Igavesti noor, igavesti halb! Dorian Gray on uskumatult kena välimusega noormees, rikas ja armastatud, kellel on olemas kõik, mille nimel elada. Kuid halvad kaaslased õhutavad tema halvemaid iseloomujooni ning ühel mõtlematul hetkel lausub Dorian võimatu soovi -- jääda igavesti nooreks, niisama muutumatult kauniks nagu imeline portree, mis oli temast äsja maalitud. Kuid portree hakkab muutuma, uskumatul ja jubedal moel. Maalile söövituvad kõik Doriani teod. Sedamööda, kuidas Dorian sooritab ühe roima teise järel, muutub portree võikaks peegelduseks sellest, mis Dorianis on halba. Dorian üritab kahetseda -- kuid kas see on enam võimalik?
Very interesting story! I really enjoyed it. I actually started reading the original text by Oscar Wilde, but found it way too wordy long-winded, so I picked up this abridged version from the children's department of my library. It was a much easier read which made it much nicer to read (something I have never felt before!). I enjoyed how the new author went right to the point of the story, though, being a children's book, the text was a bit TOO simple. Perhaps I'll search other editions for a good compromise between the two extremes. Nevertheless, it was a great book with a lot to say about art, desire, and morality.
I have to admit, I have a soft spot for this story. Dorian Gray is a character with quite a bit of pathos, and the way the character changes is fascinating to me. Now, of course, knowing more about Oscar Wilde and his life's story, that pathos grows even greater.
I had read the original The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde about three years ago and really liked it (review here). I wanted to re-read it, but decided to give this 'Illustrated Classic' version a chance. It's pretty great, actually.
This version is abridged and slightly reworded to make it more modern and accessible. There are also line drawings throughout. While I loved the original, I wasn't always a fan of the 19th century flowery prose. This version doesn't have that flowery prose, but we also loose some of those witty lines by Oscar Wilde (though many remain). I was afraid that since this might be marketed to a younger audience, it might be too sanitized, but it kept it's dark edge. The suicides, murder, drug use, and even the vague 'book of sin' remained. In fact, there's nothing that I still remember from reading the original that was cut.
It's also a much quicker read. You could easily read it in a day though I read it over three days. I plan to read a lot more of these 'Illustrated Classics'. It was fun, it was clear, and I thoroughly enjoyed it - but I'm no purist.
I had heard this title before, but I just always assumed it was some Victorian era romance novel from some posh British author which didn't really appeal to me. However, I came across a description of the book in The Big Book of Monsters by Hal Johnson, and I was intrigued.
Thus, one day at the library in the children's department when my children were busy reading on bean bag chairs of playing with the toys, I saw this copy of the book and decided to start reading it.
I ended up putting it down for weeks after reading just two chapters, but yesterday I read all of it in one day, and I loved it. It is like something out of the twilight zone, and there is definitely some depth with respect to character development, plot twists and moral lessons.
I would be curious to see what the original text is like, but I'm kind of glad I read this condensed version; it was a quick read, and I actually loved the pictures on each page that kind of brought the story to life and helped me to visualize things, especially Dorian's changing portrait.
A very fun read and not at all the mushy love story that I had once imagined it to be.
I am giving this a 4 because it is one of my favourite works and the story is at least a ten, but for this version, I am on page 16 and I almost completely hate it. I was excited to see this on a rack of free books at my library, and even though I already own 3 or 4 copies I will take every version of this story I can get my hands on. However, I might have to read the uncensored version after to wash the bad taste out of my mouth. If you are looking at this having never read the story, please find a copy of the book as it was originally written.
Oscar wilde was a waxing poetic about bueaty and the conspiracies of life. it was honestly refreshing to see a man go mad with ones self reflection, with it literally being reflected in your face. I will say it was written in the 1800s by a repressed gay man so there were parts of it that did seem to drag on a bit and the comments about women were a bit meh. but it was still a great classical work non the less.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Classic novel selected by book club - I've never read a classic that was not a required read. This one was not bad it had some pretty good moral / value / life lessons and made for a good discussion. This was the simplified version - thank goodness - because the original one I first tried was so wordy and had "old language". I struggled so I switched to this and was much happier with it.
To think I didn't know it was an abridged children's version and was like huh? Is this supposed to be THAT good? But still, I think the themes are very interesting, and although everything was too simple and fast, I'm glad it's the children's version. Definitely going to read the original and see if I like that one more.
This was one that our 8 year old really got into, less so with the six year old. It definitely had some of the most grown up subject matter, like opium dens, murder, suicide, and blackmail. The ending really captured both kids attention and paid off the story nicely. I'm glad it's the only Oscar Wilde book in the series.
I chose to read the abridged version so that I could actually finish it- however it seemed a bit TOO simple. I think I’ll eventually get around to the full version now that I know what the hype is about.
I remembered this book totally wrong. It pays to reread Classics again. They are entertaining and it will improve your memory. Dorian Gray made one statement when he was young that changed his entire life. Be careful what you say, it may come back to haunt you when you see it!
This book was splendidly dark and revealing about the sinful nature of man. I found this book didn't have much suspense but kept me wanting to know more about how the picture would destroy this once innocent man. I am an extreme fan of the "Great Illustrated Classics" series and was delighted to find a book I was actually looking for there. I will be doing reviews of more "Great Illustrated Classics" books soon but I am currently on the look for a new book so it may be awhile...
My first truly favorite book. Read this back when I was 12 or 13 - such a chilling story. Creeped me out so much, I could only read the book in the living-room when my parents were around. Thinking back, what really enticed me was how it appealed to my inner narcissist. Because what is a teenager, other than a self-absorbed drama queen - me to a tee. -_-
I couldn't find the original version of this at my library (this is adapted for Great Illustrated Classics). A great story, I will have to find and read the real version someday.
A great classic, I believe. It was as much an accurate social critique when it was published as it is now. I was sad, though, that Dorian never learned his lesson.
Great Illustrated Classics is an amazing series for pre-teens that love to read. As a series, GIC gets my highest recommendation, I loved them as a kid and it definitely helped my love of reading.