu Doriana Greya", dlatego nie mogę powiedzieć czy jest to dobry retelling czy nie. Oceniałam ją pod względem fabuły czy bohaterów, a nie pod względem tego, czy nie kopiuje "Portretu Doriana Greya".

Mimo, że wiedziałam, że to nie będzie jakaś wybitna lektura, to jednak troszkę od niej oczekiwałam. Jednak muszę przyznać, ze się trochę rozczarowałam.

Na samym początku akcja w ogóle mnie nie wciągnęła i bardzo długo męczyłam się z pierwszymi stronami. Potem było troszkę lepiej, a nawet pojawiały się momenty, które były naprawdę dobre.

Jednak pod koniec zaczęły mnie strasznie irytować niektóre osoby. Zwłaszcza Doreen nieprzypadła mi do gustu. Jest to historia, która mogłaby ewentualnie spodobać się młodszym czytelnikom.

[Brittany · Rating 1 out of 5]

The title and the cover practically says everything you need to know about this story. But what you won't know is that this is a photo shopped picture of Doreen. After being bullied and relocating to get away from it all Doreen allows her cousin Biz and Biz's best friend to help her become popular. The reason I had trouble with this story is because of the character's. They were way too dramatic for my liking. Doreen was whiny, I understand she had been through a lot, but the tiniest things made her upset. Heidi is the popular girl, but she's like a loose cannon. Apparently, she's not always like that, but within the first few pages she threatens to ruin Biz's reputation. Aren't you supposed to be a bit more sneaky than that. The writing was well done and I was truly interested in the story. But I couldn't stand the characters and if I don't like the characters it's a big issue for me.

[Miss December · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an impressive book, especially since it's the author's debut. It's not without flaw, but it's still well-written and slightly above the maturity level of the YA level it's marketed to for a few reasons (spoilers).

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There is so much more revenge and manipulation than I thought going into this one. Heidi's motivations are peculiar but not unrealistic.

What's unrealistic though is the way the characters talk- it's very strange to imagine high schoolers speak this way unless you're willing to suspend your disbelief a LOT or are a huge fan of Cruel Intentions. (I am, so I let it ride- I'm game for a lot of things.)
The thing that really drew me away from the story though was the lack of technology- the author uses these to some extent, but the lack of selfie use, facebook, etc for a Dorian Gray retelling is a disservice. The author could have used this as a huge asset, and it was like they deliberately kept it away in favor of keeping the teems as 19th century as she could. That aspect was frustrating- to me, it was like, pick one- the update or the teens in the world of 19th century. Ah, well.

In any event, it was a good, solid retelling with tons of heartless revenge, icy people, and fantastic writing. Dark.
I was hoping there was more from this author, but I haven't seen anything yet. I hope she keeps writing- she has great skill!

[Rebecca Veight · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starting with a "She's all That" vibe, Doreen wishes on a photoshopped pictured (bit of a stab at how media pics are treated) she transforms into a beauty & the picture takes on her blemishes, then her sins. Surrounding her are the artist who here is a photographer, Biz, who has money but doesn't not care about popularity, and Heidi who is Doreen's guide to wickedness & a master manipulator. The secondary characters are actually quite interesting & you do care for them. It is the protagonist that is problematic.

The Vale here is Simon a football player, who is just sad.

Gender-swapping & bringing Dorian Gray to the digital age, trying for a "Gossip Girl" edge, this story for some reason just doesn't take off. Maybe the exceptional Dorian Gray of Penny Dreadful ruined any future incarnations for me, but I needed to feel the malicious glee of the protagonist doing bad & I did not.

Also in parts it is not like the characters are expressing themselves, but like the author is shaking her finger at us in lecture mode. I have no idea if that was intentional or not.

This could of been such a treat, the premise was smart, but it was underworked.

[Ericson Daton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Picture of Dorian Gray has been one of my all-time favorite classic novels. So I have high, but manageable hopes for this book. I know that this is a watered down YA version of the novel, but still I'm expecting to see something unique from this book. I find the first few pages a bit shallow but it became better as the story progressed. Although one of my main turn-offs from this book is the fact that the characters doesn't sound like they have their own "character", rather they are speaking still from the author's "voice". Still, i think it's a light fun beach read you can finish in a day or two.

