The Picture of Dorian Gray

By: Oscar Wilde

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Dorian Gray, a handsome and narcissistic young man, lives thoughtlessly for his own pleasure - an attitude encouraged by the company he keeps. One day, after having his portrait painted, Dorian makes a frivolous Faustian wish: that he should always remain as young and beautiful as he is in that painting, while the portrait grows old in his stead.

The wish comes true, and Dorian soon finds that none of his wicked actions have visible consequences. Realizing that he will appear fresh and unspoiled no matter what kind of life he lives, Dorian becomes increasingly corrupt, unchecked by public opinion. Only the portrait grows degenerate and ugly, a powerful symbol of Dorian's internal ruin.

Wilde's dreamlike exploration of life without limits scandalized its late-Victorian audience and has haunted readers' imaginations for more than a hundred years.

Public Domain (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Fantastic narration

The narration, the tone, rate and manner of speech perfectly fit the characters. It really brings them alive. The female voices can be a bit silly, but there are only very occasional female speaking characters.

Disturbing

I must first admit to have enjoyed Wilde since high school, many years ago. His wit and sarcastic view of people is refreshing. It is amazing how differently his work seems after three decades. Be prepared to have this book haunt you for a while.

Be Careful What You Wish For!

What an exhilarating book! The characters are rich and the writing is brilliantly witty and beautiful. Oscar Wilde's exploration of the depths of human depravity is genius. There are so many timelessly provocative themes running through this work - the fleetingness of youth, the superficiality of beauty, the power of the ego, the insidious danger of vanity, the importance of accountability and conscience. Lord Henry's aphorisms are as astute as they are irreverent. Be careful what you wish for!

Read

this book many years ago and like other times with Audible I'm finding having it read, is a plum pleasure. Buy it!

“The sanguine labyrinth of passion...”

...just one of the brilliant passages penned by Wilde in this dark, psychological thriller, and from my perspective, a phrase that sums up the book. Brilliant language, brooding introspection and quite possibly a satanic cynic and tempter in the person of Lord Henry makes for a mesmerizing, but not exactly a pleasurable listen. Narration was excellent perfectly mirroring every character. Whew! Glad I took this classic off the shelf and only too happy to return it!

A Classic of prose.

Oscar Wilde was a genius. His understanding of the human psyche has no greater peer.

Modernism at it's best

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If they wanted something classic and lovely, sure. The movie didn't really give it much justice.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Well, I guess Dorian. I can't blame him for doing all he did. It just sucks how things ended up.

What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Oh definitely. Old books are hard for me to read because it doesn't flow right in my brain. But having it read to me, I listened and played attention and got so much more out of the story that if I had read it myself.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

If anything, it made me miss college.

Any additional comments?

I'm pretty sure I only liked this because I learned about it in class. That's probably why I didn't care for the Great Gatsby.

Too verbose

I found myself drifting throughout the story. The general premiss was good, but it seemed to go on and on about nothing. Very disappointing.

I wish I had a picture like Dorian’s

This classic story has been on my bucket list for a long time. It didn’t disappoint either. It’s about a man who doesn’t age but the painting he has locked away does.

Much of of the book is about his fall into callousness since he doesn’t suffer the physical consequences of his actions. His friends recognize the changes but Dorian doesn’t.

The book was written in the late 1800s so the style is different. You should quickly adjust and begin to enjoy the way the story is presented.

Take time to step back in time and read The Picture of Dorian Gray!

It was one of Wilde's

This is my first Wilde novel and I will certainly look for others. The writing is excellent if at times (expectedly) florid. There are quite long sections that do sound exactly like the Monty Python sketch referenced in the headline. There are also sections which clearly show Wilde was keen that we all know how widely read he was. Certainly not going to become my favourite style of writing but interesting and stays just this side of annoying.

With all that said the story moves at a a reasonable pace and keeps the interest. The narration is clear and has enough characterisation to help to seperate the characters without being intrusive. Worth the read.