The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde - UPDATED REVIEW

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde  Genre : Classics Blurb (on back of book) : Oscar Wilde’s only novel is the dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. In this celebrated work Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind. UPDATED REVIEW MY OPINION : ****** I would like to start out this review by stating that this is undoubtedly m...
0

History is All You Left Me - Adam Silvera

History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Image result for history is all you left meBlurb (on back of book): When Griffin’s first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he’s been imagining for himself has gone far off course.
To make things worse, the only person who truly understands his heartache is Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin’s downward spiral continues. He’s losing himself in his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices, and the secrets he’s been keeping are tearing him apart.
If Griffin is ever to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, every last heartbreaking piece in the puzzle of his life.

 MY OPINION: *****

Wow. This book.

Just wow.

I really don't know what to say about it. My thoughts are jumbled and all over the place. The writing was so honest and true and breathtaking and beautiful and saddening and I loved it.

This book was full of passion and noticing the little tiny things about a romance and about life. I really loved this book and every little thing about it. There were some parts that left me a little confused or even angry, but it was all so beautiful that I just had to love them just the same.

I've never read a book by Adam Silvera, though I really thought I had had. But now I know, if I had, I would have already found another/a new favorite author to rave about.

This book was so downright sad. I felt pain when Griffin felt pain and it really was so unfair that Theo had to die. No, that is not a spoiler because that is the basic premise of this book.

This book switched from History (or the past) and Today (or the present). Seeing both time periods really helped me to piece everything together and I loved how in the Today, it referred to something I didn't know yet, and then in the next History chapter, it explained it in detail.

Honestly, this book was one giant complicated journey because there were SO many things that contributed to everything that happened. One small thing caused this which caused this which caused this.

Another thing about this book is that it dealt with topics that really need to be written about more. Almost all of the characters were gay or bisexual and I liked how it had a lot of diversity. I didn't think about the romances any differently than if it had been between a man and a woman and why should I? Why should anybody think about it differently?

Theo and Griffin's relationship was so important and serious and beautiful. Theo was Griffin's first love, so why shouldn't he be a big part of Griffin's life? Why shouldn't Griffin continue to talk to Theo even after death? Screw you, therapist, for saying that Griffin was delusional. That's cruel.

However, I felt as if Griffin was all over the place. First he was dating Theo but then he broke up with him and then Theo found a new boyfriend and in that time, Griffin hooks up with Wade, who I really adored. Then after Theo died, which did make me almost cry (which is a feat because I don't really cry in books--no, I'm not heartless, I just try to be strong because then people look at me weirdly; yes, I do read in public a LOT), Griffin gets together with Jackson and then once it's over, treats it as if it was nothing.

My favorite part was the History because they were so fundamental to the story and really helped me to understand the reasoning for actions made by the characters.

Griffin's OCD did not annoy me, as many people have warned me of. I could really understand his compulsions because he made them so important and explained what happened when he didn't listen to what his heart and brain said.

I loved this book and I would recommend it to readers who are ready for a long, complicated, ride of gorgeous writing and heartbreaking relationships.

Main Character: Griffin
Sidekick(s): Theo, Jackson, Wade, etc
Villain(s): Death, love, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book, sadly, was all very real to life.

Comments

Post a Comment