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intense psychological thriller that’s an adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Grey. Doreen becomes the airbrushed picture that gets taken of her when she starts private school. Elizabeth Gibbons-Brown and Heidi Whelan befriend the girl, but things change dramatically through the book. Doreen soon becomes the talk of the school and she’s soon flirting and breaking people’s hearts all over.
I have never read the original so I don’t know what to expect, but it’s a wild tale of appearances not being what you expect and secrets everyone wants to keep hidden.

[Ynah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had so much potential, but it turned out to be one of the worst books I have ever read.

Everything was rushed, the characters’ lines were unnatural, and just the entirety of the novel— there were no developments. I thought I would love it considering it is a retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray, but all throughout, I was just underwhelmed. It felt grueling to read this.

[Chrystal Lee Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting retelling of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. In this version all the main characters are female instead of male. They are now Doreen, Heidi and Elizabeth. I would have given it a higher rating than 3 stars but during certain chapters the way the author wrote the narrative I couldn't tell if she was talking about Doreen or Heidi and I became confused more than once.

[Kmkm23 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn’t get through it. Not very interesting and has annoying characters 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Tiffany ✨ · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first book I read in 2017 and I'm really disappointed by the outcome. The book had so much potential to be good but I just found myself not really enjoying it. Usually I love reading books about catty mean girls that goes to a wealthy elite boarding school. But this book was just not for me.

The book is a YA retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray. Doreen is a unattractive girl whose life changes after her cousin takes a picture of her. Her cousin Biz edits the picture dramatically and the next day, Doreen becomes the attractive girl in the picture. With the help of Biz roommate Heidi, Doreen becomes queen bee of the school. But as the picture changes, her personality gets more and more cruel and heartless.

I thought I was going to like this book but what turned me off was the lack of character development. Things moved way too fast and barely any character has any development. The characters I was mostly interested in was Heidi and Biz. These two characters are the only ones that get developed and are remotely interesting. For a HBIC, Doreen is so stupid and annoying. She treats everyone like shit but no one puts her in her place. Everyone seems to kiss her ass even Biz.

I also hated the way the characters talk. The book takes place in modern times since the characters mention Skype & Facebook but the characters talk and act like its the 17th century. That was so annoying and I cringed so much. It took me a long while to finish this because I just didn't find it good. Characters that sound interesting gets thrown to the side for Doreen and the ending was just okay. Really disappointing book.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learning that this was a debut author, I was completely shocked. This book has all of the intrigue and betrayal of an Anna Godbersen novel. When I first began the book, the outlook appeared bleak and dull (y'know, a book where pretty female characters compete for the crown, er whatever) but the further I read, the more I got into it. I loved seeing the characters change and grow and make shocking realizations. I loved to see what Doreen would do next Although I was always shocked at how cruel she was. And, surprisingly... I was not repulsed or upset by the ending even though I kind of wanted to know what happened to our beloved Doreen .

[Kelly Akemann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is described as a retelling of "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and it definitely is a good one. I would overall give this one a 3-1/2 star rating. The writing is very good with good characters. I felt that it was a bit high falutent and, for lack of a better description, glamorous. Chandler Academy is exactly what I would fear a boarding school to be with power being the root of everything. A very good book I encourage all to read.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Miss Ginny Tea]

I had hopes, but this was kind of a stinker. The pacing was wonky and got bogged down in a bunch of telling, not showing. I skipped to the end, and it doesn't seem to be examining anything about the situation, nothing about the relationship between Doreen's morality and hotness. It could've been much more than it was. I hate squandered potential.

[Ozi Fah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Although the beginning of the story did not hook you in as much as it should of, I continued to read and discovered that the story got better and better. It was so riveting and every new detail left you thinking and wanting more. The epilogue especially shocked me and after a few minutes, I figured out what happened. Ilana Manaster really made a masterpiece.

[Kim Baccellia · Rating 4 out of 5]

YA Books Central review: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yaficti...

[Leah Janelle]

Just finished the arc of this book today. Wow this book is really good. It is like a mix gossip girl and Oscar Wilde. This us mind blowing and truly speaks on the morality of beauty and mankind.

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun beach read. Now I have to go reread The Picture of Dorian Gray. Writing a full review for a blog tour this Wednesday.

[Pseudonym Phoebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay. It was a little too catty/girl-fight/drama for me. As I have never read The Picture of Dorian Gray I cannot give a comparison.

[Traci Magee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read!!

[Jackie]

How did I not see this birthday publication re-telling?!?

[blackplume]

DNF :(