The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar WIlde

Recently, I got into some deep book conversations with my friend Hayley where she questioned my taste in books due to the preponderance of baseball books.  To combat this, I decided to dive into what she had declared as her favorite book, The Picture of Dorian Gray by noted playwright Oscar Wilde.  I was able to find a free version in the Amazon Kindle store, so I decided to see what all the fuss was about.

The Picture of Dorian Gray tells the tale of a young English nobleman, who, after getting his portrait taken, makes a wish that he may stay forever young while the ravages of time and sin affect his visage in the painting.  After years of living a life of vanity and decadence, he finally decides to turn his life around and rid himself of the vile painting, when, in attempting to destroy the portrait, he reverses the wish and winds up killing himself, now bearing the weight and scars of the past.

While I can’t say I was a big fan of the book, I guess I’m glad that I read it.  Oscar Wilde is one of those names that shows up in trivia games and game shows, so it is good to have some first hand experience under my belt.  That said, I’m pretty sure my next outing will be something back in my comfort zone.