Long Lost Reviews is a monthly meme created by Ally over at Ally’s Appraisals which is posted on the second Thursday of every month. The aim is to start tackling your review backlog. Whether it’s an in-depth analysis of how it affected your life, one sentence stating that you only remember the ending, or that you have no recollection of reading the book at all.
Published: 6th November 2008
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Pages: 253
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Gothic Literature
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars
Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray exchanges his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Influenced by his friend Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life, indulging his desires in secret while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of polite society. Only his portrait bears the traces of his decadence.
The famous Dorian Gray. I always was intrigued by this story and was very pleased when I finally made myself sit down and read it. Now of course, can’t remember much about it. I remember being very confused for the first part of the book because it is written in the old style, wordy and lots of odd conversations and language, but I do remember enjoying the obvious sexual attraction between Basil Hallward and Lord Henry which was a delightful read.
For a classic piece of literature I didn’t hate it which was a surprise in itself, but I think I realised that the idea of this novel is much more enjoyable than the actual book itself. It’s very much a novel of its time; wordy and filled with gentlemen having strange conversations that all sound like sexual innuendo. Though this was Wilde, maybe it was actual sexual innuendo.
With a four star review I must have liked some parts of it, I think once it finally got going and the story took off it improved much more. I don’t remember much about what actually happens, I might even endeavour a revisit so as to reacquaint myself because I did always think I’d enjoy this book, and with four starts I obviously did, I just wish I could remember a bit more about it.
Lost in a Good Book 
Sep 13, 2018 @ 13:26:55
Oh I remember reading this as well, I kept getting the feeling that there was more to the book than what I was reading. I think I may go back and read the uncensored version
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Sep 15, 2018 @ 10:55:00
Well, now I’m intrigued. I’ll check my edition to see if it’s unabridged, but are you saying even that might be censored?
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Sep 15, 2018 @ 13:01:04
Maybe have a look at when it was published and if it’s a reprint of the original manuscript.
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