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...
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Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Genre: Classics

Blurb (on back of book): Orphaned as a child, Jane has felt an outcast her whole young life. Her courage is tested once again when she arrives at Thornfield Hall, where she has been hired by the brooding, proud Edward Rochester to care for his ward Adèle. Jane finds herself drawn to his troubled yet kind spirit. She falls in love. Hard.
But there is a terrifying secret inside the gloomy, forbidding Thornfield Hall. Is Rochester hiding from Jane? Will Jane be left heartbroken and exiled once again?

MY OPINION: ****

I liked this one a lot better than Wuthering Heights, and I think Charlotte might be my favorite of the Brontë sisters (though I literally have not read any of Anne's, so this is a poorly-formed opinion). I enjoyed this book a lot and thought it managed to hold my attention a lot more. 

I'm glad I finally got around to this one because it's been on my TBR since 2016 after I went through my first Austen phase. I honestly never knew what this one was really about until recently and I decided it was my time to start it.

I honestly do not think I am a big fan of Brontë romances. I didn't really feel a lot of chemistry between Jane and Rochester and I wasn't really rooting for them like I would be in an Austen novel. I felt the same about Wuthering Heights's Catherine and Heathcliff. The age gap in this one really disturbed me, as I wasn't expecting it. I understand that this was very common back then, but it just wasn't really appealing to me once I learned he was like forty and she was like barely twenty or something.

It definitely is a lot more intriguing than you would expect. I went into it thinking it would be a fairly common, mundane story about a girl and a man falling in love after she comes to take care of his ward, Adele. However, it has a lot more gloomy and spooky elements that you wouldn't expect if you didn't already know about it before. It has a very gothic tone, which I wasn't expecting, and ended up enjoying. 

This is a beautifully-written novel. It explores the complexities of the relationship between Jane and Rochester. It highlights how secrets can ruin and unravel entire relationships. I won't spoil anything but I found the wedding scene towards the middle very interesting. I wasn't expecting any of that. 

The ending was very jarring for me. I wasn't a huge fan of how it was done because it felt very rushed and strange. I also felt very unsatisfied with Rochester's fate and thought it was kind of a frustrating part of the book. We built it up for it to end like that??

I liked how we got to see Jane's entire life (or at least most of it) in this book. I wasn't expecting to start with her childhood and then move up to adulthood. I feel like this read very much so like a Dickens novel (which we all know how I feel about that -- spoiler alert, not good) but in a more intriguing kind of a way. It's definitely more biographical-feeling but still manages to include the fictional aspects and love stories that I love in a good classic. 

Overall, I wouldn't say I would rave about this book to someone over my Austens and Oscar Wilde, but I would say to read it if you have always been meaning to because it's well worth it. 

Main Character: Jane
Sidekick(s): Edward, etc
Villain(s): Misunderstandings, secrets, etc
Classic Elements: This is the epitome of classic Victorian literature.

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