The Book Vipers discussion

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Things to consider:
1. Did you like the book?
2. Did you like or dislike the main characters?
3. Do the characters develop?
4. What did you think of the plot and the ending of the story?
5. Do you have any particular favourite quotes or scenes?
6. Would you read anything else by this author?

This is the beautiful cloth bound edition I have in my bookcase, one of a collection my husband has been buying me over the years. I read this a few years ago and enjoyed it, enough to want to return to it. Suitably grotesque and eerie.

How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day of June... If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that-for that-I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!

I'm fairly sure there are a fair few folk in the world that would share that sentiment, particularly some celebrities!!! Though my favourite Oscar Wilde read is The Importance of Being Ernest, I still really enjoyed this one.

I loved this, read it relatively recently for the second time and it is a sorry tale if ever there were one! His vanity is his torment.

I can count on one hand how many books I would re-read and this is one of them. Any favorite quotes? Almost every page contains a juicy quote that hits home. After a while of this I had to laugh out loud at all the ugly truths (IMO) that Lord Henry gave and he is now one of my favorite literary characters. Our views are alike in many terrible ways. The ending was a quick punch that left me breathless. There are a few other unread Wilde books that have been gathering dust on my book shelf. I'll be eager to crack them open.

I REALLY wish I had liked this book better - loved the dialogue and the way it progressed - but the book never "catched" me... Might give it a try in danish or norwegain, to see it that will help me enjoy it better!

Finished this last night. I think it is a really clever, classic, memorable plot and is faultless in its character portrayals and murky moral message.

Henry is one of literature's great cynical characters and he has all the best lines, although at times his dialogue degenerated into the sort of speechifying that I think works better in a play than in a novel (which is why 'Earnest' is probably Wilde's best work).

The book is also marred by a bit of terrible showing-off by Oscar. Someone mentioned Chapter 11 elsewhere, where Wilde is telling us that how Dorian Grey goes out to seek pleasure in the manner of the book Henry gave him, and this was the worst example of intellectually robust but fundamentally unreadable narration - it was like wading through treacle and added so very little to the story.

Having said that though, there was a lot to enjoy about this book and I am very glad to have read it at last.

Ohh I read this in 2011 and I really enjoyed it. It amazes me how hundreds of years ago they thought of these kinds of stories, with mystery and strange phenomenon.

Must admit I love the movie with Ben Barnes in it also...

My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just loved this, not just a book of the year but possibly a lifetime. Why have I never read this before?

I loved the philosophy, the ethical dilemmas, the darkness and the melodrama

My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just loved this, not just a book of the year but possibly a lifetime. Why have I never read this before?

I loved the philosophy, the ethical dilemmas, the darkness and the melodrama

I can't say I loved this book, but I did like it. Lord Henry was one of those characters you love to hate. So annoying! I am always amused by the men of this time period "flinging" themselves onto a chair to pout. The plot was a little slow for me at times, but not so much that I lost motivation to push through. I have read Oscar Wilde before and seem to have a fondness for this genre/time period combination.

Just finished this and I also loved it! One of the best classics I have ever read. Two questions that are still nagging me:
1. Orchids are mentioned repeatedly throughout the book. Is there some symbolism here?
2. What does Dorian write on the piece of paper that he hands to his friend to get him to agree to dispose of Basil Hallward's body? The answer is probably obvious but I must have missed it.

I think orchids were just a signpost of Grey's self-indulgence and ego. They would presumably have been exquisitely rare and expensive then, and him having a special supplier for his houses is a mark of extravagance. Possibly there is some element of how 'pure' an orchid is... but not sure if that's overstating it.

It is clear that Grey left all who came in contact with him in some kind of social ruin by leading them into various bad ways. So whatever it was (and possibly it didn't need to be said), the poor 'friend' was obviously facing a terrible secret coming out that was enough to make him do the terrible deed, and subsequently commit suicide. I did wonder if it was related to homosexuality but that, of course, only comes from knowing the writer's predilections?

Finished this a few days ago and very much enjoyed it, though at first I found the mannered dialogue and the rich, bored young men a little irritating - I felt I could imagine all Henry Wootton's witty one-liners working better on stage than on the page. Although I knew the basic outline of the story, I was surprised by how much it drew me in and how powerful it was in the end - there is a timeless quality about the story of good vs evil. And the descriptions of nature and all the beautiful objects surrounding Grey are gorgeous - I could just picture all that fin-de-siecle sumptuousness - even if at one point it does start to read like a long shopping list of all his possessions.

Will look out for the film too. I was amused that my library copy was a tie in to a film version, and on the back had the lines 'Forever young...forever cursed'. Aiming at Twilight fans, perhaps?

Ultimately I did quite enjoy this book (hence 3 stars) although for me it had a feel of a really excellent short story drawn out, at times excruciatingly. The witty dialogue at times left me cold and none of the main characters were in the least bit likeable (not usually a problem for me); Dorian's final remorse peeters out into self pity and vanity and Lord Henry I found was just plain irritating throughout.
The plot seemed to develop, but really key moments were, I felt, very understated and many of these passed by unremarkably. An example is the central statement made by Dorian about the painting that leads to it bearing his aging and corruption. The murder of Basil seems to just happen spontaneously with no obvious build up and no real reason for the violence is described or provided apart from his irritation over Basil's moralising about his lifestyle and the scandal he is causing.
What I did enjoy was the descriptive sections and the atmosphere of Victorian London that was very reminiscent of Conan Doyle in places. Ultimately I found the final section the most satisfying part of the book; where something finally happened.
I would not rush to read another Oscar Wilde however. I think I'll stick with more pacey; and dare I say it, less pretentious classics such as Dickens and Hardy.

I have finished this. It was ok, gave it four stars. I had a few issues where he seems to rush important things, like figuring out the painting, spiralling out of control and corrupting others and then the suicide of Alan Campbell.

Instead Oscar Wilde spends pages and pages describing fabrics, nearly feel asleep at this point.

The rest of the book was great, I loved the dialogue, especially Sir Henry. And as for the murder of Basil, I don't think I have ever read anything as brutal and quick, fantastic stuff. Just one little bit of violence right in the middle of the book, very well done.

Casey wrote: "Just finished this and I also loved it! One of the best classics I have ever read. Two questions that are still nagging me:
1. Orchids are mentioned repeatedly throughout the book. Is there som..."

At first I thought I missed the bit about the orchids. But Lisa's reaction reminded me that there is indeed a mention of orchids. Found some links on the internet, as the Victorians had a flower language.

http://thelanguageofflowers.com/
http://www.orchid-society-gb.org.uk/N...
http://www.teleflora.com/orchids/flow...