THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (Oscar Wilde) - September 1/09

Oh, the humanity. This exceedingly boring book, which runs 188 pages, has been filled to the brim with long, long passages revolving solely around Wilde's opinions on varying topics. The pervasive atmosphere of windbaggery persists virtually from start to finish, and it's impossible to walk away from the novel without thinking that Wilde adores hearing himself talk. Plotwise, there are a few interesting things - ie Dorian murders the man who painted his portrait - but they're generally lost beneath absurdly descriptive and eye-rollingly talky stretches. A true ordeal. * out of ****