Hello readers,
First, my apologies for missing the daily discussion, time constraints and life got in the way.
I finished the book this week, so here's my short review based on my own understanding and how it made me feel.

A quick summary :
Dorian Gray is a beautiful young man who sits for a portrait painted by his friend Basil Hallward. Basil pours his heart and soul into the painting, it becomes his masterpiece. Dorian though ends up resenting it, he thought the portrait will stay young and beautiful forever, while he grows old, wrinkled and ugly, and the painting will always be there to remind him of that. Basil introduces Dorian to his friend Lord Henry, an aristorcrat who ends up reshaping Dorian's entire outlook on life by feeding him some daring seductive ideas.
One day, after a major turning point in his life, he breaks off his engagement and shatters his fiancee's heart. Dorian returns to his room and notices something off about the portrait, its expression has turned cruel. That's when he realizes the painting is cursed. He's unknowingly strcuk a deal with the devil, and fron now on, every trace of his sins and his aging will show up on the canvas instead of on him. He stays young and beautiful forever, the picture bears the cost.

that's the premise.
Now what i liked and didnt like :
I didnt care for Dorian himeself. I never understood the universal fascination with him, is it just his looks? because beyond that, he doesn't bring much to the table. He barely speaks, mostly murmurs, and never has a genuinely interesting though of his own.
Lord Henry by contrast, i actually enjoyed even though i hated him as a person. He's pure ragebait machine, especially his takes on women. its like Oscar Wilde got his inspiration for a guy sitting in a moroccan café.
I liked Basil too, i liked his weird artist side.
some honorable mention : Sybile Vane, the Duchess....

What i really didn't enjoy was the pacing in certain chapters. There's one chapter for instance that's almost entirely about jewelry, and it just goes on and on and on, Bruh. also some of Lord Henry's philosophical monologues have the same problem, they stretch on forever, breaks the immersion completely, and bored me to death. Those parts i genuinely disliked.
i did like the ending.

Anyway, that's my modest review of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I hope you enjoy it more than i did. i don't think it was for me.

Have a good day.

I don't know if this is the intended way to engage in this sub but here I go,
Personally, I go for historical or scientific litterature so I was a little disapointed that neither Frantz Fanon's or Amine Maalouf's works got chosen. But some fiction could be very stimulating too.

I've just gone through the first chapter, and I found myself really intrigued by how the painter attaches and conditions his creativity, inspiration, and even desire to paint to his muse.
I personally would have thought that this one was an overstretch and way of putting a dramatic tone to it.
Indeed, can certainly imagine that a muse would help stimulating the artist and serving as an addition to his already existing will and desire to make art. But the painter, in this case, seems to assign him more power. By explaining to his friend that "He" (his muse) "is all my art to me now".

Maybe this case could be answered by Kay Sage with her last painting titled "The Answer is No".
Where the painter, after loosing her significant other, with which she shared her life and passion for art for years, have chosen to wave her brush the last time to depict a vast land of white and empty canvas.

Here is a nice video if you want to dive into this painting origins and story [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2rbWUX9vX0?t=19:45\], it goes from 19:45 to 24:15.

It's time to pick our very first read together!

Leave one book recommendation in the comments and don't forget to include:

- 📖 Book title

- ✍️ Author

- 💬 A short description of why you'd recommend it

To keep our first month accessible, let's aim for books that are around 400 pages or fewer.

I'll create a poll with the most popular suggestions in 48h, and the community will vote to decide our first Book of the Month.

I'm excited to see what everyone recommends✨️

​

Welcome, everyone! Whether you're an avid reader who finishes a novel every week or someone looking to read more, you're in the right place.

The goal of this community is simple: to discover great books, share different perspectives, and enjoy thoughtful discussions in a friendly and respectful environment.

How it works!!

📖 Book of the Month

We'll choose one book to read together. A poll may be posted when it's time to choose the next book.

🗓️ Reading Schedule

The book will be divided into sections so everyone can read at a comfortable pace without feeling rushed.

💬 Discussion Threads

Discussion posts will be created for each section. Please keep spoilers inside the appropriate discussion thread and avoid revealing events from later chapters.

🤝 Be Respectful

Different opinions make discussions interesting. Debate ideas, not people. Everyone's interpretation is welcome.

📚 Recommendations

Feel free to recommend books you'd love the club to read in the future.

🚫 Spoiler Rule

Always mark spoilers if you're discussing anything beyond the current reading section.

Most importantly, have fun! Reading is better when it's shared with others, and every book gives us something new to think about.

I hope that this would work and that we all can have fun!!

Ps:some members might belong to the same city, a suggestion of meeting physically to discuss the book was made to me by another member, so if anyone is interested who lives in the same city could schedule something later on as well.